1066 Turned Upside Down by Joanna Courtney, Helen Hollick, Annie Whitehead, Anna Belfrage, Alison Morton, Carol McGrath, Eliza Redgold, G.K. Holloway & Richard Dee

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

Obtained from: Personal Kindle Library

Read: September 5, 2016

Ever wondered what might have happened if William the Conqueror had been beaten at Hastings? Or if Harald Hardrada had won at Stamford Bridge? Or if Edward the Confessor had died with an heir ready to take his place? Then here is the perfect set of stories for you. ‘1066 Turned Upside Down’ explores a variety of ways in which the momentous year of 1066 could have played out differently. Written by nine well-known authors to celebrate the 950th anniversary of the Battle of Hastings, the stories will take you on a journey through the wonderful ‘what ifs’ of England’s most famous year in history.

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Harold's death as depicted in the Bayeux Tapestry

It’s unusual for me to spend a month reading a book, but that’s how long I spent working my way through 1066 Turned Upside Down. I’d looked forward to the book, I’d even pre-ordered a copy ahead of the release, but I have to admit that the reality of the volume left me with mixed feelings.

To be fair, most of the month I spent with 1066 Turned Upside Down was dedicated to not reading it. I devoured the first story the day the book arrived on my kindle, but my mind swam when I realized the second submission was wholly unrelated to the chapter that preceded it. The second author utilized an entirely different twist and the strain of keeping everything straight quickly threatened to overwhelm my imagination. Was Harold King in this version? Was he alive? Was he dead? Did the Vikings invade? There was simply no way I could keep the actual history and twelve alternate realities straight so I resolved to tackle the book a chapter at time and consider each submission as a standalone piece which accounts for the long gaps in my completion of the volume.

I didn’t realize it at the time, but this approach actually worked well as it complimented the structure of the book. Each chapter starts in a specific month and opens with a brief description of historical events. This factual refresher is followed by an intro to the story, the alternative fiction, an author’s note, and a set of discussion questions. Most reviewers have omitted any comment on this, but I personally felt the format made it difficult to enjoy the stories back to back as each author bounced between fiction and non before asking me to pause and critically consider their work. The breaks seemed natural to me and I had no trouble losing myself in other books between chapters.

That said, the actual fiction had it's own set of challenges and while I’ve no trouble recommending the volume to other readers, I don’t hesitate to caution that I found the stories unequally balanced. I've very genuine appreciation for much of the material, but I was disappointed that so few ventured into wholly original content. Playing it safe by revisiting familiar ideas and characters was their choice, but as a reader I was disappointed that so many failed to capitalize on the creative opportunity this project afforded. I might have felt differently if the authors had limited themselves to subtly nodding at their independent titles or used an existing supporting character to explore new themes and ideas, but as it stand I feel there was too much repetition within these pages and found myself distracted by the creative decisions behind several chapters.

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To Crown a King & In the Wake of the Dolphin by Helen Hollick

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Helen Hollick is an author I’ve wanted to read for some time, but 1066 Turned Upside Down marks my first experience with her work. She’s one of two authors to have contributed two stories to the anthology and I while I quite enjoyed both for their content and prose, I was curious at her decision to submit adapted content from Harold the King/I Am the Chosen King. I enjoyed her take on Edgar and William and will be seeking out her work again in the future, but her submissions definitely left me wondering what she'd have done with a blank slate.

Uncle Edward was not the stuff of being a kind when he returned from exile in Normandy. My father, when Harold, here, escorted him - us - home to England would not have made a suitable king either, yet, had he still lived, would we be having this discussion? He would have been king by right of birth. I am his son. I am the last in the blood-line of Cerdic of Wessex, why then, should I not be your king?

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A Matter of Trust by Annie Whitehead

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Annie Whitehead is another author I’d never read, but she put herself on my radar with her take on Edwin and Morcar. I found an added bonus in a light moment of humor involved an aged Godiva and I appreciated how complete her submission felt despite its modest length. There was obviously room to take it further, but I liked how she developed her twist and didn’t leave her readers with a simple ‘what if’ scenario. Her character felt developed and distinct and one could easily imagine what might have been once the story ended. So far as I can tell, her submission was not based on her prior work and I thought the risk spoke well of her range and imagination.

