The Rebel Heart [Paperback]

The Rebel Heart is the latest adventure by Martin Stephen featuring nobleman Henry Gresham. Having started the series in Jacobean in England with 'The Desperate Remedy' and continued in that period with the second in the series, 'The Conscience of the King', Stephen took the unusual step of jumping back in time with the third book and picking up the adventures of a younger Gresham at the time of the Spanish Armada in 'The Galleons Grave'. This latest book follows on immediately from its predecessor, and finds the still young Gresham at the fag end of Elizabeth I's rule.

As such he is caught up the real life turmoil that accompanied the end of her reign. With the issue of the succession still unresolved a lengthy struggle for future dominance began years prior to her death, with the Earl of Essex on one side and King James of Scotland on another. Circling around these two were any number of interested parties, including the Catholic church in Rome & Henry Cecil, the Queen's machiavellian spy master.

As a result of links with both Cecil and Essex, Gresham find himself thrust into the middle of events beyond his control but that could yet kill him. Swept along by the tide of history he finds himself travelling from Scotland to Ireland to London, all the time trying both to protect himself and those he holds dear and keep the crown safe.

For many fans of the series thus far this should be a another satisfying tale set during a period of history that many are unfamiliar with. Although many will have heard of the Earl of Essex, few readers will necessary understand his importance as a figure in the later stages of Elizabeth's reign. Nor will they necessarily be aware of the chaos that almost consumed the country as the queen's reign came to a close with no direct heir ready to take charge.

This unfamiliar setting, combined with enough action and intrigue to make the story move a fair pace, and the reappearance of familiar faces such as Gresham's plucky young ward Jane, should keep most readers entertained. The book does not however, achieve anything more than that, and at times is even hard pushed to remain entertaining. Certainly it is never so gripping as to be unputdownable.

Part of the problem is Gresham himself, who as a character is simply too flawed to be truly sympathetic. This is not story telling with great depth and you don't need a hero with multiple shades of grey to his character. Stephen however, seems to feel that you do and tries to turn Gresham into far too complex a character; something he doesn't have enough skill as a writer to do whilst still maintaining reader sympathy for his protagonist. As a result you find yourself losing interest in Gresham, his plight and therefore in the story the book is trying to tell.

Not that the story helps. Constrained by real events, Stephen has to shoehorn Gresham and the other fictional characters in without diverging from fact to too great an extent. As a result Gresham and his band can only play the most peripheral or behind the scenes roles in events without directly contradicting the historical record. Again this doesn't help maintain reader interest when the recurring leads are reduced to supporting roles. Especially not when the real figures such as Essex, King James and even Elizabeth I are portrayed as twisted unpleasant schemers desperate to hang on to or attain power.

So, whilst the action is well handled and the historical background fresh and interesting, 'The Rebel Heart' is also deeply unsatisfactory. Too much the victim of events and often relegated to a supporting role Henry Gresham is a weak hero. As such it hard to care too deeply for him, which means that the book as a whole struggles to retain the reader's full attention.

This excellent and very readable volume is the latest addition to the popular Henry Gresham series of books.It is an historical thriller at its best! With tales of intrigue, political corruption and royal scandals(yes, it was happening then too!), it provides the reader with a gripping and most entertaining read.

The story is set in 1598 at a time when controversy surrounds who will succeed Elizabeth 1 on the throne of England. Will it be James 1 of Scotland or the Earl of Wessex - of course we now know the answer, however one of the few to have had an inclination then, was Gresham - a gentleman spy who risked death as he became entangled in the battle for power as he travelled throughout the British Isles on a secret and dangerous mission.

If you are like me and enjoy the Bernard Cornwall titles, you will certainly enjoy this publication and the other titles in the series too.

Fourth instalment of the historical adventure series featuring Henry Gresham, Elizabethan super-spy with a rather Forrest Gump like ability of being present at pivotal moments of the age.

This book is a sequel to book 3 and prequel to books 1 and 2, but it is pretty much self contained. Its background is the succession of power as Elizabeth the First's long reign draws to a close, with the Earl of Essex's machinations occupying centre stage.

Essex is shown as a charismatic but deeply flawed character, with as strong a suggestion as is possible without entering the realm of the fantastic, that he is in league with the Devil.

Gresham's romance with his youthful ward, which to be fair the author does admit is a bit too close to him having an affair with a daughter, and does feel slightly creepy, provides the love interest. I assume the "Rebel Heart" of the title refers to this convention-busting love, certainly Essex never makes his mind up of his own position fully enough to be described as a rebel.

Occassionally the narrator and/or Gresham (the two are not always fully delininated)lapse into language that seems too modern ("slow motion";"mover and shaker") but the historical accuracy of the events described is clear.

A minor irritant is the constant description of Gresham, by the author's narrative voice and by the character of Gresham himself, as selfish. This seems to be his defining aspect, as described.The problem with this is Sir Henry is clearly anything but selfish, even going as far as to risk his life leaping into the Thames to rescue a random, ungrateful urchin.

A fast paced and entertaining read, the denouement is bogged down by too much exposition, not helped by two of the main characters giving different explanations for the preceding events.