The family of one such man, Adam Kite, has sought help from lawyer Matthew Shardlake. Adam is suffering from religious mania, and is being held in Bedlam for his own safety. But Shardlake is distracted from the case when his friend Roger Elliard is found brutally murdered – the victim of a serial killer inspired by the Book of Revelation. I will be honest. When I saw that this book was dealing with elements of the book of Revelation, I was a bit nervous. I thought it was going to be extremely dark and so apocalyptic that I would not enjoy it. However, Sansom proved that he could make a thriller and still keep the characters that I have come to love and enjoy just as engaging and real to me as they have been in the previous novels. You can never judge a novel by its title, you have to read the book to understand the author’s motive behind their title choice. Shardlake is a wonderful character who has grown and improved as a character through the series. He is supported by Barak, for whom Matthew tries to do a bit of marriage counseling, and Guy, a Moor, once a monk, now a doctor. Tombland by CJ Sansom review – royals and revolting peasants". the Guardian. 28 October 2018 . Retrieved 11 November 2022. If I had one minor complaint about this book it was that the author attributes many protestant beliefs to Martin Luther than he did not hold. Maybe this was believed at the time, and that is why he chose to write it that way or maybe it was a simple mistake. Specifically, Martin Luther did not believe that certain people were predestined to hell. This is a belief more accurately attributed to Calvinists. On the other hand, Luther did believe in the true body and blood of Jesus being present in the Eucharist, though not all protestants did.

Revelation - Penguin Books UK Shardlake: Revelation - Penguin Books UK

Lamentation - C. J. Sansom - 9781447260257". Archived from the original on 14 September 2014 . Retrieved 14 September 2014. At court several people of which Archbishop Cranmer and a dangerous Protestant faction are the most important, and these will keep an keen eye on Catherine Parr and her reformist sympathies. He has also written Winter in Madrid, a thriller set in Spain in 1940 in the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War and Dominion, an alternate history novel set in a Britain following a fictional Axis victory in World War II. About the latter novel, a Guardian review called the premise "an invented mid-20th century Britain that has the intricate detail and delineation of JRR Tolkien's Middle Earth, though thankfully described in better prose". [5] Awards [ edit ] Romanttinen vakoojatarina A review of Finnish translated Winter in Madrid, by Jari Olavi Hiltunen, in Opettaja 21 May 2010 I don't read this mystery series primarily for the suspense, the 'who done it' aspect. C.J. Sansom makes the history of Tudor England come alive. Henry VIII, Cromwell, the religious upheaval, and the vivid descriptions of London and its inhabitants are what I love about the series. The twists and turns along the path to the revealing of the murderer are also good and so rich with details of that period. Mathew Shardlake, the unconventional barrister who finds himself brilliantly fufilling the role of detective, adds to the overall appeal.Dark Fire won the 2005 Ellis Peters Historical Dagger, awarded by the Crime Writers' Association (CWA). Sansom himself was "Very Highly Commended" in the 2007 CWA Dagger in the Library award, for the Shardlake series. Meanwhile, Shardlake, the Archbishop and the others must ensure nothing interferes with Henry’s pursuit of Catherine Parr. There is some interesting romantic intrigue here. Ramachandran, Naman (31 March 2023). "Disney+ Sets Series Adaptation of C.J. Sansom's 'Shardlake' Murder Mystery Novels". Variety . Retrieved 24 May 2023.

Sansom Books in Order (Complete Series List) C.J. Sansom Books in Order (Complete Series List)

In his notes at Revelation's end, Sansom made parallels between the religion during this period and some contemporary Christian fundamentalists, who each selectively read the Bible, believe that they're living in the last days before Armageddon, look forward to the violence predicted in the Book of Revelation, and are certain of their rightness. As Coroner Harsnet observed, I never act without praying, and God answers, and then I know that I have taken the right path’ (p. 338). Another great instalment in one of my favourite series. It’s so sad I hear literally no one talk about these. Anyone who’s a fan of Tudor England and mysteries will adore them. There so well written and keep you interested throughout, despite the length of the novels. It is the end of winter in 1543 and Henry is wooing Catherine Parr with the intention of making her his sixth wife. This is not popular with Archbishop Cramer as Parr is known to have sympathies to the reformist agenda. Cromwell is gone, King Henry is past his prime, but havoc, fear, and intrigue remain. As Henry pursues the reluctant Catherine Parr to become his 6th wife, religious turmoil continues. Dangerous Duffy, Stella (6 November 2004). "A wherry across the Thames: A review of Dark Fire". The Guardian. UK.

