Sharon Reviews The King's Jew. Book Two: In the shadow of the king. The middle years. 1265 to 1274 by Darius Stransky

Today Sharon reviews In the shadow of the king. The middle years. 1265 to 1274 book 2 of The King's Jew series by Darius Stransky. The author has very generously offered one paperback giveaway to a UK winner and 3 e-book prizes to the rest of the world. To be in with the chance of being 1 of the 4 lucky winners, simply leave a comment below, or on our Facebook page. The draw will be made on Wednesday 12th April. Good luck!!!

 As Cristian Gilleson keeps vigil for his dead king (Edward the First) in Westminster Abbey on Friday, October 27th 1307, his enemies, Edward Secundus and Piers Gaveston, still plot his downfall.

In the aftermath of The Baron’s War and the Battle of Evesham in 1265, Lord Cristian Gilleson and his companion Lord Edward (the future king, Edward the First) have some pockets of resistance to clear up.

Cristian’s lady, Dulcea, wonders if they will ever marry but can a Jew marry a Christian?

The unfaithful Earl of Gloucester (Gilbert de Clare) occupies London and must be ousted.

Earl Gilbert seeks Cristian’s death and their long running feud continues.

Lord Edward takes the cross and leaves for Outremer to wage war on the Sultan Baybars. Will this Ninth Crusade be successful?

All the while the agents of Gilbert de Clare plot the perfect murder in a foreign land.

A few years ago I read and devoured The King's Jew by Darius Stransky, so when I got the opportunity to read and review its sequel, The King's Jew Book 2: In the shadow of the king. The middle years. 1265 to 1274, I jumped at the chance. It follows the story of Cristian Gilleson, a knight in the service of Henry III's son and heir, the Lord Edward. Book 1 told the story of Cristian's early life and his friendship with Edward, ending with the Battle of Evesham and the destruction of the rebel army under Simon de Montfort. Book 2 picks up immediately where the first left off.

Edward I

The King's Jew Book 2: In the shadow of the king. The middle years. 1265 to 1274 takes us on a journey that incorporates the aftermath of Evesham, the Crusades and Edward's accession to the throne itself. Told in flashback, from Westminster Abbey, where Cristian is holding vigil at Edward I's bier on the night before his funeral, the story unfolds with the sense of danger ever present, both in 1307 and in the preceding years. Cristian's enemies are determined to see him destroyed, as much for the secrets of his birth as for his actions in support of Edward since they first became friends. Being a friend of Edward I set him against the king's successor, Edward II and favourite, Piers Gaveston.

There are so many aspects of this novel that make it both interesting and enjoyable.  Although the story centres on the relationship between Cristian and Lord Edward, there are other issues which claim Cristian's attention.

His long-running feud with Gilbert de Clare, the vengeful Earl of Gloucester, not only puts Cristian Gilleson in danger, but threatens those he loves. However, de Clare is a powerful noble and Cristian has to curb his lust for revenge as de Clare is protected by Edward, who sees de Clare as a powerful ally. The animosity between the two lords lingers in the air, the atmosphere in the book permeating into the reader's mind.

"You wish to read this, Lord Edward?" asked Burnell proffering the missive.
"That, my dear Robert is why you sserve me. You are my eyes at such times as this. Return it to Cristian's chosen man. Sir Juste?"
Juste moved with a low bow.
"There is no case to answer. You may leave us."
Suppressing any further comment Juste turned on his heal to leave but not before casting an angry glance at Cristian who immediately laid a hand on his shoulder saying, "There is something deeper behind your part in this affair. I feel the soft breath of enmity here. You serve de Clare and bear witness against me. Falseness and vengeance are the traits of your master, Earl Gilbert, who would do anything to bring me down. When next you see him be sure to let him know that I am wise to his guile. The truth of a man will be seen by his actions and like not the machinations of de Clare or those who serve him."
"Let him go, Cristian," ordered Edward. "I would have peace between you and Earl Gilbert."
"Peace?" fumed Cristian. "The man makes war on the defenceless. Caused you to be imprisoned and made a vow to kill me. There can be no peace between us. Look how he slaughtered the Jews in Canterbury. Gilbert de Clare is as untrustworthy as a wild dog and ..."
"Yet he is my dog," interrupted Edward, "and I am the leopard who controls him. I can ill-afford this feud between you two. Let it rest; now!"

