Book reviews

My book reviews are listed here with the most recent at the top. You can search for a specific title or author by uisng 'Find on this page' in your browser, or you can scroll down and see if anything takes your fancy. I read and review whatever interests me. Most (but not all) of the reviews here will be historical fiction or non-fiction history books.

There is a list of books and authors I especially like elsewhere.

If you have any comments on my reviews in general or on a particular book, please contact me and tell me. I like to hear from you.

• Lords of the North, by Bernard Corwell.
  Swashbuckling military adventure in the Sharpe mould, as Uhtred of Bebbanburgh returns to his native Northumbria to pursue a blood-feud against the murderer of his foster-father. Third in the Uhtred series, set against the background of the wars between Alfred the Great and the Danes in ninth-century England.
• Sunrise in the West (Brothers of Gwynedd Quartet 1), by Edith Pargeter.
  First in a thoughtful and evocative quartet of novels telling the powerful story of Llewellyn ap Griffith, last prince of independent Wales.
• Mistress of the Sun, by Sandra Gulland.
  Detailed portrait of Louise de la Valliere, mistress of the Sun King Louis XIV in glittering seventeenth-century France.
• The Science of Middle-Earth, by Henry Gee.
  This loosely connected series of essays explores possible real-world parallels and mechanisms for some of the seemingly fantastical aspects of Middle Earth. How did Orcs reproduce? How could dragons breathe fire? Could Balrogs fly?
• An Involuntary King, by Nan Hawthorne.
  Set in a fictional kingdom in eighth-century England, An Involuntary King grew out of the letters and stories exchanged between the author and her pen-friend when both were teenagers. Young Lawrence unexpectedly, and rather reluctantly, finds himself King of Crislicland after the tragic deaths of his father and elder brother. As he struggles with his enemies and his own self-doubt to prove himself a worthy king, his most loyal supporter is his beautiful queen Josephine. But soon their kingdom is threatened by the treachery of an evil cousin, and their happiness by a darkly handsome Breton mercenary knight, who has fallen in love with Josephine and desires nothing more than to make her his wife.
• Young Bess, by Margaret Irwin.
  A powerful portrayal of Elizabeth I as a young girl and her relationship with Tom Seymour, told in elegant prose and with superb characterisation. First in a trilogy.
• The Stolen Crown, by Susan Higginbotham.
  Unsentimental portrayal of the turbulent events surrounding the short and ill-starred reign of Richard III, and in particular the dramatic role played by Henry Stafford Duke of Buckingham.
• The Sixth Wife, by Suzannah Dunn.
  In 1547, Katherine Parr, widow of Henry VIII, marries her old love, the dashing Thomas Seymour, much to the puzzlement of her closest friend, Catherine Duchess of Suffolk (Cathy). Soon these three will find themselves entrapped in a (fictional) love triangle that can only end in betrayal - but of whom?
• The Blackstone Key, by Rose Melikan.
  In 1795, England is at war with Revolutionary France, and young Mary Finch stumbles on a set of coded documents that may hold the key to a ruthless ring of spies selling the military secrets of England to the enemy. Can Mary break the code? And which of the two men in her life can she trust? A mix of lightweight espionage mystery, slightly gothic romance and mild social comedy.
• The Crimson Portrait, by Jody Shields.
  Billed as a literary thriller in the jacket copy, this may be literary but I did not find it thrilling. Disappointing meander with no discernible plot, set in a military hospital in the First World War.
• Pendragon's Banner, by Helen Hollick.
  Second in a trilogy retelling the King Arthur story without magic or fantasy. After the political and military struggles of The Kingmaking, Arthur is now Pendragon and High King of Britain, and married to his beloved wife, the feisty Gwenhwyfar. But his first wife Winifred wants her son Cerdic named heir, his uncle Ambrosius yearns for a return to the Roman Empire, numerous chieftains fancy themselves as High King, and far in the north the evil queen Morgause plots his downfall. Arthur and Gwenhwyfar face political storm and personal tragedy that threaten to destroy their marriage.
