The numbers involved also allow for a rare sense of scale, creating bustling street scenes and grand processions. It’s a lot of bodies to choreograph, something that co-directors Juliet Forster, Mingyu Lin and John R Wilkinson do skilfully. There are some moments where the narrative sags or the stage pictures lose focus. But overall, Sovereign makes for a fitting celebration of York’s people and its long theatrical history. Tensions are running high in the city, and soon Shardlake is called to investigate a suspicious death - and stumbles upon a daring plot that has the potential to shake England to its core We all know what it’s like to anticipate something so much that we are literally shaking with excitement. Shardlake had similar feelings about meeting his king; he couldn’t wait to behold the presence of King Henry VIII. Except when that moment finally comes it almost breaks Shardlake in two. But the murder of a local glazier involves Shardlake in deeper mysteries, connected not only to the prisoner in York Castle but to the royal family itself. And when Shardlake and Barak stumble upon a cache of secret papers which could threaten the Tudor throne, a chain of events unfolds that will lead to Shardlake facing the most terrifying fate of the age . . . When an old friend is horrifically murdered Shardlake promises his widow, for whom he has long had complicated feelings, to bring the killer to justice. His search leads him to both Cranmer and Catherine Parr –and with the dark prophecies of the Book of Revelation.

Love, Catherine (20 July 2023). "Sovereign review – CJ Sansom's historical doorstopper comes home to York". The Guardian . Retrieved 21 September 2023. A master class in suspense...an age of political and religious convulsion is conjured up with thrilling immediacy. -- Peter Kemp * Sunday Times * Q. Some have suggested that the Islamic world is undergoing its own violent Reformation/Counter-Reformation, similar to what occurred in sixteenth- and seventeenth-century Europe. Has your research in the period helped you to better understand certain religious conflicts today? Of course, since this novel touches on the relationship between Henry VIII and Catherine Howard, Sansom had to include a way for Shardlake to meet these two, as well as confront figures like Lady Rochford, Culpepper, Dereham, and of course Sir Richard Rich. The way he does this is ingenious. Sansom’s attention to details of the Progress is nothing short of extraordinary. Compared to the first two books, this one is much darker as you are unsure how Shardlake and Barak will ever get out of their dangerous situations, but that is what makes it so remarkable. Walter Scott historical fiction shortlist announced". BBC News. 1 April 2011 . Retrieved 12 June 2011.

Q. During the gruesome Tower episode, Shardlake screams out that “torture is illegal in England.” I think many readers will find this statement surprising in that it occurs in a novel set in a time of widespread religious persecution. What is the legal provision, if any, behind his statement? This is not the only attempt on Shardlake's life during the course of the novel, and there are deaths, conspiracies and secrets aplenty for him to contend with, as the Progress stalls in York for many days. Several unpleasant characters emerge as the story unfolds, including the harsh gaoler, Radwinter, the scheming power-broker Sir William Maleverer, the fierce-tempered servant Jennet Marlin and the bitchy Lady-in-Waiting, Jane Rochford. They vex Shardlake and Barak, throwing all sorts of obstacles, both literal and figurative, in the path of their investigations. After the second attempt upon his life, Shardlake is convinced that the stolen papers - with their allegations against the King - hold the key to the whole mystery.

Perfect for fans of HIlary Mantel and Philippa Gregory, C. J. Sansom's bestselling adventures of Matthew Shardlake continue in the fourth book, the haunting Revelation. C. J . Sansom has garnered a wider audience and increased critical praise with each new novel published. His first book in the Matthew Shardlake series, Dissolution, was selected by P. D. James in The Wall Street Journal as one of her top five all-time favorite books. Nowin Sovereign, Shardlake faces the most terrifying threat in the age of Tudor England: imprisonment int he Tower of London. This is the only book I have read in Matthew Shardlake series. The story, set up in the reign of Henry VIII, is pretty dark. There were a lot of history included in the story with the horrible brutalities and the severe torture those who were regarded as King's enemies suffered; and on the other side the treacheries and personal vengeance the powerful Lords carried out in the name of the King unknown to him. In The Independent, Amanda Craig praised the novel, likening the quality of the series to the detective fiction by P. D. James, Ruth Rendell, Ian Rankin and Minette Walters. She praised its "vigorous, well-drawn characters" and "impressive historical research". [1] Their legs must be covered in little scars.’ He turned to me, his eyes looking into mine. ‘As the body of England is covered in the scars left by the great leech of Rome.’”

A key narrative thread throughout the novel is the dangerous information that the Tudor claim to the English throne is invalid, and that Henry VIII is the grandson of a bastard. Shardlake finds (then loses) some documents that relate to this proposition, and his safety is threatened several times as various scheming individuals try to get the information from him to satisfy their own aims. The resolution of this plot line at the end of the book was fascinating and gave me much food for thought. By the end of the novel, Shardlake has been able to satisfactorily tie up the plot’s many loose ends, with the possible exception of Tamasin. He hasn’t been able to penetrate her character or quite understand her motives. Do you think Tamasin is a potential threat to Barak or Shardlake? Does Shardlake, as Barak claims, simply not understand women? Add (and my apologies for Sir Arthur for this) superbly crafted plots, rich, nuanced characterizations and deeply immersive historical settings; and... Even if heart-pounding suspense and stomach-tightening tension were all Sansom's writing brought to the table, few would feel short-changed. Added to these gifts is a superb approximation of the crucible of fear, treachery and mistrust that was Tudor England, and a memorably blood-swollen portrait of the ogreish Henry's inhumane kingship. A parchment-turner, and a regal one at that. * Sunday Times *