This has naught to do with kingship, or loyalty. The bastard is on our lands, and he need to be shoved off them.

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Emperor of the North & Hold England Firm by Joanna Courtney

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Joanna Courtney was new to me, but I was so impressed with her prose that I ordered a copy of The Chosen Queen on completing Emperor of the North. This fact wouldn’t mean much under other circumstances, but in looking at her work I realized that her stories tend to feature female protagonists. I found that very interesting as it was her male leads that captivated me in 1066 and, contrary to some close-minded individuals might preach, female readers have no trouble appreciating well-written male protagonists. Courtney’s world-building is also worth mentioning and I was quite impressed by the ‘what ifs’ she speculated over.

We were wild enough to earn for battle and arrogant enough to believe we could seize England, the jewel in Europe's crown - a land so sure of itself that all man longed to hold it.

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The Dragon-Tailed Star by Carol McGrath

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Carol McGrath incorporated a lot of personal detail into her story of Thea. I liked the portrait her submission drew of Harold’s domestic life and complex personal affairs and I thought the detailing of Halley’s Comet fun, but here again I found myself at a loss. I enjoyed McGrath's prose, but like Hollick, McGrath seemed to be revisiting her own work and I was caught up in questioning why she didn’t venture out of her comfort zone and tackle people and concepts she hadn’t played with before. I've not read the Daughters of Hastings series, but the themes of The Dragon-Tailed Star appear to emulate the ideas on her standalone titles and I was distracted by the similarity.

She shuddered and hurriedly crossed herself. Surely better for Uncle Edward that he was a star in the night sky, than facing the terrors that lay between Heaven and Hell?

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If You Changed One Thing by Richard Dee

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Richard Dee was another new author for me, but his submission stood out for a couple of reasons. Unlike his fellows, Dee put a bit of a sci-fi twist on 1066 and wrote a story that is set largely in the modern world. It was a dramatic shift and it threw me at first, but looking back I think the submission one of the strongest pieces in the anthology. I thought it was fun, I thought it was creative, and I liked how it allowed the reader a unique vantage point and perspective.

He looked at me and said nothing, but his eyes were full of tears. He was shaking his head as if the weight of the world was on him. I didn't understand why, perhaps he would tell me later. After all: I still had to hear how he had escaped without changing history.

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A Roman Intervenes by Alison Morton

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Alison Morton is one of the four authors I was familiar with on picking up 1066 and while I quite enjoyed seeing the Roma Novans once again, my enthusiasm was tempered by having considered so much of the thematic material on my own. Morton’s Roma Nova series centers on the world where Roman Culture never died and as before, I recognized a certain degree of repetition in her submission. The story was new and I liked it for what it was, but conceptually the material felt safe.

'Sometimes we must do dreadful act to prevent greater disasters, but at least history will record that the Galilean year of 1066 was not the one in which Northman William invaded Saxon England.

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The Danish Crutch by Anna Belfrage

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Anna Belfrage made a name for herself with time slip fiction and is currently working on a series set against the Despenser War which made her submission for 1066 interesting as it was not a time she’d written about before. Her submission features a strong female heroine and I liked how the story was driven by action and theme without incorporation of a heavy romantic relationship. I’ve never had an issue with Belfrage’s presentation of love and affection, but I expected to see a couple headlining this story and was pleasantly surprised to see Belfrage challenge herself by placing emphasis elsewhere.

She clutched at the amulet round her neck depicting Thor's hammer while mumbling a few lines of the Pater Noster - she did that a lot, hedging her bets by invoking both the gods of old and the new god - and begged them to spare her from ever becoming this man's wife.

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The Battle of London Bridge by G.K. Holloway

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The Battle of London Bridge marks my second encounter with author G.K. Holloway. I read 1066: What Fates Impose back in 2014 and remember being impressed with Holloway's command of the political landscape. The Battle of London Bridge plays on that same strength, but in the opposite direction and causes the reader to really question the long term implications of a failed Norman invasion. All the stories made me think, but I really liked how this one paired the alternative reality with the strength England's roots.