• The Blood of Flowers, by Anita Amirrezvani.
  A young woman comes of age and learns to make an independent life for herself, set against the background of craftsman carpet making in 17th-century Iran.
• Hugh and Bess, by Susan Higginbotham.
  Bess de Montacute, pretty, sharp, wealthy and thirteen, is not at all happy when she is told she is to marry Hugh le Despenser, aged 32 and the son and grandson of disgraced traitors. For his part, Hugh has mixed feelings - marrying into Bess's family is highly desirable, but Hugh is already in love with another woman of lower social status. Can this seemingly ill-matched couple forge a successful marriage together? Charming short tale of life and love in aristocratic fourteenth-century England.
• Daughter of York, by Anne Easter Smith.
  Detailed description of aristocratic life in fifteenth-century Burgundy, told through the life of Margaret of York, Duchess of Burgundy and sister of Edward IV and Richard III
• White Rose Rebel, by Janet Paisley.
  Lusty Highland swashbuckler set against the background of the 1745 Jacobite Rebellion, for readers who like their heroines beautiful and feisty, their heroes handsome and sardonic, their bedroom scenes plentiful and their politics clear-cut.
• The Sins of the Father, by Catherine Hanley.
  Murder mystery set in thirteenth-century England.
• The Crooked Cross, by Michael Dean.
  Thought-provoking novel about the resistance to Hitler in 1930s Germany and the dilemmas faced by a good man living in bad times.
• The Brendan Voyage, by Tim Severin.
  Enthralling account of the author's attempt to recreate the (legendary?) sixth-century voyage of St Brendan from Ireland to North America in a leather boat.
• The Kingmaking, by Helen Hollick.
  First in a trilogy showing King Arthur as a ruthless fifth-century warlord, with no magic or fantasy elements. When Uthr Pendragon is defeated in his attempt to claim the throne of Britain, his old friend and ally Cunedda of Gwynedd reveals young Arthur as his heir. The feisty Gwenhwyfar, daughter of Cunedda, pledges herself to Arthur and it seems their fates will be entwined. But the usurper king Vortigern and his spiteful daughter Winifred have other ideas, and Arthur and Gwenhwyfar find themselves embroiled in a tangled web of politics, war and murder.
• The Whispering Bell, by Brian Sellars.
  A complex tale of greed, jealousy, loyalty and betrayal set in seventh century ('Anglo-Saxon') Mercia.
• Far After Gold, by Jen Black.
  Warm historical romance set in a Norse (Viking) settlement in tenth-century north Scotland.
• Men of Bronze, by Scott Oden.
  Epic military adventure set during the Persian Invasion of Egypt in 526 BC.
• The Last Raider, by Douglas Reeman.
  Set on a German commerce raider in the First World War.
• The House on the Strand, by Daphne du Maurier.
  Time-slip between the 1960s and the early fourteenth century, set around Tywardreath in Cornwall.
• The Boleyn Inheritance, by Philippa Gregory.
  Sex, lies and death at the court of King Henry VIII.
• Count Bohemond, by Alfred Duggan.
  Crisp and compact retelling of the First Crusade.
• Zenobia: The Rebel Queen, by Judith Weingarten.
  Detailed reconstruction of life in third-century Syria and the events that would eventually lead up to Zenobia's rebellion against Rome.
• Cochrane: Britannia's Sea Wolf, by Donald Thomas.
  Historical biography of Thomas Cochrane, whose daring naval exploits during and after the Napoleonic Wars far outshine his fictional counterparts.
• Lord of Silver, by Alan Fisk.
  Detailed fictional survey of Late Roman Britain and its neighbouring trbal kingdoms, set againt the background of the Barbarian Conspiracy of 367 AD.
• The Secret Middle Ages, by Malcolm Jones.
  Entertaining, erudite and eclectic survey of the everyday arts and crafts of the Middle Ages.
• Gladiatrix, by Russell Whitfield.
