Tamburlaine Must Die
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Product Description
The Financial Times
a tale of vivid homosexual passion, murderous treachery and strutting intellectual pride . . . a sparky addition to the Marlowe myth.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
"Brilliant... as a thriller, her book is utterly engrossing... Elizabethan England has never seemed more beguilingly immediate... It would be hard to better the physical descriptions with which the book is laced; brawny milkmaids; stinking fishwives; the sails of the windmills on Highgate Hill; alehouses packed with humpbacked fiddlers and blowzy whores drinking Spanish wine. Every vignette, every minor character, every sight, sound and smell, has the ring of truth." Julla Flynn, Sunday Telegraph; "A tale of vivid homoerotic passion, murderous treachery and strutting intellectual pride." Financial Times; "Tamburlaine Must Die refines Welsh's powerful vision of death in a godless world... This bold, imaginative, vibrant novella resonates on several levels. Its claustrophobic airs of menace and betrayal are those of a thriller. It works as historical fiction and captures the Tudor setting by virtue of Welsh's extraordinary prose." David Isaacson, Daily Telegraph; "The sort of narrative that you can smell on your hands after turning the pages, with proper attention paid to the pleasures and perils of illicit sex and the importance of seeing and savouring all that's on offer before the lights go out for good." Philip Oakes, Literary Review; "A page-turner to the very end." Ron Butlin, Sunday Herald"
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
15 of 18 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I was pretty astonished to find that the reviews of this book have been so positive. It's not awful, but it's certainly not the work of art it's cracked up to be - I was pretty disappointed. I didn't think the characterisation showed depth or maturity, especially when compared to the excellent The Cutting Room. It felt like a sixth-form creative writing exercise, to be honest - it should have been put in a drawer and left to germinate a bit. Marlowe enthusiasts should try The Reckoning by Nicholls (for the real history) or Anthony Burgess's A Dead Man in Deptford (for a far more convincing fictional job).
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is a strange book in many ways that is both good and yet, at the same time, not very good at all. Set in 1593, it follows the last days of Marlowe leading up to his infamous murder in a Deptford tavern, told in Marlowe's own voice.
I liked the claustrophobic atmosphere of the book, and the deft way in which Welsh sketches in the political and religious intriques of the period without wasting any words.
On the negative side, however, the voice of Marlowe just isn't convincing to me. I agree that it's problematic to assume Marlowe is his creations but, on the other hand, this vacillating, hesitant, accepting Marlowe which the novella produces doesn't seem capable of producing the great plays of 'over-reachers'.
The plot throws in real-life Elizabethans -- John Dee, Kyd, the Walsinghams -- but then, rather oddly, creates a central protagonist based so clearly on Ned Alleyn that I couldn't understand why Welsh had invented him...until I reached the end.
So my reaction to this is mixed: I did enjoy reading it in a visceral sense, but it could have been far better and more interesting than it actually is. Welsh acknowledges her debt to Nicholl's The Reckoning: The Murder of Christopher Marlowe and if you're interested in an in-depth study of Marlowe's death, I would recommend that.
I liked the claustrophobic atmosphere of the book, and the deft way in which Welsh sketches in the political and religious intriques of the period without wasting any words.
On the negative side, however, the voice of Marlowe just isn't convincing to me. I agree that it's problematic to assume Marlowe is his creations but, on the other hand, this vacillating, hesitant, accepting Marlowe which the novella produces doesn't seem capable of producing the great plays of 'over-reachers'.
The plot throws in real-life Elizabethans -- John Dee, Kyd, the Walsinghams -- but then, rather oddly, creates a central protagonist based so clearly on Ned Alleyn that I couldn't understand why Welsh had invented him...until I reached the end.
So my reaction to this is mixed: I did enjoy reading it in a visceral sense, but it could have been far better and more interesting than it actually is. Welsh acknowledges her debt to Nicholl's The Reckoning: The Murder of Christopher Marlowe and if you're interested in an in-depth study of Marlowe's death, I would recommend that.
Format:Paperback
The story lacks interest, the writing has awkward pace; there is precious little flair on these pages. It feels as though Welsh has rushed this novella, throwing things into the pot that don't really go. The language is one of the major problems, it being rather less than authentic. If one is going to write Marlowe, one must at least relish in it. Here we get too much of the modern with an occasional, gestural flourish. It's a bit like watching Robin Hood on TV - cheap sets, earnest costume, anachronistic haircuts and dialogue.
In other hands, or on a better day, the story may have been told much better, as there's plenty of material worth exploring, but the book is too short to take it further. Short books are fine but this feels like either a short story that has been stretched, or a full novel that has been skimmed.
A missed opportunity, really. Disappointing.
In other hands, or on a better day, the story may have been told much better, as there's plenty of material worth exploring, but the book is too short to take it further. Short books are fine but this feels like either a short story that has been stretched, or a full novel that has been skimmed.
A missed opportunity, really. Disappointing.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Flawed but lovely
I did enjoy this. A lot. At the same time, I felt it could have been better in many ways; but I will not deny that it was a very pleasurable read.
Published 11 months ago by ebookwoman
'Tamburlaine Must Die' by Louise Welsh
Welsh's novella, 'Tamburlaine Must Die' is about the playwright Christopher Marlowe. Marlowe was, after Shakespeare, the best known playwright of the Elizabethan era. Read more
Published on 25 May 2010 by Joseph Porter
Surf-skimming
This is a surprisingly poor piece of writing and I can find nothing to commend it, beyond its brevity. Read more
Published on 19 April 2009 by French Film Buff
Superb noir thriller
That rare thing - a period novel which is utterly modern in approach. Lean and mean like a classic film noir, this is a sexy, labyrinthine thriller in the Chandler tradition with... Read more
Published on 17 Jan 2007 by Shaun MCKENNA
perfect!
I had to write to disagree with the previous reviewer - I thought this book was stunning. Beautifully written, gripping, and atmospheric, my only regret is that it was a novella. Read more
Published on 28 Oct 2006 by Mrs R
Welsh adds to the legends!
Historically overshadowed by the Legend of the Time, Mr. Shakespeare, Christopher (Kit) Marlowe still holds a candle to the Bard, controversies, arguments, beliefs, and proofs... Read more
Published on 8 Aug 2006 by Billy J. Hobbs
Really dull and dry
The Cutting Room was such an astounding work of creative genius that I swore I would read anything Louise Welsh wrote, however, I may have to retract this vow after reading this... Read more
Published on 27 Sep 2005 by primitivegrrl
danger in the streets of London
In this exciting and short novel, Louise Welsh recounts us the last days of poet and playwright Christopher Marlowe, as if written by the author's own hand. Read more
Published on 6 Sep 2005 by bagoas
Nothing like I expected
After reading the brilliant 'The Cutting Room' I was very dissapointed with this book.
Perhaps this because I expected another great work of fiction. Read more
Perhaps this because I expected another great work of fiction. Read more
Published on 14 Dec 2004 by Nick Fuller
Give this Marlowe a miss
After reading Charles Nicholls' and Anthony Burgess' books and becoming fascinated by the Marlovian legend, I thought I'd give this one a go. Read more
Published on 22 Nov 2004 by OnceIWas
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