IN DARKNESS BORN by Gemma Lawrence

 5 GOLD stars

On Amazon (universal link)

On Goodreads

How I discovered this book: A favourite author

In a Nutshell: The early life of Katherine Parr, sixth and final wife of Henry VIII.

I loved this book, a very promising start to a new series, and I can't wait to read the next instalment!

Book #1 covers the period from childhood to the beginning of her second marriage, to John Neville, Lord Latimer.

I was looking forward to this series as Katherine Parr had such a varied and interesting life, with her four marriages and somewhat daring approach to religion (for the time), which of course she had to keep hidden from so many people in her life, not least of all her husbands. She was known as being educated, a thinker, an intelligent woman, but fewer men appreciated a woman such as she in the early 16th century.  

One important new friend she made was her first father-in-law's chaplain, Matthew, who did much to simplify the basics of religious reform for her, and showed her how she could truly submit to God away from all the pomp and corruption of the Catholic Church.  I loved the religious detail in the book; Katherine's thoughts echoed many of mine. I was fascinated by the extent of the avarice amongst the Church VIPs.  One of the main reasons for this hadn't occurred to me until I read this book - younger sons of landed gentry or aristocracy, who would not inherit, often faced a future in the Church whether they had strong faith or not, so they made the most of the opportunities available.

If you're interested in the religious reform of the 16th century, do read this! 

At the time, what happened at the court of Henry VIII affected and enthralled everyone, especially those born into nobility like Katherine, so there is a fair bit of talk about Henry's Great Matter, but it doesn't take over the story any more than it must have featured in their lives.  I particularly liked Katherine's mother's take on the proceedings.  A sometimes unreliable but at the same time wise narrator.

I noted how Katherine, with all her dreams of love and passion like that between Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, was level and wise enough to accept that she could still find happiness in her good life with Lord Latimer. 

Well done, Gemma! 

GONE LIKE A GOLDFISH by Anonymous

 5 GOLD stars

On Amazon (universal link)

On Goodreads

Blurb from Amazon

Alcoholic novelist Jim Hardwick-Callahan intends to kill himself at the end of one last sex-filled vacation to Japan with his ex-girlfriend, but a death in the family interrupts his plans. As the tragedies pile up and his life falls apart, his teenage twins begin to self-destruct. This anonymously written book is about loss and obsession. It is sad, vulgar, disturbing, and funny.

My Review

Excellent stuff, I loved it.

Jim Hardwick-Callahan deploys hedonism to mask his disappointment with himself, his guilt and pain, and because he really likes sex and drugs.  The temporary buzzes of alcohol, psychedelics, weed, recreational and kinky sex do a good job of masking the emptiness that calls out to him now and again. 

I stayed awake to finish it last night when I needed to sleep, because I was totally absorbed.  Then of course I lay awake thinking about it.  It's that sort of book.  This is a terrific writer, unusually so.  The book was produced in a very short time - this is mentioned in the author's note at the back, which you should definitely read - so I was surprised at how tight it was, such a great structure, spot-on dialogue and detailed labyrinths of inner thought that were sometimes so sad, other times droll, or breezy, or a mixture of all three.  The novel is perfectly paced, with never a wasted word.

Megan, with whom he is in love, is the main female character in that her actress name will appear second in the titles after that of Jim's when they make the film.  She's clever, creative and elusive, and has way too many issues for one person.  Just Jim's type.  

BTW, in case this marks your point of departure.  The Megan bits often contain lots of bad language and sex, some of it quite graphic.  Normally, I would choose not to read that, but I made an exception. It fits the book ... hard to explain.  If Jim had talked/thought/acted in a more delicate way it wouldn't have been Jim, it would have been a far less arresting character.  In other words, none of it is remotely gratuitous.  And it's often funny.

The book features scenes about Jim's father, Pete - I loved reading about him, and Jim's strange brother Cray.  Jim's twins Amanda and Todd are essentially sound kids but are both screwed up in the way only teenagers can be.  Enter ex-wife Pam.  Jim's relationship with her is subtly amusing.  Kind of tired.  The areas of friction are still there, but they've gone limp.  

Then there are the other women, comprising past, present and promising hook-ups.  

