could have been much better - Rated 
immediate thoughts on ploughing through this epic, not very entertaining, book, was - I won't bother with any more by this author, thank you. His editor should have suggested drastic pruning to make it a thriller, a whodunnit, not a day by day itinerary of the King's Great Progress. My biggest complaint though is that the book does not feature Henry VIII at all. He is incidental to the 'plot' even though it is his time, his Progress, his wife, his country. Somehow he has managed to be sidelined and this detracts from the book. Over written, desperately in need of pruning and a better 'whodunnit' story would have improved it no end. I have to assume that the reviewers who are quoted on the cover read a different version to me.
A racking tale - Rated 
This is every bit as good as the previous two Shardlake novels. I've no idea if it's historically accurate, because I don't much care for history. But it certainly felt authentic, and the sense of abiding terror is palpable and rather appropriate for our age, as we move towards a police state similar to that of Henry VIII.
Nen - Rated
Having read the first two of the Trilogy, I was hooked. The plot is excellent and the novel makes one feel that one is living in the times. I was quite sad when it was finished. I hope that the author can bring himself to write more of Matthew Shardlake and Barak. I felt these stories are as good as Cadfael.
Thoroughly enjoyable.
It just gets better and better... - Rated
CJ Sansom's novels get progressively better. This is, in my opinion, an even better read than his superb first two novels. Whilst the writing-style was never in question - here it is as vivid, intriguing, full of historical interest and full of interesting characters as ever - the plots are getting more complex, more epic and more surprising. In all, they are getting better.
This novel picks up a reasonable amount of time after Dark Fire, and takes us on a new adventure with Shardlake and Barak (whose excellent friendship is once again central to adding that little bit of extra to this novel). The delight for me comes from the intriguing tit-bits of Tudor life, and in this book in the intriguing 'rumours' which Sansom turns into a remarkable plot. In addition to that, I really enjoyed the descriptions of the city of York. Most of the novel is set there, while King Henry VIII travels north with his great Progress, and as someone who has spent a great deal of time there myself, I found myself fascinated by the descriptions (many of which hold true today!).
And that is, in reality, Sansom's real strength. His book here has in equal strength a superbly crafted mystery, and a wonderful and deep knowledge of history, given the full outing (amidst a little imagination) to create what is a really brilliant book.
Now I'm off to read the next Shardlake book...
Sovereign - C J Sansom - Rated
This is the first book I have read in the Shardlake series and found the book to be OK, but nothing special. The descriptions are very detailed and believable, Sansom has obviously researched Tudor England well and is knowledgeable of the period. However, the descriptions are too detailed, slowing the plot down to a snail's pace and making the book far lengthier than it should have been. As a result I found the book interesting but hardly compelling. Too often the author spent too long on the minutiae of Shardlake's daily movements, a blow-by-blow account of what he did when he got up, during the day and when he went to bed. I lost count the number of times he mentioned he was hungry or moaned about his back. At one point I was expecting Sansom to give details of Shardlake's bowel movements, although we came close with him urinating up a well!
The protagonist Matthew Shardlake did not appeal to me either. He appeared obnoxious, to self-preoccupied and not a man of the times, that is of sixteenth century England.
The plot itself was OK but anybody with an interest in the history of Yorkist England would know what the "secret" was about as soon as the name of Blaybourne is mentioned. There is a whodunnit as well running as another plot-line and this too was a bit easy to work out. To me it seemed obvious that I wondered how a supposedly bright man such as Shardlake could have been so gullible and slow in working it out.
In summary, I would recommend the book, as it is very atmospheric and the closest you'll get to being in Tudor England. It gets bogged down though!
|
