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Every week Tanzanite features upcoming
historical fiction and history related non-fiction books that have come to her
attention and may be of interest to others.
Since she has an out of control TBR pile, so should everyone else!
The second volume of Peter Ackroyd's masterful history of England: the Tudors
Rich in detail and atmosphere and told in vivid prose, Tudors recounts the transformation of England from a settled Catholic country to a Protestant superpower. It is the story of Henry VIII's cataclysmic break with Rome, and his relentless pursuit of both the perfect wife and the perfect heir; of how the brief reign of the teenage king, Edward VI, gave way to the violent reimposition of Catholicism and the stench of bonfires under 'Bloody Mary'. It tells, too, of the long reign of Elizabeth I, which, though marked by civil strife, plots against the queen and even an invasion force, finally brought stability. Above all, however, it is the story of the English Reformation and the making of the Anglican Church. At the beginning of the sixteenth century, England was still largely feudal and looked to Rome for direction; at its end, it was a country where good governance was the duty of the state, not the church, and where men and women began to look to themselves for answers rather than to those who ruled them.
Sunne in Splendour: The Rise of the House of York by Mike Ingram. Non-fiction. UK release November 1, 2012.
The first book to explore how the House of York came to the English throne. A fascinating examination of the military power and capabilities that led to the House of York’s claiming of the throne. Paints a vivid picture of the struggle between the nobility and the ordinary people as the country descended into lawlessness. Re-examines the battles of the Wars of the Roses.
Battle Story: Bosworth 1485 by Mike Ingram. UK release June 1, 2012; US release September 1, 2012.
Bosworth Field saw the two great dynasties of the day clash on the battlefield: the reigning House of York, led by Richard III, against the rising House of Tudor, led Henry Tudor, soon to become Henry VII. On 22 August 1485 this penultimate battle in the Wars of the Roses was fought with the might of the Lancastrian army ranged against the Yorkists. This book describes how these two great armies came to meet on the battlefield and how the tactics employed by the Yorkists eventually led to their defeat and the death of King Richard III. Through quotes and maps the text explores the unfolding action of the battle and puts the reader on the frontline. If you truly want to understand what happened and why - read Battle Story.
Soldier of Crusade by Jack Ludlow (2nd Crusade book). US and UK release November 15, 2012.
Bohemund is heading east into the Byzantine Empire, part of the greatest military expedition of medieval times, the Papal Crusade to take back the holy places of Christendom from the infidel. But Bohemund has his own agenda, the increase of his own riches, fiefdoms and influence at any cost.
Bohemund and his nephew, Tancred, are heading east into the lands of the Byzantine Empire. But Bohemund and his fellow Normans never pass into a new territory without an eye to the notion of gaining land and power, and this is no exception.
On his mission to wrest territory for himself, through a maze of smiling villains and shifting alliances, one man will come to play the deciding role in Bohemund’s story, the wily Emperor, Alexius Comnenus.
Soldier of Crusade by Jack Ludlow (2nd Crusade book). US and UK release November 15, 2012.
Bohemund is heading east into the Byzantine Empire, part of the greatest military expedition of medieval times, the Papal Crusade to take back the holy places of Christendom from the infidel. But Bohemund has his own agenda, the increase of his own riches, fiefdoms and influence at any cost.
Bohemund and his nephew, Tancred, are heading east into the lands of the Byzantine Empire. But Bohemund and his fellow Normans never pass into a new territory without an eye to the notion of gaining land and power, and this is no exception.
On his mission to wrest territory for himself, through a maze of smiling villains and shifting alliances, one man will come to play the deciding role in Bohemund’s story, the wily Emperor, Alexius Comnenus.
The Emperor's Conspiracy by Michelle Diener. US and UK release November 27, 2012.
Set in early nineteenth-century England, this vivid and romantic historical novel goes from the most elegant ballrooms of London to the city’s most tawdry slums, as a spirited young woman helps unravel a plot by Napoleon to bleed England of all its gold.
Through good fortune, Charlotte Raven escaped the poverty of the London slums and is now an educated, wealthy Society lady. But she lives between two worlds, unable to completely turn her back on her old life—specifically Luke, her childhood protector and now a ruthless London crime lord.
When Lord Edward Durnham is asked to investigate the alarming movement of gold out of England, his search leads him to London, and his recent acquaintance with Charlotte affords him access to a dark world he barely knew existed. As they delve deeper into the underbelly of London, danger lurks at every turn, and Charlotte must navigate between her two worlds to save England.
And soon she faces a defining choice: to continue in the familiar limbo she’s lived in for years, or to take a painful and risky leap toward a happiness she never thought possible.
1775: A Good Year for Revolution by Kevin Phillips. Non-fiction. US release December 1, 2012.
The contrarian historian and analyst upends the conventional reading of the American Revolution.
In 1775, iconoclastic historian and bestselling author Kevin Phillips punctures the myth that 1776 was the watershed year of the American Revolution. He suggests that the great events and confrontations of 1775—Congress's belligerent economic ultimatums to Britain, New England's rage militaire, the exodus of British troops and expulsion of royal governors up and down the seaboard, and the new provincial congresses and hundreds of local committees that quickly reconstituted local authority in Patriot hands—achieved a sweeping Patriot control of territory and local government that Britain was never able to overcome. These each added to the Revolution's essential momentum so when the British finally attacked in great strength the following year, they could not regain the control they had lost in 1775.
Analyzing the political climate, economic structures, and military preparations, as well as the roles of ethnicity, religion, and class, Phillips tackles the eighteenth century with the same skill and insights he has shown in analyzing contemporary politics and economics. The result is a dramatic narrative brimming with original insights. 1775 revolutionizes our understanding of America's origins.
The Chalice by Nancy Bilyeau. UK release February 7, 2013.
For Joanna Stafford, life will never be the same again. She once thought she would find meaning and purpose as a nun at Dartford Priory - but across England, the monasteries and priories' days are numbered, and that way of life is reaching an end. And for Joanna, having been entangled with the royal court and caught up in its deadly power-plots, her life now looks very different. But the quiet life is not for Joanna. Soon she risks arrest and imprisonment again, when she is drawn into a conspiracy of aristocrats seeking to overturn Henry VIII.
After the suspects are thrown into the Tower of London and Joanna's desperate attempt to protect the corpse of Saint Thomas Becket fails, she must make a choice between those she cares for most and taking her place in a prophecy foretold by three different seers, each more powerful than the last. At first Joanna chooses peace, with a man who loves her. But yet another shattering edict from Henry VIII destroys her chance at happiness. To learn the final, sinister piece of the prophecy, she flees across Europe with an amoral spy sent by Spain. Should Joanna agree, the life of Henry VIII as well as the future of Christendom are in her hands, hands which must someday hold...the chalice.
I can't wait for the release of The Chalice! I really enjoyed The Crown. I'll keep my eye out for The Sunne In Splendour, too. November isn't that far away :-)
May 7, 2012 at 6:39 PM