As Jim's world starts getting smaller, he becomes trapped in his own head...

Amongst all the grimly entertaining chaos are many threads of introspection, anger, loss and heartbreak laid bare.  A small amount of words that can illustrate the emotion so starkly; at one point I stopped reading in admiration.  'Boy can this guy write' moments were off the charts.  I expect I shall read it again before too long.

It's a snip at 77p, or free on Kindle Unlimited.

MAKE HIM A SANDWICH by Candace Owens @realCandaceO

 5 GOLD stars

On Candace's website - Canada and US only
On Amazon.com - ships to UK

On Goodreads

How I discovered this book: I saw it advertised on Candace's show.

In a Nutshell: 'Why real women don't need fake feminism'

My husband bought me this for Christmas; such was the demand for this elegant treatise of feminist culture that it didn't arrive until a few days ago.  Having just closed the book, I imagine most will agree with me that the wait was worth it.  MHAS is so well-written I became totally engrossed in every historical account, every 'celeb' incident, every aspect of the way in which the media and those who run it have manipulated young women to think that (for instance) getting your kit off on the internet for money is 'liberation'.

I particularly liked Chapter 4, Beyond the Pale, which outlines the origins of the movement, back as far mid 19th Century Russia.  So much I didn't know.  Oh, and don't miss Chapter 6: The Kardashian School of Plastic'.  Or #7, Along Came Hannah, about 'trad wife' Hannah Neeleman and her YouTube channel about life at her family home, Ballerina Farm. I was glued to the pages throughout!

MHAS compares the biology of men and women, the emotional differences, which made me think about aspects I hadn't previously considered.  The book is a light and 'easy read', wise, honest and straight to the point but always classy.  I watch Candace often, so I know how intricately she researches every detail, how careful she is before presenting facts.  She digs deeper than most, into both her subject matter and the motivations of others.

Something else I appreciated was the way the chapters themselves were structured - a masterclass in keeping the reader's attention.  I can't recommend this book highly enough.  It cuts through all the lies, myths,  hype and manipulation; the hows and whys about the overturning of Roe vs Wade was an eye-opener.

Make Him A Sandwich is informative, fascinating, funny, beautifully structured, and fears no man!  Or woman, of course.  😉

MARGUERITE: Hell Hath No Fury! by @juditharnopp

5 GOLD stars

On Amazon (universal link)

On Goodreads

How I discovered this book: a favourite author

In a Nutshell: The story of Marguerite of Anjou

Loved, loved, loved this excellent book. I was so engrossed all the way through and I need a bit of breathing space before starting something else, because I keep thinking about it.  Yes, that good.

This was particularly fascinating for me because although I know the ins and outs of the later years of the Wars of the Roses, I had huge gaps in my knowledge about how it started and how Marguerite got to where she was.  Also, it was most interesting to read about the younger years of the three sons of York, about Elizabeth Woodville and her mother Jacquetta, about Margaret Beaufort and others.

Painted as she is all too often in history, I too thought of Marguerite as a ruthless vixen, but Judith Arnopp portrays her in such a way that one can totally see her point of view, and what drove her on, and on and on.  Of course history is written by the victors; I wonder if Ms Arnopp's versions of Richard of York and Edward of March (never mind Warwick) are also more accurate than those seen in other books, not least of all those made into BBC TV dramas.

I was thinking, afterwards, about how so many lives could have been saved, including almost everyone Marguerite cared about, had she succumbed to the inevitable and allowed Edward to take the crown the York army believed was rightfully his, but there is no definite answer to who should have worn it; the lines of succession were so ... messy.  I wondered if she would have fought so hard if just for her husband, poor Henry VI, if there was no son.  Would the honour of the country she was fated to rule be enough?  Motherhood made her a fierce lioness, but so many died for her cause; was she right to let this happen? 

If only she could have married Edward of Somerset instead!

Anyway, this is a terrific book in which I became so emotionally involved.  I was impressed by the way Marguerite's life fitted so perfectly into one novel without ever coming across as written at too fast a pace; the detail is all there where you need it.  This is a writer who knows when a year needs one paragraph and moment needs two pages.  An absolute winner, and a 'must read' for anyone who loves this period of history.  Well done, Judith Arnopp - every book is better than the last!

