A World Lit Only by Fire: The Medieval Mind and the Renaissance; Portrait of an Age, by William Manchester. Back Bay Books, 1993

This history book is a fast and easy read, but I noticed some problems with it. One, the author states that he did no primary research- he didn’t do any digging into old manuscripts from monasteries, or find letters from 500 years ago. He *did*, however, bring a lot of it together into an engaging and accessible book. But there are more problems.

He shows only the bad side of the Middle Ages; in fact, he disparages it in some odd ways. One of his statements is “In the Medieval mind, there was no conception of time”- really? The monasteries certainly kept good calendars, the peasants knew when to plant for their crops to ripen in time, they knew how long it took for babies to be born, and when the saint’s special days were. No, they did not have clocks other than sundials or water clocks, but they certainly knew about the passage of time. He just about calls the people who lived in the medieval era a bunch of idiots that didn’t learn a thing for a thousand years. It’s true; the world was grim and brutal in those days, but it was not without learning.

He gets more enthusiastic when the Renaissance bursts on the scene and people start making long exploratory voyages- the entire back third of the book is about Magellan. He is also enthusiastic about the blossoming of protests against the Catholic Church- he delights in telling tales about Pope Alexander VI’s sexual antics and the selling of offices (he doesn’t have one good thing to say about the Catholic Church).

While I enjoyed the book, the fact that I found untruths in it made me wonder how many other untruths he was writing that I’m not enough of a history buff to catch. I means I cannot really trust anything he writes in this book. To explain the whole Medieval period and the beginnings of the Renaissance is a huge chore; even if he did the research he should have done, it would have been really difficult to explain it all in three hundred pages. I give it two stars, because it kept me entertained.

The Last Hours, by Minette Walters. Mira, 2018

In 1384, the Black Plague entered England. By the time it ran its course, the Plague would kill one third to one half of all people in Europe. Most people of the time saw it as an act of God, a punishment for who knew what. They had no idea what it was, how it was spread, or how to stop it.

The loutish, brutal Sir Richard of Develish rides off to cement a marriage proposal between his 14 year old daughter Eleanor and the son of another Norman lord, and finds illness at the demesne. At the urging of one of his serfs, they head for home, but on the way, Sir Richard becomes ill. The news of the illness has already reached his wife, Lady Anne, and she, convent educated and conversant in healing, has brought all the Develish serfs into the moated area and destroyed the bridge. Ahead of her time in her ideas, she refuses to take the chance that Sir Richard will bring the illness with him. Of the group who went on the errand, only one avoids the illness and survives- and it’s not Richard.  

No one in the moated area comes down with the disease, but with 200 people inside, plus animals, their food supplies dwindle quickly. How long do they need to stay cooped up? Tempers flaring as the weeks go by; one of the worst is Eleanor. She is spoiled and snotty and resents the serfs who are now sharing the castle. It turns out she has reason to be unhappy, but she was over the top with her nastiness to others. Then to add to the stresses, a teenaged boy is murdered.

I found this book fascinating to read; there is a LOT of historical details. I felt like I was immersed in the time and place. The story does move very slowly, though, and Lady Anne seems like an anachronism with her advanced theories on health care, women’s rights, and the equality of serfs. It would have benefited from a cast of characters- there are so many that I had trouble keeping them sorted out, at least early in the book. And the ending was a shock- to be continued! No loose ends tied up! I wish I’d known ahead of time it was a series. Four stars and I’m looking forward to the next book in the series. 

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Fortune Like the Moon, by Alys Clare. St. Martin’s Press, 1999

After the untimely death of his older brother, and then of his father, Henry II, Richard Plantagenet has inherited the throne of England. He thinks little of England; he’s lived in France most of his life. To celebrate his coming coronation, he orders the jails emptied. That turns out to be a poor idea, as many people figure this will result in a rise in crime. Soon, indeed, a rape/murder of a young nun, occurs, and Richard (not yet the Lion Hearted) sends an aide, the knight Josse d’Acquin, to investigate, hoping that the killer is not a former convict.

At the abbey, Josse and the Abbess Helewise set out to solve the murder- which turns into even more of a mystery when some new information from the abbey’s healer (and now medical examiner) comes to light. Then no sooner do they think they have that one solved when another novice is also found dead, with her throat neatly cut. Do they have a serial killer on their hands?

