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4.23 AVERAGE
4.23 AVERAGE
1543. In the court of the aging Henry VIII the catholic fraction is again winning sympathy with the king. Gardiner and bishop Bonner are arresting protestants in the streets of London and Cranmer is worrying about his position. In the meantime, the king is looking for a sixth wife. He’s courting Lady Latimer, a friend of the Seymours who was recently widowed.
Matthew Shardlake receives a new case from the court of requests about a boy named Adam Kite who seems to have become mad. People talk he is possessed by the devil but Matthew and his friend Guy don’t believe so. When suddenly one of his fellow lawyers and comrades is brutally murdered, Shardlake and Barak once again are hunting a killer commissioned by Cranmer and the Seymours.
It’s no secret that I love this series. Revelation is the fourth book and in this story the topic of religion is explored. At the end of Henry VIII’s reign protestants and catholics were fighting for power. Bonner is burning protestant heretics, while at the same time the king is hunting a new wife with protestant sympathies… You can feel the unrest in the streets of London through the pages. It’s a great setting.
Shardlake again has two different cases to solve. We have the case of Adam Kite, a protestant boy who is talking about God and constantly praying. Because people believe him mad, he’s placed in the Bedlam hospital for the insane. A few days later, one of Matthew’s lawyer friends is cruelly killed in a fountain. Matthew promises his widow he will find the killer but before he knows he’s at court standing before the archbishop Cranmer and the brothers Seymour. There have been other killings and one of them is linked to Catherine Parr.
There are a few other secondary plot lines such as the relationship between Barak and Tamasin, the friendship between Matthew and Guy and Matthew’s own religious conscience which is once again tested. I did like the different stories, but the resolution around Adam Kite felt too fast and artificial. It seems Sansom especially wanted to introduce Ellen, one of the other inhabitants from the Bedlam hospital, as a character for the coming books. I also believe we will see more of Edward and Thomas Seymour.
Revolution has the disadvantage that it comes after Sovereign, which is still my favourite book from this series. But it is once again a great mystery novel in a phenomenal historical setting. I always like books that feature Catherine Parr, she was so much more than a nursemaid. Highly recommended series, but I suggest you start with the first one ‘Dissolution’.
Dutch review:
1543. De ouder wordende koning Henry VIII neigt steeds meer naar het oude katholieke geloof en dit geeft Gardiner en de wrede bisschop Bonner een kans om fanatieke protestanten op te pakken. Ook bij aartsbisschop Cranmer breekt het nat zweet uit. De koning probeer ondertussen Catherine Parr te versieren, wat hij niet weet is dat zij ook een protestantse is en dus wel eens de redding van die fractie aan het Hof zou kunnen zijn.
Ondertussen werpt Matthew Shardlake zich op de case van Adam Kite, een jongen die gek lijkt geworden te zijn en allerlei zaken uitkraamt over God. Is hij bezeten door de duivel? Niet veel later wordt een van Matthews mede-advocaten en een persoonlijke vriend wreed vermoord. Dit brengt hem en Barak opnieuw tot bij Cranmer, want het zou kunnen dat Catherine Parr in gevaar is.
Dit is zo'n heerlijke serie. In dit vierde boek draait alles om de religieuze onrust tussen katholieken en protestanten wanneer Henry VIII zelf niet goed meer weet welk geloof hij nu aanhangt. Je voelt de onrust in Londen groeien doorheen het hele verhaal.
Er zijn opnieuw twee mysteries. Een jongen die als gek wordt opgesloten omdat hij een gevaar lijkt voor de samenleving. Adam Kite lijkt bezeten, maar Matthew en zijn vriend Guy twijfelen daaraan. En daarnaast is er de klopjacht op een moordenaar die afvallige protestanten lijkt te targeten. Hiervoor trommelt hij ook Barak weer op.
Daarnaast zijn er nog wat zijverhalen zoals de relatie tussen Barak en Tamasin en de vriendschap tussen Matthew en Guy die allebei onder druk komen te staan. Matthew's eigen geloof komt opnieuw ter discussie te staan en zijn gewetenskwestie is nog steeds mooi om volgen. Naast Cranmer duiken nu ook de Seymours op en ik heb het gevoel dat dit niet de laatste keer is.
