The Burning Time

This riveting tale of the struggle for the soul of a countrydrawn from actual court records of the first witchcraft trial in Irelandis the exciting story of one extraordinary noblewoman, Lady Alyce Kyteler. When the Catholic Church brings the Inquisitionalso known as The Burning Timeto Ireland, Lady Alyce refuses to grant the Church power over her, her lands, or her people, and refuses to stop the practice of The Old Religion. She is declared a dangerous heretic by an ambitious emissary of the popewho stakes his future on bringing her to heel. To lose the battle with Lady Alyce, he tells his superiors, is to lose all of Ireland. But Lady Alyce is just as determined to fight back against the invaders' injustice, its forced imposition of a new religion, and its blatant land grab. After she outmaneuvers her rival in a court trial, there is no return: Against the penalty of being burned at the stake, she risks all to protect her people, her faith, and her beloved Ireland. Battle plans are laid, and what ensues is a vivid account of an astonishing but little-known historic figure and a gripping tale of bravery, treachery, guile, and redemption.

Robin Morgan is an award-winning poet and writer, author of the memoir Saturday’s Child and the best-selling The Demon Lover: The Roots of Terrorism. One of the founders of contemporary American feminism, she is the author of numerous germinal books about the women’s movement, and editor of the classic anthologies: Sisterhood Is Powerful, Sisterhood Is Global, and Sisterhood Is Forever.