C. J. Sansom (1952–2024)

What a ride, what a great read! Like Sovereign, Revelation was even more intense, more detailed, more enthralling and more fascinating than the previous volume, and one of the most satisfying - and heart-stopping - books I've read for a while. The subject was again particularly fascinating - and the most intense of all books so far -, and once again written with a terrific eye for detail and historic fact, playing masterfully with various plotlines and old and new characters to create a feeling for the reader to be right in the middle of everything and experience the story as if it were real.
Poor Matthew, though, once again he was put through the wringer and had to fear for his life more than once, and got his good share of violence and pain, both physically and mentally.
A plot point I really enjoyed was how he and Barak fucked up with Guy - I was so afraid for Matthew's and Guy's relationship, and am still worrying about the long-term outcome. What an inconsiderate thing to do, to go so over Guy's head!
But also Adam's and Ellen's stories and how they developed - such a fascinating topic, and so well done!… (mehr)

Oh my, what a ride! Again such a detailed and three-dimensional glimpse into the period and its historic characters as well as the authors's, and such a multi-layered, complex and revealing plot and story which taps into so many of the time's issues. Again a brilliant and very entertaining read which brought the time so well alive.

And what happened to poor Matthew! And I'm not even talking of the times when he was hit over the head or the murder attempts, but it was so painful to read when he was shamed by Henry VIII, and what was done to him upon his return to London. It's been many years since I read the night trough because I just had to know what happened, but I really couldn't put it down. 🤪… (mehr)

With each volume you'd think it can't get any worse for poor Matthew, and then it does, and in spades. He's trying so hard, and it's bittersweet to see him succeed while causing so much upheaval and unrest at the same time but also going through so much hardship himself, and being left with even more baggage than before, more enemies, and more problems.
Once again an excellent and most entertaining read, great setting, great retelling of a gripping bit of history, great characters, great plot, and oh that heartache at the outcome of many things!… (mehr)