The things you learn with Google alert, which is sometimes a year or two late …! Rosemary Sutcliff’s  Knight’s Fee was being read in 2007 around this time by author Garth Nix. Described by the promoters, Jarrold department store, as one of the world’s great fantasy writers”, he will in fact be signing copies of  The Violet Keystone in Norwich today!

A full-time writer since 2001, he was born in 1963 in Melbourne, Australia. He has worked as a literary agent, marketing consultant, book editor, book publicist, book sales representative, and bookseller. His books include the award-winning fantasy novels Sabriel, Lirael and Abhorsen; and the cult favourite YA SF novel Shade’s Children.

And Knight’s Fee? In short, the story is set against the violent and turbulent backdrop of Norman England. A young ill-treated boy who is wagered and won in a game of chess between a lord and a minstrel …