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Heresy
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Review
‘Heresy has everything – intrigue, mystery, excellent history and haunting sense of place. The beginning of a wonderful new detective series’ Kate Mosse
‘Fascinating … The period is incredibly vivid and the story utterly gripping’ Conn Iggulden (bestselling author of Bones of the Hills and The Dangerous Book for Boys)
‘Heresy is a riveting read. Rich in both historical detail and ingenious twists, S J Parris has created a character in Giordano Bruno that will endure. A true rival to C J Sansom’ Sam Bourne (bestselling author of The Righteous Men)
‘Heresy is a must-read for every fan of historical thrillers. S. J. Parris transports the reader back to an extraordinary time in history by mobilizing fascinating details, suspense, and fully-drawn characters. Giordano Bruno turns out to be that rare hero, charismatic and nuanced enough to impel an encore, and to leave us asking for more from the gifted Parris’ Matthew Pearl (author of The Dante Club)
'Parris paces her yarn perfectly' Daily Telegraph
'An atmospheric and well-written historical thriller' Guardian
'Parris succeeds where much historical fiction fails' Observer
'The places and people are vividly described with a merciful absence of period language, and the solution to this exciting, well-written tale comes as a real surprise' Literary Review
Product Description
Introducing the monk Giodarno Bruno, magician, scientist, and heretic in a new series of historical thrillers for fans of C.J.Sansom and ‘The Name of the Rose’
England, 1583
A country awash with paranoia and conspiracy – but a safe haven for a radical monk on the run. Giordano Bruno, with his theories of astronomy and extraterrestrial life, has fled the Inquisition for the court of Elizabeth I. Here, he attracts the attention of Francis Walsingham, chief spymaster and sworn enemy of Catholic plotters.
Bruno is sent undercover to Oxford, where the university is believed to be a hotbed of French dissent. Bruno quickly finds himself drawn into college intrigues, and distracted by a beautiful young woman. Before long, he is investigating a hideous series of murders, each linked by a letter offering clues. The letters suggest that each victim was guilty of heresy. But is Bruno being aided or misled - or is he himself the next target? Stalking a cunning and determined killer through the shadowy cloisters of Oxford, Bruno realizes that even the wise cannot always tell truth from heresy. But some are prepared to kill for it…
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
37 of 38 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Too many books in this genre are being shoved onto the market in a rush to catch the current historical fad, with the inevitable result that the quality falls. Somewhat foolishly I thought that top flight author plugs might be a worthwhile indicator, however, with this book the cover reccomendations seem to have no connection with the contents - do the quoted famous names ever actually read the books they comment on? But still, more fool me for being taken in so easily.
You only get to page 11 before finding a reference to the 'gibbous moon', a sure fire sign of a writer on auto pilot. Then shortly after that Sir Philip Sydney arrives on the scene to greet our hero with a barrage hearty cod Elizabethan back slapping that could have been lifted straight out of Blackadder.
Despite being set in the 16C. the hero has a completely 21C. view of the cosmos, apparently unsupported by any scientific research, presumably he just guessed it. Likewise the female lead, Sophia, has a full set of up to date feminist views. There are a wide range of other anachronisms; when given an instruction the aged retainer replies 'Will do Sir'. A little later someone refers to 'the weekend'.
It's not completely awful, there's a professional air to the writing, but the rushed bits and the mistakes do ruin the flow. I read it all the way through and came away with the feeling that with more care and attention, and a decent editor, there was good book in here somewhere.
The best historical book (perhaps more accurately - pre historical)I have read recently was a real page turner called Rude Awakening by someone called Ian Okell. I've stuck in a product link if you're interested.
Rude Awakening
Rude Awakening
You only get to page 11 before finding a reference to the 'gibbous moon', a sure fire sign of a writer on auto pilot. Then shortly after that Sir Philip Sydney arrives on the scene to greet our hero with a barrage hearty cod Elizabethan back slapping that could have been lifted straight out of Blackadder.
Despite being set in the 16C. the hero has a completely 21C. view of the cosmos, apparently unsupported by any scientific research, presumably he just guessed it. Likewise the female lead, Sophia, has a full set of up to date feminist views. There are a wide range of other anachronisms; when given an instruction the aged retainer replies 'Will do Sir'. A little later someone refers to 'the weekend'.
It's not completely awful, there's a professional air to the writing, but the rushed bits and the mistakes do ruin the flow. I read it all the way through and came away with the feeling that with more care and attention, and a decent editor, there was good book in here somewhere.
The best historical book (perhaps more accurately - pre historical)I have read recently was a real page turner called Rude Awakening by someone called Ian Okell. I've stuck in a product link if you're interested.
Rude Awakening
Rude Awakening
97 of 104 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
The press notes that accompanied this book claims that it will be a "blockbuster". I think that's wishful thinking on the part of the publisher, but that's okay. True "blockbuster" books are accessible to all readers, like "The DaVinci Code" and "Love Story". They tend to "read" like the movie scripts they often become.
