Scan barcode
bookherd's review against another edition
4.0
This clever and fun novel casts John Dee as a spy for Elizabeth I. Mary Stuart is being held prisoner and watched closely on suspicion that she is plotting against the Queen, while everyone also worries about Philip of Spain sending ships to invade England and overthrow the Queen. Francis Walsingham has concocted a ruse to divert some of this trouble, but it goes wrong and he sends John Dee to fix the mess. The mess turns out to be more complex than expected, and the result is an enjoyable spy novel with an unusual hero.
Mary Stuart is portrayed as truly awful, so beware if you are a Mary Queen of Scots fan.
Mary Stuart is portrayed as truly awful, so beware if you are a Mary Queen of Scots fan.
elizabeththebookwoman's review against another edition
2.0
So....for lack of a better word, WEIRD! The plot was about a Dr. who becomes a spy for the queen but what was weird were the scenes about Queen Mary of Scots...seems like the author has some weird fetish with her to say the least.
Do not recommend and the only reason I finished the book is because it is less than 300 pages thank God.
Do not recommend and the only reason I finished the book is because it is less than 300 pages thank God.
vlawton's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual violence
nicoleabouttown's review against another edition
3.0
Mini-Review
This one was kind of interesting but didn't really wow me. I used to be hugely into historical fiction and I've fallen off it in the last few years, so The Eyes of the Queen: A Novel by Oliver Clements was a good way to immerse myself back into the genre. I was intrigued by the premise that the main character is essentially the first MI6 agent. It was an interesting thought, but the execution was lacking. The being in love with Queen Elizabeth I part is very predictable and vastly overdone. Some of the plots and the way Jack foils them are very McGuyveresque so that really lost some points for me. While it was supposed to be historical fiction, it had too many modern elements to it that just didn't work.
This one was kind of interesting but didn't really wow me. I used to be hugely into historical fiction and I've fallen off it in the last few years, so The Eyes of the Queen: A Novel by Oliver Clements was a good way to immerse myself back into the genre. I was intrigued by the premise that the main character is essentially the first MI6 agent. It was an interesting thought, but the execution was lacking. The being in love with Queen Elizabeth I part is very predictable and vastly overdone. Some of the plots and the way Jack foils them are very McGuyveresque so that really lost some points for me. While it was supposed to be historical fiction, it had too many modern elements to it that just didn't work.
swimminhj's review against another edition
2.0
Well, a little disappointed with this one. I really enjoyed Part One and the beginning of Part Two but then things slowed way down and became quite lackluster. Also, the allusion to James Bond was seemingly disjointed. It got to the point where I was dreading picking it up but know I had to finish it. I'm sad because I really wanted to like this.
katemarlowe's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Oliver Clement’s first installment in the Agents of the Crown series follows John Dee, a famous 16th century mathematician living at the birth of the Elizabethan Age who becomes England’s first official 00 Agent. Duly titled “The Eyes of the Queen”, we get the beginning of how Queen Elizabeth I and England’s secret service was born. While the book is a work of fiction, the story is based on truth as the characters did exist and there was conspiracy as to these events being the start of what we now know as MI6. What drew me to this book is the Dan Brown like intrigue involved but set in one of my favorite times in history. However, while reading it, what kept me reading was Oliver Clement’s writing style. I was surprisingly not as interested in the story itself at times but felt pulled in nonetheless by Clement’s remarkable talent at writing action sequences. I think this series has some great potential and I will definitely be picking up the rest of the books, I especially hope to see one of them starring my favorite rumored MI6 Agent, Christopher Marlowe!
sonderiism's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
theelizzz's review against another edition
2.0
So....for lack of a better word, WEIRD! The plot was about a Dr. who becomes a spy for the queen but what was weird were the scenes about Queen Mary of Scots...seems like the author has some weird fetish with her to say the least.
Do not recommend and the only reason I finished the book is because it is less than 300 pages thank God.
Do not recommend and the only reason I finished the book is because it is less than 300 pages thank God.
louisekf's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars
This is a complex story of spying on behalf of Queen Elizabeth and on behalf of her rival, Mary (popularly known as Mary, Queen of Scots) in 1572. It is a time of intense religious feeling, and the book opens with scenes of violence as Catholics slaughter Protestants (Huguenots) in France. In England there is fear that the Spanish are making plans to crush England via the sea in order to put the Catholic Mary on the English throne.
The adventures culminate with the establishment of Her Majesty’s Secret Service.
I enjoyed the exploits of Francis Walsingham and John Dee and loved reading the vivid descriptions of London and all the other locations - how disgusting the Seine and the Thames were! The story dragged in places, however. Also, there are some scenes that involve Mary, who is under house arrest in Sheffield, that involve sex toys, self-stimulation and stimulation required from her female servants that seemed to me totally unnecessary to the story.
Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the chance to read an advance copy of this book.
This is a complex story of spying on behalf of Queen Elizabeth and on behalf of her rival, Mary (popularly known as Mary, Queen of Scots) in 1572. It is a time of intense religious feeling, and the book opens with scenes of violence as Catholics slaughter Protestants (Huguenots) in France. In England there is fear that the Spanish are making plans to crush England via the sea in order to put the Catholic Mary on the English throne.
The adventures culminate with the establishment of Her Majesty’s Secret Service.
I enjoyed the exploits of Francis Walsingham and John Dee and loved reading the vivid descriptions of London and all the other locations - how disgusting the Seine and the Thames were! The story dragged in places, however. Also, there are some scenes that involve Mary, who is under house arrest in Sheffield, that involve sex toys, self-stimulation and stimulation required from her female servants that seemed to me totally unnecessary to the story.
Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the chance to read an advance copy of this book.