The story was complex enough to keep me interested, and I liked Sir Josse and Abbess Helewise- and liked how they worked together. The author has a good bit of knowledge as to the era she’s writing in, but.. the characters sometimes speak as if they belong to our time. While I don’t expect them to speak Middle English (heaven forbid), certain phrasings are just jolting. The book was a little light on characterization, but as this is the first of a series there is plenty of time to build on that (I think there is something like 15 in the series now). I did have to wonder about the ease with which nuns, and Sir Josse, came and went in the abbey. Were they really that open? Or did the right rules come later in time? I honestly don’t know. Anyway, an interesting, quick read. Four stars. 

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This in no way influenced my review.  

The Relic Master, by Christopher Buckley. Simon & Schuster, 2015

When I picked up this book at the library, I somehow missed that it was a comedy. From the description on the cover, it sounds like an adventurous historical fiction. Fake shroud of Turin? Relic dealer? Albrecht Durer? Sounds good to me! A quest? Great!

Dismas, a relic dealer (a person who deals in Christian talismans- splinters of the true cross, various saint’s bones, the Virgin Mary’s breast milk, and the like) is about to retire. He has finally saved up enough money, carefully invested with a person of good repute. Then said person embezzles it all. That said person is executed helps not at all. Artist Durer proposes that Dismas sell something that one of his top customers has long desired: the burial shroud of Jesus. The fact that Dismas does not have a shroud does not deter Durer; he, artist that he is, will create one. And he does; it seems perfect. Dismas takes it to the Archbishop of Mainz and sells it, and receives enough money to set himself up. Except that a chance happening reveals that the shroud is a fraud; Durer could not stop himself from putting a hidden signature on the shroud.

Needless to say, the Archbishop is furious. Dismas and Durer are tortured, and then set upon a quest: to get the shroud everyone is sure is real, which is in Savoy under lock and key. To make sure they stick with the task, three violence-happy guards are sent with them. The resulting quest includes a couple of run-ins with a Count with evil on his mind, a runaway woman, more fraud, impersonation, and lots of blood and fighting.

I enjoyed the book even though it wasn’t what I thought it would be. There is a lot of blood and gore- it was a pretty blood thirsty age- but it’s tolerable, if sad at times. Durer comes off as a bit of an effete narcissist whose ego keeps getting them in trouble. I did like most of the characters, and the pace was good. Somehow, the author kept the tone light even with all the horribleness.

The above is an affiliate link. If you click through and buy something- anything- Amazon will give me a few cents. This in no way influenced my review. 

The Siege Winter, by Ariana Franklin and Samantha Norman. William Morrow, 2015

 In 1180 AD, an abbot lays dying. He has a story to tell before he goes, though, and calls a young scribe to take dictation. His story takes place in the early 1140s in an England torn apart by the war for the throne between Empress Matilda and King Stephen.

Stolen from her family while gathering fuel in the fenlands, an 11 year old, red haired girl is found by an archer, Gwil:  she has been raped, is nearly dead and is without any memory. He nurses her to health, names her ‘Penda’, disguises her as a boy, and teaches her to shoot both long and cross bows- to great success.

Meanwhile, Lady Maud, possessor of Kenniford castle, is married at knifepoint to a monstrous man who is in it for the money. He rapes her, while his none too stable mistress is installed upstairs in Maud’s castle. His men take over the castle; eating, drinking, and making free with the women. When the Empress Matilda shows up on their doorstep, Maud immediately makes her welcome. It makes no difference to her husband’s men; they’ll all fight for whoever pays them best. Meanwhile, Gwil and Penda have been hired into the Empress’s small force. There is a siege, along with battles, plotting, discoveries of secrets, and a second plot running in parallel with the siege. There isn’t a dull moment. The plotting is well done, especially the way the two plots finally merge. Things are described in a realistic manner- nothing is sugar coated here!

There are several strong women in this book: the Empress, Lady Maud, Penda, and Maud’s serving woman. These women do not wait for a handsome knight to ride in and save them- although it’s certainly nice when one does. They take charge. They are self-sufficient, as women would have had to have been in an era when the men could be gone for months or years. This historical fiction is a far cry from much of what was written in the past, when the women existed to be rescued. I’m so happy that this kind of historical is being written now. Sad that this is the last we’ll ever seek from Ariana Franklin, but based on this book I hope her daughter is inspired to continue writing as she has finished up her mother’s story very, very well. A new ‘Mistress of the Art of Death’ book from her would be excellent! 

The above is an affiliate link. If you click through and buy something, Amazon will give me a few cents. This did not influence my review in any way.