No, I don't think "Heresy" will become a mega-bestseller. It is much too deeply plotted and written to appeal to the average reader. I'm not saying this in a snobbish way; I just think the reader of "Heresy" must have a fairly good background in Tudor/Church history in order to understand it and enjoy it.
"Heresy" is set in Oxford in the mid-1580's, with a prologue set about ten years earlier in Naples. The main character, Giordano Bruno, a "monk, scientist, philosopher, and magician", begins questioning the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church a little too deeply - particularly in regard to Copernicus's beliefs about the earth revolving around the sun, rather than vise-versa - and departs his monastery one step before the Inquisition. He works his way to England as a "traveling scholar" and finds himself in Oxford, hired by the English government to help expose Catholics still worshiping in secret. Even though Elizabeth has been on the throne for thirty years or so and the English church is well established, her government is afraid of Catholic elements championing her cousin, Catholic Mary, Queen of Scotland, as the REAL ruler of England.
Bruno comes to Oxford, to Lincoln College (a real Oxford college) with a larger group. Soon scholars at Lincoln begin to be killed in rather disgusting ways and Bruno steps up to help find the murderer. Add in the various personalities always present "in college", as well as the various religious factions, and it turns out that very few people are who they say they are or the religions they profess to practice.
It all adds up to a very interesting story, with a little love interest for Bruno. It's worth reading by those who will appreciate it.
No, I don't think "Heresy" will become a mega-bestseller. It is much too deeply plotted and written to appeal to the average reader. I'm not saying this in a snobbish way; I just think the reader of "Heresy" must have a fairly good background in Tudor/Church history in order to understand it and enjoy it.
"Heresy" is set in Oxford in the mid-1580's, with a prologue set about ten years earlier in Naples. The main character, Giordano Bruno, a "monk, scientist, philosopher, and magician", begins questioning the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church a little too deeply - particularly in regard to Copernicus's beliefs about the earth revolving around the sun, rather than vise-versa - and departs his monastery one step before the Inquisition. He works his way to England as a "traveling scholar" and finds himself in Oxford, hired by the English government to help expose Catholics still worshiping in secret. Even though Elizabeth has been on the throne for thirty years or so and the English church is well established, her government is afraid of Catholic elements championing her cousin, Catholic Mary, Queen of Scotland, as the REAL ruler of England.
Bruno comes to Oxford, to Lincoln College (a real Oxford college) with a larger group. Soon scholars at Lincoln begin to be killed in rather disgusting ways and Bruno steps up to help find the murderer. Add in the various personalities always present "in college", as well as the various religious factions, and it turns out that very few people are who they say they are or the religions they profess to practice.
It all adds up to a very interesting story, with a little love interest for Bruno. It's worth reading by those who will appreciate it.
37 of 40 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review
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I have to say up front that I opened this book with some trepidation. My selection of reading matter has been a little dubious recently, and I must admit that it is a long time since I have read a story of this type (historical detective fiction) which I have enjoyed as much.
In 1576, at a Monastery in Naples, a monk named Giordano Bruno is to face the dreaded inquisition after being caught reading a forbidden book - the commentaries of Erasmus. Knowing how far the Inquisitors will go to get a confession of heresy, and having witnesses the burning of a heretic, he decides to flee. The trouble is Bruno's flight is taken as an automatic confession of guilt and he is, therefore, declared a heretic in his absence.
By 1583 Bruno has found his way to England and finds himself in the employ of Sir Francis Walsingham, Secretary of State and Queen Elizabeth's spy catcher. Walsingham wants him to go to Oxford University to discover who the Catholic rebels are. Things, however, become more complicated when Bruno, and his friend Phillip, encounter a series of gruesome murders where the victims seem to have been killed for their alleged heresy - I did find that the murders reminded me a little of the Messiah (by Boris Starling), but this is more my sort of detective story.
Unlike several of the other reviewers I have not read any of C J Samsom's books (although I might give them a try). I was a fan of Ellis Peter's Cadfael when I was younger but admit I gave up the struggle to find anything similar which I enjoyed reading - until now.
S J Parris (aka journalist Stephanie Merritt) has produced a well written, character driven, murder mystery; but it's more than that, there is a descriptive element to the book which is not intrusive - she has managed to achieve a balance between scene setting and story telling. Nor is it too much of a history lesson - yes, there are a couple of historical inaccuracies, but I found that they didn't spoil the context of the story.
I normally dislike first person narrative, I usually find them impossible to read, but I found this very easy to get to grips with.
There is, of course, the mandatory bad guy's monologue - which is necessary to explain his motives and to give vent to his excuses, and, without which we, the reader, would have no way of knowing the how and why behind his actions.
