In a far-off kingdom, an English boy befriends the mad ruler s daughter The Khan of Dirzhan is a monster. Nigel, the son of the English ambassador to a backward Asian country, is transfixed by stories of the Khan s brutality. It is said that he had his own brother strangled, that he once shot two cabinet ministers to death during a government meeting, and that he will stop at nothing to keep his daughter safe. At first, these are nothing but stories, but when Nigel and the Khan s daughter form an unlikely friendship, the terror of the Khan will become all too real. Enlisted by the Khan to help beautiful young Taeela with her English, Nigel gets a firsthand look at life in a palace ruled by fear. When the Khan s enemies threaten Taeela, Nigel helps her escape. Together, they flee across a barren countryside where sheer survival is an adventure. This ebook features an illustrated personal history of Peter Dickinson including rare images from the author s collection."