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Masterfully blending true events with fiction, this blockbuster historical thriller delivers a page-turning murder mystery set on the sixteenth-century Oxford University campus.Giordano Bruno was a monk, poet, scientist, and magician on the run from the Roman Inquisition on charges of heresy for his belief that the Earth orbits the sun and that the universe is infinite. This alone could have got him burned at the stake, but he was also a student of occult philosophies and magic. In S. J. show more Parris's gripping novel, Bruno's pursuit of this rare knowledge brings him to London, where he is unexpectedly recruited by Queen Elizabeth I and is sent undercover to Oxford University on the pretext of a royal visitation. Officially Bruno is to take part in a debate on the Copernican theory of the universe; unofficially, he is to find out whatever he can about a Catholic plot to overthrow the queen. His mission is dramatically thrown off course by a series of grisly murders and a spirited and beautiful young woman. As Bruno begins to discover a pattern in these killings, he realizes that no one at Oxford is who he seems to be. Bruno must attempt to outwit a killer who appears obsessed with the boundary between truth and heresy. Like The Dante Club and The Alienist, this clever, sophisticated, exceptionally enjoyable novel is written with the unstoppable narrative propulsion and stylistic flair of the very best historical thrillers. show lessTags
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This book introduces the character of Giordano Bruno, an excommunicated Italian monk who ends up in Elizabethan England under the protection of the French King Henri II and is recruited by Francis Walsingham as a spy. Bruno travels to Oxford to participate in a debate on the structure of the Universe and in search of a secret book, but also to spy on recalcitrant Catholics in this strictly Protestant land. He is drawn into solving a series of brutal murders and uncovering a secret ring of Catholic sympathisers.
Parris draws us in with her fine depiction of Elizabethan life and very clearly describes the religious hysteria of the times. Bruno is a well-rounded character who displays sufficient strengths, weaknesses and internal conflicts show more to be utterly believable and for us to root for him as the story unfolds. Other characters are strongly drawn and we often find ourselves sympathising as we condemn.
This is excellent both as an historical picture and as a driven thriller. show less
Parris draws us in with her fine depiction of Elizabethan life and very clearly describes the religious hysteria of the times. Bruno is a well-rounded character who displays sufficient strengths, weaknesses and internal conflicts show more to be utterly believable and for us to root for him as the story unfolds. Other characters are strongly drawn and we often find ourselves sympathising as we condemn.
This is excellent both as an historical picture and as a driven thriller. show less
Summary: Giordano Bruno is an ex-monk, excommunicated from the Catholic Church for his heretical views on the nature of the universe. After fleeing Italy one step ahead of the Inquisition, he spent years on the run throughout Europe, teaching and debating, before finding himself in England in 1583. He is set to visit Oxford to debate the rector of Lincoln College, but before he leaves, he is recruited by Sir Francis Walsingham, the Queen's Intelligence master, to sniff out any Catholic conspirators who may be planning to overthrow the Protestant Queen Elizabeth I. However, Bruno barely has time to settle in at Oxford, let alone make any investigations, before the college fellows begin dying in a series of brutal murders. Everyone has show more seems to have a secret, and Bruno suspects that there is something deeper going on - and he's determined to find out what before the death toll can climb any higher.
Review: Heresy contained just about everything I could want from a historical thriller: an interesting mystery set in a relevant historical context, a fast pace that kept me turning pages even in my dissertation-induced attention-deprived state, and an ample number of red herrings with a satisfying but non-obvious resolution, all wrapped around a core of historical facts. Giordano Bruno was real, and he did visit Oxford in 1583 to debate Copernican theory with the rector of Lincoln college. Many of the other characters, the murders, and Bruno's role as a de facto detective are fictitious, but are well-integrated with what we know from the historical records.
I did have a few problems with the book, too, although they weren't enough to majorly affect my enjoyment. For starters, we're introduced to a lot of Oxford Fellows very quickly, and they're not all characterized well enough to be immediately distinguishable by name later on. The tone also got a little too modern at times, and while that probably helped keep the book a quick read, there were some anachronisms in dialogue and tone that I found a little distracting. There was also a fair amount of emphasis put on certain elements (such as Bruno's search for arcane occult texts) that didn't pan out to much. Overall, though, I had a lot of fun with this book; while I haven't read a huge number of historical thrillers to compare, I thought Heresy was a well-put-together example of the genre, and definitely worth my time. 4 out of 5 stars.
