Before You Begin

Before you begin.

Egerton Castle's The Baron's Quarry begins as a hunting memory told by Mr. Marshfield, a cultivated traveler whose calm attention makes him unusually sensitive to character, language, and danger. His journey carries him from civilized conversation into the winter isolation of Yany, where the hospitality of Baron Kossowski conceals an atmosphere of fear.

The story belongs to a late-Victorian tradition in which travel, manners, and physical action become instruments of suspense. Castle was both a novelist and a serious student of historical fencing, and his interest in movement, weapons, and disciplined observation gives the pursuit an unusual precision. This introduction preserves the mystery: it identifies the setting and central tension without revealing the quarry or the outcome of the midnight hunt.

This illustrated edition contains:

- The Baron's Quarry

Progression plates unlock as you read. Each one gathers people, places, objects, and discoveries from the completed passage into an illustrated memory map, never revealing events beyond the point you have reached.