Eigenlijk boeide elke verhaallijn me wel. Het duurde enorm lang voor ik doorhad wie de moordenaar was. Mooi meegenomen. Als minpuntje kan ik zeggen dat het verhaal rond Adam niet echt een enorme toevoeging leek, de oplossing werd nogal snel afgehandeld. Het leek alsof Sansom vooral Ellen wou introduceren, een nieuw personage dat we volgens mij nog gaan zien in de volgende boek.
Revelation heeft het nadeel dat het na Sovereign, nog steeds mijn favoriet uit deze serie, komt. Maar dit is alweer een historisch mysterie om je vingers van af te likken.
Matthew Shardlake receives a new case from the court of requests about a boy named Adam Kite who seems to have become mad. People talk he is possessed by the devil but Matthew and his friend Guy don’t believe so. When suddenly one of his fellow lawyers and comrades is brutally murdered, Shardlake and Barak once again are hunting a killer commissioned by Cranmer and the Seymours.
It’s no secret that I love this series. Revelation is the fourth book and in this story the topic of religion is explored. At the end of Henry VIII’s reign protestants and catholics were fighting for power. Bonner is burning protestant heretics, while at the same time the king is hunting a new wife with protestant sympathies… You can feel the unrest in the streets of London through the pages. It’s a great setting.
Shardlake again has two different cases to solve. We have the case of Adam Kite, a protestant boy who is talking about God and constantly praying. Because people believe him mad, he’s placed in the Bedlam hospital for the insane. A few days later, one of Matthew’s lawyer friends is cruelly killed in a fountain. Matthew promises his widow he will find the killer but before he knows he’s at court standing before the archbishop Cranmer and the brothers Seymour. There have been other killings and one of them is linked to Catherine Parr.
There are a few other secondary plot lines such as the relationship between Barak and Tamasin, the friendship between Matthew and Guy and Matthew’s own religious conscience which is once again tested. I did like the different stories, but the resolution around Adam Kite felt too fast and artificial. It seems Sansom especially wanted to introduce Ellen, one of the other inhabitants from the Bedlam hospital, as a character for the coming books. I also believe we will see more of Edward and Thomas Seymour.
Revolution has the disadvantage that it comes after Sovereign, which is still my favourite book from this series. But it is once again a great mystery novel in a phenomenal historical setting. I always like books that feature Catherine Parr, she was so much more than a nursemaid. Highly recommended series, but I suggest you start with the first one ‘Dissolution’.
Dutch review:
1543. De ouder wordende koning Henry VIII neigt steeds meer naar het oude katholieke geloof en dit geeft Gardiner en de wrede bisschop Bonner een kans om fanatieke protestanten op te pakken. Ook bij aartsbisschop Cranmer breekt het nat zweet uit. De koning probeer ondertussen Catherine Parr te versieren, wat hij niet weet is dat zij ook een protestantse is en dus wel eens de redding van die fractie aan het Hof zou kunnen zijn.
Ondertussen werpt Matthew Shardlake zich op de case van Adam Kite, een jongen die gek lijkt geworden te zijn en allerlei zaken uitkraamt over God. Is hij bezeten door de duivel? Niet veel later wordt een van Matthews mede-advocaten en een persoonlijke vriend wreed vermoord. Dit brengt hem en Barak opnieuw tot bij Cranmer, want het zou kunnen dat Catherine Parr in gevaar is.
Dit is zo'n heerlijke serie. In dit vierde boek draait alles om de religieuze onrust tussen katholieken en protestanten wanneer Henry VIII zelf niet goed meer weet welk geloof hij nu aanhangt. Je voelt de onrust in Londen groeien doorheen het hele verhaal.
Er zijn opnieuw twee mysteries. Een jongen die als gek wordt opgesloten omdat hij een gevaar lijkt voor de samenleving. Adam Kite lijkt bezeten, maar Matthew en zijn vriend Guy twijfelen daaraan. En daarnaast is er de klopjacht op een moordenaar die afvallige protestanten lijkt te targeten. Hiervoor trommelt hij ook Barak weer op.
