Sovereign: A Novel from the Shardlake Series

book mad: Good narration.

United Kingdom on Nov 13, 2023

Amazon Customer: Well written story.

United Kingdom on Oct 30, 2023

janilou: Another winner for c j Sansom. I really enjoyed this book although I would say that the first few chapters were a bit laborious but eventually as the plot unfolded it was hard to put the book down

United Kingdom on Oct 26, 2023

Mystery Fan: I have read three of this series. The books are well-written and appear to be well-researched. The author creates the atmosphere of the times, drawing the reader into the sights, smells and political intrigues of the times of Henry VIII through the narrative of the lawyer Matthew Shardlake.

The tales relay the brutality and corruption of the monarchy and nobility, sometimes difficult for me to read about. I usually prefer the less violent mysteries. However, the skill of the author and the apparently accurate historical narrative make these books hard to put down.

If you like good writing and have interest in historical mysteries, I recommend the books. Beware, however, there is brutality that is difficult to come to terms with. It haunts me because it is probably true.

United States on Oct 22, 2023

C J Callow: A great read, full of ifs, buts and maybes. Very descriptive writing too - medieval London and York in all their stinking glory

United Kingdom on Aug 28, 2023

moderatelymoderate: I enjoyed all the ingenious ways the author came up with for putting Shardlake in jeopardy. And I understand the common device of historical novelists to put their main characters into a bit too many pivotal places at the right (or wrong) times. The book also gave me a good feel for the time period, especially the sanitary (or lack thereof) conditions. The thought of all the manure that the king's Progress of 2000 people, 4000 horses and how vast trenches had to be dug all along the route will stick with me much too long.

However I cannot take seriously the idea that Edward IV had been illegitimate. His mother said so only after his death in order to support her son Richard III's claim to the throne and to put down the grasping Woodvilles. In fact, since the book was written, Richard's remains have been found and his DNA compared to a documented descendant of one of his sisters. Either he or his sister wasn't legitimate, and since he was said to look less like his siblings than they looked like each other, I'd assume he was the one with a different father. Note however that that has nothing to do with what kind of King he was.

And Edward's legitimacy or illegitimacy...

United States on Oct 16, 2021

Janie U: This is the third in this series and, with 658 pages split into 48 chapters, it is another brick of a book. You don't have to have read the other two first as back story is mentioned briefly, but I have read the previous books and love that Shardlake is now becoming a very familiar voice.
Here we are taken with Matthew Shardlake and his assistant to York where a progress of Henry VIII is about to hit the city. Shardlake is good at standing back and observing which is great for the reader as the narrative is visual, at the same time exploring all the other senses.
I was in York for a few nights last year and recognise many of the landmarks encountered which is particularly engaging but they are all described so well that anyone will be able to visualise what Shardlake and Barak experience.
It's great to see the preparations for the royal party and to compare it to today where the world build and decorates for the royal family to visit.
Shardlake is a plausible character who seems to handle everything thrown at him in a very practical way. He stands out physically but, at the same time, is able to merge into many situations as needed to progress his investigations. His...

United Kingdom on Feb 23, 2021

Rita Sydney: NOTE: To someone who is just discovering C. J. Sansom I strongly recommend you begin with the first book of the series, Dissolution, then go on to the second, Dark Fire, before reading Sovereign. All three books have good plots and strong characters and can stand alone but it is the atmosphere of the times that makes them, taken together, unique. I think I would have enjoyed the setting of Sovereign less, as well as the strivings among characters for wealth or position, had I not had the background provided by the first two books.

At one extreme is the bare bones of English history: Henry VIII wanted a new wife; the Pope said no; Henry left the Catholic Church and started his own Church of England.

At the other extreme is the cable series on Show Time, "The Tudors," which is beautiful to watch but sometimes a bit confusing in its detail on how the Reformation came to be and was carried out.

The C. J. Sansom Matthew Shardlake series brings the era to easily comprehensible life.

Sovereign, the third, is a long book and it's slow pace (note, not plodding or boring) contributes to the sense of immediacy I had when reading. Life was slow moving...

United States on Sep 21, 2009