Recommendation: Heresy was essentially everything I was hoping for but failed to get from The Name of the Rose. And, while I don't think that the two works are comparable in scope or intent, if (like me) your favorite parts of Eco's work were the murder mystery and the banned books and the skulking around a medieval monastery, you'll probably find Heresy as much fun as I did. Otherwise, I think fans of historical fiction who enjoy mysteries or are looking for a break from "royal scandals and intrigue" novels will enjoy this book as well. show less
Review: Heresy contained just about everything I could want from a historical thriller: an interesting mystery set in a relevant historical context, a fast pace that kept me turning pages even in my dissertation-induced attention-deprived state, and an ample number of red herrings with a satisfying but non-obvious resolution, all wrapped around a core of historical facts. Giordano Bruno was real, and he did visit Oxford in 1583 to debate Copernican theory with the rector of Lincoln college. Many of the other characters, the murders, and Bruno's role as a de facto detective are fictitious, but are well-integrated with what we know from the historical records.
I did have a few problems with the book, too, although they weren't enough to majorly affect my enjoyment. For starters, we're introduced to a lot of Oxford Fellows very quickly, and they're not all characterized well enough to be immediately distinguishable by name later on. The tone also got a little too modern at times, and while that probably helped keep the book a quick read, there were some anachronisms in dialogue and tone that I found a little distracting. There was also a fair amount of emphasis put on certain elements (such as Bruno's search for arcane occult texts) that didn't pan out to much. Overall, though, I had a lot of fun with this book; while I haven't read a huge number of historical thrillers to compare, I thought Heresy was a well-put-together example of the genre, and definitely worth my time. 4 out of 5 stars.
Recommendation: Heresy was essentially everything I was hoping for but failed to get from The Name of the Rose. And, while I don't think that the two works are comparable in scope or intent, if (like me) your favorite parts of Eco's work were the murder mystery and the banned books and the skulking around a medieval monastery, you'll probably find Heresy as much fun as I did. Otherwise, I think fans of historical fiction who enjoy mysteries or are looking for a break from "royal scandals and intrigue" novels will enjoy this book as well. show less
Heresy is an historical novel telling the tale of Giordano Bruno's visitation to Oxford during the reign of Elizabeth I of England. The book smoothly blends facts and fiction to give us a very engaging tale of a mystery surrounding this man of many dimensions. As a young man, he was trained as a Catholic monk in Italy until his unorthodox views of the universe and Christian religion necessitated his timely departure, one step ahead of the Inquisition. He eventually gravitated to England hoping its non-Catholic religion would prove a safe haven while he wrote and continued to study and develop his theories. He finds himself in Oxford on the trail of a book banned through out Europe. He stumbles into a nest of intrigue and murder, show more surrounding an enclave of Catholic believers in the Protestant country. Bruno quickly finds that his Italian nationality and previous association with the Roman Church sometimes works for him and sometimes against. The book quickly draws us deeply into the factions working at cross purposes at this time in Elizabethan England. The writing flows smoothly, blending facts and fiction into a tight mystery. The characters almost beg to given another adventure as they come to life in the story. show less
This much is true: Giordano Bruno did go to Oxford in the spring of 1583, in the party of the Prince Palatine Albert Laski and Sir Philip Sidney, where he did engage in a debate on the Copernican theory.
On this thread, S.J. Parks (pseudonym of journalist Stephanie Merritt) has hung her murder mystery. The book opens as Bruno flees his monastery with the Inquisition nipping at his heels. We next see him on his way to Oxford, having traveled far both geographically and socially. By now he had become quite well-known as a lecturer in mnemonics and a theologian, enjoyed the protection of Henri III, and, in fact, lived in England at the home of the French Ambassador, Michel de Castelnau.
At Oxford, he is immediately confronted with the show more effects that religious differences in England have had there. Though the Queen sought to consolidate Protestantism there through the appointment of Robert Dudley, Lord Leicester, as chancellor, previous Marian appointments meant that there was still Catholic presence there, and concerns about treason and espionage were not entirely unjustified. Bruno, as an excommunicate, would be unsympathetic to the papist cause, yet because he was a former monk and an Italian, many English Protestants would be suspicious of him.
Bruno has not been in Oxford long when his preparations for the disputation are interrupted by horrific screams, screams that turn out to be from the sub-rector, whose throat is being torn out by an Irish wolfhound. But how did the dog get into an enclosed, locked garden? Bruno is suspicious that this is not an accident. When he finds in the man's room a journal dated using the Gregorian calendar, and in that journal a cipher in invisible writing with the phrase "ora pro nobis", he is sure that something is amiss. A second murder follows hard on the first, and Bruno is plunged into religious and political intrigue.
I will say that I am not ordinarily a fan of books that use well-known historical (or, for that matter, literary) characters as detectives. And, frankly, the part of this book relating to the actual working out of the mystery was the least satisfying. (Honestly, there really aren't a whole lot of murderers who engage in the sort of intricate "message-sending" sort of murders that occur here.) I was much more interested in the playing out of the religious and political tensions between Protestant and Catholic, English and continental European, and how that affected life in Oxford, both for town and gown.