The English are celebrating their victory against this foreign foe. Now they think, with relief, that they have a leader in whom they can have faith.

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The Needle Can Mend by Eliza Redgold

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Last, but not least is Eliza Redgold's The Needle Can Mend. The story explores the origins of the Bayeux Tapestry and stands as my favorite in terms of subject matter. I've a deep appreciation for the relic and grinned when I realized it made it into 1066, but here again I found myself in a familiar seat. Redgold's heroine is a older version of her own Lady Godiva and while I was entranced by the ideas explored in this fiction, I couldn't help feeling Redgold had short-changed herself by opting to work within an established comfort zone.

Some women, widows, mothers of lost sons, gave pieces of wool. Some send needles, sharp as knives. My own beloved daughter, Nest, made for her part a read dragon, the creature of Wales. Harold's older sister Edythe worked with skill and speed, often by my side at the convent. She joined together the pieces as it grew, like a banner unfurled.

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Second Front: The Allied Invasion of France, 1942-43 by Alexander Grace

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

Obtained from: Netgalley

Read: February 18, 2014

One of the great arguments of World War II took place among Allied military leaders over when and where to launch a second front against Germany in Europe. Stalin, holding on by his teeth in Russia, urged a major invasion from the west as soon as possible. The Americans, led by Marshall and Wedemeyer, argued likewise. It was Churchill who got his way, however, with his Mediterranean strategy, including a campaign on the Italian peninsula, which he mistakenly called the “soft underbelly of Europe.” This realistic, fact-based work posits what would have happened had Churchill been overruled, and that rather than invading North Africa in the fall of 1942, thence Sicily and Italy, the Allies had hit the coast of southern France instead. The key element that enables the alternative scenario is the cooperation of Vichy, which was negotiated at the time but refused. If the Allies had promised sufficient force to support the French, however, the entire southern coastline of France would have been undefended against a surprise invasion. In this book, once the Allied armies are ashore, German stream toward the front, albeit through a gauntlet of Maquis, Allied paratroopers and airpower. Meantime the Allied forces push up the Rhône Valley and titanic armored clashes take place near Lyons. Already in desperate straits at Stalingrad, where they had committed their air and armored reserves, the Germans had also yet to switch to a full total-war economy, with tanks like the Panther and Tiger not yet deployed. This fascinating alternative history comes close to informing us exactly what might have happened had D-Day in Europe come as early as some had wished.

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Alexander Grace's Second Front: The Allied Invasion of France, 1942-43 is one of those titles I wanted like more than I did. An alternative history of WWII, the subject matter seemed right up my alley and I've never been one to shy away from a creative premise. Unfortunately, the execution left much to be desired and I spent most of my reading struggling to remain interested in the story.

To be fair, the action is actually noteworthy. Grace is well-versed in the historic elements of the narrative and retains an air of authority even while screwing the timeline. There is an enthusiasm behind the prose one can't help but notice and I felt the chain of events Grace crafted both exciting and imaginative. 

My difficulties with the novel stem from Grace's cast. I couldn't connect with a single player and couldn't care less about their individual fates. I appreciate action-driven fiction as much as the next person, but it needs to be balanced against character development and some micro level emotional turmoil. Second Front lacked that and often found me bored with the constant barrage of military action. 

Second Front is fun for history buffs, but if I'm entirely honest, I don't think the title competes with the work of Harry Turtledove or C.J. Sansom.

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Bentley could not help thinking that he would have liked to have jumped just a few miles behind enemy lines like the boys from the st and the British th Airborne, not nearly two hundred miles from the coast where Allied troops would hopefully be landing in a couple of hours, if they survived the trip by sea, weaving between islands controlled by the Germans, and a good eighty miles even from the main center of the Polish rising in Warsaw. He supposed that he would have to wait for the next war to get to do things by the book, just once.