ALL THE KINGS BASTARDS by Gemma Lawrence @TudorTweep

 5 GOLD stars

On Amazon (universal link)
On Goodreads

How I discovered this book: A favourite author.

In a Nutshell: Alternative history: what if Henry VIII had died from his jousting accident in 1536?  Book #1 of a series.

I love 'what if' discussions and stories, and alternative history generally - I've read a few novels of the genre but this is easily the best.  Gemma Lawrence has excelled herself with this vision of how 16th Century life would have played out had Henry VIII died in the jousting accident that caused a gruesome injury to his leg; in the real world, this plagued him for the rest of his life.  Anne Boleyn was pregnant at the time and Henry had recently began his courtship of Jane Seymour.  Imagine: Anne did not miscarry her baby and he didn't live to marry Jane Seymour, so Edward VI never existed.  Catherines Howard and Parr had a lucky escape - and what of Anne of Cleves?  Most importantly, of course, Anne Boleyn, brother George and various others were not executed as a result of Cromwell's dastardly plot to remove them.

...and there is so much more.  The battle for succession: Elizabeth, Henry Fitzroy, Anne's unborn child, Mary Tudor.  By the end of this book Anne has not yet given birth but already the country is in uproar, with riots and violent divisions.

Ms Lawrence's historical novels are generally told from one first person point of view, but this is totally different, with each chapter focusing on one of a variety of players.  Anne, Mary, Jane Seymour, Spanish Ambassador Chapuys, Thomas Wyatt, Fitzroy and many others.  Insight into the world of the common man is provided through the eyes of Magpye Grey, the young daughter of an innkeeper, and also Thomas Blank, a Moor who once fought alongside Magpye's father; in her notes at the back of the book Ms Lawrence provides an eye-opening insight about the population of people of colour in England in the 16th century, little of which I knew about.  Throughout, there is much more detail about the day to day life of the time, which I loved finding out about (particularly the origin of the term 'straight-laced'!).

What I admired so much about this novel is that Ms Lawrence has considered every aspect of the court and beyond - altered fortunes for Robert Aske, Margaret Douglas, Margaret Plantagenet, Countess of Salisbury and the rest of the Pole family.  Will Fitzroy still die young, now he is in a different place?  The beginning of the book is fairly quiet, but the fall-out from Henry's death means that it soon gathers momentum, and it got better and better as it went on.  I think that the more you know about the history of this time, the more you will enjoy it; I kept thinking, 'oh, clever!'

Well done, Gemma Lawrence, you have mastered a new genre, and I cannot wait to read the next book!

LAST TRAIN TO FREEDOM by Deborah Swift @swiftstory

5 GOLD stars

On Amazon (universal link)
On Goodreads

How I discovered this book: a favourite author, I was waiting for it!

In a Nutshell: WWII - perilous escape from NKVD and Nazis

After a harrowing escape from the Nazis in their home country of Poland, Zofia, twin brother Jacek and their Uncle Tata have found a home in Lithuania, along with many other Jewish refugees.  Alas, here they face a new danger - the Russian army, bulldozing their way through anything they deem to be anti-communist.

Once they realise that resistance is futile, the Japanese consul is their only hope for visas to travel on the Trans-Siberian express, away from imminent danger.  As well as escaping, Zofia has another mission to complete - the delivery of a secret package to officials in Tokyo.  The problem is that there are others who want to put a spanner in the works; some who appear to be helpful are not what they seem.

I was delighted to find out that Chiune Sugihara, the Japanese consul in Lithuania, was a real person who, against orders from his country, issued thousands of visas to Lithuanians and Polish refugees who would have otherwise been captured by the Russians or the Nazis.  Deborah Swift has written a piece about it HERE.

I loved this book from start to finish; it's utterly gripping and I could never guess what might happen next.  More than anything else, it illustrates what a dark, dangerous place mainland Europe was during the first half of the 20th Century, and the bravery of so many who fought on the side of good, against the forces of evil that were intent on eliminating their existence.  Highly, highly recommended - definitely my favourite of Deborah Swift's novels set in World War II.

