Max Frei has discovered that the one place he really fits in is the parallel world of Echo. In our world he's a loser, an insomniac with dubious social skills and an addiction to cigarettes. But in Echo, the reality is far stranger. There he is Sir Max, a superb magician and one of the powerful few chosen to defend the land against all possible enemies. And he's finally happy.But when one of his esteemed Knight colleagues tells Max of a strange dream - one that seems disturbingly familiar to Max - Max realises he will have to investigate. The subsequent series of events will remind our hero - and the people he protects - just how tenuous happiness can be. It could be his most dangerous mission yet, but The Stranger's Magic may win him through.