Book Log 2021 #23: The Dragon Waiting by John M. Ford

In this alternative history/fantasy novel, four strangers (a female Italian doctor, a mercenary, the exiled heir to the Byzantine throne, and a Welsh wizard) join forces to ensure that Richard of Gloucester will gain the English throne and become Richard III.  The story mixes elements from our world (the Medici family, for example) with elements of the supernatural (the Byzantine army is led by a duke who is also a vampire) to create a really engaging and entertaining story.

This isn't a book that I would normally pick up - I'm not a fantasy reader generally - but a recommendation during an episode of So Many Damn Books sold me. What interested me as much as the plot was the story of the author, whose complicated personal and professional life seemed to lead to his works falling out of print and staying out of print for years after his death. It's a story as interesting as this book, which is saying something.