Publication Order of Matthew Shardlake Books

Aunque la historia está bien, de hecho creo que incluso la trama principal está más trabajada que alguno de los libros previos, no me ha llegado a enganchar tanto y eso se ha notado a la hora de leerlo. Las secundarias que se entrelazan con la principal, han cumplido sin más y al final aunque el conjunto luce bien y es agradable, le falta un algo que no ha terminado de satisfacerme del todo. Como comentaba seguramente ha sido el momento de leerlo, pero en cualquier caso hay que evaluar a razón de lo leído y disfrutado, y mi disfrute ha sido notable, pero muy lejos del excelente. The King did not look kindly on those who kept secrets from him. I realized I was involved again in something that could get me in bad odour with the King. Something dangerous. A second time, I might not survive. Yet I had sworn; there was nothing to do but go on.”

Revelation Summary | SuperSummary Revelation Summary | SuperSummary

The dialogue is, naturally enough, not of the time, but flavored with a sense of the time. I always learn a lot reading Sansom. Kemp, Peter (27 April 2008). "A review of 'Revelation' ". The Sunday Times. UK. Archived from the original on 2 June 2014. A wherry across the Thames A review of Dark Fire, by Stella Duffy, in The Guardian, 6 November 2004 The BBC have commissioned an adaptation of Dissolution with the actor Kenneth Branagh set to star as Shardlake. The rest of the Shardlake books are expected to follow. C. J. Sansom has been consulted on the series, which is in the final stages of negotiation.[citation needed].

Revelation takes place in 1543, shortly after Thomas Cromwell was beheaded, and shortly before Catherine Parr married Henry VIII. This was a dangerous time: political enemies were denounced, sometimes at the cost of their heads. Good and evil shifted almost daily, ‘Each knowing, of course, that their own side is entirely in the right’ (p. 97). Protestants and Papists, hot-gospellers and Laodicean were each at risk when they fell on the wrong side of this changing landscape. A fiery death may have been pleasing to some – certainly spectators – but sometimes also those joining their God. The Shardlake series is a series of historical mystery novels by C. J. Sansom, set in the reign of Henry VIII in the 16th century.

Guardian Morse in doublet and hose | Fiction | The Guardian

Publishing his first book in 2003 titled ‘Dissolution’, he leaped onto the literary scene with the first in his ‘Matthew Shardlake’ series of novels. Set within the historical mystery genre, he started to gain attention thanks to his keen eye for detail and accuracy. With that he started to gain more prominence within his field as his career began to take off. Sansom has said that he plans to write further Shardlake novels taking the lawyer into the reign of Elizabeth I. [1] Description [ edit ] By this point in the Shardlake Series we have three books under our belt, and a lot has happened! It's Spring, 1543. King Henry VIII has his eye on yet another wife(the sixth, and as we know, the last). London (and England as a whole) is in as much religious turmoil as ever. As C.J. Sansom says in his Historical Note at the end of the book, Tudor England is brought to vivid life in Dissolution, the first in C.J. Samson's phenomenal, bestselling Shardlake series. After one of Cromwell's commissioners is brutally murdered, Matthew Shardlake is drawn into an investigation that becomes darker than he could have ever imagined . . .But when his old friend is found brutally murdered, he promises his widow to find this killer and bring him to justice, and during his investigations his search for the truth will lead him to both Cranmer and Catherine Parr, and the dark prophecies of the Book of Revelation.