It begins with The Collapse: As the fossil fuels run out, the long predicted crash occurs and world is plunged into anarchy. Economies fail. Governments cannot keep order as people riot in the streets. Tom Mallory, former sergeant-major in the British infantry, now urban strike force cop in London, is driven to steal wood just to keep his family from freezing. But as his axe strikes an ancient oak in a protected natural preserve, lightning flashes from within the tree, splitting it to reveal an old man dressed in dark blue robes festooned with runic symbols....Reawakened from a spell that kept him trapped for centuries, Merlin the Magician, immortal court wizard to King Arthur, realizes that the world once more has a desperate need for magic. But with no one but a burned-out cop to help him, can he convince the modern world of who he really is and prove the validity of what he has to offer before civilization descends into a new Dark Age