Cassandra Clark

The Night of the Wolf, Cassandra Clark's third volume in her Brother Chandler series, offers a portrait of England at the time that Henry IV usurped and murdered Richard II and the divided loyalty of the English people. Most of my sense of Henry IV comes from Shakespeare's work, in which Henry starts out callow, but turns into a heroic type by the end of the two-play sequence. Richard II I know mostly from Conn Iggulden's Wars of the Roses series, which is sympathetic to Richard personally, show more but presents him as an unreliable ruler troubled by serious mental illness.

In Clark's Brother Chandler series, we see an England in which Henry IV has won, Richard II is dead—and much of the country mourns his killing and is appalled by the brutal tactics Henry uses to keep the crown. Henry's brutality is contrasted with Richard's generosity of spirit. For me, this is a new—and very interesting—way of looking at this historical moment.

Ostensibly the Brother Chandler series is a group of mystery novels about Chandler (of course) and Chaucer, whose mockery of the religious and the upper classes is seen as a threat to Henry IV's hold on power. The plots revolves around Chandler's attempts to protect Chaucer's manuscripts by keeping them out of the hands of those in power and finding secure places where they can wait out the years until they are no longer as controversial.

As in previous volumes in this series, the central mystery is marginal, which is part of what makes these books so interesting. Just watching characters attempt to make their way through a time of violence and turmoil, without Shakespeare to prompt us to see Henry as the good guy in the narrative, is a refreshing and intriguing experience. This is a series best read in order: The Hour of the Fox; The Day of the Serpent; and then The Night of the Wolf. The books are accessible even if not read in order, but getting to observe Clark's version of the unfolding of history is treat enough that it's worth taking chronologically.

I received a free electronic review copy of this title from the publisher via NetGalley; the opinions are my own. show less

I'm feeling a certain ambivalence about The Day of the Serpent, the second volume in the Brother Chandler mystery series. I gave the first book in the series, The Hour of the Fox, five stars for its complex presentation of the politics of the era (Bolingbroke's overthrow and murder of Richard II) and its ambiguous central characters, none of whom is clearly all "good guy" or "bad guy." The Day of the Serpent also has these strengths, but here the mystery seems peripheral to the novel's show more narrative arc which follows two paths: one political, one romantic.

About halfway through The Day of the Serpent, I realized there was no point in reading the novel as a mystery and instead decided to read it as a depiction of complex and insidious politicking with huge real-world consequences. These consequences are especially grim for Lollards, free-thinkers who were not persecuted under Richard II. Coming to power on Bolingbroke's heels is Archbishop Thomas Arundel, who is determined to enforce rigid limits to religious practice and who is pushing through legislation to allow burning at the stake for heretics. And, given the divine right of kings, anyone who questions Bolingbroke's rise to power and the murder of Richard II is treated as heretical.

Those at risk because of this new religious narrowness include Brother Chandler, who works for Bolingbroke, but also admires Richard II; Geoffrey Chaucer, whose Canterbury Tales mock the hypocrisy of religious pilgrims; peasants conscripted into Bolingbroke's army; those who still view Richard II as the anointed king of England; and pretty much anyone who is capable of questioning the current order, even in minor ways. Reading the book as an exploration of the experiences such individuals face—and jettisoning any expectations about a central mystery—makes for a complex, rewarding reading experience.

If you're looking for titles that fall under the genre of historical mysteries, this book may disappoint. If you're curious about the dangerous ways theology and politics have played out in the lives of individuals from a specific historical period, you'll find The Day of the Serpent a satisfying read.

I received a free electronic ARC of this title from the publisher via NetGalley; the opinions are my own. show less

Of kings and thrones!