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The Boleyn Deceit by Laura Andersen

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

Obtained from: Netgalley

Read: March 5, 2014

Henry IX, known as William, is the son of Anne Boleyn and now the leader of England, his regency period finally at an end. His newfound power, however, comes with the looming specter of war with the other major powers of Europe, with strategic alliances that must be forged on both the battlefield and in the bedroom, and with a court, severed by religion, rife with plots to take over the throne. Will trusts only three people: his older sister, Elizabeth; his best friend and loyal counselor, Dominic; and Minuette, a young orphan raised as a royal ward by Anne Boleyn. But as the pressure rises alongside the threat to his life, even they William must begin to question-and to fear...

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They say confession if good for the soul so perhaps it's best that I just admit I've been avoiding this review. I've allowed Laura Andersen's The Boleyn Deceit to languish in my pending folder for months to circumvent penning what I knew would be somewhat negative commentary, but no more. It's time to bite the bullet and be done with it. 

I realize I'm in the minority here, but I genuinely feel the second installment of Andersen's Boleyn Trilogy lacked the 'oomph' of its predecessor. I know sequels have a hard time of it, but I can't help looking back on this piece and wondering what the hell happened. Consider this your warning folks, there be spoilers ahead.

The love triangle Andersen carried through book one utterly stagnates in book two. It isn't until the final chapters that I felt tangible emotion or movement, at which point the affair felt entirely slapdash. Call me crazy, but I feel Andersen misstepped in neglecting the romantic subplot for so much of the narrative and overcompensated in her attempt to revive it in her build up to book three. 

Having so enjoying Andersen's interpretation of Elizabeth in The Boleyn King, I was bitterly disappointed to see her role much reduced in The Boleyn Deceit. I felt her the strongest of the four leads in Andersen's debut and was frustrated to witness her playing a less astute second fiddle to supporting characters like Dudley and Northumberland this go round.

William is fast becoming a carbon copy of his father which is something I found particularly frustrating. Andersen has the freedom to do anything she wants with this character and she chooses to create a doppelganger of Henry VIII. Creative? Inventive? Imaginative? I think not. 

And while we're on the subject, let's talk about Alyce de Clare’s unfortunate and untimely death. Were readers supposed to be shocked and surprised by the identity of her lover? I mean, it isn't as if poor Alyce is the only Tudor era courtier to take a tumble down a flight of stairs. I told myself from the start that the solution was too obvious to be correct, but no, there it was, staring up at me in prosaic black and white. 

Bottom line, I felt the book rushed, disjointed, predictable and dull. There are moments involving Guildford Dudley, Mary Stuart, Francis Walsingham and Amy Dudley that I greatly enjoyed, but taken as a whole this piece left me disenchanted with the series and is proving a significant obstacle in my effort to rouse enthusiasm for book three.

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Robert raised his eyebrows and lowered his voice that half step that made Elizabeth’s blood warm. “We choose our battles with care—political, religious … personal.”

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Perfiditas by Alison Morton

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Obtained from: Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours

Read: April 14, 2014

Captain Carina Mitela of the Praetorian Guard Special Forces is in trouble - one colleague has tried to kill her and another has set a trap to falsely incriminate her in a conspiracy to topple the government of Roma Nova. Founded sixteen hundred years ago by Roman dissidents and ruled by women, Roma Nova barely survived a devastating coup d'etat thirty years ago. Carina swears to prevent a repeat and not merely for love of country. If she turns to an old friend with interests on both sides of the law, it could wreck her marriage to the enigmatic Conrad. Carina is determined to hunt down the conspirators, but proscribed and operating illegally, she risks being terminated by both regular security services and the conspirators. As she struggles to overcome the desperate odds and save her beloved Roma Nova and her own life, she faces the ultimate betrayal.

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In the spirit of full disclosure I think it important to note I started Alison Morton's Perfiditas four times before actually finishing the novel. I'd no experience with the series, but had been told familiarity was of no consequence and naively jumped into book two without a second thought. 

Unfortunately, my information wasn't as accurate as I'd been led to believe and I quickly felt overwhelmed by the material. Aware my lack of understanding was negatively impacting my experience, I went back to the drawing board, returning to Perfiditas only after I'd finished Inceptio. Overkill? Perhaps, but the tactic worked better than I'd hoped.