That said, it's quite a well-written book and I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoys mysteries set in Elizabethan times. Me, I've plucked John Bossy's Giordano Bruno and the Embassy Affair off the shelf on which it has been languishing and will let you know whether Bruno really was a spy! show less
On this thread, S.J. Parks (pseudonym of journalist Stephanie Merritt) has hung her murder mystery. The book opens as Bruno flees his monastery with the Inquisition nipping at his heels. We next see him on his way to Oxford, having traveled far both geographically and socially. By now he had become quite well-known as a lecturer in mnemonics and a theologian, enjoyed the protection of Henri III, and, in fact, lived in England at the home of the French Ambassador, Michel de Castelnau.
At Oxford, he is immediately confronted with the show more effects that religious differences in England have had there. Though the Queen sought to consolidate Protestantism there through the appointment of Robert Dudley, Lord Leicester, as chancellor, previous Marian appointments meant that there was still Catholic presence there, and concerns about treason and espionage were not entirely unjustified. Bruno, as an excommunicate, would be unsympathetic to the papist cause, yet because he was a former monk and an Italian, many English Protestants would be suspicious of him.
Bruno has not been in Oxford long when his preparations for the disputation are interrupted by horrific screams, screams that turn out to be from the sub-rector, whose throat is being torn out by an Irish wolfhound. But how did the dog get into an enclosed, locked garden? Bruno is suspicious that this is not an accident. When he finds in the man's room a journal dated using the Gregorian calendar, and in that journal a cipher in invisible writing with the phrase "ora pro nobis", he is sure that something is amiss. A second murder follows hard on the first, and Bruno is plunged into religious and political intrigue.
I will say that I am not ordinarily a fan of books that use well-known historical (or, for that matter, literary) characters as detectives. And, frankly, the part of this book relating to the actual working out of the mystery was the least satisfying. (Honestly, there really aren't a whole lot of murderers who engage in the sort of intricate "message-sending" sort of murders that occur here.) I was much more interested in the playing out of the religious and political tensions between Protestant and Catholic, English and continental European, and how that affected life in Oxford, both for town and gown.
That said, it's quite a well-written book and I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoys mysteries set in Elizabethan times. Me, I've plucked John Bossy's Giordano Bruno and the Embassy Affair off the shelf on which it has been languishing and will let you know whether Bruno really was a spy! show less
Here is a good historical fiction mystery thriller, my friends. Set in 1583, narrator Giordano Bruno, philosopher, excommunicate, heretic, and spy, travels to Oxford on the premise of staging a debate with the Oxford Rector. Unbeknownst to his hosts, Bruno is not just visiting Oxford to display his skills at public speaking, he’s also searching for a lost manuscript containing secrets of the universe as translated from Egyptian sorcerer Hermes Trismegistus. Additionally, he’s been recruited by Queen Elizabeth’s advisor, Sir Francis Walsingham, to root out secret sects of unconverted Catholics. When Oxford Fellows turn up murdered in the means of martyrs from a book, Bruno is also tasked to find the killer. Steeped in mystery, show more surrounded by lies and darkness amidst the stone walls of Oxford’s colleges, and the swish of academic robes and hooded faces, Bruno hunts down a secret society, but can he expose the members and save the Rector’s beautiful daughter before he himself is destroyed?
S.J. Parris is a pseudonym for author Stephanie Merritt, but Heresy is her first novel under this name. Her writing moves refreshingly swift for historical-fiction, with easy transitions and a contemporary voice. Her characters were plentiful, but each were richly executed. The story itself is imagined from Giordano Bruno’s real life, he did in fact visit Oxford, and he was indeed favored by Queen Elizabeth. As written by Parris, he is intelligent and witty, with a slight charm to make him amusingly enjoyable. He is brave when confronted with danger, but not always courageous, suffering frequent bowel spasms and bouts of claustrophobia. He shows some slight weakness of character, but not enough to make me overly agitated. In general, I enjoyed Bruno, I just wish he hadn’t fallen for the Rector’s daughter, as his feelings for her made him weak.
There were many different reasons Bruno was visiting Oxford, and I was interested to see how Parris would play all the parts together. For the most part, they were all addressed successfully, but I could see her making a sequel with Bruno as the protagonist again, since not all the loose ends were tied, and he’s very likable as detective-sleuth-philosopher.
