A Trip to Medieval England

Discovering "new to me" authors is always an adventure in itself. Not long ago I found Elizabeth Chadwick and her wonderful historical fiction set in the Plantagenet era. It'll take me a while to make my way through her list of work but that's half the fun. Of course that's what all readers like to do. It's part of the whole reading experience.

Shortly after discovering Chadwick I found another author, James Forrester. That's the pen name (and middle names) of historian Dr. Ian Mortimer, author of The Time Traveler's Guide to Medieval England. As it turned out I already have the guide on my bookshelf. I admit it, due to past reading experience, I'm not a big fan of male authors (sorry, guys). But I decided to give this one a shot based on the genre. I'm glad I did.

The book I've just finished is the first in a trilogy and is titled Sacred Treason. The story takes place during the reign of Elizabeth I. For several years, Henry Machyn has been keeping a journal that no one but a select few has seen. Once word has gone out that the book could be holding information of a treasonous plot, the manhunt begins. It isn't enough that Elizabeth has her people (Sir Cecil and Francis Walsingham to name a couple) persecuting Catholics and trying to restore Protestants and the state church (which was just the opposite of what her sister "Bloody" Mary did during her reign).

The journal or chronicle in question has been left to William Harley, Clarenceux King of Armes, who has no idea what the chronicle is about, nor does he know what it's for. He has to figure it out and get it to the right person. In the meantime, anyone found to have possession or knowledge of the book or knows of its whereabouts ends up as a "guest" of Walsingham. Is the book treasonous? If so, what treason does it hold?

This story is more about the characters than action but that doesn't make it any less intriguing. There are a couple close escapes and some one-on-one combat. Forrester gives us a clear picture of what life was like at that time, the mid-sixteenth century -- not just living conditions but how, to some extent, the law worked. It wasn't pretty.

Sacred Treason has been informative as well as entertaining and has opened new avenues of reading for me. Next book?  I'm looking forward to reading Book 2: The Roots of Betrayal.