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In his cave, the Witch-King mused on the changing nature of time. At one level his enemy was randomness, the fickle chances that might disrupt his plans as they had in the past. But he could no longer rely on waiting for such perturbations to be smoothed out by the passage of time. His influence, even his very existence, had always remained unsuspected, but now Elaine and a handful of others not only knew about him but were intent on his destruction and suspected where his body was being maintained. They were unlikely to succeed, but he couldn't entirely dismiss them, especially as Elaine was the only other magician who understood the deeper layers of magic and she was bonded to Johan who had yet to realise how powerful his own magic really was. Unable to leave his hiding place yet, he would have to rely on the new Emperor to stop her - a man permanently on the brink between sanity and madness, who was easily steered to unwittingly prepare the way for the Witch-King's return. Meanwhile Elaine, Dread, Daria and Johan were slowly making their way towards Ida in the hope that Queen Sacharissa would allow them access to the catacombs where Elaine was sure the lich was hiding.

Not every ugly duckling becomes a swan...In the wake of the disastrous attack on the Golden City, Lady Light Spinner has become Grand Sorceress and Elaine, the Bookworm, has been settling into her positions as Head Librarian and Privy Councillor. But any hope of vanishing into her books is negated when a new magician of staggering power appears in the city, one whose abilities seem to defy the known laws of magic. Johan is a Powerless, a person born to a magical family yet lacking powers of his own. His dreams of a better life are curbed by his family, who see him as a cripple at best and a burden at worst. But when a political protest goes horrifically wrong, Johan discovers that his true powers have merely been buried, waiting for their chance to explode into the world. As he comes to grips with his newfound talents, he discovers that he finally has a chance to realise his ambitions ... ... But for the Golden City, reeling after the devastation of six months earlier, he may be the greatest threat the city has ever seen. Elaine must unlock the mystery behind his powers before the political factions can kill him ... or use him to unleash a nightmare.Returning to well-loved characters from Christopher G. Nuttall's bestselling Bookworm and introducing new ones, Bookworm II: The Very Ugly Duckling explores power - and the effect it has on the human mind.

Elaine and Johan are preparing to leave Golden City, with Daria and the travellers, in order to search for the Witch-King. The Grand Sorceress instructs Inquisitor Cass to help them. But before Elaine can leave she is arrested by two Inquisitors on the orders of the Emperor. When she resists she is hit with a powerful spell that forces her to concentrate all her efforts on protecting her mind from its intrusion. Taken to the palace she finds that the Grand Sorceress has been removed and the Throne has accepted an heir to the Empire. Realising this has to be the work of the Witch-King, Elaine must defeat the spell that is eating away at her defences if she is to escape and destroy him. Meanwhile, Johan, Daria and Cass are trying to find a way to get to Elaine and break her out of the cell in which she is being held.The Golden City is still widely devastated from the disastrous battle for power that followed the death of the previous Grand Sorcerer. The recent escalating breakdown of social order can only be made worse by the return of an Emperor and the imposition of martial law. The Privy Councillors and Heads of the Great Houses succumb to the power of the new Emperor, as he amasses a huge army. It is up to Elaine and her friends, with some unexpected help, to prevent an all-out war.The third instalment in the Bookworm series, The Best Laid Plans follows on immediately from the events in The Very Ugly Duckling, with Elaine and Johan joined by other favourite characters as they try to track down the Witch-King.