When I finished the book, I was so surprised by one of the last plot twists that I immediately started the book over, to see if I'd missed major clues the first time around. The plot twists and turns - some predictable, some quite a surprise - as this 'company of liars' meanders across England. There's something sinister and otherworldly about her.but no more so than Cygnus, a man with a wing instead of an arm, or Zophiel, the magician protecting his mysterious boxes and is most urgent in his quest to reach Ireland. Their youngest companion, mysterious albino Narigorm, is constantly reading her runes to determine their fates. There's suspense and mystery a wolf's howl seems to be following the group as they travel, and always the specter of the plague haunts them. Camelot is a witty and observant narrator, a practiced storyteller, who keeps the narrative rolling along as if you're sitting by the fireside in an old inn with a room full of travelers. But the sheer variety of the group, and the uncertainty of their stories - are they who they claim to be this time? - makes this fun reading. You can't be sure when a character is telling the truth or making up another lie, but through Camelot's one good eye (the other eye stolen by a werewolf or a Saracen, depending on the audience) little clues are revealed. Each person has his or her own secrets to hide, and each character becomes a storyteller, blending truth and fiction as they create and dismantle their identities. As the group makes its way northward to the shrine of John Shorne, new faces are added to their party.

It soon becomes apparent that Rodrigo and his apprentice lack the practical experience to survive on the road, so they join Camelot on the summer circuit of England's fairs and markets. In an act of kindness, a relic-seller known only as Camelot tells a lie to help out a musician named Rodrigo.

Desperate to escape the horrible disease, people migrate to the north and to the east, away from the ports and the sick. It is the year 1348, and the Black Plague has just reached English shores.

A company of liars