Despite the rumors, Perfiditas is in many ways an extension of its predecessor. Picking up seven years after the initial installment, book two reunites readers with Karen Brown, now Captain Carina Mitela, inside Roma Nova and though the plot is in and of itself an independent adventure, it is heavily reliant on the relationships and background information illustrated in book one.

This observation aside, I liked the complex conspiracies a lot more this go round. Less straightforward than those seen in Inceptio, Morton's outdid herself, weaving a tangled web of intrigue that quite literally had me on the edge of my seat. 

Also of note, Morton's application of Roman culture. Though unmistakable in Inceptio, the scope of Perfiditas allowed her to delve deeper into Roma Nova's roots and in so doing, produce stronger historical themes than those recognized in the previous installment.

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He was a normal person caught in an abnormal dilemma. Despising people for not standing up to the threat of extreme violence was easy in theory, but when faced with it, the average person was shit-scared. They wanted it to go away. If pushed, they would run away to survive. Aidan didn't have that option. 

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Be Sure to Check all the Stops on Alison Morton's Perfiditas Virtual Book Tour

Monday, April 14
Review at Flashlight Commentary

Tuesday, April 15
Interview at Flashlight Commentary

Thursday, April 17
Spotlight & Giveaway at Broken Teepee

Monday, April 21
Review at Book Nerd

Wednesday, April 23
Review at History From a Woman’s Perspective

Friday, April 25
Interview at Dianne Ascroft

Monday, April 28
Spotlight & Giveaway at Bibliophilic Book Blog

Tuesday, April 29
Review at Ink Sugar Blog

Wednesday, April 30
Interview & Giveaway at Ink Sugar Blog

Friday, May 2
Spotlight & Giveaway at Historical Fiction Connection

Monday, May 5
Review at A Bibliotaph’s Reviews

Thursday, May 8
Interview & Giveaway at Books and Benches

Monday, May 12
Guest Post at Royalty Free Fiction

Tuesday, May 13
Review & Interview at Tower of Babel

Friday, May 16
Spotlight at Reviews by Molly

Inceptio by Alison Morton

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Obtained from: Personal Library

Read: April 13, 2014

New York, present day, alternate reality. Karen Brown, angry and frightened after a kidnap attempt, has a choice - being eliminated by government enforcer Jeffery Renschman or fleeing to mysterious Roma Nova, her dead mother's homeland in Europe. Founded sixteen centuries ago by Roman exiles and ruled by women, Roma Nova gives Karen safety, at a price, and a ready-made family. Just as she's finding her feet, a shocking discovery about her new lover, special forces officer Conrad Tellus, isolates her. But the enforcer has crossed to Europe to pursue her. Unable to rely on anybody else, she undergoes intensive training, develops fighting skills and becomes an undercover cop. But crazy with bitterness at his past failures, Renschman sets a trap for her, knowing she has no choice but to spring it... An alternate history adventure, first in the Roma Nova series

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I have a confession folks, one I'm almost ashamed to make considering how much I ultimately enjoyed Alison Morton's Inceptio. What am I confessing you ask? Well, despite my enthusiasm, I actually acquired the title in hopes of making it through book two. 

The books are written and marketed as standalones, which is why I'd consented to reading them out of order, but all things considered, I personally feel the series easier to comprehend when the novels are read chronologically. 

Why do I feel this way? Well, most of it comes down to the basic structure of Morton's debut. Recognizing how essential it was to understand the world her characters inhabit, the author spent a lot of time easing her readers into this alternative history, introducing ideas and concept in maneagable incements that don't overwhelm the reader. 

She exerts similar effort developing herione Karen Brown while fleshing out supporting characters like Lurio and Conrad. There is an organic feel bonds these characters share and the readers gets a very clear understanding of who these people are. 

A political thriller, the story is rather instense, but it has nice movement and an intriguingly engaging plot. Loosely inspired by our own history, Morton draws readers into an imaginative and dangerous world, taking her audience on a whirlwind adventure that is impossible to forget. 