The characters are wonderfully colourful, credible and believable, forming a collision of the worlds in which Cristian lives; those of the court, the battlefield and the Jewish community to which he half belongs, through birth and marriage. The author demonstrates a deep understanding of the fine line which the  Jews had to walk in those times, suffering discrimination and suspicion.

And then there is Cristian's household itself, his loving wife and loyal retainers; and a traitor in their midst. All the characters in the book play their roles to perfection. This novel is full of excitement, intrigue and betrayal, leaving the reader on the edge of their seats from the first page to the last.

From English castles, to the busy thoroughfares and underworlds of London and Dover and the sweeping deserts of the Holy Land, the author never fails to set the scene, the landscapes becoming an integral part of the story. The evokes a tense atmosphere with a wonderful narrative which doesn't slow down from the first page to the last.

Although I would recommend reading Book 1, simply because it is fabulous, it is certainly not necessary simply to enjoy Book 2. Many books that form part of a series claim to be able to stand alone, but this is one of the few that I have read that lives up to that claim. As it is told in a series of flashbacks, so too, is the background story, leaving the reader with the impression that they have missed nothing, even if they have not read The King's Jew Book 1.

Darius Stransky is an expert storyteller; with the frenetic action intermingled with suspense, betrayal and ... tender moments The King's Jew Book 2: In the shadow of the king. The middle years. 1265 to 1274 is impossible to put down.




About the Author:

Darius Stransky wrote weekly columns and articles for UK top media groups for many years. One day he realised that he’d had enough words published (and paid for) to fill five or six full-length novels.

Darius had nurtured an interest in medieval history for quite some time and eventually his literary eye fell on the events of thirteenth-century England with a special reference to the life and times of King Edward the First (1239 to 1307).

A year later he began work on the first book in “The King’s Jew” quartet (It had originally started off as a single novel but how can you do justice to a ‘Great and Terrible King’ in just 400 pages?)

The King’s Jew book one was published in 2015. Book two in 2016 and the other two are well under construction.

Darius still undertakes freelance work for various newspapers and magazines but his main emphasis is completing the quartet. He lives in Northern England (a gloomy rain-swept place) with his cat, two computers, many notebooks and lots of reference works. 

Links: Website; Facebook; Author Page; Buy the Book.

About the The Reviewer: Sharon Bennett Connolly has been fascinated by history for over 30 years. She has studied it at university and worked as a tour guide at several historic sites.
Sharon has been writing a blog entitled 'History...the Interesting Bits' for a little over 2 years and has just finished her first non-fiction work, 'Heroines of the Medieval World', which looks into the lives of some of the most fascinating women from medieval history and will be published by Amberley in September 2017. It is now available for pre-order from Amazon.

Diana talks to Dianne Ascroft

Hi Dianne! Lovely to talk with you at last!!

If your latest book The Yankee Years Books 1-3

was adapted into a TV show or a film, who would you like to play the lead role?

Ruth Corey, a young Northern Irish woman, and Frank Longo, an Italian-American contractor who has come to Northern Ireland for a building project, are the leading female and male characters in the first 2 stories in the collection. I think Jason Behr, who starred several years ago in the American supernatural drama, Roswell, would be good as Frank. In the Roswell series, he had a calm, collected manner that would suit my character, Frank. I think an unknown actress would suit the role of Ruth. She is a quiet, unassertive character as the story begins and I think that someone who isn’t associated with any other role would play her best. I’m not really a great movie buff so I’ll leave it at that. I introduce two new lead characters in the third story in the collection but I won’t try to find actors for their roles. Maybe readers can help me out with that.

If, as a one off, (and you could guarantee publication!)  you could write anything you wanted, is there another genre you would love to work with and do you already have a budding plot line in mind?

Most of my writing is historical fiction but I enjoy reading the odd cosy mystery. So I might venture into the crime fiction genre for a book or two. I could even stay in the past and write an historical cosy mystery. As for the plot, I do actually have one in mind…

Do you have any rituals and routines when writing? Your favourite cup for example or ‘that’ piece of music...??

