Tag Archives: novels set in Elizabethan England

#BookReview ‘A Column of Fire’ by Ken Follett @KMFollett #historical #Kingsbridge

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A Column of Fire by Ken Follett is fourth in the Kingsbridge historical series (starting with prequel The Evening and The Morning) and from page one I sank immediately into this world again. Not only Kingsbridge but London, Paris, Spain, Holland and the Caribbean. Ken FollettIt is 1558 and Elizabeth Tudor is a queen in waiting. The religious differences of the earlier Kingsbridge novels have descended into violence, hatred, murder and war. In Kingsbridge, teenage protestant Ned Willard is in love with Margery Fitzgerald, a Catholic. They are prevented from marrying not because of their religious beliefs, but because the Fitzgerald family are ambitious and want a husband for Margery who will elevate them into the aristocracy. Heartbroken, Ned seeks employment with Sir William Cecil, advisor to Princess Elizabeth. Ned’s intelligence, quick wittedness and language skills see him become a spy for Sir Francis Walsingham, Elizabeth’s spymaster. When princess becomes queen, her sovereignty is threatened by ‘Spanish Mary,’ Mary Queen of Scots, who is sheltering in Paris. There, Ned runs into a man who will become an enemy throughout his life, Pierre Aumande. Religious intolerance destroys trust, splits families and wrecks countries.
I really enjoyed the sub-plot of Ned’s brother Barney, who gets into trouble and runs away to sea. He becomes a master of naval artillery and when the English fleet faces the Spanish Armada he has a crucial role to play. The timespan of A Column of Fire runs from 1558-1620, that’s a lot of history. Follet does a wonderful job of seamlessly placing his fictional characters into real events, including the Babington Plot to assassinate Queen Elizabeth I and replace her with Mary Queen of Scots, and the Gunpowder Plot to kill Elizabeth’s heir King James I.
I’ve read comments saying the Kingsbridge books have a master plot repeated from book to book and this becomes predictable. Yes, there are similar themes, big themes about religion and politics that run across the books and the centuries. Teenage sweethearts are prevented from marrying, there are despotic local politicians, corrupt clergy, young men leave home to find a better life while feisty women survive despite the odds. These are themes of life, and of the times, and each book is individual. Discussions about the role of faith in a civil society, the danger of religious conflict fuelled by difference, and the freedom of religious belief, are pertinent today.
Thought-provoking. Thrilling. Romantic. There’s love, loyalty, betrayal, codebreaking and some cracking battles. I love these books and look forward to re-reading them many times.

Click the titles to read my reviews of other Follett novels:-
THE EVENING AND THE MORNING #PREQUEL KINGSBRIDGE
THE PILLARS OF THE EARTH #1KINGSBRIDGE
WORLD WITHOUT END #2 KINGSBRIDGE
THE ARMOUR OF LIGHT #4KINGSBRIDGE
NEVER

If you like this, try:-
‘Execution’ by SJ Parris #6GIORDANOBRUNO
‘The City of Tears’ by Kate Mosse #2JOUBERT
‘Dissolution’ by CJ Sansom #1SHARDLAKE

And if you’d like to tweet a link to THIS post, here’s my suggested tweet:
#BookReview A COLUMN OF FIRE by Ken Follett @KMFollett https://wp.me/p2ZHJe-7WB via @SandraDanby

COMING SOON… THE NEXT BOOK I REVIEW WILL BE:- Andrey Kurkov

#BookReview ‘The Angel’s Mark’ by SW Perry @swperry_history #historical #crime

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SW Perry is a new author for me. I first came across the Jackdaw Mysteries when The Rebel’s Mark was published. But, discovering that book was fifth in the series, I decided to start at the beginning with The Angel’s Mark. And I’m so glad I did. SW PerrySome first novels of a series can seem a little slow, concentrating on establishing world and character at the expense of tension but in The Angel’s Mark, Perry tells a rollicking good historical mystery. It is 1590, Queen Elizabeth I’s reign is nearing its end, Catholics are still celebrating mass in secret, there are wars, plotting, spies and witchcraft. Young physician Nicholas Shelby has a good career ahead of him and is due to become a father until tragedy sends him reeling towards alcoholism, vagrancy and ruin.
This is at once a sad story, and one of hope. Watching Nicholas suffer the worst imaginable kind of grief is a painful read, until Perry presents him with a puzzle to be solved, a medical dilemma that doesn’t make sense, a challenge to his intellect currently sozzled by alcohol and to his vanished self-esteem. He is convinced a killer is at large, preying on the weak, unfortunate and overlooked in London’s streets. At first no-one wants to hear his complaints, the victims are found south of the river, unimportant, and Shelby is a ruined man, certainly no doctor, whose word cannot be trusted. Each victim has a strange symbol cut into the leg; could it be devilry, a sacrifice? But Shelby is still a physician at heart, he believes in facts and evidence not hearsay and superstition. So with the help of innkeeper Bianca Merton, who rescued him at his lowest point, he begins to investigate. Their search for the truth takes them into one of the most glamorous houses in London, Nonsuch Palace. Bianca is a fascinating character; an apothecary and healer forbidden a license to practise, she runs an inn, keeps a herb garden and helps local people with her salves and potions.
A well-written thriller in Elizabethan London featuring a likeable hero with a strong conscience and vulnerabilities. If, like me, you love Shardlake, give this series a go.

Here are my reviews of other books in the series:-
THE SERPENT’S MARK #2JACKDAWMYSTERIES
THE SARACEN’S MARK #3JACKDAWMYSTERIES
THE HERETIC’S MARK #4JACKDAWMYSTERIES
THE REBEL’S MARK #5JACKDAWMYSTERIES
THE SINNER’S MARK #6JACKDAWMYSTERIES

And a new #WW2 series:
BERLIN DUET #1HARRYTAVERNER

If you like this, try:-
‘The Almanack’ by Martine Bailey #1TABITHAHART
‘The Swift and the Harrier’ by Minette Walters
‘A Rustle of Silk’ by Alys Clare #1GABRIELTAVERNER

And if you’d like to share a link:
#BookReview THE ANGEL’S MARK by SW Perry @swperry_history https://wp.me/p2ZHJe-7PM via @SandraDanby

COMING SOON… THE NEXT BOOK I REVIEW WILL BE:- Joseph O'Connor