The Iron King ~ Maurice Druon

How does one start a war of succession that will last over 100 years? Set a trap that will reveal unforgivable indiscretions committed by your three sisters-in-law of course. You might also consider fanning the flame by setting a couple Crusader Knights alight and imprisoning cart loads more. Oh, and pick your own pope, move him to your country and hope he doesn't die at inconvenient moment.



This is the first instalment in a series of seven books translated from the much beloved French versions...finally. This particular book is the set up for the Hundred Years War. The key characters are introduced and the foundation set for the devastation the lack of a butt in a throne caused an entire continent and the land beyond the English Channel. Add the fact that it begins with the Philip the Fair's decimation of the Knights Templar - thus doing away with the Code of Chivalry, and his insistence in controlling the papacy and there you have it; jealousies all 'round.

One would never know this book is nearly half a century old. The writing is fresh and void of that mid-century stylised verbiage. It's a relatively easy read, chock-a-block with intrigue, murder, mayhem and the kind of plotting that requires a heady constitution. This will certainly make one wonder if it's really worth living in the lap of luxury.

The novel has certainly captured my attention and I'm looking forward to the arrival of the follow up in the autumn.

Review originally appeared on the now defunct Paternoster Row Legacy blog.

Pompeii ~ Robert Harris

My first memory of a huge volcanic eruption was Mount St. Helens in 1980. Though I didn't know anyone affected by it, I remember feeling badly for the 57 lives lost. Clearly we've come a long way with our knowledge of volcanoes and their impact on human mortality since 79AD, when Pompeii blew it's top annihilating not one, but two towns, Herculaneum and Pompeii, as no lives were lost when Eyjafjallajökull erupted on Iceland in the spring of 2010.



I really enjoy historical fictions that no only entertain but teach. I had some knowledge of volcanoes prior to reading this, so the new information was less about the eruption and the devastation than how aquaducts work and how any malfunction might signify something of great import. That is how confident the Romans were about their water works. One improper function was quickly identified and solutions attempted. The brilliance of these engineers still amazes, not because we should think them 'primitive' but because nearly two thousand years later we are still trying to get this water business thing right. We have much to learn.

Harris's ease with words and narrative made this novel such an enjoyable read. The characters were so believable that I felt I was there, a fly on the wall, witnessing these important moments between the different classes and the prejudices held between towns. The addition of Pliny and his witnessing of the eruption only added to the atmosphere of the day.

What worked best for me, in a book where most things well anyway, was the main characters walk from safety to Pompeii to save a mate. The description of the heat and the dust-like ash chocking, slowly asphyxiating already stressed lungs; each exhausting step knee deep in ash that simply kept coming and the snaking waves of lava flowing ever more quickly until the end. The fear, the anxiety, the urgency and the final moments of lost hope are so well written that the final chapter, the weakest part of the book, seemed to undo all that intensity. However, this will not dissuade me from taking up another Harris novel.

Review originally posted on the now defunct Paternoster Row Legacy blog.

True Soldier Gentlemen ~ Adrian Goldsworthy

A Wickham, a Bennett, and Darcy Fitzwilliams would suggest a little pride, or perhaps some prejudice is in hand. Alas, no. This text written 198 years after the literary classic, incorporates a 'what happens after' sub-plot in the larger tale of young men sent off to fight Napoleon's troops in Portugal. This ain't your momma's Jane Austen folks.



It had been some time since I'd taken a romp through Napoleonic battlefields and was ready for a rollicking adventure, but found myself asking where the action is after the prologue. I will plagiarise myself as this was what I posted as my initial reaction to the book:

"Right, well the prologue starts off a bit Giorgio Armani, but ends up Captain Correlli's Mandolin."
I'm not certain if it is because it's the first instalment of a trilogy and should be treated as a part rather than a whole, but I found that while the character development was good, I was impatient for battle. Then it occurred to me that I was more anxious, tense and fearful than the characters.

This lack of a sense of impending doom, of being harried to get fit or to get things done, or of cementing a love affair made the whole book feel flat for me. Even Wickham's lack of enthusiasm didn't really catch up to me. After a long thing I felt that perhaps the author had tried to fit too much into the story. Trying to make the overall work a central feature for the dozens of sub-plots, some popping up unexpectedly and in the most random locations, some seemingly altogether out of place and adding no discernible input to the story.

I admit that there is no love lost between me and the likes of Austen, the Brontës, Hawthorne et al..., and as Goldworthy indicates this was an attempt at recapturing the essence of those writers, I suspect this type of narrative is simply not for me. It may very work for those who do enjoy the above noted classics as the writing itself has a lovely cadence and the language is quite nice. I just didn't have the overall pace I was expecting from a book about the Napoleonic wars.

Review originally appeared on the now defunct Paternoster Row Legacy blog.

The King's Agent ~ Donna Russo Morin

Prior to 2013 I could have counted the number of books I've read set in, or partly set in Florence using my thumbs. Already this year, I've had to use both, plus a finger! By definition, this would also suggest that I'm not particularly versed about the Renaissance. Turns out I know a bit more about that than I'd thought. I will admit here that I am woefully ignorant of art, and with the exception of the controversy created a few years back about the Da Vinci's The Last Supper, I had not realised how significance between art and religion or faith.



Forence's artistic world is in the cross-hairs as France and Spain tussle for power and control of the papacy. Art collector, Battista della Palla, who has thrown his lot in support of François, is challenged to find a talisman that would ensure the French monarch's supremacy. Aurelia, an aristocrat who had never mingled with the public escapes her shackled life and finds herself embroiled in Battista's procurement scheme.

In a thriller-esque way, the members of Battista's group and Aurelia go through steps to locate a piece of artwork from clues found on other pieces and Dante's Divine Comedy. As one would expect, there is tension, romance, deception, distrust, friendship, camaraderie and a secret society so well hidden, few have heard of it.

As this is not set in an impossibly short twenty-four hour period, the author has time to really explore the legends, the geography and the characters, which makes the book a delight to read. While I really enjoyed the book I found Battista's reaction to Aurelia's disclosure to be out of character, given his feelings on prior betrayals and deceptions. While I accept his understanding of the circumstances, I wasn't convinced that he could just accept it. There is an imbalance in the book, in that Aurelia gets everything and he, ultimately, nothing. I didn't buy it in terms of the plot. However, if I were to alter my thinking about what type of book this is, and consider it an adventurous romance, rather than an historical thriller, then I can see why it works. I'm not really sure how the author defines her novel.

Overall I think that the mystery and connections between Dante's work and those of artists during his time or shortly thereafter is well rounded and plausible. Setting it during the latter part of the Renaissance, provides an interesting twist as there are no modern gadgets, or ease of communication to help along the way. Everything is based on wits, what one's own surroundings and by listening to those who know.

My reservations about the ending notwithstanding, I'll likely read another of Donna Russo Morin's books. ETA: I was asked by the author to provide and honest review in exchange for a copy of the book. While I still await the book that I suspect has been lost in transit, I have procured another copy and given an honest review nonetheless.

Review originally appeared on the now defunct Paternoster Row Legacy blog.

The Traitor's Emblem ~ Juan Gómez-Jurado

One of the challenges I am attempting to complete this requires that I read a book that has dual story lines, one in the present or near-present and one at least 50 years prior. Reading the back cover of this novel, I thought I had a winner with a Spanish ship rescuing Germans off the coast during WWII, and a son who decades later is informed of the story behind an object given to his father by one of the rescued. The description was a definite draw.



The author weaves an interesting tale that includes secret societies, Nazis, Jews, and the poor in a system filled with animosities between classes and cultures. A young man and his mother are taken in by their wealthy relatives who treat them as servants, unworthy of connection. Due to an horrific incident, they are thrown out into the Munich streets as the Nazis increase their power. As he ages, he seeks out the story of his father, a subject no one is willing to discuss with him. As time progresses and war draws ever nearer, Paul Reiner must make decisions that will change the course of not only his life, but those around him.

Gómez-Jurado wrote this story by connecting a few events and wondering what would happen if they were actually connected. The premise is great and the story is quite good. Not to mention, that it never felt like a translation (which for some is equally important). I liked the adventure of it, and the felt for Paul whenever he had to overcome some new catastrophe. I found myself cheering the lad on more than once. The other characters are equally well written and relateable, as is the tension of the time. Especially the inclusion of Hitler's Beer Hall Putsch, probably the first real violent episode by Nazis against Jews.

My one criticism is that this is not really a dual storyline tale. Only the prologue is set partially in the present, the rest is in the past. Not that I regret reading the book, just that I have to find another to fulfil my challenge.

Review originally appeared on the now defunct Paternoster Row Legacy blog.

The Hangman's Daughter ~ Oliver Pötzsch

When I think of historical fictions set in Germany, my mind automatically thinks 1914 to 1946, usually it's the inter-war period. When I think of witch trials, first I think Salem, Massachusetts in America or 17th and 18th century Scotland. On occasion I think of the Elvira film, but it never occurred to me to look east past the Alps and into mid-seventeenth century Bavaria. I know three things about Bavaria: they speak a slightly different German than those in other areas (and if this is wrong, I need to have a word with a couple of mates), Oktoberfest, and beard growing contests.

I know a bit more than that when it comes to hangmen.



Set around a decade after the end of the Thirty Years War, a 'modern' physician, the local hangman and his daughter work together to work out who is killing the children of Schongau. Through these three characters one gets a real sense of how a society recovering from a war that began without a real cause and ended with less, functions as its members walk a fine line between caution and suspicion. Fearing the unknown, they blame the things they do know about - witches and devils.

It could be difficult for an author to find a way to describe sentiment, fear, morals and ethics with empathy and without ridicule about a world so far removed from our own but Pötzsch does it with finesse. There is a real sense of the conditions, geography and attitudes that lack in some books. Granted my copy is a translation, but I think for the most part the observations and feelings are still the author's.

There are a couple little criticisms, but nothing that would prevent me from reading more of the series. The first is that the fight scenes might have been lost in translation. Perhaps the descriptions are as tangled as the movements, but it's not so bad. The other is the Hangman's "neener-neener" approach to mystery solving. That "I know what step we should take next (or I know who did it), but can't tell you now, because the book would be too short" teasing gets a bit annoying after a while. But again, I can get past it, probably because I'm right there along with him. However, someone less familiar with mysteries might be turned off.

Originally posted on the now defunct Paternoster Row Legacy blog.

Watersheds of World History: From Monarchies To Democracy And From Myth To Reason ~ John L. Taylor

Who doesn't want a book that concisely goes over major moments in history in a simplified way? I certainly like books of this sort, as I often want to locate a date quickly and have difficulty remembering the chronological order of leaders, sometimes their names and dates. A question on one history exam asked to list five reasons why Jean Jacques Rousseau was an important personage. The professor generously gave me 50% for my answer; while it was 100% correct in detail it was 0% correct in terms of historical personage - I had written about Robespierre. So, for someone like me, a book about watershed moments seems a brilliant idea.



I don't know whether to complement the author on his courage or deride him for being extremely misleading. I am not particularly fond of titles that skirt the truth about what the book actually contains. This is one of those cases. This is not a book about the watersheds of history, it is a thesis about important moments of religion's impact on the Western world, chiefly the three largest monotheistic ones: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Had I known that this was a book about the history of religion I would not have agreed to read and review it at the author's request. I may have still read it, but I would never comment on such a hot topic, even if written as an historical and largely sympathetic text. I care not to share my knowledge or feelings about religion and as a result choose not to comment on the content.

Unfortunately, I do have one criticism about the text. There are bolded paragraphs throughout the book. There is no explanation as to why this is done, nor did there seem to be a pattern for doing this. On a good note, I don't recall any glaring typos or grammatical issues.

If someone is looking for a book on watershed moments of religion, this might be a good starting point. If, however, you're seeking a book about key moments in history that are devoid, or not credited to religion, this might not be the perfect fit

Originally appeared on the now defunct Paternoster Row Legacy blog.

