Roger Pocock's 1910 fantasy imagines 1980 as a world careening toward catastrophe. The British Empire stands fractured and vulnerable, threatened by the rising power of Emperor Nicholas IV of Russia, while inside its borders, Chancellor Lord Ulster pursues dangerous political ambitions that entanglement him with the treacherous Prince Ali. His son, Lord Sydney, carries a dangerous secret: he has overheard his father's machinations and knows the truth could destroy everything the Ulsters have built. But Sydney's loyalty fractures further when he discovers the manipulations threaten Queen Margaret, the woman he loves. Set against the looming "World-Storm" of 1980, this is a novel about empire, family, and the impossible choices men make when power and passion collide. Pocock writes with the confident sweep of Edwardian imperialism, painting a world where personal betrayals carry political consequences and love becomes another weapon in a game of thrones. The prose carries the earnest melodrama of its era, where characters speak in grand declarations and fate hangs heavy over every decision.