Daarnaast zijn er nog wat zijverhalen zoals de relatie tussen Barak en Tamasin en de vriendschap tussen Matthew en Guy die allebei onder druk komen te staan. Matthew's eigen geloof komt opnieuw ter discussie te staan en zijn gewetenskwestie is nog steeds mooi om volgen. Naast Cranmer duiken nu ook de Seymours op en ik heb het gevoel dat dit niet de laatste keer is.
Eigenlijk boeide elke verhaallijn me wel. Het duurde enorm lang voor ik doorhad wie de moordenaar was. Mooi meegenomen. Als minpuntje kan ik zeggen dat het verhaal rond Adam niet echt een enorme toevoeging leek, de oplossing werd nogal snel afgehandeld. Het leek alsof Sansom vooral Ellen wou introduceren, een nieuw personage dat we volgens mij nog gaan zien in de volgende boek.
Revelation heeft het nadeel dat het na Sovereign, nog steeds mijn favoriet uit deze serie, komt. Maar dit is alweer een historisch mysterie om je vingers van af te likken.
“The high chandeliers in the Great Hall of Lincoln’s Inn were ablaze with candles, for it was late afternoon when the play began. Most members of Lincoln’s Inn were present, the barristers in their robes and their wives in their best costumes. After an hour standing watching, my back was starting to ache, and I envied the few elderly and infirm members who had brought stools.”
No idea whodunnit until shortly before the end. I am useless like that. I rarely figure out who the murderer is, unless it is really, really obvious... This had been sitting on my shelf for several years and the previous books were even further in the past. My taste has changed, as it does every few years. I rarely read mysteries or historical fiction. I was really concerned that this would bore me. Alas, I liked it a lot! Slow, with a nice amount of exposition. Good character descriptions, with well developed personalities. Historically pretty sound, as far as I can tell. Very homogenous. Full of suspense towards the end, could not put it down anymore.
The murders are gruesome and reminiscent of a famous 90s movie. With the context of Henry VIII, his dissolution of the monasteries and the religious upheaval of that time it works well. I also liked the side story of Shardlake‘s law case and his budding interest in Dorothy. Possibilities!
Bottomline, a very good book. I will definitely continue with the series.
+*+*+
Thoughts and mini-research:
Are serial killers a new development of the 20th century or did they always exist? I give you this list: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_serial_killers_before_1900
Breaking the perpetrators by the wheel, quartering, beheading and burning at the stake seem to have been popular punishments. Gruesome.
What I do wonder about though is the discussion and exploration of medicine and especially psychology. Is that something that would have happened in the 16th century? Apparently it could have, I found this gentleman: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juan_Huarte_de_San_Juan
I also googled Westminster Abbey, its chapterhouse and the Book of Revelations. I could not find really satisfying representation of those panels, but here are some hints:
https://www.britainexpress.com/attractions.htm?attraction=4723
And Revelations 16 (don‘t peak, until you are certain why I am posting the link): https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation%2016&version=NIV
Playlist:
- Revelations, Audioslave
- Supermassive Black Hole, Muse
- Revelations, Judas Priest
- Bedlam, Michael Graves
adventurous
dark
informative
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
CJ Sansom continues to impress in Revelation, the fourth in his Tudor murder mystery series. I didn't find the latest Matthew Shardlake story quite as compelling as the last one, but it was still an intelligent, entertaining read with twists and turns that kept me turning the pages avidly right up until the end.
Matthew Shardlake is by now pretty world-weary, having lived through the tumult of Tudor politics with danger on every side for many years. One of the things that I consistently enjoy about Sansom's writing is the immersive quality to his portrayal of the political landscape during the reign of Henry VIII, and this was on point in Revelation as well. I'm not a novice to this era of history, but I'm confident that if I were, Sansom's intelligent narrative style would be sufficient to fill in the gaps. As always, it is clear that a huge amount of research has gone into his writing, and yet this is always woven in effortlessly without unnecessary exposition.
In this instalment of the Shardlake story, we are given insight into the rather terrifying treatment of patients at the Bedlam hospital in London, and Shardlake takes a deep dive into the Tudor understanding of mental health as he tries to catch a serial killer in a time when that term was not known or understood. Sansom has a way of making readers think about elements of history that you might not otherwise consider, and I found myself fascinated by the historical context of Revelation as much as by the plot. As always, the book was fast-paced and tense, with clever plot twists that kept me guessing and a high-drama resolution. I also absolutely adored the sub-plot with Jack Barack and his wife Tamasin - Barack is fast becoming my favourite character, and I liked that Tamasin maintained her backbone throughout.