THE BOOK OF THORNHOLD by Judith Arnopp @JudithArnopp

5 GOLD stars

On Amazon (universal link)

On Goodreads

How I discovered this book: One of my favourite authors, saw this book from her back catalogue advertised on X.

In a Nutshell: A novel of long-short stories, about a family across the centuries

This is one of the best books I've read in ages.  The Book of the title was originally written by a priest in the 8th Century; it is passed down the centuries, with additions made by the generations who are fortunate to be its keeper in the place for which it is named.  Thornhold begins as a Saxon smallholding, and becomes a fine manor house.

It's a novel in the form of eight stories that are independent of each other but are held together by the same threads.  I loved them all, though I think my favourites were the chapter in the 14th Century, when the Thorn family weathered the Black Death, another about monks in a nearby abbey during the dissolution of the monasteries in the 16th Century, and a long one that centred around the Monmouth Rebellion of 1685 and its after-effects on the family.  I was actually reading that one in the early hours of this morning, and had to tear myself away from it!

The book reminded me of Norah Lofts' The House at Old Vine and A Wayside Tavern, and I was just as engrossed in Thornhold as I am when I read those novels.  I'm also quite relieved because I've been vaguely thinking of doing something similar for quite some time, but I know I could never write anything as good as this, so I can now shelve that project indefinitely!

In the introduction Ms Arnopp apologises for any flaws that have resulted from the re-hashing of this earlier work of hers, and I did notice the odd name with two different spellings and some erroneous punctuation; I mention this for two reasons.  Firstly, in case you're someone whose whole reading experience is spoiled by an ill-placed semicolon, and secondly (most importantly!) to illustrate how good this book is.  I am beyond picky about punctuation, but I loved this book so much that I didn't care if the character was called Dorcas or Dorcus or if an unnecessary comma popped up.

I am happy to say that if you love beautifully written and well-researched historical sagas, I guarantee you will enjoy this as much as I did.

 

THE TOWN HOUSE and THE HOUSE AT OLD VINE by Norah Lofts

 5 GOLD stars (or possibly 10!)

On Amazon (universal link)
On Goodreads

How I discovered this book: the series is an all-time favourite of mine and I haven't read it for years - during a short hospital stay the time was right to return to it!

In a Nutshell: Family saga and chronicle of social change over 6 centuries.

This wonderful trilogy starts with the tale of Martin Reed, born the son of a serf in 1381, the year of the Peasants' Revolt.  Freed from his bonds, circumstances take him and his beloved, Kate, to the Suffolk town of Baildon, where they live in dire poverty and squalor.  In time, Martin builds a house.  This is the story of that house, and Reed's descendants, each new chapter told by one character further down the line.

Throughout the books, ghosts appear in the form of family characteristics (though sometimes in actual manifestations, too).  Cold fingers on the neck of the old man who hears his grandson saying that he longs to be a travelling musician, while knowing nothing of his ancestry.  The cunning trickery of a small girl is mirrored two centuries later.  The beauty, of course, is that we know more than the characters, which means that their innocent statements are often more pertinent than they realise.

I have several favourite characters in these first two books (I'm still re-reading #3); one which interests me a great deal is that of Ethelreda, a young girl who survived the flooding of the Fens during the land reclamation of the 17th Century.  All she knew, until she was found near death in her boat, was her life on a little island with her father.  Nothing else existed.  Every chapter is an utter gem, though.  I recommend this trilogy with every molecule of my reading brain!!!

SIZE ALWAYS MATTERS by Sally Cronin @sgc58

 5 GOLD stars

On Amazon (universal link)
On Goodreads

How I discovered this book: I've long been impressed by Sally's nutrition articles on her blog, so bought this when it came out.

In a Nutshell: Comprehensive guide to weight loss, exercise, nutrition and so much more.

This has to be the best book of its type that I've ever read.  Whether you want to lose a lot of weight, the odd stone, or simply to have a better understanding of nutrition and how your body works, I can't recommend this too highly.  Sally Cronin is a qualified, experienced nutritional therapist.

