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schnaucl's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This was a very well written novel based on the premise that Christopher "Kit" Marlowe was a spy, something the author's note at the end says there's actually some evidence in the historical record to support.
Epstein does a good job showing the toll espionage takes on Kit. He can want the plots to fail but still feel sympathy for the people involved in the plots and still feel the weight of the consequences he helped bring about.
I've never read his plays but now i want to read Doctor Faustus.
It was well told tell with interesting characters.Sadly, it does follow history at the end, but that's hardly Allison Epstein's fault.
Epstein does a good job showing the toll espionage takes on Kit. He can want the plots to fail but still feel sympathy for the people involved in the plots and still feel the weight of the consequences he helped bring about.
I've never read his plays but now i want to read Doctor Faustus.
It was well told tell with interesting characters.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Violence, Religious bigotry, Classism, and Cursing
Minor: Alcohol, Torture, Drug use, Grief, and Homophobia
diadoodle's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Violence, and Death
Moderate: Homophobia
jhbandcats's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I knew little to nothing about Christopher Marlowe before reading this; my schooling was more focused on Shakespeare than anyone else writing at the same time. I found the whole story fascinating, and I found the author’s interpretation believable. If Kit Marlowe *was* a spy (and it looks like he was), this book shows how his life might’ve played out.
Marlowe and his lover Tom are fleshed out and they’re both clever, likable characters. I wish we could have spent more time with them and their warm, if occasionally fraught, relationship. Others around them, from Walsingham to Mary Queen of Scots, are sketched in enough so we understand their priorities and compulsions.
I stayed up too late reading and as a result this isn’t a very articulate review, but I just want to reiterate how much I loved this book. I loved Kit and Tom and was fascinated by Walsingham, and I loved learning about them and the history of Elizabethan spycraft.
Marlowe and his lover Tom are fleshed out and they’re both clever, likable characters. I wish we could have spent more time with them and their warm, if occasionally fraught, relationship. Others around them, from Walsingham to Mary Queen of Scots, are sketched in enough so we understand their priorities and compulsions.
I stayed up too late reading and as a result this isn’t a very articulate review, but I just want to reiterate how much I loved this book. I loved Kit and Tom and was fascinated by Walsingham, and I loved learning about them and the history of Elizabethan spycraft.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Blood, Gore, Murder, Violence, Confinement, Torture, Classism, Death, and Religious bigotry
caidyn's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
When I saw this book, I wasn't sure what it was about. I had no idea what it would be, just that it was historical fiction with Christopher Marlowe and I had to give it a try. I read it in under 24 hours because it was so good. I knew nothing about Marlowe, but now I'm going to have to start reading about him because this really whet my appetite with how he was portrayed. A likely queer man who could have been a spy and also died mysteriously? Count me in. This was a very good book and I've already been recommending it to people.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Religious bigotry, and Sexual content
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship
biblio_jordyn's review
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
“It brought a sense of petty satisfaction, watching someone who doubted you adjust their expectations.”
Scholarship student and future playwright, Christopher Marlowe, gets pulled aside by Queen Elizabeth I’s Spymaster for an opportunity...be a spy. Dangling gold and thrills to the student who came from nothing? How could he say no?
I, usually, don’t read historical fiction, but this one caught my eye because of the description.
Historical fiction? Thriller? LGBTQIA Representation? All wrapped into one? I was sold.
What could have been better?
There were some sections that I thought dragged, which could have been replaced with scenes with action and espionage, but that could be me being impatient and just wanting a full on drama.
What I liked?
For the most part, the storyline was interesting and believable. The espionage portions of this book were ADDICTING. The writing immersed me in England with familiar playwrights like William Shakespeare in some sections. ALSO! Portions of this book were based in truth (not all, which is all explained at the end in the authors note). Honestly, reading this felt like watching a spy movie/tv show. I was left with a new found love I didn’t know I would have!
This is a book I WOULD LOVE to see turn into a Netflix original series, can we make that happen?
This author has definitely sold me on historical thrillers!
Scholarship student and future playwright, Christopher Marlowe, gets pulled aside by Queen Elizabeth I’s Spymaster for an opportunity...be a spy. Dangling gold and thrills to the student who came from nothing? How could he say no?
I, usually, don’t read historical fiction, but this one caught my eye because of the description.
Historical fiction? Thriller? LGBTQIA Representation? All wrapped into one? I was sold.
What could have been better?
There were some sections that I thought dragged, which could have been replaced with scenes with action and espionage, but that could be me being impatient and just wanting a full on drama.
What I liked?
For the most part, the storyline was interesting and believable. The espionage portions of this book were ADDICTING. The writing immersed me in England with familiar playwrights like William Shakespeare in some sections. ALSO! Portions of this book were based in truth (not all, which is all explained at the end in the authors note). Honestly, reading this felt like watching a spy movie/tv show. I was left with a new found love I didn’t know I would have!
This is a book I WOULD LOVE to see turn into a Netflix original series, can we make that happen?
This author has definitely sold me on historical thrillers!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Murder
jamesflint's review
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Death
Moderate: Child abuse
Minor: Domestic abuse
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