Scan barcode
wabeywoo's review against another edition
3.0
I liked it but it was a slog. I think I've got my head around what was happening but I have picked this up and put it down so many times since I started it I'm not really sure! Still enjoyable - deep down anyway!
knitswithbeer's review against another edition
5.0
Unexpected twist
Enough truth and historical fact but still a rollicking good story.
Have the second book to read but as always with such books, am first going to do some research.
Enough truth and historical fact but still a rollicking good story.
Have the second book to read but as always with such books, am first going to do some research.
sfletcher26's review against another edition
4.0
A enjoyable romp through Elizabethan England in the company of Dr. John Dee, Lawyer, Astrologer, Alchemist and Queen's conjurer.
bunnieslikediamonds's review against another edition
4.0
I cannot for the life of me give this a fair review. It was one of those audiobooks that put me right to sleep, meaning it deserves five stars for curing insomnia alone. Of course that also means that I wasn't exactly sure what was going on, and I have a feeling it was kinda slow, but basically it was about John Dee (yes THE John Dee) looking for King Arthur's bones in Glastonbury, where he comes across fresher, murdered, corpses. Fun! Sir Robert Dudley acts as his side kick, although he's down with some kind of flu most of the time. Since I have nothing else of value to say in this the most useless of book reviews, I will just inform those who may not know that Sir Robert was a fox and may have been banging Queen Elizabeth:
mkday82's review against another edition
challenging
dark
slow-paced
3.5
Book #13 - 2023
Title: The Bones Of Avalon
(Book 1 of 2 - John Dee Papers)
Author: Phil Rickman
Pages: 534
Started: 08/07/2023
Finished: 30/07/2023
🌟🌟🌟▫️5️⃣
I have owned this book for quite some time, purchased on a whim because it’s by one of my favourite authors; Phil Rickman. I finally decided to read it; I enjoyed it but did find it a bit of an effort to get through at times, hence the three and a half stars. The story is set in England in 1560, when 26yo Elizabeth Tudor is Queen (Queen Elizabeth 1). The book is written from the POV of Dr John Dee, the courts astronomer and advisor, and has been set the task to recover King Arthur’s bones and present to Queen Elizabeth. Some people and events that take place in the story are part of recorded history and have been mentioned in biographies and diaries. For me, sometimes the story flowed well and I wanted to keep reading to know what happened next and at other ones I almost felt like I was reading a text book. I probably wouldn’t read this book again but I will still read book 2; The Heresy of Dr Dee.
didactylos's review against another edition
4.0
Very enjoyable, steeped in fell for the period and some lovely phrases used. Didn't see the denouement until quite late on.
arthurbdd's review against another edition
2.0
What is the point of writing a historical novel if you are not going to bother researching the history? This novel uses the premise of John Dee's command of magic being real, but doesn't bother using authentic Elizabethan magic when detailing what he gets up to, instead just using a rehash of the sort of Golden Dawn-derived stuff that's become pervasive thanks to Crowley's Thelemite magical system and Gardner's Wicca cribbing from the Golden Dawn so extensively.
All this, of course, would be essentially invented centuries after Dee's death, adding an annoyingly anachronism to proceedings which could have been avoided with just a bit more research. (And if, as an author, you don't want to read up on the history, what the hell are you doing writing a historical novel?) Full review: https://fakegeekboy.wordpress.com/2012/04/23/kindlefluff-mixing-up-history-and-slicing-up-dicks/
All this, of course, would be essentially invented centuries after Dee's death, adding an annoyingly anachronism to proceedings which could have been avoided with just a bit more research. (And if, as an author, you don't want to read up on the history, what the hell are you doing writing a historical novel?) Full review: https://fakegeekboy.wordpress.com/2012/04/23/kindlefluff-mixing-up-history-and-slicing-up-dicks/
mruhawk's review against another edition
1.0
I've tried really hard, but I just can't get into this book! Gave up and started another!
traceyvj's review against another edition
2.0
I love Elizabethan history, King Arthur, and a bit of spooky stuff. And I rate Phil Rickman as an author. This should've been an amazing book! But it was so boring I had to push myself to finish it. Not quite sure what went wrong.
karenangela_1's review against another edition
4.0
Really enjoyed this although it did flag a little in the middle before picking up again towards the end. I liked the twist towards the end although I do think it was made a little to obvious that Nel hadn't killed anybody, that she was a victim of intolerance.