“It (Alcohol) brings out the devil in some men and takes their soul away,” Emery answered staunchly.  “I’ve seen many a good man ravaged by the drink.”

Winston is a disgraceful alcoholic (or drinkwater) and presumed murderer of his father, Lord Tabor.  Cyrus Everett is Lord Tabor’s bailiff who falsely accuses Winston of murdering his father and almost murders Winston as well.  However, Winston is taken in by an old man, Emery, who nurses him back to health and teaches him how to defend himself with a sword.

The story is predictable showing how Winston learns to stay away from the drink, becomes a knight, and plans his revenge against Cyrus who is wreaking havoc on Winston’s family and village.

I normally enjoy medieval tales, but I just did not like the main character and it spoiled the whole story for me.  I found Winston to be a fool, even when he became a knight and I didn’t think he deserved the lordship or the girl he professed to love because I felt that the men who helped him did most of the work for him.

All in all, I found the story and the characters to be quite boring.