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Alternative/Fantasy History
Wars of the Roses 1483-5 / Present Day
England
King Richard III lies dead on the battlefield at Redemore Plain, his body stripped and thrown on the back of a horse ready for an unceremonious burial. And then he wakes up on the battlefield. Found and mentored by the mysterious monk, Gilbert, he learns that he is in Purgatory and must account for the past deeds of his life. This is done in a series of episodes covering all the controversial incidents of his short reign.
Naturally, the
problem of the fate of the princes arises and the author does not put forward
some over-imaginative and previously unthought-of personal theory but sticks
with one that is universally recognised as a possibility and makes a good case
for its likelihood. In doing so, Ms Skidmore may well elicit some sympathetic
reactions towards the character and actions of her Richard.
Yet this is a
little more than just another retelling of Richard's story: it proposes the
possibility of reincarnation, of a spell in Purgatory where tests and trials
are made to determine whether the 'candidate' is ready to enter the Kingdom,
and also one man's struggle for redemption when faced with the decisions he
made whilst in his earthly life.
I have only two
quibbles: the 'tests and trials' are not gone into at all and I was left
wondering as to what they might have been – physical, mental, spiritual? The
other concern is that the book is only 170 pages, too long for a novella, but
very much too short for a novel. Which is a shame because the writing is
lovely, well-characterised without being stereotypical and has an ending which
is both emotional and thought provoking. The cover is attractive, too: the
White King fallen at the feet of its victorious nemesis.
Despite these
quibbles, I thoroughly enjoyed this slightly new take on an oft-written about
subject.
© Richard
Tearle
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Thank you for the Review - I am delighted that you enjoyed my tale. I wanted the contemporary Reader to be able to relate to Richard the man and so I portrayed himas neither villain nor saint.
ReplyDeleteMy pleasure, Marla and I believe you have achieved your aims. The very best of luck with for sales and the future
ReplyDeleteYes you've achieved what you intended. I enjoyed the read!
ReplyDelete