I don’t have any rituals as such, though it’s always good to have a big mug of tea beside me, and I do go back for refills. But, I do like to write early in the morning. I’m always the first one up in our house each morning so the house is quiet and I can write without any distractions, other than the cats clamouring for their breakfast (I do feed them before I start). In this atmosphere, it’s easy to gather my thoughts and put them on paper before my mind gets filled with the other tasks that I have to tackle that day.  Besides my day job, I also do admin work for a local writers’ group and I can easily get side-tracked with organising activities for the group if I don’t get the words on paper first.

What is the worst book you have ever read? What made it unreadable for you?

The Book of Paul by Richard Long is one of the few books that I decided I couldn’t continue reading. I can’t actually say it was the worst book I’ve ever read as the author’s use of language, development and understanding of character and ability to create tension in a plot was superb, but what made it unreadable for me was the incredibly graphic violence and one main character’s complete lack conscience. I felt that that the author included too much detail when he portrayed scenes of violence and torture, and I didn’t get a sense from the writing that these acts were deplorable. The scenes were written with a clinical eye for detail but no moral censure or emotional empathy for the victims and this disturbed me. Since I write wartime fiction, I also include some violence in my stories but I choose the details I reveal carefully. I want the reader to focus on the story, not only the violence. Reading The Book of Paul, what stuck in my mind was images of the violence and torture rather than the plot of the story. I’m afraid this type of psychological thriller isn’t for me.

Other than writing full time, what would be your dream job?

We live on a farm and I enjoy the outdoors so, after I leave the day job and when I’m not writing, I go for long walks and also spend time with our animals. My dream job would involve working with animals, especially goats. We had a pair of pet goats until recently and they are such amazing, intelligent animals and very individual characters. I could easily move to a remote hillside with just a herd of goats for company. Well, it might be nice if I could still get internet access there though. With a minimal amount of training, I’m sure the goats would be willing to post on Facebook and other social media sites for me. Wouldn’t that be an interesting marketing campaign? I could have my dream job and still have time to write.

Coffee or tea? Red or white?

Definitely tea. White wine. But if you have any herbal tea that has cinnamon in it, I wouldn’t say no to it either. Or hot apple cider (the non-alcoholic variety) wouldn’t go amiss. I love cinnamon!

If you had free choice over the font your book is printed in, what font/fonts would you choose?

I like Palatino Linotype for the main text in a novel. Font size 10 is about right.

Imagine that you could get hold of any original source document. What would it be?

There isn’t one particular document I would choose but I wouldn’t mind rooting through the files of documents that are still classified pertaining to Northern Ireland during the Second World War. I’m sure they would provide lots of interesting material for future stories.

Historical fiction authors have to contend with real characters invading our stories. Are there any ‘real’ characters you have been tempted to prematurely kill off or ignore because you just don’t like them or they spoil the plot?

I haven’t really had to deal with many irritating historic characters because I’m particularly interested in ‘the little man’, the average person, rather than those higher up the social, political or military hierarchies so most of my characters are fictional. I sometimes bring one of them into contact with historic characters but, since they would not move in the same circles, the meetings are brief encounters for a particular purpose in the story. Even though I set my tales in real places, such as airbases, army camps and country estates that existed in County Fermanagh in Northern Ireland, most of the characters that inhabit them are fictional. A couple important historic figures appear in a novel that I’m currently working on: U. S. Army General Patton and the Prime Minister of Northern Ireland, Basil Brooke. They both make brief appearances in the novel and I enjoyed writing those scenes. But there aren’t any historic characters with walk on parts in The Yankee Years Books 1-3.

Are you prepared to go away from the known facts for the sake of the story and if so how do you get around this ?

I am very reluctant to do this and only do so when absolutely necessary. And then, I would only alter very minor details. I wouldn’t alter the outcome of a battle, for instance, but might make minor alterations to the physical setting to fit action in a story. In one story (Allies After All) in another collection, Pearl Harbor and More, I have made a cave accessible to suit the plot when, in fact, the opening is too small for an adult to enter. But, if there’s a dearth of information regarding a fact or incident, leaving the details open to interpretation, I will then let my imagination have free rein.

