London, 1471. The War of the Roses rages on.Edward of York has claimed the English throne and his Yorkist supporters gleefully slaughter their adversaries; there’s no mercy for anyone who supported the Lancastrian cause. Margaret Beaufort – mother of Henry Tudor, the only hope for the House of Lancaster – knows her enemies are closing in. Desperate for help she turns to Christopher Urswicke for … for protection. But when ruthless scheming and pitiless killings are the only routes to survival, Urswicke will have to choose where his loyalties truly lie.
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A Literary Chimera of a Mystery/Thriller Wrapped In a Historical Setting
The novel opens in the maelstrom that was the Battle of Tewkesbury where the forces of the House of Lancaster forces totally defeated the forces of the House of York and the bloody aftermath where every Lancastrian that could be found was killed mercilessly. Out of this chaos three historical figures arise. They are Margaret of Beaufort, with her Steward, Reginald Bray, and henchman, Christopher Urswicke, arise. The novel is told essentially from Urswicke’s perspective. His actions always support Margaret who has her feet in both camps. She wants to help her son, Henry Tutor, to flee England. She needs to solidify her own safety with the new York king but also to sow the seeds of destruction of the House of York. The main storyline is how Urswicke helps Margaret in proceeding methodically to achieving her goals.
The B-storyline primarily centers on Urswicke who also has very strong and filial ties to the supporters of the new king. Not only into seeing Urswicke’s personality, his thoughts and actions in integral to the main story line.
My major criterion for a high star rating is how well and quickly the story grabs and holds my attention and compels me to continue reading at every chance. Unfortunately, the first third of the novel did not do this. It is at this point that the flow of the novel coalesces into a subset of characters that I could follow easily. At this point, it captured my attention. One aspect that contributed to this was the author incorporating murder in a locked room conundrum. The unravelling of this mystery added an enjoyable aspect in this novel. I call this a thriller set in a historical setting because one of the major characters is not the same as the historical figure, but this is a novel. Some liberties were necessary to facilitate the flow of the novel. Lastly, this novel is the first novel in a series. How the novel ends ties up the major threads of this novel and was not awkward for me. There is much introduced near the end that sets the stage for the next novel.
For those readers who are sensitive to sex and vulgar language, there are not any of this in this novel. There is graphic violence with much of it described in the first person, that is, as it happens. There are executions murders, and what happens to the bodies after death. The level of violence was a fact of life in that period, but reader beware.
I found reading this novel as an e-book because the author makes extensive use of the terms and language of that time. Half the time, the embedded dictionary had the definitions. The easy access to the Internet facilitated finding the meaning of the remaining half.
I have read several of this author’s Brother Athelstan series of novels. This novel isn’t up to that level. With that said, this novel was in the end, a satisfactory read for me. For me, this novel was between three and four stars. For me, it was closer to four stars than three, so I rate this novel with four stars. If you are interested in this period, you may enjoy reading this novel.
I have received a free e-book version of this novel through NetGalley from Black Thorn with an expectation for an honest, unbiased review. I wish to thank Black Thorn for the opportunity to read this novel early.
Dark Queen Rising by Paul Doherty is a monumental work of historical fiction surrounding the story of Margaret Beaufort, Countess of Richmond, widow of Henry Tudor, mother of Edmund Tudor, the last Lancastrian pretender to the throne of England after the War of the Roses. The story is full of intrigue and deceit, but a relatively accurate account of the time period. It is a slow-going read, full of history and detail that many reader may not be interested in. Unlike he other books, there is no mystery here, and a reader of history basically knows the outcome.
Doherty appears to be meticulous in his research but never really seems to warm to his subject. She is difficult to identify with and be sympathetic to. It is a challenging read, not for the casual reader. Tat said, if one has an interest in the time period, a better fictional piece would be difficult to find. I recommend it with reservations.
I received a free ARC of Dark Queen Rising from Netgalley. All opinions and interpretations contained herein are solely my own. #netgalley #darkqueenrising