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‘Look, I don’t know about Roma Nova but that type of thing doesn’t happen here. Every citizen is free to do as they please, as long as it’s not illegal. That includes businesses . The government can’t force them into anything.’ 

Then I realised what I’d said. God, it was ironic. When I floored Junior Hartenwyck, I’d become a victim of that same government. But I wasn’t going to back down now, not in front of a foreigner and certainly not in front of Conrad.

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The Boleyn King by Laura Andersen

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Obtained from: Netgalley

Read: April 13, 2013

What if Anne did not miscarry her son in January 1536, but instead gave birth to a healthy royal boy? Henry IX, known as William, is a 17-year-old king struggling at the restraints of the regency and anxious to prove himself. With the French threatening battle and the Catholics plotting at home, Will trusts only three people: his older sister, Elizabeth; his best friend and loyal counselor, Dominic; and Minuette, a young orphan raised as a royal ward by Anne Boleyn. Against an undercurrent of secret documents, conflicting intelligence operations, and private murder, William fights a foreign war and domestic rebellion with equal resolve. But when he and Dominic both fall in love with Minuette, romantic obsession menaces a new generation of Tudors. Battlefields and council chambers, trials and executions, the blindness of first love and the betrayal of true friendship...How far will William go to get what he wants? Who will pay the price for a king's revenge? And what twists of fate will set Elizabeth on the path to her destiny as England's queen?

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Henry VIII and Anne Hunting

I admit, I had to gather my courage before diving into Laura Andersen's The Boleyn King. Devoted as I am to history, I find the concept of alternative fiction fascinating. In the right hands it presents a tantalizing opportunity for brilliance, but in the wrong hands, well, in the wrong hands the term epic disaster seems most appropriate. So where in this spectrum does Andersen fall huh? In all honesty somewhere between three and four stars, but I'm willing to give her the benefit of the doubt for creativity and the general respect she has for her fact based material. 

The book is told from several points of view, my favorite being Princess Elizabeth. Even I admit it is a bias opinion as unlike William, Dominic and Minuette, I already had a clear idea of who she was as a character if not how her life would play out in this alternative 1536. Possessing a certain fondness for the historic Elizabeth, I was relieved to find Andersen's characterization was still the fiercely independent woman of legend, even if the circumstances of Andersen's story left her chaffing under the rule of her mother, Anne Boleyn.

The author's nod to how different these women were and how their characters would have clashed is only the first of several historical tidbits Andersen slipped into the piece which is why I am shocked so few, and by few I mean none of the other reviews I read touched on the obvious research Anderson put into the piece. I mean no disrespect, but there is really so much more here than a fanciful jaunt into what might have been.

Andersen makes only one direct change to the history, allowing the son Anne historically delivered stillborn, to come into the world a healthy and thriving baby boy. It is a significant change, one that alters the entire course of Tudor history, but even in this alternate world, certain parallels exist. Thomas Seymour still has an unattractive affinity for young women, Jane Grey is still being thrust at the unmarried Tudor monarch by her power hungry relations, Mary still holds Anne accountable for her mother's downfall, George Boleyn remains angrily saddled with the sour Jane Parker and our young Elizabeth still bares a tender affection for the already wed Robert Dudley. Fanciful though her work is, Anderson went to great lengths to maintain some level of authenticity.  I did not expect this attention to detail in an alternative piece, but was pleasantly surprised to find it within these pages.

The Boleyn King is impressive, but I can't say it is entirely without flaw. For one thing, there are few if any sensory details to describe the settings. Perhaps Andersen felt her readers would already be familiar enough with these locals to picture them, but I must admit, my imaginings were often bare and nondescript. I also felt, particularly when our male leads interacted with the girls, that the story read more like a young adult piece than the adult historic fiction I tend to favor. 

All and in a surprising piece that more than exceeded my expectations. Maybe not as hard hitting a story as I wanted, but entertaining just the same. 

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"I am English before I am Catholic - and I am an opportunist before either."

