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The Last Days of the Edge of the World

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The ministers put it quite plainly, Prince Damian was neither handsome nor charming, but the only hope left for the bankrupt kingdom of Caramorn was his marriage to Sirion Hilversun's lovely daughter, Helen.

Sirion Hilversun was the last of the enchanters in the magic lands at the edge of the world. Unknown to the ministers his powers were failing, and he was worried about his daughter's future. Marriage to a prince was, he thought, a secure, traditional answer.

Unfortunately, Helen loathed Damian on sight. So she borrowed an idea from an old story and agreed to the marriage on condition that Damian must first answer three questions set by her . In the interests of fairness she also offered to answer three set by him.

But she began to take the questions from an old riddle - a riddle that turned out to be a spell of terrible power....

Cover art by Martin White

Published by Hutchinson in October 1978.
ISBN:0-09-133820-4

Dedicated to Ken and Jo Wild

  THE WIZARD'S DAUGHTER

Sirion Hilversun was growing old, and the winds were growing cold in the lands at World's Edge. It had been many years since he and the other wizards had been expelled from the land of Caramorn.

Now the King of Caramorn wanted his magic back. To get it he was willing to marry his Prince to Sirion's daughter, Helen. And so the deal was struck.

But Helen had plans of her own - which didn't include marrying a Prince who looked like a toad.

So Helen did what any heroine in a fairytale would do. She gave the Prince three impossible possible tasks...

Cover art by Don Maitz.

Published by Ace in September 1985.
ISBN: 0-441-47077-7

 

Six of the world's seven edges have been rounded out and the last one, edging a thin sliver of land where magic still survives, is in a parlous state.

No longer able to remember the future, the last enchanter, Sirion Hilversun, knows that is about to die, and is anxious for the fate of his young daughter Helen, when a letter arrives from the neighboring unmagical kingdom of Caramorn, asking for his daughter's hand in marriage. Helen does not know that the offer is a desperate move on the part of the king of a bankrupt kingdom, but she hates the idea anyway.

Unfortunately her cunning plan to avoid the marriage without disappointing her father too much goes badly awry when it involves her and Ewan,the boy hired to catalogue Caramorn's palace library, in a spell that has been gathering power for hundreds of years. If she and Ewan can complete the spell, the last of the world's edges should be neatly disenchanted and tidied away—but can the human pawns necessary to complete it survive the obliteration of the magic lands?

Published by Wildside Press in March 2016.
ISBN: 978-1-4794-2046-9

  Translated into French as: Le Bord du Monde.

Review by Ian Braidwood

Cast of Characters:
Sirion Hilversun, Helen Hilversun, Prince Damian, Rufus Malagig IV, Jeahawn Kambalba, Coronado, Ewan, WynKyn.

The Last Days of the Edge of the World is a book which should be read by people of all ages. There is everything you expect in a fairytale: Love (kinda), bravery, courage and a little magic. Helen (the main character) is the daughter of a near 200 year old wizard named Sirion Hilvursen. He wants a good safe, secure life. She wants to forge her own way "Idon't want to be married to a man and follow along as he does great things. I want to forge my own way." (I'm paraphrasing.)

In a palace that's not so very far away a king and his ministers are stuck in the middle of a problem, they are broke, they're is no food (well not alot anyway) and even with a bumper harvest they would still be up choc creek without a popsicle stick!

So King Rufus Malagig sends a letter to sirion asking him for Helen to marry his son Damian. After a feast at Moonmansion (Helen and Sirion's home) Helen doesn't rake to the idea of marrying a prince that looks like a toad. So she gives him 3 seemingly impossible questions.

After receiving the first of the questions it is discovered by a young university student that they are part of a set of six questions making up the Last Will and Testament of Jeahawn Kambalba, Jeahawn the Judge.

A young boy by the name of Ewan is chosen as the princes substitute to answer the questions.

Review by Carly O'Brien

The Brian Stableford Website