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luluwoohoo's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
The Dangerous Kingdom Of Love by Neil Blackmore
☀️☀️☀️☀️⛅
A contemporary take on one of history's greatest men (just ask him), this novel is witty, charming and unfailingly captivating from start to finish.
There is such style and personality in Blackmore's writing - it is without a doubt the star of the book. Bacon's worldview is 'futuristic' within the story but also in the post-modern concepts and language employed to describe it, which involve many direct asides to the readers. It is the writing's self-awareness that lures you into trusting Bacon's perception of things, only to realise by the end that he's a wonderfully unreliable narrator who is as flawed as they come.
The examinations of power and society's hierarchy are textured and well placed to establish Bacon's baseline narcissism, particularly his relationship with Mrs Turner in which we start to see the cracks in Bacon's narrative perception. The power imbalance between himself and George is mirrored with that of George and the King, though naturally we are provided with very different takes on each. Blackmore also digs into identity through the feeling of otherness - in this case, mostly queerness - and history - how it's written, and who by - with a great deal of care. For an arguably heavy handed book, there are a lot of nuanced ideas to be found.
Selling an utterly unlikeable character as the main narrator is a tough pitch at the best of times but Bacon is impossible to hate thanks to Blackmore's skill and quality of writing. This book appears to be (by Goodreads standards) very under the radar, which is a real shame because it's a gem of a book!
☀️☀️☀️☀️⛅
A contemporary take on one of history's greatest men (just ask him), this novel is witty, charming and unfailingly captivating from start to finish.
There is such style and personality in Blackmore's writing - it is without a doubt the star of the book. Bacon's worldview is 'futuristic' within the story but also in the post-modern concepts and language employed to describe it, which involve many direct asides to the readers. It is the writing's self-awareness that lures you into trusting Bacon's perception of things, only to realise by the end that he's a wonderfully unreliable narrator who is as flawed as they come.
The examinations of power and society's hierarchy are textured and well placed to establish Bacon's baseline narcissism, particularly his relationship with Mrs Turner in which we start to see the cracks in Bacon's narrative perception. The power imbalance between himself and George is mirrored with that of George and the King, though naturally we are provided with very different takes on each. Blackmore also digs into identity through the feeling of otherness - in this case, mostly queerness - and history - how it's written, and who by - with a great deal of care. For an arguably heavy handed book, there are a lot of nuanced ideas to be found.
Selling an utterly unlikeable character as the main narrator is a tough pitch at the best of times but Bacon is impossible to hate thanks to Blackmore's skill and quality of writing. This book appears to be (by Goodreads standards) very under the radar, which is a real shame because it's a gem of a book!
"When had I stopped being the person who had so seriously, so avowedly, kept love in abeyance all my life? I tried to think of how he had been able to seduce me so; no, I don't mean sexually, I mean in the marrow in my bones, the blood in my veins, in my teeth, and lungs and belly."
james128's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
francisdee's review against another edition
3.0
Read via NetGalley.
DNF at 48%
I'm sorry, I really tried to give this book a chance. It has everything I should like in a book: history, evil gays, lot's of gays at that, explicit sex, fun characters, court plots.. and yet. I don't know. It might just be me, I just wasn't enthralled by the writing style I guess. Sorry Francis, nothing personal against you <3
DNF at 48%
I'm sorry, I really tried to give this book a chance. It has everything I should like in a book: history, evil gays, lot's of gays at that, explicit sex, fun characters, court plots.. and yet. I don't know. It might just be me, I just wasn't enthralled by the writing style I guess. Sorry Francis, nothing personal against you <3
charliexo's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
uss_mary_shelley's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Homophobia, Cursing, Alcohol, Physical abuse, and Violence
Moderate: Death, Murder, Animal death, Confinement, Outing, Sexual content, and Torture
Minor: Classism and Child death
northie's review
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
5.0
How do you like your Bacon?
Francis Bacon is an important cog in the royal court - not titled, not a favourite, but he has the ear of the king nonetheless. James I (and VI) has been transplanted from Scotland to the English court. He's different from the old queen in many ways. One way is, though he's married (as any monarch should be), he's what would be described nowadays as gay. Maybe bi? Certainly queer.
As we listen to Bacon telling his story, it becomes clear he too isn't straight. These two facts colour the entire novel, driving the action and making you realise Bacon's account might be suspect. Why does he act one way and then another? Is he being true to himself, never mind the people he comes into contact with? As Bacon navigates his life at court, of course, he doesn't do so in a vacuum. Lies, intrigue, plots, and the fight for survival figure prominently.
I'd put off reading this novel for several months. Why? Maybe for easier reads. However, once I got stuck in, it was one of those books I couldn't put down. Both the book and Philip Stevens' narration are wonderful - rich, satisfying, and colourful. One to be read again.
Francis Bacon is an important cog in the royal court - not titled, not a favourite, but he has the ear of the king nonetheless. James I (and VI) has been transplanted from Scotland to the English court. He's different from the old queen in many ways. One way is, though he's married (as any monarch should be), he's what would be described nowadays as gay. Maybe bi? Certainly queer.
As we listen to Bacon telling his story, it becomes clear he too isn't straight. These two facts colour the entire novel, driving the action and making you realise Bacon's account might be suspect. Why does he act one way and then another? Is he being true to himself, never mind the people he comes into contact with? As Bacon navigates his life at court, of course, he doesn't do so in a vacuum. Lies, intrigue, plots, and the fight for survival figure prominently.
I'd put off reading this novel for several months. Why? Maybe for easier reads. However, once I got stuck in, it was one of those books I couldn't put down. Both the book and Philip Stevens' narration are wonderful - rich, satisfying, and colourful. One to be read again.
lavendels's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
junovverse's review
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Listen, I picked up on Bacon being an unreliable narrator pretty quickly (any character who has to TELL you "I'm an honest person" is probably full of shit), and yet he still managed to pull me in. I didn't expect just HOW wrong he'd been about the events he was telling, even if could see the signs here or there, and the last confrontation made me cry for both George and Francis.
moomints's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0