The Dusk of Mankind, and the Dawn of the Kingdom of God, is a book that addresses, postulates and presents the concept of an irrevocable changing of the guard in earthly authority. The bedrock of the Bible is that this world once deeded to men as a temporary possession was thwarted at the outset. In man's greed to grasp after the straws of false knowledge and deception he forfeited the gift of the kingdom of this world to the prince of deception. Man has ever since been in a tug-o-war with the devil, his own sin nature and his spirit man's desire to reconnect with God.

The final reckoning has come: the future of the Land will be decided now and written in the blood of men. After his pyrrhic victory at Moorview, King Emin learns the truth about the child Ruhen - but he is powerless to act. Instead, he must mourn his dead friends while his enemy promises the beleaguered peoples of the Land a new age of peace. The past year has taken a grave toll: the remaining Menin troops seek revenge upon Emin, daemons freely walk the Land, and Ruhen's power is increasing daily. And yet, a glimmer of hope remains. There is one final, desperate chance for victory: a weapon so terrible only a dead man could wield it, and only a madman would try. But if they do not grasp this opportunity, King Emin and his allies will be obliterated as Ruhen's millennia-old plans are about to bear terrible fruit. If his power continues unchecked, Ruhen will achieve total dominion - and not just over mankind, but over the Gods themselves.

Nicce Ward is determined to kill the goddess of nightmares, Ciaska. It might seem impossible, but Nicce is up for the task, and she needs Sir Eithan Draig to get into the Nightmare Court. Eithan Draig isn’t keen on the idea of putting Nicce in danger. He just wants her magic sunlight blood and then he’ll be on his way and let her go on hers. Well, anyway, that’s what he should want. What he actually wants is to seize any excuse to be near her, even if it means risking her life. So he brings Nicce to the Nightmare court, where he must protect her from the whims of the capricious goddess of nightmares, who happens to be jealous of his obsession with Nicce. He can make it work. He’s been playing Ciaska for over a hundred years. He’s a master of subterfuge and manipulation, but his plan hinges on Nicce displaying nothing but disgust for Eithan. She is disgusted by him, isn’t she? All he’s ever done is hurt her. She couldn’t possibly want him too. If Nicce did want him, he might lose control. And that could cost them everything.

Thomas Burnett Swann was a brilliant fantasy writer who died in 1976. He wrote primarily about the ancient Greek and Roman world, blending myth with romance and adventure. A reviewer in the Village Voice sums his work up well: "Swann's neo-romantic fantasies of the past are unique. He uses the stuff of myth but with twists and inventions of his own." Swann's last published novel, Queens Walk in the Dusk is a retelling of the romance of Dido and Aeneas. It is a companion volume to Green Phoenix.