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A review by orla_h
Execution by S.J. Parris
5.0
I love Giordano Bruno, the hero of this series, and I've read most of the previous books.
I got to read this through Pigeonhole, with the book split up into ten staves, of which there was one a day for us to read. I don't think I'm alone in having wished for the actual book so I could keep reading, but there was something thrilling about waiting for the next installment like a Dickens serial in the penny papers.
As usual, there are finely drawn characters, and an intricate plot that is all the better for not letting a single narrative strand drop. Bruno is as himself as ever, a little egocentric, a touch overconfident, but also centuries ahead of his time. The plot revolves around the Babington plot to assassinate (or execute as the conspirators would have it) Queen Elizabeth. That's on a surface level, there is a lot more to the story than that.
Some of the new characters introduced here are ones I hope we'll see again in future books - not naming names as that would be a bit of a spoiler, but there are a few of them and they're all great.
One of the things that came up in the comments on Pigeonhole is how the book surprised people who had no interest in historical fiction - and if you're that type of person let me assure you that first and foremost this is a rollicking good thriller, with history as a backdrop.
A great read!
I got to read this through Pigeonhole, with the book split up into ten staves, of which there was one a day for us to read. I don't think I'm alone in having wished for the actual book so I could keep reading, but there was something thrilling about waiting for the next installment like a Dickens serial in the penny papers.
As usual, there are finely drawn characters, and an intricate plot that is all the better for not letting a single narrative strand drop. Bruno is as himself as ever, a little egocentric, a touch overconfident, but also centuries ahead of his time. The plot revolves around the Babington plot to assassinate (or execute as the conspirators would have it) Queen Elizabeth. That's on a surface level, there is a lot more to the story than that.
Some of the new characters introduced here are ones I hope we'll see again in future books - not naming names as that would be a bit of a spoiler, but there are a few of them and they're all great.
One of the things that came up in the comments on Pigeonhole is how the book surprised people who had no interest in historical fiction - and if you're that type of person let me assure you that first and foremost this is a rollicking good thriller, with history as a backdrop.
A great read!