Although his father, The Count, proves to be the most powerful adept in the country, and its effective ruler, he finds himself back at the bottom of the heap as an apprentice, being manipulated by the ruler who sees him as only one of all too many bastards. He is challenged to survive not only because The Count puts him under enormous pressure to learn his craft and how to hide it, but also to work out his end game. Amidst horrendous wars and great change, can he learn enough to protect those he has come to love, and can he manage to fit into his father’s plans, or will he be the apprentice who fails to make the transition to master ?

     When the fifty-something friends from Lancashire decide to take some time out together, little do they know that they will end up traversing Spain from north to south in an old and somewhat unsightly mini-campervan. Garrulous Geoff, hefty Harry and the relatively rational Jeremy, unused to spending longer than an evening in each other’s company, are thrust together for a month of travel and cohabitation which the latter relates to us with candour, pulling no punches when it comes to describing their more embarrassing escapades.