I consider myself to be an 'old hand' when it comes to nutrition, but the book taught me a whole lot more, and reminded me about (a few too many) aspects that I'd let slip.  I've just eaten a (lightly fried in olive oil) egg, smoked salmon and raw mushrooms for lunch - if I hadn't just read this book, the mushrooms might have been fried too, and I'd have included a slice of toast, albeit sourdough!  Also, for a long time now, when I've bought vegetables to last a few days, I've prepared them and put them in plastic zip-lock bags in the fridge, for easy use later in the day.  No longer - I've just discovered that this practice destroys half their nutritional value.  Who knew?

Sally's book reminded me, over and over again, that most of what we eat needs to be in its natural state, cooked from scratch; if we eat too much industrially produced, ultra-processed food we can suffer from malnutrition while still being overweight.  She includes shopping lists of all we need to obtain every vitamin and mineral, and how to facilitate the production of vital amino acids.  Throughout, she does not just give instruction, but tells you why.

As well as nutritional advice, the book contains detailed chapters about exercise, along with details of how many calories are burned by everyday activities, about the emotional reasons for overeating, advice on how to plan your weight loss programme, and there's an excellent recipe section at the back.  Sally also talks (in a refreshingly honest way) about her own experience - the long road that took her from morbidly obese to slim, healthy and positive.

Take it from one who knows.  This book is an absolute 'must have' for anyone who wants to lose weight and/or take care of their own health.

MOMENTS OF CONSEQUENCE by Thorne Moore @ThorneMoore #RBRT

5 GOLD stars

On Amazon (universal link)
On Goodreads

How I discovered this book: it was submitted to Rosie's Book Review Team, of which I am a member, but I'd already downloaded it anyway.

In a Nutshell: Short stories, dark themes.  Mostly.

What a treat this book is. It's not very often that you read a short story collection in which every one is a gem, but such is the case with Moments of Consequence. Every single one is beautifully written and perfectly plotted whilst wending its way down unexpectedly murky corridors. Some bloody ones, too, like the horrific Chef's Special, in which the main character comes up with an ingenious way of dealing with her staff problems, and It Was Late June, an every day story of country folk in a village that just happens to have an active Satanic society. These two are seriously gruesome, dark humour at its best. As is A Midsummer Nightmare, a brutal tale of revenge.

My favourites:

Dare Devil: about three students who, drunkenly, dare each other to commit the perfect murder.

Dances on the Head of a Pin: two time-lines, two main characters. One, in modern times, tries to interview random passersby about transubstantiation. The other, in the perilous days of Bloody Mary Tudor, is condemned for not believing in this (that the communion sacrament is the actual body and blood of Christ).

The Food of Love: a 'foodie' wife, who fails to see the the impact her obsession is having on her marriage...

Away in a Manger: about a homeless young artist, at Christmas time.

Piggy in the Middle: The story of Mary Bennett, the forgotten middle daughter in Pride and Prejudice.

As You Sow: A mother laments the choices her adult children have made, considering them a personal affront. I love stories like this in which the reader can read between the lines about what's actually going on, whereas the blinkered narrator cannot.

...and the last one, Footprints, showing snapshots of everyone who lived in a house, going back down the decades. I too am, as Thorne Moore says, fascinated by houses and the secrets they reveal. Footprints made me think of books by Norah Loft: The House Trilogy, and A Wayside Tavern.

All the stories are long, something to get your teeth into. It's stunningly good, all the way through. Highly, highly recommended - can't emphasise this too much!

A MATTER OF TIME by Judith Arnopp @JudithArnopp

5 GOLD stars

On Amazon (universal link)
On Goodreads

How I discovered this book: one I was waiting patiently for, after reading the first two in the series.

In a Nutshell: the life of Henry VIII in his own words, from the Anne of Cleves era until his death.

I loved this book!  Marvellous series, quite unlike any other historical fiction I have read.  Henry VIII in first person, present tense - a perfect choice, as the reader walks in his shoes with him, all the way.  Not for a moment does Judith Arnopp succumb to a possible temptation to broaden the point of view, in order to provide more factual detail.  It's totally Henry, all the way.  In the last book I noticed how events that might be given great significance in other works are hardly mentioned, because Ms Arnopp remains completely faithful to Henry's eyes alone.  

