A Burnable Book: A Medieval Espionage Thriller – Geoffrey Chaucer and the Prophecy of a King's Murder
An irresistible historical thriller reminiscent of the classics An Instance of the Fingerpost, The Name of the Rose, and The Crimson Petal and the White.
London, 1385. Surrounded by ruthless courtiers—including his powerful uncle, John of Gaunt, and Gaunt's artful mistress, Katherine Swynford—England's young, still untested king, Richard II, is in mortal peril, and the danger is only beginning. Songs are heard across London—catchy verses said to originate from an ancient book that prophesies the end of England's kings—and among the book's predictions is Richard's assassination.
Only a few powerful men know that the cryptic lines derive from a "burnable book," a seditious work that threatens the stability of the realm. To find the manuscript, wily bureaucrat Geoffrey Chaucer turns to fellow poet John Gower, a professional trader in information with connections high and low. Gower discovers that the book and incriminating evidence about its author have fallen into the unwitting hands of innocents, who will be drawn into a labyrinthine conspiracy that reaches from the king's court to London's slums and stews—and potentially implicates his own son. As the intrigue deepens, it becomes clear that Gower, a man with secrets of his own, may be the last hope to save a king from a terrible fate.
Medieval scholar Bruce Holsinger draws on his vast knowledge of the period to add colorful, authentic detail—on everything from poetry and bookbinding to court intrigues and brothels—to this highly entertaining and brilliantly constructed epic literary mystery that brings medieval England gloriously to life.
BUY THE BOOK
Community Reviews
Told in multiple voices, including that of John Gower; the prostitute sisters Millicent and Agnes; and Agnes' sometime co-worker Edgar, who has secrets and concerns of his own.
The book can be split into two parts: the first part with the book in question falling into the hands of Agnes and Millicent – who cant read it, but know enough to realise the danger it presents but not having the leverage to get rid of it, with Edgar having the likely contacts, but needing to get his hands on the book itself. Meanwhile, Gower has been tasked by his friend Geoffrey Chaucer to find the book, appreciating what a book predicting how the current King is going to die is a dangerous book in itself.
The second half of the book is where John Gower finds out just how many secrets have been withheld from him, and where he gets sucked deeper into the politics and manoeuvring of King Richard’s court. The race is then on to prevent the assassination of the King at the predicted time, and to flush out any further dangers facing the throne. Not all threats and intrigue comes from England, and it is the international connections that can prove the most dangerous
There is a smallish cast, but it’s with the supporting characters – such as Lancaster and Oxford with their multiple names, and the fluid relationships that can prove confusing (A is married to B who is uncle to C, who is married to D but is having an affair with A) but the cast list at the front goes some way to helping.
The book manages to bring a version of London and Southwark alive, with even the seedy parts of town (on either side of the river) have their own rules and hierarchy – it’s a good reminder that many of the streets within London are named after what is found or done there, sometimes in explicit detail.
The book can be split into two parts: the first part with the book in question falling into the hands of Agnes and Millicent – who cant read it, but know enough to realise the danger it presents but not having the leverage to get rid of it, with Edgar having the likely contacts, but needing to get his hands on the book itself. Meanwhile, Gower has been tasked by his friend Geoffrey Chaucer to find the book, appreciating what a book predicting how the current King is going to die is a dangerous book in itself.
The second half of the book is where John Gower finds out just how many secrets have been withheld from him, and where he gets sucked deeper into the politics and manoeuvring of King Richard’s court. The race is then on to prevent the assassination of the King at the predicted time, and to flush out any further dangers facing the throne. Not all threats and intrigue comes from England, and it is the international connections that can prove the most dangerous
There is a smallish cast, but it’s with the supporting characters – such as Lancaster and Oxford with their multiple names, and the fluid relationships that can prove confusing (A is married to B who is uncle to C, who is married to D but is having an affair with A) but the cast list at the front goes some way to helping.
The book manages to bring a version of London and Southwark alive, with even the seedy parts of town (on either side of the river) have their own rules and hierarchy – it’s a good reminder that many of the streets within London are named after what is found or done there, sometimes in explicit detail.