So why did I not enjoy Revelation as much as Sovereign, the third and to date my favourite of the Shardlake series? There were a few little gripes. First of all, the retconned affection between Shardlake and his oldest friend's wife felt forced and irritating - in all the other books, we've been told that Shardlake is still in mourning for a different doomed love, and now we're supposed to buy into the idea that he had a second one as well? I'm frankly bored by Shardlake's romantic entanglements, the self-pitying bullshit that keeps him from actually proposing to any of these women even though in each case it's clear that she would totally have been into it if he'd only get over himself enough to ask. It's a hovering, passive kind of courtly romance that feels uncomfortable in its self-imposed martyrdom. Additionally, it added nothing to the story! Shardlake's romantic affection for Dorothy was completely unnecessary - everything he did for her could have been done in the name of friendship. All it did was add an extra layer of woe-is-me to the ending that anyone could have seen a mile off.
The second thing that is starting to irritate me is the constant negative reference to homosexuality. I first noticed this is Dissolution, but it's coming up enough now to warrant a comment. Yes, of course, the Tudor stance on being gay was that it was a sin, and I don't expect Shardlake to start spouting unrealistically progressive viewpoints just for the sake of a modern audience - but is it really necessary to include multiple conversations describing how sickening and terrible the characters find the concept? It's completely irrelevant to the plot, and it feels jarring. The sub-plot with Guy and his apprentice in particular suffered here - like Shardlake's feelings for Dorothy, the problems with Piers could have been included without this uncomfortable element.
Anyway, it's certainly not enough to put me off the series entirely, and for the most part I'm still really enjoying the Matthew Shardlake series - but I'll definitely be looking out for these elements going forward.
Matthew Shardlake is by now pretty world-weary, having lived through the tumult of Tudor politics with danger on every side for many years. One of the things that I consistently enjoy about Sansom's writing is the immersive quality to his portrayal of the political landscape during the reign of Henry VIII, and this was on point in Revelation as well. I'm not a novice to this era of history, but I'm confident that if I were, Sansom's intelligent narrative style would be sufficient to fill in the gaps. As always, it is clear that a huge amount of research has gone into his writing, and yet this is always woven in effortlessly without unnecessary exposition.
In this instalment of the Shardlake story, we are given insight into the rather terrifying treatment of patients at the Bedlam hospital in London, and Shardlake takes a deep dive into the Tudor understanding of mental health as he tries to catch a serial killer in a time when that term was not known or understood. Sansom has a way of making readers think about elements of history that you might not otherwise consider, and I found myself fascinated by the historical context of Revelation as much as by the plot. As always, the book was fast-paced and tense, with clever plot twists that kept me guessing and a high-drama resolution. I also absolutely adored the sub-plot with Jack Barack and his wife Tamasin - Barack is fast becoming my favourite character, and I liked that Tamasin maintained her backbone throughout.
So why did I not enjoy Revelation as much as Sovereign, the third and to date my favourite of the Shardlake series? There were a few little gripes. First of all, the retconned affection between Shardlake and his oldest friend's wife felt forced and irritating - in all the other books, we've been told that Shardlake is still in mourning for a different doomed love, and now we're supposed to buy into the idea that he had a second one as well? I'm frankly bored by Shardlake's romantic entanglements, the self-pitying bullshit that keeps him from actually proposing to any of these women even though in each case it's clear that she would totally have been into it if he'd only get over himself enough to ask. It's a hovering, passive kind of courtly romance that feels uncomfortable in its self-imposed martyrdom. Additionally, it added nothing to the story! Shardlake's romantic affection for Dorothy was completely unnecessary - everything he did for her could have been done in the name of friendship. All it did was add an extra layer of woe-is-me to the ending that anyone could have seen a mile off.