The question of Cromwell's lies about the infidelity of Anne Boleyn crops up a few times, as Henry is now able to step back and see the whole picture.  My impression has long been that his whole life was coloured by what he did to her, George, Norris and his other friends, as though he'd opened a door to a dark place that could never be closed.  One feels that Arnopp's Henry may not have actually believed Cromwell at the time, but convinced himself because he was so desperate for a son, exhausted by Anne and temporarily enamoured of Jane Seymour's timidity.

I found myself liking this older Henry, give or take the odd casually signed execution warrant or twenty.  I loved the section about Anne of Cleves (including how he began to see the merest hint of a spark of something between them...), and his delight in Katherine Howard was almost 'sweet'.  Karma or not, I felt so sorry for him when he was faced with the truth about her, the way in which his whole fantasy was torn away, revealing the relationship for what it was - and how it was the end of his fantasy about himself, too.  For one so obsessed with his own image, to see himself laid bare, as others saw him.  Saddest of all was his loneliness in his old age.  If only he could have used that time to get to know his children more.  And perhaps condemn fewer people to death...

Most ingenious of all, throughout the whole series, is that although ostensibly seen only through Henry's eyes, the thoughts of others and the truth about an event are often starkly apparent to the reader.  Now that's what I called skilled writing.  Bravo, Judith Arnopp!

Terrific series.  Can't recommend too highly.  I envy you if you have all three books yet to read!

Both painted during the 16th Century by unknown artists.

ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT by Erich Maria Remarque

 5 GOLD stars

On Amazon (universal link)
On Goodreads

How I discovered this book: Looked for it after re-watching the recent German remake of the film

In a Nutshell: A young German man's experiences in World War I

I was surprised, when I started to read this book.  I expected it to be heavy going, a lengthy tome, but it's far from that.  It's not very long (I would estimate about 70K words), and the first person point of view of Paul Bäumer, the protagonist, flows along in a highly readable fashion; it's like reading a diary.  I'd finished it in just two days, couldn't put it down.  

It goes without saying that the novel illustrates the absolute evil of war, and reminds one of the pointlessness of all that those millions of poor men suffered on the Western Front, for nothing much at all apart from making those who profit from such carnage even richer and more powerful.  Meanwhile, Paul and his friends gradually change from enthusiastic lads who were lied to by their teachers about the glory of war and how it was their duty to enlist, to shell-shocked and lost men who can relate only to each other; nothing prepared them for the horror of trench warfare, and no words can explain it to those back at home.

Echoing the cover, it's just the best war novel I've ever read.  Read it!! (btw if you're buying off Amazon, be careful not to get an abridged version)

'I am twenty years of age but I know nothing of life except despair, death, fear,  and the combination of completely mindless superficiality with an abyss of suffering.  I see people being driven against one another, and silently, uncomprehendingly, foolishly, obediently and innocently killing one another.  I see the best brains in the world inventing weapons and words to make the process that much more sophisticated and long-lasting.  And watching this with me are all my contemporaries, here and on the other side, all over the world - my whole generation is experiencing this with me.'

This picture says so much, no matter which country's generals demanded you be sent off to kill and be killed by men just like you - the Cameron Highlanders, before and after WWI.

WE THE LIVING by Ayn Rand @AynRandOrg

5 GOLD stars

On Amazon (universal link)
On Goodreads

How I discovered this book: I watched a documentary about Ms Rand, after which I knew I had to read this.

In a Nutshell: A love story set in the Communist USSR of the 1920s, first published in 1936.  Rand says it is not a book about the Russian Revolution; this is just the setting.  However, from a reader's point of view, it is indeed a novel about just that, expressed through the eyes, lives and minds of the characters.

This is one of the best books I've ever read.  Kept feeling excited about going back to it.  The main character is Kira, from Petrograd (formerly St Petersburg) who, as a child, migrated to the Crimea with her wealthy family when the revolution took hold.  Some years later, when the Red Army reached the Crimea, the family returned to Petrograd (which became Leningrad after Lenin's death), to find everything they had owned and known gone, under the new regime.  Like everyone else in the city, they were forced to live a meagre, dangerous life, frequently with not enough to eat.

Kira falls in love with Leo, also of the former bourgeoisie; their attraction is instant and intense.  The story follows their lives and the paths they and their families and friends choose in order to survive under the punishing Communist regime.

