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The devil's slave / Tracy Borman.
"Catholics have gone underground in the new Puritan regime of King James I, and yet whispers of conspiracies continue to echo behind closed doors and down the halls of the royal palaces. Against this perilous backdrop, accompanied by her son George and her husband Sir Thomas Tyringham—whom she married conveniently to mask the true identity of her son’s father—Frances reunites with her former mistress, the Princess Elizabeth, now of marriageable age, as well as other less friendly members of the court: Prince Henry, heir to the crown who emulates his father’s brutality without scruple; Lord Cecil, eager to persecute Frances as a witch even as his own health rapidly declines; and King James himself, ever more paranoid and cruel towards alleged heretics and traitors. Yet a surprising ally emerges in the person of Sir Walter Raleigh, himself a prisoner in the Tower of London. With more lives than merely her own on the line, Frances soon finds herself caught in a spider’s web of secrets, promises, and plots."-- Publisher.
Record details
- ISBN: 9780802129451
- Physical Description: 424 pages ; 24 cm
- Edition: First Grove Atlantic hardcover edition.
- Publisher: New York : Atlantic Monthly Press, 2019.
- Copyright: ©2019.
Search for related items by subject
| Subject: | Stuart, House of > Fiction. Great Britain > History > James I, 1603-1625 > Fiction. Great Britain > Court and courtiers > Fiction. |
| Genre: | Historical fiction. |
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Available copies
- 11 of 11 copies available at BC Interlibrary Connect. (Show)
- 1 of 1 copy available at Terrace Public Library.
Holds
- 0 current holds with 11 total copies.
Show Only Available Copies
| Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Holdable? | Status | Due Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Terrace Public Library | BOR (Text) | 35151001106608 | Adult Fiction | Volume hold | Available | - |
- Booklist Reviews : Booklist Reviews 2019 August #1
Historian Borman picks up the loose threads she deliberately left dangling at the conclusion of The King's Witch (2018), the first installment of a Stuart-era trilogy featuring fictional character Frances Gorges playing a major role in the intrigues and machinations of a cast of real-life historical figures. With both her new husband and the child of her deceased lover in tow, Lady-in Waiting to young Princess Elizabeth and skilled herbalist and healer Frances returns to the perilous court of King James, where she must navigate the twisted corridors of court intrigue and contend with a slew of possible enemies including the King's treacherous son, Prince Henry, and her old nemesis, Lord Cecil, who is determined to expose her as a witch. In an era of political and religious upheaval, there is sure to be a conspiracy lurking around every corner, and when Frances makes an unexpected ally of Sir Walter Raleigh, a prisoner in the Tower of London, she finds herself the unwitting pawn in a treasonous plot to destroy the House of Stuart. Copyright 2019 Booklist Reviews. - Kirkus Reviews : Kirkus Reviews 2019 July #1
Continuing saga of a lady-in-waiting under constant suspicion in the witch-baiting court of James I. The inaugural volume of Borman's trilogy (The King's Witch, 2018) ended as Lady Frances, who was involved in the failed Powder Treason plot against King James, fled back to her family estate, Longford, after Tom Wintour, a co-conspirator, was executed along with Guy Fawkes and others. Volume 2 finds Frances, pregnant by and in mourning for Wintour, accepting, under pressure from her scheming brother, Edward, the marriage proposal of Sir Thomas Tyringham, King James' master of hounds. The two agree that the marriage will remain platonic, and when her son, George, is born, Sir Thomas assumes paternity. The remnants of the papist conspiracy still hoping to dethrone rabid Protestant James once again tap Frances for help. She is urged to return to the service of Princess Elizabeth and encourage a match with a Catholic prince. She also becomes reluctantly embroiled in a plot launched by Sir Walter Raleigh, from his luxurious Tower cell, to advance competing claims to the throne. As Wintour's memory fades, Frances is increasingly attracted to her husband. Initially, Frances is again the passive observer, always in jeopardy from those longing to see her ensnared anew by James' anti-witch frenzyâincluding Elizabeth's beloved brother Henry, Prince of Wales, and Frances' own brother. When her chief persecutor, Lord Cecil, requires her services as a healer and surgeon, détente but no true security results. Witchcraft prosecutions mostly benefit the male medical profession, with its dubious treatments, by targeting female wise-women, healers, and herbalists like Frances, whose M.O. is truly "First do no harm." This message is powerfully brought home when Frances, risking arrest, helps Thomas recover from severe injuriesâthe ministrations of the king's physicians would have killed him. After a slow start, the pages turn briskly, apace with Frances' increasing bravery. Surprising revelations and a cliffhanger prepare us for Volume 3. As Borman's protagonist grows a spine, she's starting to grow on us. Copyright Kirkus 2019 Kirkus/BPI Communications. All rights reserved.