The second thing that is starting to irritate me is the constant negative reference to homosexuality. I first noticed this is Dissolution, but it's coming up enough now to warrant a comment. Yes, of course, the Tudor stance on being gay was that it was a sin, and I don't expect Shardlake to start spouting unrealistically progressive viewpoints just for the sake of a modern audience - but is it really necessary to include multiple conversations describing how sickening and terrible the characters find the concept? It's completely irrelevant to the plot, and it feels jarring. The sub-plot with Guy and his apprentice in particular suffered here - like Shardlake's feelings for Dorothy, the problems with Piers could have been included without this uncomfortable element.
Anyway, it's certainly not enough to put me off the series entirely, and for the most part I'm still really enjoying the Matthew Shardlake series - but I'll definitely be looking out for these elements going forward.
“The high chandeliers in the Great Hall of Lincoln’s Inn were ablaze with candles, for it was late afternoon when the play began. Most members of Lincoln’s Inn were present, the barristers in their robes and their wives in their best costumes. After an hour standing watching, my back was starting to ache, and I envied the few elderly and infirm members who had brought stools.”
No idea whodunnit until shortly before the end. I am useless like that. I rarely figure out who the murderer is, unless it is really, really obvious... This had been sitting on my shelf for several years and the previous books were even further in the past. My taste has changed, as it does every few years. I rarely read mysteries or historical fiction. I was really concerned that this would bore me. Alas, I liked it a lot! Slow, with a nice amount of exposition. Good character descriptions, with well developed personalities. Historically pretty sound, as far as I can tell. Very homogenous. Full of suspense towards the end, could not put it down anymore.
The murders are gruesome and reminiscent of a famous 90s movie. With the context of Henry VIII, his dissolution of the monasteries and the religious upheaval of that time it works well. I also liked the side story of Shardlake‘s law case and his budding interest in Dorothy. Possibilities!
Bottomline, a very good book. I will definitely continue with the series.
+*+*+
Thoughts and mini-research:
Are serial killers a new development of the 20th century or did they always exist? I give you this list: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_serial_killers_before_1900
Breaking the perpetrators by the wheel, quartering, beheading and burning at the stake seem to have been popular punishments. Gruesome.
What I do wonder about though is the discussion and exploration of medicine and especially psychology. Is that something that would have happened in the 16th century? Apparently it could have, I found this gentleman: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juan_Huarte_de_San_Juan
I also googled Westminster Abbey, its chapterhouse and the Book of Revelations. I could not find really satisfying representation of those panels, but here are some hints:
https://www.britainexpress.com/attractions.htm?attraction=4723
And Revelations 16 (don‘t peak, until you are certain why I am posting the link): https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation%2016&version=NIV
Playlist:
- Revelations, Audioslave
- Supermassive Black Hole, Muse
- Revelations, Judas Priest
- Bedlam, Michael Graves
Another great instalment in one of my favourite series. It’s so sad I hear literally no one talk about these. Anyone who’s a fan of Tudor England and mysteries will adore them. There so well written and keep you interested throughout, despite the length of the novels.
I must say, I prefer the ones that are set in London rather than else where. This one and book two are both set in London and are my favourites of the four I have read so far.
This one held another great mystery, a serial killer whose victims are killed in a fashion that mimics some of the book of Revelation, hence the books title.
Although I found the killer to be obvious in this one you do get plenty of suspicious characters and red herrings. Sansom makes you doubt yourself and I love the big reveals at the end of each book. Everything is tied up and you get the answers to all the questions raised. I like this aspect because it means you can leave a gap between reading the next one. Each book is its own self contained story, the character development obviously is an overarching plot so I don’t recommend reading them out of order. But sometimes years pass between each book. Meaning the reader can read the series at leisure, very handy considering how large these books are getting.
As I did with the previous couple of books, I both listened to the audiobook and read some of the paperback. The audiobook is fantastic and I love the narrator. He does the audio for all of the novels I believe. One thing to add though is that I often found myself falling asleep whilst listening to the audio. Which is great sometimes because jet lag has really screwed me over this week and left me exhausted and yet unable to sleep at suitable hours.
I may leave it a short while until I start the fifth book as I have a few big books lined up next. But only two more books and I’m up to date with the Shardlake series. And I can’t wait to see where they lead.
I must say, I prefer the ones that are set in London rather than else where. This one and book two are both set in London and are my favourites of the four I have read so far.
This one held another great mystery, a serial killer whose victims are killed in a fashion that mimics some of the book of Revelation, hence the books title.