  Action-packed adventure set against the dramatic and brutal backdrop of the Roman gladiatorial arena.
• The Beckoning Silence.
  TV/DVD review. Gripping documentary telling the story of the attempt to climb the North Face of the Eiger in 1936.
• The Eagle in the Sand, by Simon Scarrow.
  Seventh in this Roman military adventure series, this instalment takes hard-bitten veteran centurion Macro and his younger colleague Cato to the deserts of the Middle East. Political intrigue, corrupt officials on the make and a mysterious religious sect, with lots of battlefield action.
• The Wicked Day, by Mary Stewart.
  An intriguing and attractive retelling of the latter part of Arthur's legend from the point of view of Mordred, who is much more interesting than the black villain of tradition.
• Innocent Traitor, by Alison Weir.
  Mildly dramatised fictional biography of the tragic life of Lady Jane Grey, the 'Nine Day Queen' in Tudor England.
• The Greatest Knight, by Elizabeth Chadwick.
  The story of William Marshal, a landless younger son whose prowess on the jousting field and courage in protecting Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine earn him a place as tutor to the sons of Henry II. Royal favour brings William fame and fortune beyond his dreams, but the court is fickle and one false step could cost him everything.
• Kingdom of the Ark, by Lorraine Evans.
  Narrative non-fiction, arguing that refugees from Ancient Egypt settled in Britain and/or Ireland in the middle Bronze Age under the leadership of Meritaten, eldest daughter of the 'Heretic Pharaoh' Akhenaten. Intriguing idea and some fascinating snippets of history, even if one is not convinced by the theory.
• The Traitor's Wife, by Susan Higginbotham.
  Eleanor de Clare is the beloved niece of King Edward II and happily married to Hugh le Despenser, until the untimely death of her brother at the Battle of Bannockburn makes Eleanor a great heiress. Hugh becomes greedy for ever more land, and his scandalous relationship with the king makes him the most hated man in England. When Queen Isabella, her lover and most of the aristocracy join forces to get rid of Hugh, will Eleanor survive his downfall?
• The Conscience of the King: Henry Gresham and the Shakespeare Conspiracy, by Martin Stephen.
  Action-packed spy thriller set at the court of King James I/VI in 17th-century England, offering a plethora of historical conspiracy theories and a James Bond-style hero to solve them
• Nefertiti, by Michelle Moran.
  Mutnodjmet, the sensible, loving and overlooked younger sister, tells the story of Nefertiti, the ambitious, selfish, glittering queen of Egypt as the Eighteenth Dynasty totters towards its end (1351-1335 BC). If you enjoyed The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory, you will love this.
• The Crystal Cave, The Hollow Hills, The Last Enchantment (Merlin trilogy), by Mary Stewart
• Rad Decision, by James Aach
• Land of Angels, by Fay Sampson
• The Bull from the Sea, by Mary Renault
• Pendragon, by Stephen Lawhead
• The Samplist, by Francis Ellen
• Emperor series, by Conn Iggulden
• The Dawn Stag, by Jules Watson
• The Reign of Arthur: From History to Legend, by Christopher Gidlow
• The White Mare, by Jules Watson
• Flight of the Sparrow, by Fay Sampson
• Temeraire (US title: His Majesty's Dragon), by Naomi Novik
• The English Resistance: The Underground War Against the Normans, by Peter Rex
• Wolf Girl, by Theresa Tomlinson
• Warriors of the Dragon Gold, by Ray Bryant
• Viking: Odinn's Child, by Tim Severin
• Sea Witch, by Helen Hollick
• Tamburlaine Must Die, by Louise Welsh
• The Green Branch, by Edith Pargeter (Sequel to The Heaven Tree)
• Julia, by William Napier
• The Lions of Al-Rassan, by Guy Gavriel Kay
• The Lady Soldier, by Jennifer Lindsay
• The Winter Mantle, by Elizabeth Chadwick
• Pompeii, by Robert Harris
• Boudica, Queen of the Iceni, by Joseph E Roesch
• The Little Emperors, by Alfred Duggan
• The Heaven Tree, by Edith Pargeter (first in a trilogy; it's sequel is The Green Branch)

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Copyright © 2006-2009 Carla Nayland.