The Poisoned Pilgrim by Oliver Potzsch
This is the latest book in the Hangman's Daughter series.
I think this is a great series of historical fiction and Potzsch ends his books with a tour guide of the town (or locale) where the book takes place. He points out the buildings that still stand that were featured in his novel and gives you good insight into the historical events that transpired.
This book takes place in 1666 at and around the monastery at Andechs. As always, he covers what passed for medicine at the time but also gives us insight as to the advancements in science and the experiments that were being done at the time. We also get to meet an automaton which were apparently all the rage in the more cosmopolitan areas of the era.
I highly recommend this series but start at the beginning so you get the full benefit of the character development over the course of the four books.
Showing posts with label Germany. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Germany. Show all posts
Friday, August 1, 2014
Thursday, June 5, 2014
The Beggar King
The Beggar King by Oliver Potzsch
This is the third book in the Hangman's Daughter series and it does not disappoint.
I really enjoy this series. There is intrigue and mystery as well as the peek into life in a historical world. I'm not sure if I'll ever need to know about various forms of torture or the implements used in torture but it is interesting nonetheless. Also interesting is that the hangman would need to be able to heal his victims so that they could endure more torture the next day. Just proves what sick creatures humans are to come up with that idea.
The hangman's daughter, Magdalena, and her secret lover, Simon, get themselves into trouble as usual but this time they are also having to save Magdalena's father, the hangman. Complete with politics, medicines, poisons and social commentary, this book offers it all.
At the end of the book, just like the last, the author provides a modern guide through the city of the story. He takes you through the streets of the novel and gives you information on the main buildings that you can see if you were to travel to Regensburg Germany.
I highly recommend this book but if you haven't read the others, start with The Hangman's Daughter and then read them in order.
This is the third book in the Hangman's Daughter series and it does not disappoint.
I really enjoy this series. There is intrigue and mystery as well as the peek into life in a historical world. I'm not sure if I'll ever need to know about various forms of torture or the implements used in torture but it is interesting nonetheless. Also interesting is that the hangman would need to be able to heal his victims so that they could endure more torture the next day. Just proves what sick creatures humans are to come up with that idea.
The hangman's daughter, Magdalena, and her secret lover, Simon, get themselves into trouble as usual but this time they are also having to save Magdalena's father, the hangman. Complete with politics, medicines, poisons and social commentary, this book offers it all.
At the end of the book, just like the last, the author provides a modern guide through the city of the story. He takes you through the streets of the novel and gives you information on the main buildings that you can see if you were to travel to Regensburg Germany.
I highly recommend this book but if you haven't read the others, start with The Hangman's Daughter and then read them in order.
Friday, October 5, 2012
The Winter of the World
The Winter of the World - Book 2 of the Century Trilogy by Ken Follett
This book takes us from 1933 through 1949. Once again, we are following five families from Wales, England, America, Germany and Russia.
I have decided that in a book such as this where we know the historical outcomes, a novelization of the scenario becomes that much more tense and anticipatory. I was just waiting to see which characters would be part of famous scenes and who would survive and who wouldn't.
This is the kind of book that is hard to put down and I would have loved to just been able to read non-stop. As it was, I had a couple very busy weeks and couldn't read as much as I liked. It took me 16 days to read the 940 pages of this book. I feel like starting all over again because it was so engaging.
Follett has created some very rich and real characters in this trilogy. By having most of his characters placed in a political position in the first book, he was able to keep them in a position of action or knowledge as the First and then the Second World War unfolded. There was a review on Amazon that someone was complaining that it wasn't plausible that all these people could meet and connect the way they do in the book. I disagree. I think that the circle of people in charge is not a very large one and the idea that a Senator and his son could encounter someone in the Red Army Intelligence community during a summit in World War II is completely believable. Also, this is a work of fiction so there are certain conveniences that the readers just need to go with.
I love this series and I think I'll need to re-read Fall of Giants and then Winter of the World again just before Book 3 is released.
On a side note, October is banned books month so your next book should be one that has been banned. Tomorrow ends the official Banned Books Week but check out the website www.bannedbooksweek.org for a list of books to choose from. I found I have read plenty. How about you?
This book takes us from 1933 through 1949. Once again, we are following five families from Wales, England, America, Germany and Russia.
I have decided that in a book such as this where we know the historical outcomes, a novelization of the scenario becomes that much more tense and anticipatory. I was just waiting to see which characters would be part of famous scenes and who would survive and who wouldn't.
This is the kind of book that is hard to put down and I would have loved to just been able to read non-stop. As it was, I had a couple very busy weeks and couldn't read as much as I liked. It took me 16 days to read the 940 pages of this book. I feel like starting all over again because it was so engaging.
Follett has created some very rich and real characters in this trilogy. By having most of his characters placed in a political position in the first book, he was able to keep them in a position of action or knowledge as the First and then the Second World War unfolded. There was a review on Amazon that someone was complaining that it wasn't plausible that all these people could meet and connect the way they do in the book. I disagree. I think that the circle of people in charge is not a very large one and the idea that a Senator and his son could encounter someone in the Red Army Intelligence community during a summit in World War II is completely believable. Also, this is a work of fiction so there are certain conveniences that the readers just need to go with.
I love this series and I think I'll need to re-read Fall of Giants and then Winter of the World again just before Book 3 is released.
On a side note, October is banned books month so your next book should be one that has been banned. Tomorrow ends the official Banned Books Week but check out the website www.bannedbooksweek.org for a list of books to choose from. I found I have read plenty. How about you?
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