Although I found the killer to be obvious in this one you do get plenty of suspicious characters and red herrings. Sansom makes you doubt yourself and I love the big reveals at the end of each book. Everything is tied up and you get the answers to all the questions raised. I like this aspect because it means you can leave a gap between reading the next one. Each book is its own self contained story, the character development obviously is an overarching plot so I don’t recommend reading them out of order. But sometimes years pass between each book. Meaning the reader can read the series at leisure, very handy considering how large these books are getting.
As I did with the previous couple of books, I both listened to the audiobook and read some of the paperback. The audiobook is fantastic and I love the narrator. He does the audio for all of the novels I believe. One thing to add though is that I often found myself falling asleep whilst listening to the audio. Which is great sometimes because jet lag has really screwed me over this week and left me exhausted and yet unable to sleep at suitable hours.
I may leave it a short while until I start the fifth book as I have a few big books lined up next. But only two more books and I’m up to date with the Shardlake series. And I can’t wait to see where they lead.
adventurous
dark
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
“It has become a world of black and white, Matthew, a Manichean world where preachers encourage everyone to rush towards a conflict between good and evil. Each knowing, of course, that their own side is entirely in the right.”
Oh, how a book relates so closely to present day. Even as I was reading this addition to the series, I knew it was going to be different from the others. Of course, as it is set in Tudor times, Henry to be exact, religion has always been a pretty big part of these books. How can it not, when people at the time were so concerned about their place in the next life that they hardly remembered how to act in the current?
Everyone believes that what they believe in is the right thing, and what others believe is wrong, if it differs from their own. Some cases can drive people to murder, as Matthew Shardlake found out very well in this novel, his own close friend being one of the victims of a crazed mass murderer acting on the seven vials in Revelation. It was scary for me to read, because I think that this is something that could easily happen in our dangerous world. Despite the close comparisons, this held all the mystery that one would like in a C.J. Sansom book and more.
Oh, how a book relates so closely to present day. Even as I was reading this addition to the series, I knew it was going to be different from the others. Of course, as it is set in Tudor times, Henry to be exact, religion has always been a pretty big part of these books. How can it not, when people at the time were so concerned about their place in the next life that they hardly remembered how to act in the current?
Everyone believes that what they believe in is the right thing, and what others believe is wrong, if it differs from their own. Some cases can drive people to murder, as Matthew Shardlake found out very well in this novel, his own close friend being one of the victims of a crazed mass murderer acting on the seven vials in Revelation. It was scary for me to read, because I think that this is something that could easily happen in our dangerous world. Despite the close comparisons, this held all the mystery that one would like in a C.J. Sansom book and more.
Always am a sucker for a serial killer who works according to a particular piece of media, like a song or a poem, here it is a certain part from the book of revelation from the Bible. As always, love the characters and the setting is still perfect, you can still loose yourself in the history.
Another great read in the Shardlake series. A little heavy on the religious side as the mystery involves passages from the bible but it's not preachy.
Edited: I debated about giving this one 5 stars and decided to go ahead and do it. It's really well-done and was great fun to read. 5 star worthy for sure.
Edited: I debated about giving this one 5 stars and decided to go ahead and do it. It's really well-done and was great fun to read. 5 star worthy for sure.
In this book Sansom takes his already excellent historical mystery series to a whole new level, with a story of a serial killer obsessed with the book of revelations and the protestant ideology. This book grapples with some of the big issues of the time, particularly the doctrine of predestined salvation, and their effects on a society already weary from years of constant political shifting and violent persecution.
One of the core themes of the book is to look at how the Tudor mind of this period would have viewed a serial killer. Much of what is known now about mental illness, psychopathy and violent obsessions would not yet be widely studied for centuries, and to a population already obsessed with the end times this looked like nothing less than the devil's work on earth.
Atmospheric, well-plotted and very well written. Highly recommended.
One of the core themes of the book is to look at how the Tudor mind of this period would have viewed a serial killer. Much of what is known now about mental illness, psychopathy and violent obsessions would not yet be widely studied for centuries, and to a population already obsessed with the end times this looked like nothing less than the devil's work on earth.
Atmospheric, well-plotted and very well written. Highly recommended.