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Review: The Assassin in the Greenwood by P.C. Doherty

Review of The Assassin in the Greenwood, a medieval mystery set in 14th century England by P.C. Doherty

The Assassin in the Greenwood by P.C. Doherty cover
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Synopsis

Sir Hugh Corbett, King Edward I’s chief clerk and keeper of the Secret Seal, has obtained information that could seriously affect the course of the ongoing hundred years war. However, this information is contained within a cipher that no one has been able to break.

While working on the cipher, Corbett is sent to Nottingham with two of his servants to deal with a spate of lawlessness in the area. Tax collectors have been attacked, the sheriff murdered, and there’s evidence of a traitor inside the castle.

This appears to be the work of Robin Hood, recently pardoned and returned home. However, something about this doesn’t seem right to Corbett and he sets out to ensure that the right man is brought to account.

Review

The Assassin in the Greenwood was an interesting take on the traditional Robin Hood tale. All your favourite characters from the traditional Robin Hood tale appear at some time or other. There are several descriptions of very violent deaths; this didn’t bother me, but might trouble other readers.

I could often feel the atmospheres of particular settings. The castle was so thoroughly described that I felt like I could hear and smell what it was like. The history was obviously very well researched.

The forest had always stood there, the trees providing a canopy to shield the earth from the sky. Beneath this veil of greenness which stretched as far as the eye could see, the forest had witnessed murder as long as it had seen man himself. […]

The trees had seen it all: the gnarled oak, the elm with its branches stooped with age. The forest was a dangerous place, a living thing, and through its green-dappled shadows slunk masked men who knew the secret paths and where to avoid the treacherous morass. Only a fool would wander from the beaten track which wound through Sherwood Forest, either north to Barnsleydale or south to Newark and the great road down to London.

The characters are at times flat and unengaging. Nearly everyone speaks the same and there is very little personality shown in the dialogue. I honestly felt more gripped by the setting (and to some extent the story) than I did by the characters.

Overall, I enjoyed The Assassin in the Greenwood, but not enough to look out for other books by P.C. Doherty. While it was fast paced and engaging, there was no obvious progress towards a solution. It seems that Corbett reaches his conclusions without any effort. I still want to know how he reached his conclusions.

Conclusions

Have you read Assassin in the Greenwood? What did you think? Do you agree with what I’ve said about it? Let me know in the comments.

If you haven’t, you can buy it at Book Depository (they have free international shipping!) or Waterstones (free delivery on UK orders over £25, will ship internationally).

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Review: The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett

Review of The Pillars of the Earth, an epic historical fiction novel set in 12th century England by Ken Follett

The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett cover
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This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission, at no extra cost to you, if you make a purchase through a link. Please see our full disclosure for further information.

Synopsis

When the cathedral at Kingsbridge burns down, the newly appointed prior hires Tom Builder to manage the rebuild. In order to pay for the new cathedral, Prior Philip asks King Stephen for the rights to take stone from a nearby quarry and wood from a local forest. This puts him at odds with Bishop Waleran, who wants the wealth now owned by the priory for his own projects.

In the secular world, England is embroiled in a civil war over who the crown rightfully belongs to. Small-time knight Percy Hamleigh hears that the Earl of Shiring is conspiring against King Stephen and attacks the Earl’s castle. Percy’s son (William) is bitter over the Earl’s daughter (Aliena) breaking their betrothal and delights in leaving her destitute.

Kingsbridge prospers under Prior Philip’s capable leadership. Tom Builder’s family prospers as the cathedral grows. Aliena also prospers, as she has become a successful wool merchant and singlehandedly funded her brother’s goal of retaking the earldom. This angers William, who tries several times to destroy the town and steal the income for his own lands.

Review

The Pillars of the Earth has a slow start. It promises to be a book about the building of a cathedral in the fictional town of Kingsbridge. However, I was disappointed by the first couple of hundred pages as there was no cathedral and it wasn’t even set in Kingsbridge. Even once the story arrives in Kingsbridge, there seems to be no need to build a cathedral.

I enjoyed the ongoing conflicts between Prior Philip and Bishop Waleran, and between the Hamleighs and Aliena. They have such ‘on-sight’ rivalries that affected their actions (and much of the story). I was particularly amused by the way these rivalries mirrored the conflict between King Stephen and the Empress Matilda in the 12th century.

I also enjoyed how the relationships between the characters change over time. For example, when Aliena and Prior Philip first meet, Philip helps Aliena and they become good friends. Then Philip prevents Aliena and Jack from living together, and their relationship sours. This seems more like real life than the always consistent relationships I’m used to seeing in novels.

I loved how many various threads there are to this story. There’s the tale of Jonathan being abandoned by his family and raised by the monks. I enjoyed the mystery of what happened to Jack Shareburg and why. Then there’s the story of the earldom of Shiring and the competition between Aliena’s family and the Hamleighs.

Occasionally, one of the characters will use a word that doesn’t sound right in the historical setting. I understand that no one spoke modern English in the 12th century, but some words just don’t fit. I would give some examples, but they’re too crude for my liking.

Guided by a Stone-Mason (Complementary reading)

While reading The Pillars of the Earth, I kept a book called’ Guided by a Stone-Mason: The Cathedrals, Abbeys and Churches of Britain Unveiled’ by Thomas Maude close at hand.

I found it difficult to picture where different parts of the cathedral were located, and the technical terms were difficult to follow. Guided by a Stone-Mason helped me with this. It also has information on other aspects of cathedral building (like types of stone) if you’re interested.