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Catherine the Inquisitor by Leigh Jenkins

Rating: ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

Obtained from: Personal Kindle Library

Read: August 3, 2012 

He killed his wives, broke from Catholicism and founded his own church. But history could have been quite different for Henry the VIII, as author Leigh Jenkins proves in this alternative history series, if only one key moment had changed in each of his marriages. The first book of the series, Catherine the Inquisitor, explores how life would have been different if Henry and Catherine's first child, a boy named Henry, had lived instead of died less than six weeks after his birth. With his much sought after heir, Henry would feel no need to create the Church of England or travel down the destructive path that led to his wives’ murders. But would that have been best for England? Jenkins delves inside one of history's greatest enigmas – the mind of King Henry the VIII of England. This intense, often poignant, look at King Henry shows that, with a twist of fate, England could have remembered a very different king.

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Eventually I'm going to have to start heeding the warnings of other readers or I'm going to straight up lose all semblance of sanity. Despite plenty of warnings, I attempted Leigh Jenkins' Catherine the Inquisitor. The end result? Well, I spent an entire evening telling myself that opening a review with the line 'fuck wank bugger shitting arse head and hole' isn't constructive even if it does describe my reading experience.

By the end of the first chapter I had pretty much determined the book wasn't my kind of read and I figured I would be penning yet another 'not for me' two star review. Catherine is a domineering ox with absolutely no regard for her husband's title or position? Henry is a sniveling weakling with no aptitude for life at court? I thought we were exploring what might have been had Catherine's son survived infancy, but this felt more like a a visit to the twilight zone. 

Now different interpretations of character aren't unheard of. It happens right? Not a big deal. You agree to disagree and walk away. Other issues were harder for me to ignore.

• Loc. 349: "In turn, Edward's sons had been smothered by their uncle who was in pursuit of the throne."
  
  They were smothered? By Richard? This has been definitively proven? Can I see a coroner's report and a copy of the trial proceedings? Forgive me but last I checked the fate of Edward V and his brother Richard of Shrewsbury remains unsolved and again, the only fact that was supposed to be changed, is the survival of Catherine's son.
   
• Loc. 761: "[Catherine] had not been so demanding earlier in our marriage. I was not sure if Catherine had not noticed my infidelities or if she hadn't cared as long as I came to her bed."
  
  Really? I could have sworn that not only was she that demanding but that she was also well aware of your philandering. Loc. 114: "' I will be churched in two weeks. See that she is gone.' It was useless to act as though I hadn't taken a lady to my bed while Catherine had been lying in the past month. I gave her a short nod and left her chamber..."
   
• I can forgive the odd typo, even the most seasoned and respected writers make them, but repeated errors are particularly distracting and can leave readers with a very negative impression of one's work. 
  
  Various Locations: Margaret Beufort (Beaufort) 
  Various locations: King Louise of France (Louis)  
  Various locations: weld (wield)  
  Various locations: lead (led) 

I think Jenkins had an interesting concept but as the saying goes 'writing is ten percent inspiration and ninety percent perspiration.' I feel Catherine the Inquisitor has potential in terms of concept but the piece, as it currently stands, is more than a little rough. 

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Mary nodded and looked towards her mother but it seemed that Catherine, white with shock over the loss of her son, was not prepared to say anything. With a smile, Mary turned to look at me, her face strong and proud. 

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The House of Special Purpose by Colin Falconer

Rating: ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

Obtained from: Personal Kindle Library

Read: Dec. 21, 2011 

For years no one knew what happened to Czar Nicholas and his family after the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917. It was decades before the whole truth came out. The deadly account of what happened to them in Ekatinerberg, in the House of Special Purpose draws on eyewitness accounts and is told from the point of view of Anastasia, the Czar's youngest daughter. The facts are so ghastly - and so farcical - they defy belief. The story brings to vivid life the events of the last months of the Romanovs and is the prequel to Colin Falconer's bestselling novel: Anastasia. How was it possible for any of the children to have survived? You won't believe the answer; except that it's all true.

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*** NOTE: This review contains spoilers. Please take heed and proceed at your own risk. 

