Chesterton's first novel is set in London in 1984, eighty years in the future, where political indifference has swept over the land, and a new King jokingly decrees a revival of medieval heraldry throughout London. The ruse is taken seriously by the title character, Adam Wayne, who aims to fight to the finish to defend Notting Hill. At once humorous and absorbing, it is a fine example of Chesterton's first-rate storytelling