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Secret History is a fantasy/science fiction series by Simon R. Green. This book series was supposed to be a trilogy, but due to the great popularity of the books Simon R. Green has decided to continue with the series.
Contents
Novels
Plot
These books are the adventures of Edwin Drood, AKA Shaman Bond (his field name; it is a parody of James Bond's name) and he is a part of the Droods, an ancient family that purportedly watches over the world and protects it from various threats, including supernatural and magical ones. Needless to say, they are wholeheartedly despised by criminals. Each Drood is entrusted with a golden (and, for some time, silver) torc, which bestows a certain "living armour" upon the wearer, giving them nearly unlimited strength, speed, durability and stealth, which can be called up or dispelled at will. The torc also grants the wearer the Sight, allowing him to see through most magical and scientific disguises, translates any language, prevents the user from appearing in any kind of photography, videotaping, or tracking of any kind (including tracking by other Droods), prevents the user's soul from being taken away (by daemons or other creatures of the sort), and a whole host of other abilities.
Edwin (he is usually referred to as "Eddie") is a field agent of the Droods who operates in the London area. During his early childhood in the Hall, the Drood's base of operations, Eddie came to hate the family due to its strict discipline and the lack of freedom given to him. At some point, the Matriarch agreed with Eddie to have him leave the Hall and base his operations outside of it. He still owed allegiance to the family and did missions for them, but was able to avoid living in the Hall and thus had much more freedom in his living.
The series acts as a framing story of sorts, with references to characters and settings within the Nightside, Hawk and Fisher, and Deathstalker stories; Giles Deathstalker plays a prominent role in the second book, Nightside agent Walker plays a large part in the third, and throughout the series many Nightside characters (e.g. Merlin Satanspawn, Leo Morn, Harry Fabulous, Janissary Jane, and even Nightside protagonist John Taylor) are referenced or appear briefly.
Simon R. Green has stated that the final novel in the series will be called Night Fall, and will feature the first meeting between John Taylor and Eddie Drood. Culminating in a Drood invasion of the Nightside.
James Bond allusion
All of the titles of this book series are parodies of James Bond book or short story titles: