Narrator Simon Vance gives a mesmerizing performance of Holsinger’s intriguing story about a book that has the potential to set fourteenth-century London ablaze with its prophecies of the deaths of the kings of England, including the current king, the young Richard II. Both Holsinger and Vance have clearly done their research. The book itself is chock-full of fascinating details that make the history and the setting come vividly to life. That vibrancy is enhanced by the variety of voices Vance employs, and the specificity and diversity of moods he’s able to create with his vocal expressions. Fans of historical mysteries won’t want to miss this blend of great story and great narration. J.L.K. © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine
In Chaucer's London, betrayal, murder, royal intrigue, mystery, and dangerous politics swirl around the existence of a prophetic book that foretells the deaths of England's kings. Bruce Holsinger's*A Burnable Book*is an irresistible historical thriller reminiscent of the classics*An Instance of the Fingerpost, The Name of the Rose,*and*The Crimson Petal and the White.
London, 1385. Surrounded by ruthless courtiers-including his powerful uncle,*John of Gaunt, and Gaunt's artful mistress, Katherine Swynford-England's young, still untested king, Richard II, is in mortal peril, and the danger is only beginning. Songs are heard across London-catchy verses said to originate from an ancient book that prophesies the end of England's kings-and among the book's predictions is Richard's assassination.
Only a few powerful men know that the cryptic lines derive from a "burnable book," a seditious work that threatens the stability of the realm. To find the manuscript, wily bureaucrat Geoffrey Chaucer turns to fellow poet John Gower, a professional trader in information with connections high and low. Gower discovers that the book and incriminating evidence about its author have fallen*into the unwitting hands of innocents, who will be drawn into a labyrinthine conspiracy that reaches from the king's court to London's slums and stews-and potentially implicates his own son. As the intrigue deepens, it becomes clear that Gower, a man with secrets of his own, may be the last hope to save a king from a terrible fate.
Medieval scholar Bruce Holsinger draws on his vast knowledge of the period to add colorful, authentic detail-on everything from poetry and bookbinding to court intrigues and brothels-to this highly entertaining and brilliantly constructed epic literary mystery that brings medieval England gloriously to life.
In Chaucer's London, betrayal, murder, royal intrigue, mystery, and dangerous politics swirl around the existence of a prophetic book that foretells the deaths of England's kings. Bruce Holsinger's*A Burnable Book*is an irresistible historical thriller reminiscent of the classics*An Instance of the Fingerpost, The Name of the Rose,*and*The Crimson Petal and the White.
London, 1385. Surrounded by ruthless courtiers-including his powerful uncle,*John of Gaunt, and Gaunt's artful mistress, Katherine Swynford-England's young, still untested king, Richard II, is in mortal peril, and the danger is only beginning. Songs are heard across London-catchy verses said to originate from an ancient book that prophesies the end of England's kings-and among the book's predictions is Richard's assassination.
Only a few powerful men know that the cryptic lines derive from a "burnable book," a seditious work that threatens the stability of the realm. To find the manuscript, wily bureaucrat Geoffrey Chaucer turns to fellow poet John Gower, a professional trader in information with connections high and low. Gower discovers that the book and incriminating evidence about its author have fallen*into the unwitting hands of innocents, who will be drawn into a labyrinthine conspiracy that reaches from the king's court to London's slums and stews-and potentially implicates his own son. As the intrigue deepens, it becomes clear that Gower, a man with secrets of his own, may be the last hope to save a king from a terrible fate.
Medieval scholar Bruce Holsinger draws on his vast knowledge of the period to add colorful, authentic detail-on everything from poetry and bookbinding to court intrigues and brothels-to this highly entertaining and brilliantly constructed epic literary mystery that brings medieval England gloriously to life.
Editorial Reviews
Product Details
BN ID: | 2940170382682 |
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Publisher: | HarperCollins Publishers |
Publication date: | 02/18/2014 |
Edition description: | Unabridged |
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