Book excerpt: Dennis Jones is a brilliant new voice in fantasy fiction. The Stone and the Maiden, his first foray into the genre, has been enthusiastically received in Canada and the US, and readers of this first book in The House of the Pandragore trilogy can't wait for the next instalment. It's easy to see why: The Stone and the Maiden is a spellbinding tale of peril, passion, sorcery and high adventure. There is the legend of the Signata, a mysterious sacred treasure that appears as suddenly as it vanishes, yet it is the only hope in the lands of the Ascendancy, a world menaced by an ancient and merciless evil. That evil is the force known as Deep Magic, a power long ago banished from the world, but brought back by Erkai the Chain, a master of the dreaded Black Craft. It is up to Mandine Dascaris, heiress to the throne of the Ascendancy, and to the young soldier Key Mec Brander, to find the Signata. To fail means the annihilation of their world. To succeed may mean the loss of their own lives. An unforgettable tale of high adventure, The Stone and the Maiden is ultimately the thrilling story of two lovers who, haunted by their passion and their joint fate, must overcome seemingly insurmountable odds. Epic fantasy at its most richly imagined best, it is a wonderfully entertaining read.