Heresy is a good novel, enjoyable and a quick page-turner that kept me entertained. I can relate it to The Dante Club, only a bit more readable. I definitely look forward to seeing more from S.J. Parris in the future. I think if she sticks to the historical fiction genre she can definitely turn out some great reads. show less
S.J. Parris is a pseudonym for author Stephanie Merritt, but Heresy is her first novel under this name. Her writing moves refreshingly swift for historical-fiction, with easy transitions and a contemporary voice. Her characters were plentiful, but each were richly executed. The story itself is imagined from Giordano Bruno’s real life, he did in fact visit Oxford, and he was indeed favored by Queen Elizabeth. As written by Parris, he is intelligent and witty, with a slight charm to make him amusingly enjoyable. He is brave when confronted with danger, but not always courageous, suffering frequent bowel spasms and bouts of claustrophobia. He shows some slight weakness of character, but not enough to make me overly agitated. In general, I enjoyed Bruno, I just wish he hadn’t fallen for the Rector’s daughter, as his feelings for her made him weak.
There were many different reasons Bruno was visiting Oxford, and I was interested to see how Parris would play all the parts together. For the most part, they were all addressed successfully, but I could see her making a sequel with Bruno as the protagonist again, since not all the loose ends were tied, and he’s very likable as detective-sleuth-philosopher.
Heresy is a good novel, enjoyable and a quick page-turner that kept me entertained. I can relate it to The Dante Club, only a bit more readable. I definitely look forward to seeing more from S.J. Parris in the future. I think if she sticks to the historical fiction genre she can definitely turn out some great reads. show less
How can you not adore a book-loving monk who is excommunicated for reading a banned book in the privy (aka outhouse)? Bruno Giordano is my newest friend and I hope he has many more adventures that we get to share. Set in 1580s England, Bruno is sent by Queen Elizabeth’s man Walsingham to ferret out Catholic heretics at Oxford University. But Bruno has his own agenda (he’s on the track of a very special ‘lost’ book) and develops a few more once there.
There is something extremely engaging about Giordano, who was a real philosopher, heretic, confidant of royalty, and extender of Copernican theory, which was considered heresy at the time. I won’t rehash the plot but will tell you that it is riveting and had me madly turning pages show more way late into the night. HERESY is part mystery, part history, part religious conflict, always human, and always fascinating.
I hope SJ Parris has more planned for Bruno, but if not, I’ll try whatever she tries next. I’ve already told so many people about Heresy, they’re going to ban me soon, but this was an ARC and I’m happy to spread the word. show less
There is something extremely engaging about Giordano, who was a real philosopher, heretic, confidant of royalty, and extender of Copernican theory, which was considered heresy at the time. I won’t rehash the plot but will tell you that it is riveting and had me madly turning pages show more way late into the night. HERESY is part mystery, part history, part religious conflict, always human, and always fascinating.
I hope SJ Parris has more planned for Bruno, but if not, I’ll try whatever she tries next. I’ve already told so many people about Heresy, they’re going to ban me soon, but this was an ARC and I’m happy to spread the word. show less
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.
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.
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ThingScore 75
"On the whole, though, Heresy is fascinatingly sincere, with no higher aim than to be as good an example of its type as it can."
added by bookfitz
"Parris, an economical writer, keeps the mysticism in check as she portrays Bruno, with his sly, agile intelligence, encountering the dark, introverted world of Oxford, where fear and suspicion prevail."
added by bookfitz
"Spirited storytelling, an appealing sleuth and a cool, mutilated villain will lead readers to hope this is the launch of a series."
added by bookfitz
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27 Works 4,218 Members
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Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Heresy
- Original title
- Heresy
- Alternate titles
- Heresy: A Thriller
- Original publication date
- 2011
- People/Characters
- Giordano Bruno; Sir Philip Sidney; Sir Francis Walsingham; John Underhill; Sophia Underhill; Margaret Underhill (show all 20); Albert Laski; Rowland Jenkes; Humphrey Pritchard; Richard Godwyn; Walter Slythurst; Thomas Allen; Gabriel Norris; Lawrence Weston; Roger Mercer; James Coverdale; Cobbett; John Florio; William Bernard; Jerome Gilbert
- Important places
- University of Oxford, Oxford, Oxfordshire, England, UK; Oxford, Oxfordshire, England, UK; London, England, UK
- First words
- The outer door was thrown open with a crash that resounded along the passage and the floorboards shook with the purposeful marching of several pairs of feet.
- Quotations
- Playing politics with the lives of others was part of the path to advancement, but that, as I was just beginning to understand, was the real heresy.
I was caught reading Erasmus in the privy. - Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)When I wrote to Sophia to tell her of Jerome's courage, I would also impress upon her that it was not too late to hope for a better world.
- Blurbers
- Pearl, Matthew; Mosse, Kate; Neville, Katherine; Bourne, Sam; Iggulden, Conn
- Original language
- English
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- 1,545
- Popularity
- 14,734
- Reviews
- 105
- Rating
- (3.53)
- Languages
- 7 — Czech, Dutch, English, French, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 39
- ASINs
- 10