The story flows nicely, moving along at a steady pace - there was no time at which I felt I was reading something which wasn't necessary to the story in some way. It is also great to see that an author has done their historical research and been able to apply it to the story in such a way that it brings the historical setting to life.
There is one thing that I have never understood - why use a penname when writing a story if you are going to have your real name in the bumf on the back of the book - it seems to defeat the object of the exercise of having a pseudonym in the first place.
I thoroughly enjoyed this captivating story; it was a pleasure to read. I can tell you that I spent over 2 hours 30 minutes reading this book while waiting for an appointment and I didn't notice the time had gone. It is a long time since I have felt this gushing about a new book; and I look forward to the next adventure of Giordano Bruno with anticipation.
In 1576, at a Monastery in Naples, a monk named Giordano Bruno is to face the dreaded inquisition after being caught reading a forbidden book - the commentaries of Erasmus. Knowing how far the Inquisitors will go to get a confession of heresy, and having witnesses the burning of a heretic, he decides to flee. The trouble is Bruno's flight is taken as an automatic confession of guilt and he is, therefore, declared a heretic in his absence.
By 1583 Bruno has found his way to England and finds himself in the employ of Sir Francis Walsingham, Secretary of State and Queen Elizabeth's spy catcher. Walsingham wants him to go to Oxford University to discover who the Catholic rebels are. Things, however, become more complicated when Bruno, and his friend Phillip, encounter a series of gruesome murders where the victims seem to have been killed for their alleged heresy - I did find that the murders reminded me a little of the Messiah (by Boris Starling), but this is more my sort of detective story.
Unlike several of the other reviewers I have not read any of C J Samsom's books (although I might give them a try). I was a fan of Ellis Peter's Cadfael when I was younger but admit I gave up the struggle to find anything similar which I enjoyed reading - until now.
S J Parris (aka journalist Stephanie Merritt) has produced a well written, character driven, murder mystery; but it's more than that, there is a descriptive element to the book which is not intrusive - she has managed to achieve a balance between scene setting and story telling. Nor is it too much of a history lesson - yes, there are a couple of historical inaccuracies, but I found that they didn't spoil the context of the story.
I normally dislike first person narrative, I usually find them impossible to read, but I found this very easy to get to grips with.
There is, of course, the mandatory bad guy's monologue - which is necessary to explain his motives and to give vent to his excuses, and, without which we, the reader, would have no way of knowing the how and why behind his actions.
The story flows nicely, moving along at a steady pace - there was no time at which I felt I was reading something which wasn't necessary to the story in some way. It is also great to see that an author has done their historical research and been able to apply it to the story in such a way that it brings the historical setting to life.
There is one thing that I have never understood - why use a penname when writing a story if you are going to have your real name in the bumf on the back of the book - it seems to defeat the object of the exercise of having a pseudonym in the first place.
I thoroughly enjoyed this captivating story; it was a pleasure to read. I can tell you that I spent over 2 hours 30 minutes reading this book while waiting for an appointment and I didn't notice the time had gone. It is a long time since I have felt this gushing about a new book; and I look forward to the next adventure of Giordano Bruno with anticipation.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Heresy review (android e version)
Excellent historical fiction based loosely on facts surrounding Elisabeth 1st time and religous issues which occured at that time. Read more
Published 7 days ago by Mr A G Ireland
Easy history lessons
If you're like me and prefer getting information the easy way, you'll love the history embedded in Heresy. Read more
Published 10 days ago by Kiw1
Grew on me
Like many other readers, I turned to SJ Parris after finishing all the Shardlake books by CJ Sansom. Read more
Published 1 month ago by CarolG
Dot dash dot dot dash dot dash Ah Lewis!
It's always rather dangerous to use a real person and Giordano Bruno is far too complicated to fit the part. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Lucas Chapman
Plodding
Like many other reviewers, I bought this book as I love C.J Sansom's Shardlake series and was hoping for a similar read. Read more
Published 1 month ago by K. Price
Confused - 16th or 20th century?
As so many others have pointed out, much of this book uses 20th century phrases and sayings, and it ruins the story. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Alex Lang
Slow plot, contrived dialogue
I really enjoy the works of C J Sansom and was drawn to this title by the write up and presentation. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Bookie
Bruno can almost help me get over the loss of Falco in my life
Having adored all the Falco books, and being very sad that Lyndsie Davies doesnt seem to be writing any more of them, I discovered Sansom. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Jill Wallis
Not bad, but not brilliant either
Ok, I'll admit I was looking for something to fill the gap left by C J Sansom, (Matthew Shardlake series).
Unfortunately, it wasn't to be this book. Read more
Unfortunately, it wasn't to be this book. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Millie
Needed more pace, more focus
I had great hopes for this book - not on the basis of a recommendation or a review - but on the initial prospects for the characters and setting for the book. Read more
Published 5 months ago by J. R. Tilston
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