I really enjoyed this latest instalment in the Giordano Bruno series. I had to listen towards the end on double speed to finish it before my loan time expired, but that didn’t lessen my enjoyment of it. It’s weird because I sometimes put off starting some of the historical fiction I have set in the sixteenth century because I spend so much of my time there writing my own nonfiction books, but when I start them I really love them.
The characters in this one were all fascinating and it was good to see Bruno have to confront someone from his past when he was in a monastery. At times, I did get the characters mixed up and forgot who was who as the mystery and connections were quite complex. Probably not a story you should be listening to while doing something else! Bruno and Besler’s relationship was great, kind of the glue that held this one together as Besler looks up to Bruno and Bruno is trying to guide and educate the young man. Rudolf II, the Holy Roman Emperor, was a strange character – I don’t really know anything about him, so I don’t know whether he was really like portrayed in the story.
But I really enjoy this series. Having one set in Prague was fascinating as I don’t know the city and I’m not really very familiar with the Holy Roman Empire at this time, so hearing about the religious and alchemical controversies of the time, with John Dee at the centre, was really fascinating! Alchemy as the title meant I wasn’t sure when I delved into this one quite what I was letting myself in for, but it was cleverly handled and engaging, and it didn’t at any point feel like a farce, which books about alchemy and necromancy can sometimes veer into.
Here’s hoping for more adventures with Giordano Bruno and the scrapes he gets himself into across Europe. I am hoping for a return to England at some point though!