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3.57 AVERAGE
3.57 AVERAGE
When Christopher Buckley published The Relic Master in late 2015, it was a change of pace for him. Most of Buckley’s novels have been set in contemporary Washington, D.C., and satirized aspects of the national government. The Relic Master, however, was set in the Holy Roman Empire of the 16th century. Buckley’s signature sharp humor was still on full display throughout the book, which I reviewed here. The question was if The Relic Master was a one-off, or a new direction for Buckley. It seems to have signaled a new direction, as Buckley’s most recent novel, The Judge Hunter, published on May 1st, is a comedic historical novel set in 1664 New England.
The Judge Hunter begins with Balthasar de St. Michel pestering his brother-in-law, English diarist Samuel Pepys, for a job. As Clerk of Acts for the Royal Navy, Pepys could easily get “Balty,” as he is known to his friends, a job aboard a ship. The only problem, in addition to Balty’s lack of qualifications, is that, according to Balty, “You know I’m no good on ships. They make me ill. Even when they’re not moving.” (p.7)
Pepys is tired of Balty’s sponging off of him, so he arranges for Balty to obtain a Crown commission to travel to New England and hunt down the last of the “regicide judges,” who signed the death warrant for King Charles I in 1649. Balty balks at the proposal:
“New England? I shall have to take a ship.”
“That is the customary way of going. But if you can find a land route to New England, that would certainly be an achievement to eclipse finding regicides.” (p.17)
Once Balty makes it safely to New England, he is to look for a man with the unlikely name of Plantagenet Spong. Balty survives the Atlantic crossing, although his insides are much the worse for wear. Upon landing in Boston, he is immediately accused of arson by the Puritan governor. Balty finally makes the acquaintance of Mr. Spong, whose real name is Hiram Huncks, Harvard dropout and former solider. Huncks assists Balty in searching for the regicide judges, and also involves him in other intrigues, as the possibility of war between the British and Dutch looms.
The Judge Hunter follows Balty and Huncks as they make their way through Connecticut, New Haven, and New Amsterdam. Along the way they encounter numerous governors—all real historical figures—and meet a Quaker woman named Thankful who catches Balty’s eye with her unusual form of religious protest.
The Judge Hunter is really an adventure story, and following Balty and Huncks is quite a lot of fun. I enjoyed Balty’s cluelessness, and throughout the novel I couldn’t help but imagine Hugh Laurie as Balty. One character thinks about Balty: “This Englishman was no simple fool. He was the Platonic ideal of the Fool.” (p.301)
Buckley does an excellent job of immersing the reader in unfamiliar historical territory, and it’s clear that he’s done his homework from the “Historical Notes” and sources sections at the end of the book. If you’re looking for an entertaining historical novel, The Judge Hunter will serve you well.
Warning: The Judge Hunter contains the following: violence, gunfire, bird torture—unseen, Dutch, and numerous references to catamounts.
The Judge Hunter begins with Balthasar de St. Michel pestering his brother-in-law, English diarist Samuel Pepys, for a job. As Clerk of Acts for the Royal Navy, Pepys could easily get “Balty,” as he is known to his friends, a job aboard a ship. The only problem, in addition to Balty’s lack of qualifications, is that, according to Balty, “You know I’m no good on ships. They make me ill. Even when they’re not moving.” (p.7)
Pepys is tired of Balty’s sponging off of him, so he arranges for Balty to obtain a Crown commission to travel to New England and hunt down the last of the “regicide judges,” who signed the death warrant for King Charles I in 1649. Balty balks at the proposal:
“New England? I shall have to take a ship.”
“That is the customary way of going. But if you can find a land route to New England, that would certainly be an achievement to eclipse finding regicides.” (p.17)
Once Balty makes it safely to New England, he is to look for a man with the unlikely name of Plantagenet Spong. Balty survives the Atlantic crossing, although his insides are much the worse for wear. Upon landing in Boston, he is immediately accused of arson by the Puritan governor. Balty finally makes the acquaintance of Mr. Spong, whose real name is Hiram Huncks, Harvard dropout and former solider. Huncks assists Balty in searching for the regicide judges, and also involves him in other intrigues, as the possibility of war between the British and Dutch looms.
The Judge Hunter follows Balty and Huncks as they make their way through Connecticut, New Haven, and New Amsterdam. Along the way they encounter numerous governors—all real historical figures—and meet a Quaker woman named Thankful who catches Balty’s eye with her unusual form of religious protest.
The Judge Hunter is really an adventure story, and following Balty and Huncks is quite a lot of fun. I enjoyed Balty’s cluelessness, and throughout the novel I couldn’t help but imagine Hugh Laurie as Balty. One character thinks about Balty: “This Englishman was no simple fool. He was the Platonic ideal of the Fool.” (p.301)
Buckley does an excellent job of immersing the reader in unfamiliar historical territory, and it’s clear that he’s done his homework from the “Historical Notes” and sources sections at the end of the book. If you’re looking for an entertaining historical novel, The Judge Hunter will serve you well.