A Morbid Taste For Bones ~ Ellis Peters

A twelfth century former Crusader turned naturalist monk is the leading crime scene investigator in Shrewsbury during the first English Civil War (as opposed to THE English Civil war that wouldn't come for another half century). Nottingham can keep their sheriffs, Shropshire has Brother Cadfael.



I always find it difficult to review a book for which I am already familiar with the characters. Having watched the television series, I was able to envision some of the characters and the scenery, which is a good thing; however, this double edge knife also produces a desire for the book to just get on with it. I should know better than to read a book that I know from other media, something I usually tend to avoid.

As you would expect, the first quarter of the book sets the character of Cadfael and the main members of the Shrewsbury Abbey for the rest of the series, and then it finally gets to the actual story. Itself turns out to be both a murder-mystery and an allegorical tale about the validity of what is housed in those saintly reliquaries.

The novel is what I expected it would be for a twenty-five-plus year old medieval mystery and for the having satisfied my desire for a short romp into the past with eclectic characters. However, my one criticism is that for such an aged tale, you'd think the publishers would have sussed out the typos and duplicate words by now. Though I admit that this failure will not prevent me from reading the other titles in the series.

Review originally appeared on the now defunct Paternoster Row Legacy blog.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy ~ John Le Carré

This is a book that was recommended to me years ago, then again in 2006. That year I finally purchased a copy but did not get around to reading it until recently. I have no earthly idea why it has taken me so long as there have been reminders all along the way, in films, television shows and mentions on other programmes, not to mention friends talking, some raving about it. Having read it, I am embarrassed about my delay.



As a teen in the 80s there was never a question of missing anti-nuclear rallies and the constant threat that either US or USSR would push the red button was a daily concern. Though those things still exist, especially so as more countries are now armed in such a way, but the tension of the Cold War was thick and salient. As an individual with both feet firmly planted in adulthood, Le Carré's novel highlights just how dangerous information in the wrong hands, or wrong information in the right hands was for the planet.

The author laid the groundwork for the now common spy lingo now heard in any film or tele show involving espionage. Though his introduction suggests that he did not necessarily invent all those terms, it is his work that has made them popular (i.e. honey-trap and babysitter). The story itself is pure behind the scenes, "no one else knows this is happening" espionage. It's dirty, full of deceit, misdirection and disappearances, yet the protagonist Smiley is seemingly in control of the situation, even if the situation itself is complete chaos. Being able to balance all of these elements and still come up with a plausible story takes some skill. Which is probably why Le Carré is considered a master.

Though I am obviously late to this party, it will not be the last time Smiley and I spend some time together.

Review was originally posted on the now defunct Dead-Tree Hugger blog.

The Hippopotamus Marsh ~ Pauline Gedge

My knowledge about Egypt begins and ends with the dead, and the names of the Ptolemaic Pharaohs. I think the artwork is lovely and that hieroglyphs should still be common practice as an alternate method of communication. I know a total sum of zero about how the living actually lived;; not the traditions, cultural differences between groups or the religion/faith/belief system. I do know that they had an impressive military system, at least one that was strong enough to lord it over the Canaanites, but I don't know any of the specifics, or the dates. Which is a problem because I haven't quite figured out where precisely in history the story I'm reviewing fits in the then global structure.



Had this novel not been selected as one of the options for a monthly read for a book group I probably would have never picked it up. Unlikely I would have really ever known of its existence. It's a shame really as I would like to support the national talent writing historical fiction. I could probably write an entire novel on my shame in knowing so little about my own country's authors. The few I do know about I've either stumbled across or they were one of the chosen novels for the CBC (national broadcaster) Canada Reads competition where each year 5 celebrities each defend a book released that year. Like all good reality shows, by the end of the day the viewers/listeners vote off one of the books. However, none of this has to do with Pauline Gedge's book, only my ignorance. Compound that ignorance with the fact that I'm not generally drawn to Egyptian historical fiction and voilà.

