Saturday 2 February 2013

HISTORICAL FICTION REVIEW: The Shadow Prince - Terence Morgan

Release Date: 17/01/13

SYNOPSIS:

Perkin Warbeck is an ordinary young man in fifteenth-century Tournai. The son of a port official, he loves nothing more than swimming, singing and fishing with his father. But Perkin has a secret. His real name is Richard, and he is the rightful Prince of England. Thought to have been murdered with his brother, Edward, in the Tower of London, he was covertly taken to the continent and placed with an adoptive family under an assumed identity. But when his enemies seek him out he must flee, and embarks on a new life of derring-do, sailing the high seas with the era's greatest adventurers. But Richard cannot avoid his fate forever. He knows he must return to England, to assume the throne that is his birthright. But what for Richard is a homecoming, for the new king, Henry Tudor, is nothing less than an invasion, and 'Perkin' slowly comes to learn that the price of his goal is the blood of innocent men. Based on painstaking research, and peopled by some of the most extraordinary characters of an extraordinary period, Perkin's tale is a vivid, authentic, and hugely entertaining historical adventure.


REVIEW:

I love a story where an author interweaves a story that takes on a life of its own through an authors answering of the infamvous “What if” question. Here within the second book by Terrence that I’ve read, is a story that not only grabs you from the opening page but one that really does keep you guessing throughout as well as wondering what the outcome will be. It’s cleverly woven, has a real feel for the time period and when added to solid prose and great pace really makes it a book that for me was hard to put down.

Throw into the mix a wonderful lead protagonist (who featured as part of the cast in Master of Bruges) and all round I was more than satisfied with this book. A great read all round and I’ll definitely look forward to Terence’s next outing.



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