Roger Zelazny called it “A Thunderclap of a book, a thing of blood and magic,” and Gene Wolfe called it “The best mingling of history and historical magic that I have ever seen.” It won the 1984 World Fantasy Award for Best Novel. The Dragon Waiting was Ford’s third novel, following Web of Angels (1980) and The Princes of the Air (1982).

Together they wage a secret campaign against the entire Byzantine Empire, to secure the English throne for Richard, Duke of Gloucester, the future Richard III. High in the Alps four people come together: the exiled heir to the Byzantine throne, a beautiful physician forced to flee Florence, a Welsh wizard, and a German vampire. The Vampire Duke Sforza is massing a dark army against Florence, and Byzantium is on the march. Edward IV sits on the throne of England, but his kingdom is threatened by an expansionist Byzantine Empire. It’s a sprawling alternate history that combines Richard III, Edward IV, the Princes in the Tower, the Medicis, and vampires. The Dragon Waiting: A Masque of History was published in 1983. I would have recommended they film John M. I could have saved them a lot of time if they’d just asked me. A tale of dark magics, black-hearted evil, kings and princes, palace intrigue, war, treachery, and sex. For the last few years the major streaming players - Netflix, HBO, Amazon, Hulu, and others - have spent untold millions searching for the next Game of Thrones.

The dragon waiting john m ford