Warning: The Judge Hunter contains the following: violence, gunfire, bird torture—unseen, Dutch, and numerous references to catamounts.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
informative
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
I'm not quite sure why I didn't like this more. There was decent humor and an entertaining plot that moved along briskly but not frantically. It was also set amidst interesting historical events. It was worth reading, but I never felt like I really got into it. I never looked forward to the next time I could pick it up. Maybe that was because the characters were so caricatured that the dialogue was kind of monotonous.
I like how Buckley writes. I like Buckley’s dialogues. That’s basically it.
The book is a tour through New England and the New Netherlands during the Restoration era. Learn about how there were lots of forests, that Native Americans abounded, and just how brutal certain otherwise obscure massacres of Native Americans were. I don’t doubt liberties have been taken, but I liked the introduction to the period and want to learn more.
Much like The Relic Hunter, Buckley’s protagonists are endearing characters that the reader can identify with and cheer for. They don’t have defining characteristics other than that they are nice, with morals that tend to be better than the context in which they inhabit. It is as though the reader has been transplanted to the time period with their own moral compass intact. The plot guides them along – I have read criticisms of it but I do feel like the time period did lend itself to travelling a lot in order to get somewhere. I am also fine that they were tourists rather than history makers!
This approach actually puts me in the mind of the cozy read style of Legends and Lattes. Yes, The Judge Hunter is more grounded in its setting and there is far more violence and “unfairness”… …but we don’t have to confront our own storybook avatars about their own conduct. If anything, they come off as even more paragons of virtue in The Judge Hunter - they can play off the evil of others to appear heroic in their actions. You read The Judge Hunter to be comforted knowing that you could be similarly virtuous in the same situation. Which I guess, I am fine with.
But otherwise, I like how Buckley writes. I like Buckley’s dialogues. That’s basically it.
The book is a tour through New England and the New Netherlands during the Restoration era. Learn about how there were lots of forests, that Native Americans abounded, and just how brutal certain otherwise obscure massacres of Native Americans were. I don’t doubt liberties have been taken, but I liked the introduction to the period and want to learn more.
Much like The Relic Hunter, Buckley’s protagonists are endearing characters that the reader can identify with and cheer for. They don’t have defining characteristics other than that they are nice, with morals that tend to be better than the context in which they inhabit. It is as though the reader has been transplanted to the time period with their own moral compass intact. The plot guides them along – I have read criticisms of it but I do feel like the time period did lend itself to travelling a lot in order to get somewhere. I am also fine that they were tourists rather than history makers!
This approach actually puts me in the mind of the cozy read style of Legends and Lattes. Yes, The Judge Hunter is more grounded in its setting and there is far more violence and “unfairness”… …but we don’t have to confront our own storybook avatars about their own conduct. If anything, they come off as even more paragons of virtue in The Judge Hunter - they can play off the evil of others to appear heroic in their actions. You read The Judge Hunter to be comforted knowing that you could be similarly virtuous in the same situation. Which I guess, I am fine with.
But otherwise, I like how Buckley writes. I like Buckley’s dialogues. That’s basically it.
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
More of a 4.5! I wish there had been more umph in the beginning with the start of the first main arch, but overall a very good book! I enjoyed the added humor of Johann. A very refreshing kind of historical fiction for sure.
Christopher Buckley is so good at weaving together brilliantly funny satire and genuine heart. With “The Judge Hunter,” he manages to do it while also tying it to truly captivating true events (along with plenty of fictional ones, of course). It’s a great blend of American history, comedy and thrilling adventure, held together by characters that you truly grow to love. Can’t recommend it highly enough.
I loved a lot of things about this book. The story was light-hearted and fun (despite the grisly deaths of a few characters), and the writing reminded me at time of Wodehouse. I was fully prepared to give this book four stars, until...
Near the end Buckley slips into the head of Repent, a Native American character converted to Christianity by one of the colonists. We're only there for a couple of pages. The first few paragraphs are ok, but then the writing changes. It recaps the story to date from Repent's perspective in a very simple style that to me reads as if Buckley is trying to make us think that Regent is an idiot. And I am just not in the mood for that sort of stereotyping. Worse, those pages--the only ones we spent in Regent's head--weren't even needed. They gave us no new information. Buckley could have skipped those pages entirely, and the story would have been just fine.
Near the end Buckley slips into the head of Repent, a Native American character converted to Christianity by one of the colonists. We're only there for a couple of pages. The first few paragraphs are ok, but then the writing changes. It recaps the story to date from Repent's perspective in a very simple style that to me reads as if Buckley is trying to make us think that Regent is an idiot. And I am just not in the mood for that sort of stereotyping. Worse, those pages--the only ones we spent in Regent's head--weren't even needed. They gave us no new information. Buckley could have skipped those pages entirely, and the story would have been just fine.
Comic historical fiction. Christopher Buckley doesn't miss. Old New Amsterdam as it became New York--a time I certainly know little about.--native New Yorker that I am. And set largely in the area of southern CT where Buckley grew up. Imaginative, lively, funny, well researched. Part of Buckley's project to write a book each set in the 16th, 17th, 18th, 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries. The Relic Master was the first, which I will now read while I'm waiting for the rest.