This is the first in the Giordano Bruno series, and my second reading of this novel.

This novel promised so much more than it delivered. Using Giordano Bruno (an Italian Dominican Friar 1548 – 1600) as the main protagonist was a stroke of inspiration that the Author did not pursue to its full potential, and the title led me to believe that I would be reading a fictional take on the road that led to this man being burnt at the stake for heresy in 1600. Given all the information that is to be found on this extraordinary man, who was living before his time, the Authors character development of him was not only weak but insulting to the Friar himself; a complete opposite to the treatment given to Bruno in “Aegypt” by John Crowley. Instead of utilising the traits of Bruno’s character and weaving them into her novel, the Author tends to dismiss them offhand which placed him in the “too much of the good guy” mould and made him appear a nice man which, given the ideas he had and the times he lived in, he probably wasn’t; but in this I am just speculating. The one thing that the reader may get from the painting of the protagonist in this way is an urge to find out more about the real life happenings of Bruno. Other characters in the novel are treated with the same offhand approach, and none of them were developed to the point where the reader could truly feel compassion for their situation or connect with them in any way. With this said, I will acknowledge that the Author chose her protagonist well, as there is a wealth of information out there for them to be able to develop Bruno in a more believable way, and possibly turn this series into something remarkable.

The book is actually a murder mystery and, in this area the Author did an outstanding job of using this vehicle to get to the religious subtext, and bring it to the forefront. In their descriptions of the horrific murders and torture that are committed in the name of religion throughout this book, the Author reminds us that atrocities have been, and continue to be perpetrated in the name of religion; that modern day conflicts centred around faith, are no less ruthless or determined about cementing the survival of their beliefs than those involved in The Inquisition. The location descriptions actually pull the reader in to the novel more than the characters, and they are made to feel as if they are walking through unsanitary streets and palace grounds and, in some parts of the novel actually fearing for their lives because of their beliefs.

I read this novel twice in the belief, as is sometimes the case when I re-read something, I would pick up on the hidden key that would open it up and reveal all its hidden gems, but this was not to be the case unfortunately. The lack of fleshing out the characters and giving me a protagonist that evoked emotion in me was still there and I had not missed anything in my first read through; this decided my review rating. Personally, I did not think this favourably compared with the two novels mentioned in the synopsis, “the Dante Club by Matthew Pearl or “The Alienist” by Caleb Carr; both novels I found to be infinitely more superior.

However, despite all this, I would recommend this novel to those lovers of the historical fiction genre and especially those who like their history with a slight religious bent.

Originally reviewed on: http://catesbooknuthut.wordpress.com/2013/08/31/review-heresy-giordano-bruno-1-s...




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Audiobook

Excellent narrator, but the story itself did not appeal to me at all. Abandoned after two chapters. ( )

This is an amazing book. It's great mystery, but it is more than that, as it shows us some of the reasons why Catholics and Protestants still don't see eye to eye in some countries. I could hardly put it down, or better, switch it off.

It has always puzzled me, that people, who have themselves been prosecuted, tortured and killed for their beliefs then go on and do the exact same thing to their fellow humans once they get the chance.
Listening to this book, I very nearly felt sorry for the Catholics, but then the Catholics themselves weren't any better than the Protestants, and at times, I think they deserved what they got.

The book plays during the reign of queen Victoria after she had chased Mary away -- the time is 1583.
Superstitions and Prejudices abound, as well as conspiracy theories.
The historical facts and tidbits of interest are strewn in so inconspicuously that you'll only notice them as facts if you have some knowledge about the time. Don't worry if you haven't, you'll learn a lot without noticing it.

I really loved the narration, Laurence Kennedy did an amazing job, and I'll certainly check out other works by both the author (there are sequels) and the narrator. ( )

As a thriller, this is well enough crafted. It's a page turner, for sure! I never found the action to lag. On the other hand, it wasn't particularly outstanding in that direction. Not that I read thriller so very often.

I'm a big fan of Giordano Bruno. Well, not really... people spend their whole lives studying the man and his ideas etc. I just have a shelf of books about him and have read a few. But still, for me that was the attraction of the book, and it didn't disappoint. That whole time period from say Luther to Westphalia, that was so turbulent and so strongly formative for the world we live in today. I thought this book captured the issues very nicely, and tied them into the plot seamlessly. ( )

Set in Elizabethan England, we see what Oxford was like at that time and how the politics of religion held sway. A philosopher Italian Giordano Bruno is our detective. An excommunicant ex-priest on the run from Rome, he is in the employ of one of the Queen's secret services, asked to find any Catholics still in Oxford. His cover is his scholarly study of astronomy and he goes to Oxford to debate with the Dean of the college. While there, horrific murders occur and Bruno is on the scenes to find out who and why the murders happened. He is not a hard nosed informant, but a realistic appreciator of persons.

John Lee does an excellent job of portraying all the characters involved and making this emotional story come alive. ( )