Many of the 'white' Russians who fled their homeland, like Kira's parents, considered the situation temporary, and thought their former lives would soon be restored.

The novel is widely considered part-autobiographical; it was written once Rand had managed to escape to America.  She writes about life in Russia as she experienced it, of the increasing threat to anyone who did not want to accept the new order.  Aside from being a warning to the world about the evils of Communism, however, it's a masterfully written story about love, sacrifice, survival, tragedy, about the good, the bad and the ugly of human nature, about fear and courage, those brave enough to suffer for what they know is right, and good versus evil.  It's neither preachy nor black and white; the basically brave and courageous can make bad choices.

I've read around the Revolution since finishing it, and discovered that the widely purported idea that it was an uprising of the downtrodden masses against the tyranny of the hated ruling classes is a myth.  It was actually crafted and funded by wealthy financiers from Germany, Britain and the US. Quelle surprise.

PLANET OF THE HEAD-BREAKERS by Zeb Haradon @ZebHaradon

 5 GOLD stars

On Amazon (universal link)
On Goodreads

How I discovered this book: one of my favourite authors, so I look out for his new releases.

In a Nutshell: Character-orientated scifi.  Robots.  The future of mankind.

Blurb: 

Centuries after the revolution, the remnants of humanity survive on agricultural communes where they are subjected to mandatory lobotomies before reaching adulthood.

The centuries-old, malfunctioning robots that control them have turned the lobotomy into a coming-of-age ceremony. Most children look forward to it, but not Jim. He dreads the impending surgery and contrives a plan to evade it.

Japeth, a nomadic surgical robot tasked with performing the lobotomies, admires Jim's rebellious spirit and decides to spare him. He promises to return, and makes a bold claim - he was once a man of flesh and blood.

Jim maintains the charade of being lobotomized as he awaits Japeth's promised return, but after years without rescue, he resolves to flee the commune. His quest takes him across a barren, post-apocalyptic landscape in a desperate search for the elusive Japeth.

*

I was just talking to someone on Twitter about how hard it is to review books by this writer.  This was how the conversation went:

T: I LOVED it. Just reviewed but couldn't do it justice. The prob with reviewing ZH's books is that you can't explain what they're like; I end up writing a barely sufficient review then saying 'it's brilliant, you have to read this' and that's kind of it.

C: That sums it up. Nobody else I've read does this combination of imaginative originality, characterisation, absurdity and just all round competence like that guy

Here it is, anyway!

There are probably as many different fictional versions of the future of our world as there are people who want to read and/or write them, but Mr Haradon's take on the subject is, as one would expect, a lot more imaginative and entertaining than most I've read.

The first part of the book is about Jim, at ages 6, 11 and 16, as he navigates life in the commune.  I was completely engrossed from page one, but it was the second part, in the POV of Japeth, that made the book really take off for me, as he tells the story of how human became android became robot, and how the world collapsed.  It's BRILLIANT.  So good I wanted to read it again as soon as I'd finished it, even though I suspect I am light years away from the author when it comes to views on political and societal progression.  Didn't matter.  Always good to broaden one's outlook! 😉😆

The last part (back to Jim) is sad, touching, heartbreaking ... but not without a glimmer of light.  I'm still thinking about this excellent novel, and will need a day before I can start anything else.  This guy can write the arse off most authors - I was going to say 'in his genre' but he doesn't really have one.  Highly, highly recommended.

SERVANT OF DEATH by Gemma Lawrence @TudorTweep

5 GOLD stars

On Amazon (universal link)
On Goodreads

How I discovered this book: Not so much discovered as awaited its release with great impatience!

In a Nutshell: The sixth and final installment of The Armillary Sphere series about Lady Jane Rochford, who served five of Henry VIII's queens and was married to George Boleyn, brother of Anne.

When I finished this book I felt a gap in my reading life; I kept subconsciously thinking I had it still to go back to then realising, with disappointment, that I hadn't.  LOVED it, probably the best of the series.  