Regicide, jealousy, heresy, all are present in this sequel to Hour of the Fox set in 1400. Brother Rodric Chandler once more leaves us wondering if he’s an opportunist, a cynic, or a man who sees injustice and greed. A friar and yet still a man. A man of secrets—his own and others. A man who can’t stop thinking about Geoffrey Chaucer’s servant, the maid Matilda. And what game is Master Chaucer playing as King Richard II is imprisoned in Pontefract Castle, John of show more Gaunt’s Lancastrian hold in the North?
Chandler is under orders from his master Sir Thomas Swynford to oversee the starvation of Richard, hoping the lack of food will hurry along Richard’s demise. Meanwhile Henry Bolingbroke, Richard’s cousin, now King, is tightening his grip on the people of England using heresy to point away from the fate of his stepbrother Richard. Politically Henry needs Richard gone. If anything Chandler is sympathetic to the man King Richard, who was such a bright star. The situation calls into focus for Chandler real questions around the divine right of kings, the legitimacy of self appointed monarchs, hinted at in Richard’s railings, “This so-called king even had himself anointed with fake holy oil to outdo my own true anointing.”
Richard’s body is borne to the City of London, supported by Swynford’s troops. The population mourning as the bier passes. The lie is given out that Richard stopped eating from melancholy. It’s on this journey an unknown enemy strikes.
Chandler is in the thick of things. Three of Swynford’s men are murdered on different occasions by an arrow shot from a long bow. Chandler is charged to find the culprit. Swynford is incandescent with rage and wants answers. Chandler can’t afford to fail.
Chandler forms an interesting relationship with three mercenary bowmen. They assist him with his inquiries.
London brings about different challenges. Chaucer is in danger of being accused of writing seditious works, placing Matilda in harm’s way. Chandler and Mattie meet from time to time. She’s warned that Chandler is a spy. Chandler is well aware of the ironies of the situation, his feelings for Mattie, and the dangers he faces.
Archbishop of Canterbury, Arundel is vigorously pursuing the Lollards.
Up and down England men and women are being tortured and put to terrible deaths. “The serpent of repression coiling around the realm of England.”
For all the horror Henry brings to the population, rumors still run rampant that Richard is alive, that he escaped. Chandler is well and truly ensnared in the middle as he dances his way between his various roles, his masters, and the people he cares for. The various personalities he interacts with have him walking a tightrope of disaster.
Clark’s research is amazing as she takes us through this torrid time of medieval English history. Riveting times unraveled by a master story teller!

A Canongate/ Severn ARC via NetGalley
Please note: Quotes taken from an advanced reading copy maybe subject to change
(Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.) show less

A satisfying medieval mystery!

A troubled time in history. 1398, King Richard has no army of his own and amongst others he's up against Gloucester, Arundel and Lancaster, when they stop bickering, as one man so eloquently puts it.
Against this background the nun Hildegard of Meaux, of the Cistercian priory of Swyne, and her three associates from the Cistercian fold, have been sent north during the twelve days after Christmas to Whitby Abbey, part of the Benedictine order, to obtain a 700 year show more old relic, a lock of hair of Abbess Hild. Hildegard silently questions her Abbess' injunction, "to bring back as a prize a possibly fraudulent artefact at any price." Her escorts are a young priest, Luke, and two militant monks, Gregory and Egbert.
This mission is part of her continued penance for a grievous sin she has committed against the Abbot Hubert de Courcy and the Rule.
Not long after they arrive at Whitby a monk is found dead in the apple storage cellar. Along with this other disturbing factors are swirling around the Abbey and its inhabitants. Unfair rents and taxes, and the treatment of some of the townsfolk has the relations between the town and Abbey tinder dry. It will only takes a spark for the whole place to explode.
Hildegard and her companions are asked by the Abbot to investigate the death. This is just the beginning of a confusing and at times, harrowing sojourn.
I thoroughly enjoyed the atmosphere that Clark engendered, with touches of high drama, power struggles, and greed, offset by moments of compassion. Hildegard and her companions are a closely knit group that accept each other's strengths and weaknesses. This plays well into what they undertake.
There's a lot happening, including the not so implicit criticism about relics. That is a whole different thread of the story.
I haven't read any of Hildegard's previous tales. A fact I must remedy as I'm loving her wry humor, reflective thoughtfulness, fully human understandings and adventurous ways.

A Severn House ARC via NetGalley show less