by Paul Hazel
First published 1994
The Eighth Duke of West Redding cannot accept his wife's death. He pours his grief into an impossible project: building a flying machine that will carry him to her in the afterlife. His obsession consumes him as he works to create something that defies the natural order. When the Duke finally takes to the air in his miraculous contraption, he soars through the heavens on his desperate quest. His journey leads him to a dark wood where no light penetrates, an ancient place that holds secrets and dangers. There he encounters a curse that will change everything. The Duke must confront whether his love can overcome the supernatural forces he has awakened, or whether his refusal to let go will destroy him. This is a story about the lengths one man will go to deny death and the price of trying to breach the boundary between the living and the dead.
Genres: romance, fantasy, supernatural
Vibes: atmospheric, dark, emotional, suspenseful
Tropes: forbidden-love, man-vs-nature, quest
Setting: West Redding
Period: 19th-Century
Paperback · Avon Books
Content warnings: death