Product Description

Twenty-five years have passed since Jessabel Archarde and her family sailed for the New World. It is now 1612 and Jess has sent her children from Croatoan Island north toward the Jamestown colony. There, she hopes they will make new lives for themselves after a smallpox epidemic has ravaged their fair island home.

What fate awaits Suzanne, William and George? Will Master Robert Ashbury fulfill his promise to offer them sanctuary? Or will his wife, Mistress Emma, denounce them as "half-breeds?" And what has happened to the English colonists back on Croatoan? What does the future hold in store for all of them?

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #730479 in Books
• Published on: 2004-11-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover

Review
M. L. Stainer has created a brilliant new series based on historical events... and a fervent imagination. -- Cherry Valley Books

The hardships the Roanoke colonists faced are depicted vividly. The total effect of the Lyon Saga is a satisfying one. -- North Carolina Libraries

The stories are woven so well with historical facts, it becomes easy to enter the world of Jess, and believe.... -- Heather Froeschl, Bookideas.com

About the Author
M. L. Stainer fell in love with North Carolina's Outer Banks when she first visited in 1993. She researched the mystery of the Lost Colonists of Roanoke Island and wrote the Lyon Saga series. Born in London and educated at Fordham University, she lives in upstate New York with her husband, Frank, and numerous cat and dog family members.

Customer Reviews

A Compelling Story and Ending to A Saga
This is a truly compelling story, interweaving fact and fiction into a fascinating tale. The story of Jess and her family is beautifully concluded in this fifth book in the Lyon Saga series. The fate of the Lost Colonists has always been shrouded in mystery. What did happen to them? Stainer cleverly writes from the point of view of Suzanne, Jess's daughter, after they are sent north from Croatoan Island to the Jamestown colony. Historical facts become an integral part of the story as Suzanne, William and George face adversity in their new surroundings. Interwoven are excerpts from Jess's own writings, the journals she has passed on to Suzanne. Through them we learn what has happened to Jess, Aikayan, and all the rest of the colonists who threw their lot in with the Indians on Croatoan.

Without a doubt, The Lyon's Crown is the culmination of a series of excellent writing. It is vivid, alive with history, forceful and a true delight. Stainer is to be commended for bringing such a shadowy mystery into the spotlight and giving her own unique version. Her characters are alive, vibrant and we care about them deeply. In fact, I'm sorry to see the series end. Perhaps Stainer will write more in the near future. I hope so!

Long Awaited, Eagerly Anticipated
After a very long wait, I am glad to see that The Lyon's Crown is now available. I had read the previous four books in the Lyon Saga series and was most impressed. But this fifth book, completing the adventures of Jess Archarde, outdoes all the rest.
The Lyon's Crown covers a 25 year span of relatively unknown American history when Jess Archarde, now a grown woman, sends her three half-Indian children north to the Jamestown Colony. The story relates the adventures of the three, and cleverly interweaves the history of what has happened to Jess, Aikayan her husband, and the rest of the former Lost Colonists. M. L. Stainer has outdone herself in her writing, leaving us sorry that the saga has ended and there will be no more Lyon stories.

Once at Jamestown, Suzanne, William and George find themselves living in the home of Jess's former admirer, Robert Ashbury and his wife, Emmma. They face many hardships, the hostility of Mrs. Ashbury and the stern rule of the colony. Two adapt easily, one does not. I will leave the rest for future readers to enjoy. I cannot emphasize enough how delighted I am to discover that M. L. Stainer has finished the Lyon Saga series and given us this gem of a book. Both teenagers and adults will enjoy this happiest of readings!

The Jewels in Jess' Crown
Completing the LYON Quintet, which offers alternative theories about the fate of the "lost" colony of Roanoke, CROWN provides an emotionally-satisfying conclusion to the adventures of Jess Archarde. It is the year 1612 when Jess' three half English-half Native American children arrive by ship in the young colony of Jamestown. Suzanne, William and George were sent away by Jess, also known as Little Bird, from peaceful Croatoan Island. This was the desperate act of a mother to protect them from the smallpox epidemic which claimed her beloved husband, Akaiyan. To soften the sudden loss of maternal guidance, Jess enclosed many pages of her journal for her daughter to read and remember, for she had pledged to oversee her younger brothers. (First-time readers to the series will recap Jess' struggles and joys as an English girl, transplanted across the ocean.)

Although safe from the epidemic, Suzanne and her brothers are not joyously welcomed by the harassed and fearful colonists. Master Robert Ashbury, an old admirer of Jess, had promised them hospitality should the need arise, but his shrewish wife is resentful of a household of strangers (which includes a clinging widow with 3 youngsters). Treating them as little more than unwanted and inefficient servants, Mistress Ashbury recognizes something different in Suzanne' features and carriage. Her suspicions increase until she is openly hostile about their Indian heritage, for these colonists live in frank fear of the natives. How will Jess' children fit into this world, where their native heritage is grounds for stoning?

The author has skillfully interwoven authentic colonial history with an interesting story about her fictitious heroine and the second generation. Readers aged 10-15 should enjoy the entire series, for Jess' probeles and Suzanne's dreams can be understood by all. Deeper themes are hinted at as well; racial relations, possible fates of the lost colonists, and the role of a mother are subtly mentioned. The LYON series will educate as it entertains, hopefully inspiring further, future study about America's multi-ethnic past, focusing attention on Tidewater
Virginia and the outer islands.