'Chevalier & Gawayn fulfils all the requirements a reader of speculative fantasy could hope for' Landfall Review The earth has been ruined; plague is rife and people huddle behind city walls, underground or in remote villages. There are no animals, no birds - and no freedom. And the divide between rich and poor is growing ever greater. Into this world comes Chevalier, an unassuming tax inspector by day but a secret law-breaker and risk-taker by night who decides to experiment with a new virtual reality headset - CIRCE. Suddenly, Chevalier finds he can dip in and out of a world long ago and far away where his deepest hopes and fears are met, where there's magic in the air, and where his spirit and bravery can emerge. With a collection of gods, goddesses, heroes and heroines both ancient and modern, Chevalier takes on the spirit of the legendary Gawayn; only as Gawayn in the virtual world can he save the devastated real world.
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Phillip Mann (1942 - 2022) Phillip Mann was born in Yorkshire in 1942. He studied at Manchester University and in California and worked for the New China News Agency in Beijing for two years following the Cultural Revolution. From 1969 to 1998, he taught at Victoria University, Wellington, New Zealand, where he was professor of Drama. Following his retirement, he divided his time between New Zealand, France and England while writing, teaching and directing theatre. His first novel, The Eye of the Queen, was first published in 1982 and translated into German, French, Italian and Portuguese. It was followed by eight others - all published by Gollancz in print and by SF Gateway as ebooks. Many of his books and plays have been produced for RNZ Radio New Zealand.
The Disestablishment of Paradise (2013) was shortlisted for the Arthur C Clarke Award and the John W Campbell Award. His An Old Fashioned Story was included in the recent Big Book of Cyber Punk ( Vintage 1923). Phillip's final novel, Chevalier & Gawayn: The Ballad of the Dreamer, was published by Quentin Wilson Publishing shortly before his death in 1922 and has now been released by SF Gateway as an ebook.