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.

11/22/63

11/22/63 by Stephen King

For all the Stephen King haters out there, this book is not horror.  Also, Stephen King is one of the few writers that can develop a character in a single paragraph to the point where you are completely engaged with that character and are ready to delve into the depths of the story with that person so if you hate horror, pick one of his other books and read it (like this one).

For those old enough to remember, 11/22/63 was the date that John F. Kennedy was shot and killed.  Now, if you were a writer and could write a "what if" with regards to that date, what would you do?

Being a lover of time travel in the Outlander series as well as traveling with The Doctor, this book was right up my alley.  If you can suspend your disbelief long enough to read this wonderful "what if", I highly recommend it.

I loved this book.  The character, Jake Epping, was wonderfully believable.  I was engaged with his inner-wrestling.  I thought he was great making up stories on the fly (and I was ready to believe that he was the one making this stuff up).  This was a great trip back in history and I learned much about Lee Harvey Oswald but also what life was like in the late 50's and early 60's.  I have always had a vision of Happy Days but that isn't really the picture portrayed by King.  The anachronisms that rise up to bite Jake in the butt at times, were often sneaky enough that I didn't catch them.  I would be terrible at time travel in the long-term.  Sure, I could probably pop in to a different time for a day or two but for many years, I would probably fail miserably.

Anyway, before I blow it and give too much away, just read this book.