Chronicles of Sir Dred — Kenneth Zeigler

Chronicles of Sir Dred is a comic epic in rhyme royal set in the 1390s. We find Dred at the outset on a pilgrimage in which he is joined by a surprising array of companions. Ultimately this journey is cut short, and Dred, his wife Vera, and their three teenage children set out on another pilgrimage, this time to the Shrine of the Unknown, in Turkey. They encounter hardships and treachery, including being shipwrecked and sold into slavery. Back at their home on the Scottish Marches, they must fight to regain control of their castle. Vera and her daughter Anne go to Scotland, where they are threatened with execution, and Vera must joust with an angry Scotsman to save herself and Anne before returning home to Pilgrim Castle. Back at the castle, they host a conclave for Pope Boniface IX and Antipope Benedict XIII -- a pair of dithering clerics who are attempting to resolve the Great Schism. Characters gathered for an extended stay at Pilgrim Castle include the bickering papal duo, a Turkish pasha along with his retinue of wives and hashashin, Maga the Druid witch and herbal healer, a Scottish Laird who is determined to find a husband for his daughter Lassie, and to make matters worse, the dreaded inquisitor Bernardo Guy, who is bent on burning two of Dred and Vera's guests at the stake.