Johnny Carson Whit Posted July 19, 2010 Posted July 19, 2010 Is it essential to read this series in order? I've just picked up Sovereign not realising that its the third book! Quote
Angel Posted July 19, 2010 Posted July 19, 2010 No not essential - you may get a bit of background that will make sense when you read the 1st 2 books. Enjoy!! Quote
lyn Posted July 31, 2010 Posted July 31, 2010 I'll put in my vote for the Shardlake series as well. I enjoyed the old world settings and the great plots. Quote
Johnny Carson Whit Posted July 31, 2010 Posted July 31, 2010 I've now got the four available Shardlake books and have the 5th on order. I'm halfway through the first and I love it, the writing style flows perfectly and it does a great job of placing you right in the middle of a medieval murder mystery. It's edging towards being one of the best I have ever read in any genre. Quote
Rijsel Posted August 1, 2010 Posted August 1, 2010 I've just read DISSOLUTION and really enjoyed it, just like I had WINTER IN MADRID. Some of the reviews compare it to THE NAME OF THE ROSE,as it seems impossible to write a detective plot set in a monastery if you are not compared to Eco !!! But strangely enough, DISSOLUTION reads better than the one afore mentioned as it doesn't lavish in a pompous language only Eco understands. It's an interesting historical novel for those who are not particularly familiar with Tudor England and the Reformation; interestingly enough it makes you want to read more about that period. Quote
Karsa Orlong Posted August 22, 2010 Posted August 22, 2010 Just finished Dissolution and thought it was terrific. In a way, I read it at the right time, because I only recently read Wolf Hall, so seeing Thomas Cromwell from another point of view was really interesting. I thought the central mystery worked well and kept me guessing. I'll be making a point of buying the other novels in the series pretty much immediately Quote
Rijsel Posted August 23, 2010 Posted August 23, 2010 Just finished Dissolution and thought it was terrific. In a way, I read it at the right time, because I only recently read Wolf Hall, so seeing Thomas Cromwell from another point of view was really interesting. Thanks for the tip ! I might just get that one on my TBR list for later, after I read the whole series then. Is that one as well documented? Quote
Karsa Orlong Posted August 24, 2010 Posted August 24, 2010 Thanks for the tip ! I might just get that one on my TBR list for later, after I read the whole series then. Is that one as well documented? Even moreso, probably. There's a thread about it here: http://www.bookclubforum.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/4739-wolf-hall-by-hilary-mantel/ and you can read an excerpt here: http://www.amazon.com/Wolf-Hall-Novel-Hilary-Mantel/dp/0312429983/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1282633056&sr=8-1#reader_0312429983 I bought the rest of the Shardlake novels yesterday, although I'm not going to read them all at once. If they're all as good as Dissolution I kind of want to make them last a while and savour them Quote
alison10 Posted September 10, 2010 Posted September 10, 2010 These are a great series, I have enjoyed them all. Quote
Perdie Posted October 31, 2010 Posted October 31, 2010 Has anyone read Sansom's historical novels which began with Dissolution and are set in the times of Henry VIII? I picked up Revelation in a charity shop recently. The synopsis makes me think these books are historical thrillers played out with factual history as a fascinating background. I've just finished reading Dissolution and found it slow going to start with but then really started enjoying it as I got to the halfway mark. So much so I was 15 mins late back from my lunch hour on Friday Am planning on getting more but only when I have made inroads through my TBRs Quote
pontalba Posted November 1, 2010 Posted November 1, 2010 Just finished Dissolution and thought it was terrific. In a way, I read it at the right time, because I only recently read Wolf Hall, so seeing Thomas Cromwell from another point of view was really interesting. I thought the central mystery worked well and kept me guessing. I'll be making a point of buying the other novels in the series pretty much immediately I've read the first three, have Revelation on order right now. I love the series, they get better and better as far as I am concerned. Quote
Angel Posted November 1, 2010 Posted November 1, 2010 I have just finished his brand new book Heartstone. An excellent read and I would thoroughly recommend to all Sansom fans Quote
Karsa Orlong Posted November 2, 2010 Posted November 2, 2010 ^^ Good to know I'm going to wait for it to come out in paperback before I take the plunge Quote
Cayleb Posted December 4, 2010 Posted December 4, 2010 I'm reading my way through the whole series again as I've just got 'Heartstone' (on my Kindle) but wanted to refresh my memory of the others before I read it. I am just starting 'Revelation'. I agree with the comments above, it is a jolly good series of books and I look forward to more of them in time. Quote
Donna Posted December 5, 2010 Posted December 5, 2010 I read Dissolution for the first time a few months back, thoroughly enjoyed it Being a history geek and a lover of mysteries, it has everything I want from a novel. I don't know why I haven't read the rest yet. So many books and so little time, I guess! Quote
VirtualScot Posted January 25, 2011 Posted January 25, 2011 I have read Sovereign and Revelation. And thoroughly enjoyed both of them. Though Sovereign for me though personally, is my favourite so far. As I rather enjoy conspiracy. Revelation has a fantastic quality of really connecting history with modern times. It makes the period feel like a more lawless reality of the world we live in today. Indeed the Tudor period is credited by many historians as being the birth of modern England. It's a testament to the talent of writer who can make a book operate on so many levels seamlessly. Quote
Karsa Orlong Posted January 25, 2011 Posted January 25, 2011 At the risk of going OT, has anyone here read Steven Saylor's Gordianus books, set in ancient Rome? I've only read the first one, Roman Blood, and it was very similar to Sansom's novels in terms of weaving real-life characters and history into a murder mystery. There's twelve books in the series so far. Steven Saylor - Roma Sub Rosa series Roman Blood Quote
pontalba Posted January 26, 2011 Posted January 26, 2011 At the risk of going OT, has anyone here read Steven Saylor's Gordianus books, set in ancient Rome? I've only read the first one, Roman Blood, and it was very similar to Sansom's novels in terms of weaving real-life characters and history into a murder mystery. There's twelve books in the series so far. Steven Saylor - Roma Sub Rosa series Roman Blood I have a couple in the stack, haven't gotten to them yet, but I have high hopes. From the few pages I did manage at purchase time, the sense of humor is healthy too. Quote
Karsa Orlong Posted January 26, 2011 Posted January 26, 2011 I have a couple in the stack, haven't gotten to them yet, but I have high hopes. From the few pages I did manage at purchase time, the sense of humor is healthy too. The one I read was excellent. I'll be interested to hear what you think Quote
Madeleine Posted May 17, 2018 Posted May 17, 2018 Book 7 in the Shardlake series is out in October - "Tombland". Quote
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