The Man with the Golden Torc: A Secret Histories Novel

I am coming into The Man with the Golden Torc from a strange place. While this is the first book in the Secret Histories series, I got into the series at nearly the end (although I didn't quite realize it at the time). Now, I find myself backtracking to read the whole series even though I am in the midst of reading the final book in the series, Night Fall. So yeah, it's a little weird reading The Man with the Golden Torc with the knowledge that some characters are already gone or have changed a good bit. That being said, it's really interesting to see how it all began and to finally realize that, in reading the latter books where I always felt like I was missing a crucial part of the story that described Eddie Drood's interactions with a certain group, it's actually just how author Simon R. Green presents characters and groups. He lets you know what you need to know, and when you need to know it, but Eddie Drood has a storied past and you'll never know everything about the man. And it works for the series.

So, The Man with the Golden Torc begins with Eddie completing a dangerous mission and following it up with some much-needed down-time with a sex android, only to be urgently summoned home to Drood Manor for a mission. No rest for the wicked, and all that.

Eddie is tasked by The Matriarch of the Drood family, also his grandmother, to take the legendary Soul of Albion back to Stonehenge, where it will be safer than at Drood Manor, as a recent break-in has revealed that there is a traitor in their midst. Seems simple enough, but as Eddie embarks on this quest, he finds himself attacked on all sides, and his opposition is playing for keeps. It soon becomes clear that Eddie has been sold out, and by someone in the family, no less. Yeah, there's a traitor in the Drood family, but it seems Eddie is the one on the receiving end.

Even though he survives the initial attack, Eddie finds himself branded an outcast, officially rogue, the traitor to the family, complete with a "kill on sight" order in effect. It's ridiculous, sure, but it could prove his undoing if he doesn't discover who the real traitor is and roust him or her out before he is killed in the process. And who can he turn to for help? Well, not a lot of folks, as it turns out. It seems the best place to look for answers is among those who hate the Droods most of all, the family's sworn enemies, but will Eddie be welcome there? Hell no!

He'll infiltrate a weird 60's sex cult called The Chelsea Lovers; the Sceneshifters, a group that makes small changes to history, behind the scenes, as it were; and the Middleman, a specialist matchmaker, of sorts, who probably had a hand in setting up Eddie's ambush. The Middleman puts him onto the trail of Molly Metcalf, the notorious wild witch of the woods and someone who has been Eddie's nemesis of sorts, up to this point. If Eddie wants answers, he'll have to ally himself with Molly, and since Molly's number one goal is to bring down the Droods, partnering up with Eddie is a means to an end. This tumultuous relationship is definitely a fun one.

As Eddie and Molly determine who is really behind all of the trouble, they'll each have to swallow their pride and murderous feelings, alike, and work with friends of the other, not always a pleasant task. As the story comes to a rollicking end, we'll not only discover how the Droods get their fabulous golden armour, but we will have also been introduced to several characters who make future appearances, such as The Armourer AKA Eddie's Uncle Jack, Janissary Jane, and Ethel, the ethereal spirit who listens in on everything in Drood Hall.

Overall, if you plan on checking out anything Secret Histories related, I do recommend that you read it from the start with The Man with the Golden Torc. It's fun to watch these characters get fleshed out and to see where they go across the years, and the rapid-fire banter between Eddie and Molly is entertaining.