Servant of Death takes us up to the downfall of poor sweet Catherine Howard and, of course, Jane.  If it wasn't for the fact that he was a murderous, self-absorbed tyrant who gave new meaning to the word 'narcissist', one could almost have felt sorry for Henry VIII, so cleverly has Ms Lawrence described how he adored Catherine and thought he'd finally found his perfect woman - though actually what he adored was his fantasy of her, as he neither knew her nor had any inkling that she lived in fear of him, not love.  His 'love' for her was but a reflection of the image of himself that her presence provided.  In this book we see so clearly the desperation that he thought was his own secret, not knowing how everyone else could see that Catherine was his last hurrah, as in vain he tried to stop the last grains of youth falling through the fat fingers that signed the death warrants for wives and friends alike.

This series has shown how, throughout her life, Jane was in the shadows of everyone else's dramas, with little opportunity to find happiness for herself, or even to work out what that happiness might have included, had she the freedom to find it.  As well as Catherine's times with Culpepper, I was glad for both her and Jane that they found comfort in their friendship; both their lives were robbed from them by the men in their world, from the very start.  In this finale, more than in the other books, the sense of women having no control over their own lives is starkly shown.  

The slow build-up to the point when Jane and Catherine were placed under house arrest (or apartment/chamber arrest, I suppose) was horribly sinister, especially as there was a whisper of what was happening on the wind.  I wondered how Ms Lawrence would depict Jane's alleged lapse into insanity at the end of her life, and the way in which she did so was most convincing; I felt almost as though Jane was freeing herself of society's behavioural requirements, and allowing her head to go in whichever direction it pleased.

I highly recommend this whole series, particularly the last three.  Highly, highly, highly - and two days on, that gap in my reading life remains.

MY LADY SPY by Gemma Lawrence @TudorTweep #TuesdayBookBlog

5 GOLD stars

On Amazon (universal link)
On Goodreads

How I discovered this book: a favourite author, a great series, I was looking forward to it rather than discovering it!  Originally discovered Gemma Lawrence via Twitter; first read her work on Wattpad.

In a Nutshell: Book 5 of the Armillary Sphere series, about Lady Jane Rochford.

Easily my favourite book in this series so far, My Lady Spy is set during Lady Jane's time at court during the reign of three wives of Henry VIII: Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves and Catherine Howard.  

Jane Seymour

The slight psychic abilities that Ms Lawrence has given Jane are beautifully written in this book; the one that sticks in my head, in particular, is her momentary vision of how Catherine's life might have been had the King died during their marriage.  In another writer's hand this somewhat supernatural element could have seemed out of place in a novel with such factual credibility, but Gemma Lawrence gets it just right.

Anne of Cleves

When Jane is coaching the ladies in her charge, as preparation for the arrival of Anne of Cleves, much is explained about the protocol of the court and the day to day life of those who lived there; I enjoyed reading this very much, and also the way in which life in London is portrayed.  I also loved the way in which Jane's own inner story develops in this book, as she deftly controls her obligations to Cromwell while dealing with her own loneliness and sadness, and her loyalty to her true masters: all three queens.  All hail Anne of Cleves, perhaps the most clever of all six, and certainly the most fortunate.

The story of Jane's close friendship with Catherine Howard is heartbreaking to read, knowing as we do how it must end.  I was glad it brought them both some happiness for a while, however short-lived.

Tamzin Merchant as Catherine Howard in The Tudors

This novel gives much grim detail about the ruthless, evil dissolution of the monasteries, and makes all too clear the daily tension of living in a world where one never knew what the tyrant King would do next; on several occasions I saw certain parallels with our world now.  History repeats itself in many ways!

'Common people, noble too, did not welcome all that had happened over the past three years.  Elements of life left unchanged, stable for generations, for all time as far as the collective memory of the people understood, had altered beyond recognition in a matter of months.  The world, once stable under our feet, was trembling, and the people did not like it.'

'If those in ultimate control of us are evil then there is no hope for us, so we blame others.  We make our masters, these tyrants, innocent so we remain safe in their power.  Fictions control more of the world than we realise.'

'When tragedy comes for one, it comes for all.  Evil does not affect but one of us, not just a few, but permitting evil, standing aside as it rides towards us, allows it into our world, and all our world it poisons, a little at a time.'

This episode ends as Catherine Howard marries the King, and as Cromwell gets his just deserts (head removed from body).  I loved everything about this novel, and only wish Book 6 was already available!

Jane