I'm never sure what to say about a book that I find moves along too slowly regarding a subject I know nothing about. In these instances, what I hope for is a story that will draw me in, or characters with which I will connect and come to love. None of this happened for me. Part of the reason I'm having difficulty in assessing either of these things is that this novel is not self-contained. It is the first book in an epic series. My use of epic here is defined as: the whole must be read to understand its parts. This creates and unfortunate catch-22; by forcing the reader to read all three novels before deciding whether they liked it eliminates those like me who know nothing of the period and haven't found anything to encourage them to continue.

I will say though, that I am now educated in certain traditions and aspects of Egyptian culture and also the conflicts between them and the ruling Setiu. Perhaps the rigidity of these traditions is why I felt the characters stiff and unappealing, which for someone more familiar with the era might find in perfect keeping. Despite all this, and the unlikelihood that I'll continue with the series, is the lack of delineation between the narrative and a characters thoughts. There was no change in text, font or paragraph; nothing at all to suggest that there was a shift in point of view. As a result I found the read a bit of a chore as I, the reader, had to work at making the story flow, a job I have always assumed was up to the author.

Having said all that, if this is an area of interest, I think the overall trilogy could be quite good. The concept of the story is interesting, and if the pace of the last 60 pages or so continues in the following instalments, then I think even perhaps a winner.

Review originally posted at the now defunct Paternoster Row Legacy blog.

The Coffee Trader ~ David Liss

Reading books is something I truly enjoy. I find there is something to learn in each one and for that reason I finish all the books I start (with one exception where the grammar and spelling were so bad...). Sometimes it takes me a lot of time to get through it for several reasons. Perhaps it doesn't draw me in or I just could no longer follow the thread. I still work at them though. For example, I've been making my way through Edward Rutherfurd's Sarum for six years. It only took me a few days to read the first half, after that, it no longer held my interest. I'm hoping I'll get to a point where it will grab me again. But I slog through.



David Liss's book falls into the realm of books I have to push at mightily to finish. It didn't take as long as Rutherfurd's piece because a) it is considerably shorter, b) I didn't start a four year degree partway through and c) it was a book group selection and can be used toward two challenges that I've signed up for. The stakes were higher.

Reading a book that I didn't select does two things: it opens doors to new possibilities; and it identifies inalienable truths. In this case, Europe during a period I was unfamiliar with, the introduction of the modern stock market, and traders generally. I had seen the film Wall Street when it came out ages ago, and while I could follow along with the protagonist's story of deceit and redemption, I didn't understand the business he was in. The same thing happened with this book

I have a very simplistic understanding of money. I work, I get paid, I have money in my pocket to pay the bills, buy food and trinkets, and perhaps save some. Anything beyond that requires a level of maths I will never possess, and an understanding of a language I will never understand. Therefore, Liss was already behind long before I purchased the book. His only hope would be to include what I would find a compelling story.

I did not like any of the characters. Not a one. But, I think this might be a good thing, because I really don't think the reader is meant to like them. They're only meant to understand them. I could be wrong, but while some of the individuals have a thing about them that should be likeable, their overall characters are found wanting. There is so much secrecy, distrust, betrayal, and lack of communication, with a high level of manipulation and counter-manipulation that the backroom deals seem the only things above-board. Through into the mix a culture paranoid beyond belief and it's a wonder Amsterdam ever became such a renown trading centre.

It was the manipulating and plotting that lost me in this book. I am told that the stock market was then and still is not for the feint of heart, that it is cut-throat and unforgiving. The market doesn't care and those wanting to make money, forget their humanity at the door. This was well represented in the book. The unfortunate thing is that I can't comprehend this behaviour. To me it goes against every instinct of compassion and nurture. All I wanted to do was to grab all the characters by the ears, sit them all down in a room that only I have the key and have them TALK. Just talk. But of course, that would have made for a much shorter and less interesting story. But because of the frustration, I had to walk away from the book. A gave it a two week hiatus, then read but a chapter a day until I was done.

If Liss was looking for an emotional reaction, then he succeeded here. However, I think for those of us who have no desire to understand business, this is not the book for us. It's just to emotionally charged and its meaning becomes lost.

Review originally posted on the now defunct Paternoster Row Legacy blog.