Conclusion

Have you read The Pillars of the Earth? What did you think? Do you agree with what I’ve said about it? Let me know in the comments.

If you haven’t, you can buy it at Book Depository (they have free international shipping!) or Waterstones (free delivery on UK orders over £25, will ship internationally).

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Chronicles of Brother Cadfael

Medieval mysteries set in 12th century England by Ellis Peters

The Chronicles of Brother Cadfael the first omnibus cover

Books

  • A Morbid Taste for Bones
  • One Corpse Too Many
  • Monk’s Hood
  • St. Peter’s Fair
  • The Leper of Saint Giles
  • The Virgin in the Ice
  • The Sanctuary Sparrow
  • The Devil’s Novice
  • Dead Man’s Ransom
  • The Pilgrim of Hate
  • An Excellent Mystery
  • The Raven in the Foregate
  • The Rose Rent
  • The Hermit of Eyton Forest
  • A Rare Benedictine
  • The Confession of Brother Haluin
  • The Heretic’s Apprentice
  • The Potter’s Field
  • The Sumer of the Danes
  • The Holy Thief
  • Brother Cadfael’s Penance

Synopsis

After a life on crusade, Brother Cadfael has retired to the monastery of Saints Peter and Paul outside Shrewsbury. His days are mostly spent working in the garden and creating medicines for the local community. However, his worldly experience makes him perfect for solving any mysteries that come his way.

These mysteries sometimes take Brother Cadfael away from Shrewsbury and the monastery. Occasionally, he is called to his native Wales. Always, he uncovers the truth and does what he can to see the right thing done.

Review

One of my favourite TV shows at the moment is Death in Paradise. I like it, partially, because despite the fact that it’s a murder mystery, the overall feeling is upbeat with the occasional bit of humour. The Chronicles of Brother Cadfael are the same. The writing is light and easy even as it deals with death and murder.

I like how the books don’t glorify the violence that must occur in murder mysteries and books set in this rather violent period of English history. They don’t go into detail on the gore-y bits and the language is kept clean.

Speaking of language, the writing style is easy to read. While it’s obviously not the same English that was spoken during the 12th century, the language doesn’t feel historically out of place – there’s no modern slang, euphemisms, or sayings. Also, the pacing is generally unrushed, which feels suitable to the historical setting, but doesn’t drag.

While the books are set in a particular historical period, the reader doesn’t have to know anything about history. However, Ellis Peters (the author) still pays attention to historical details, particularly clothing and the way things are run.

I also like how much variety there is between the different mysteries. Victims are murdered in various ways: strangulation, poisoning, stabbing. Then there’s the occasional mysteries that look like but aren’t murders. So much variety!

Have you read this series? What did you think? Do you agree with what I’ve said about it? Let me know in the comments.

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Review: Earth’s Children series by Jean M. Auel

A Prehistoric Epic by Jean M. Auel

Earth's Children by Jean M. Auel
Earth’s Children by Jean M. Auel

Books

Synopsis

An historical epic set in upper paleolithic Europe. This series follows Ayla, an anatomically modern human girl. She is orphaned at a young age, and adopted and raised by a clan of Neanderthals. As hard as she tries to become one of them, she cannot and eventually has to leave.

She spends three years alone, unable to find any other humans and worried by what they will think of her and the animals she’s adopted. Then she meets Jondalar. After falling madly in love with her, Jondalar decides to stay with Ayla or take her with him; either way, they decide to spend their lives together. However, Jondalar almost loses her to another man before they realise the extent of their feelings for each other.

Jondalar takes Ayla and her animals with him to his home. His family quickly accept Ayla, and they are officially mated and have a daughter. Together, they create a great life, complicated only by Ayla’s training in the Zelandonia.

Review

The Earth’s Children series started great but gradually worsened. The first book was great. The last books were drawn out and repeated a lot of stuff that had been said earlier; the story wouldn’t have lost anything if the last bits were condensed into fewer books. I only read right to the end because I wanted to see what happened to the characters.

The characters are very well written. It is difficult not to care for the good characters. Major characters are very gripping; I was well drawn into their stories. The few characters who are not good (Broud, Marona, etc.) are well developed and I found that I understood them, but didn’t like them.

The world that the author creates is very plausible. It easily matches what is known about Europe at this time. I loved learning about the prehistoric world, not just from the books themselves but also from the additional reading that they encouraged me to do. As I learnt more, I saw just how well researched all the little details were.

A major theme in these books is the similarities and differences between Neanderthals and Homo sapiens. These are shown in the first book with Iza and Creb trying to teach Ayla, and their speculations about ‘the Others’ while they’re at it. Through the rest of the books this is mostly shown with Ayla telling others about the clan and comparing them to the people she meets.

I was struck by the parallel between the attitudes people in these books had towards Neanderthal and racism in the modern world. The people in the books saw the Clan people as hated animals, just as people of colour were seen as sub-human up until about 50 years ago. Similar to how we have come to treat coloured people more equally, the Zelandonii and others learn that the Clan are people too and start to treat them better.

I was disappointed to not find out what happens to Durc and the Clan after Ayla leaves. Reading ‘Clan of the Cave Bear’ I became really invested in the lives of Uba, Ona, and the rest of the Clan. I want to see what happens to them. While it wasn’t possible for Ayla to return to the clan, a spin-off book about Durc might do the trick.

Conclusion

Have you read the Earth’s Children series? What did you think? Do you agree with what I’ve said about it? Let me know in the comments. Please also check out my reviews for individual books in the series: The Valley of Horses, and The Land of Painted Caves.