From the inside sleeve:A curious legend arose during the Dark Ages - as ancient civilizations were crumbling in the shadows of the past - which described the poet Vergil as an all-powerful sorcerer.In time, strange tales transformed his life into fantasies of occult secrets and heroic deeds. The world he moved in became a tantalizing place where alchemy and magic held sway; where men walked in fear of troglodytes and manticores; and the Phoenix, reborn, rose up out of flame. Such is the setting for this remarkable novel.Vergil Magus fell under the spell of the Lady Cordelia, Dowager Queen of Carsus, who forced him to make her a mirror that had never before reflected a human face. It was a difficult and dangerous task, but when it was finally completed the face that appeared on the mirror's surface was that of Princess Laura, daughter of Cordelia, and prisoner of the great four-armed Cyclops.Vergil fell in love with the beautiful reflection and set out to rescue Laura. There were strange and exotic confrontations on his hazardous journey--until at last he was pitted against the demon powers of the Phoenix.THE PHOENIX AND THE MIRROR, the first of a projected series to be titles Vergil Magus, was inspired by Medieval tales and legends, but is touched throughout by a fragile and haunting reality that is ageless.