Engagement official picture of Tsar Nicholas II
and Alexandra Feodorovna

I must apologize. I’ve hardly done any reading lately and as a result I have neglected my blog. In truth I haven’t been feeling all that great, but I’m back on my feet. Well, better than I’ve been at any rate. Anyway, enough about me. Now for my thoughts on The House of Special Purpose.

There is a line in historic fiction. It is either a fictional account of the truth or a fantastic romp featuring characters who happen to have actually existed. I favor the former and in general don’t have a lot of appreciation for the latter. Colin Falconer’s novella might entertain those unfamiliar with the facts, but I found his story poorly researched. Some elements appear to be purely fabricated while others are based on nothing more than rumor and gossip.

In Falconer’s narrative, all five children arrive in Yekaterinberg together. This is an element that contradicts the known facts. The family was briefly separated in April 1918. Alexandra (or Alexandria as Falconer sometimes refers to her) and Nicholas traveled with Maria several weeks before the other children. Olga, Tatiana, Anastasia and Alexei remained in Tobolsk until Alexei was well enough to make the journey.

Every chapter opens with a quotation, a few unattributed lines of text. This is what I mean by fabrications. The content doesn’t concern me as much as the lack of source material. These quotes don’t appear in any other document. I’ve googled them and the only results are hits for Falconer’s work. I guess I don’t understand why the chapters open this way. The quotes appear out of place in the story as well as misleading as they don’t appear to belong to any character historic or fictitious.

As for elements based on rumor and unverifiable fact I have only three words to give you: Tatiana ganged raped. I know rape was a common rumor and I understand why. Four princesses held in captivity until their bloody execution. What vilifies their captors more than portraying them as having stripped away of the innocence of one of these young women by violating her body? I’ve read several books on the family's captivity, but not one of those academic texts states that a rape occurred in the Ipatiev House. One of the guards said “I felt the empress myself and she was warm” and another is supposed to have declared “Now I can die in peace because I have squeezed the empress’s breasts” while disposing of the bodies, but beyond the rather disgusting idea of violating a corpse I’ve found nothing to support the event Falconer exploits in the course of his story.

I have a million other comments on the novella, but I think one example of each point more than adequately expresses my opinion. Would I feel differently if Falconer explained the content in his author’s notes? Perhaps, though I think it is important to state that The House of Special Purpose carries no disclaimers, no references, nothing beyond “If you enjoyed this book, look for the sequel: Anastasia now out on Kindle: US and Kindle UK.” The lack of commentary speaks louder than the piece itself and the sales attempt discloses what I believe to be the true purpose behind the piece.

The truth of the Romanov’s last days will never be known, but I find Falconer’s version overly exaggerated and sensational. A disgraceful exploitation of the tragic fate of the Romanovs. The only thing I find more upsetting is the final line of the cover blurb. It’s all true. This story was published in 2011. The remains of Nicholas, Alexandra, Olga, Tatiana, Botkin, Demidova, Trupp, Kharitonov and one of the younger daughters were discovered in 1979 and were officially identified through DNA testing in 1998. The remains of Alexei and the last Grand Duchess were discovered in 2007 and officially identified through DNA in 2008. The idea of a survivor is great story telling fodder, but at this point, when science has disproved the possibility, I have a lot more respect for the authors who stick to fictionalizing the unknown aspects of what we know to have happened.

One final note. The sequel blurb (I have no intention of actually reading the book) put me in mind of the 1986 made for tv movie Anastasia: The Mystery of Anna which starred Amy Irving, Olivia de Havilland, Omar Sharif, Rex Harrison and a very young Christian Bale. The Mystery of Anna takes place in two parts, featuring the last days of the family, then flashing forward to a young woman throwing herself into a river in Berlin. The woman is rescued and sent to an institution where she is diagnosed amnesic. The story is of course based on the life of Anna Anderson. Falconer’s Anastasia appears to take place in Shanghai, obviously not Berlin, but according to the blurb the story also begins with an amnesic woman being rescued from a river. I sincerely hope my initial impressions prove incorrect, but I can't help but be turned off by the overused story line.

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Two more bullets hit the doctor in the stomach and as he doubled over she saw another bullet make a sudden, dark hole in the top of his bald head and he collapsed into the floor.

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