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A review by helenephoebe
Execution by S.J. Parris
4.0
I really enjoyed this book. I am currently working on my first non-fiction book about Elizabethan Rebellions, so this was a really interesting fictional account of the Babington plot which led to the execution of Mary Queen of Scots the following year.
Giordano Bruno as a character was intriguing, and keeps being so throughout each book in the series. He is complex, with different strands like his religious history, academic studies, and his spy and undercover work. Bruno was a real person who was in England spying for Francis Walsingham, although the exact nature of his assignments doesn't seem to be known, and it look as though he left England in 1585 so couldn't have been involved in the Babington plot in 1586.
A bit of historical license is OK and Bruno is such an interesting character that I can imagine he would have been involved in the Babington conspiracy if given the opportunity. The conspiracy was the interesting bit for me and the relationships between those involved in the conspiracy - Babington, Titch, Ballard, and Savage. In historical sources we don't see these relationships so that was what drew my attention.
I've always enjoyed reading this series because of the interactions between the characters and their involvement in various conspiracies. Whether there will be further books in the series, I don't know, but there are several unresolved issues, so I really hope so!
Giordano Bruno as a character was intriguing, and keeps being so throughout each book in the series. He is complex, with different strands like his religious history, academic studies, and his spy and undercover work. Bruno was a real person who was in England spying for Francis Walsingham, although the exact nature of his assignments doesn't seem to be known, and it look as though he left England in 1585 so couldn't have been involved in the Babington plot in 1586.
A bit of historical license is OK and Bruno is such an interesting character that I can imagine he would have been involved in the Babington conspiracy if given the opportunity. The conspiracy was the interesting bit for me and the relationships between those involved in the conspiracy - Babington, Titch, Ballard, and Savage. In historical sources we don't see these relationships so that was what drew my attention.
I've always enjoyed reading this series because of the interactions between the characters and their involvement in various conspiracies. Whether there will be further books in the series, I don't know, but there are several unresolved issues, so I really hope so!