Do you find that the lines between fact and fiction sometimes become blurred?

As I’ve mentioned above, although I write historical fiction, I feel that historical accuracy is very important and I always try to put it first. I won’t alter key historical facts to suit my story. I have occasionally altered minor details of a setting to facilitate the plot of a story but not the historical facts. When I was plotting the stories for the collection, I referred to the timeline of World War II to keep the sequence of events during the war firmly in my mind. I also researched what was happening at the time in the locality where I set my stories. Then I chose relevant details from the local and broader picture to incorporate into the stories. In this way, I assure that the stories are true to what was happening when they are set and readers can be confident that they are stepping into a past that I’ve recreated as accurately as possible. I want them to believe that the story could have happened.

 

Have you ever totally hated or fallen in love with one of your characters?

I don’t usually hate any of my characters but I do make sure that the ‘bad guys’ eventually get what they deserve. I do get attached to some characters though. I develop favourites and rarely want to let go of them. Readers will notice that the first two stories in The Yankee Years Books 1-3 collection are about the same two main characters. After Ruth and Frank confronted the threat posed by a spy in their midst in the first story, The Shadow Ally, I had to see what happened to them next so I wrote the second story, Acts of Sabotage.  I’ve really got to like Ruth as she has developed and I think she has potential to be a bit of an amateur sleuth so I have further adventures planned for her and Frank in at least one more story that I will start work on soon.

 

What do you enjoy reading for pleasure?

I read a wide variety of fiction, contemporary and historical as well as some mystery and crime fiction. I look for stories that feature vivid, memorable characters and settings that nearly jump off the page combined with gripping plots. Since I write stories set during the Second World War, I also enjoy reading other novels set in the era. They are research and relaxation at the same time.

What drink would you recommend drinking whilst reading your latest book?

I think a caramel latte or cup of hot chocolate (with lots of chocolate!) might go well. But, then, those are two of my favourites. Or maybe readers should indulge in gin cocktails to get a flavour of the era.

Last but not least... favourite historical author?

That’s an easy one. Manda (M.C.) Scott is one of my favourite authors and has been for years. There is just something wonderful about her books. I love her writing. Her ability to breathe life into characters and unveil a complex story that keeps me on the edge of my seat, as well as her skilful use of language, is absolutely wonderful. I love stories, like hers, that come alive in my mind.  ((Note from Diana: I can relate to that. I not only heard her talk at the HNS conference in Oxford, I was fortunate enough to meet her. I LOVE her books. My only problem is that as they are so engrossing, I read them far too fast! ))

 

Dianne Ascroft biography:

Dianne Ascroft writes historical and contemporary fiction, often with an Irish connection. Her series The Yankee Years is a collection of Short Reads and novels set in World War II Northern Ireland. After the Allied troops arrived in this outlying part of Great Britain, life there would never be the same again. The series strives to bring those heady, fleeting years to life again, in thrilling and romantic tales of the era.

Her other writing includes a ghost tale inspired by the famous Northern Irish legend of the Coonian ghost, An Unbidden Visitor; a short story collection, Dancing Shadows, Tramping Hooves, and an historical novel, Hitler and Mars Bars.

Dianne lives on a small farm, in Northern Ireland, with her husband and an assortment of strong-willed animals. When she’s not writing, she enjoys walks in the countryside, evenings in front of her open fireplace and folk and traditional music. 

Media links:
Website and blog: www.dianneascroft.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/DianneAscroftwriter

Twitter: www.twitter.com/DianneAscroft 

Newsletter signup: http://eepurl.com/bn_Bjz

Amazon book links:

US: paperback - https://www.amazon.com/Yankee-Years-Books-1-3/dp/1907530487

Ebook - https://www.amazon.com/Yankee-Years-Boxset-Books-1-3-ebook/dp/B01KG84NZ8

UK: paperback - https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/Books/Yankee-Years-1-3-Dianne-Ascroft/1907530487

Ebook - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Yankee-Years-Boxset-Books-1-3-ebook/dp/B01KG84NZ8



 © Diana Milne July 2016 © Dianne Ascroft March 2017