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A Sundial in a Grave

1610: A Novel

By Mary Gentle

(1)

| Paperback | 9780380820412

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Book Description

"It's about sex, and cruelty,
and forgiveness."

Thus begins a sweeping historical adventure about two dueling swordsmen and the plot to kill a king in the grand tradition of Dorothy Dunnett and Alexander Dumas.

The year is 1610. Continental Europe is briefly at Continue

"It's about sex, and cruelty,
and forgiveness."

Thus begins a sweeping historical adventure about two dueling swordsmen and the plot to kill a king in the grand tradition of Dorothy Dunnett and Alexander Dumas.

The year is 1610. Continental Europe is briefly at peace after years of war, but Henri IV of France is planning to invade the German principalities. In England, only five years earlier, conspirators nearly succeeded in blowing up King James I and his Parliament. The seeds of the English Civil War and the Thirty Years War are visibly being sown, and the possibility for both enlightenment and disaster abounds.

But Valentin Rochefort, duelist and spy for France's powerful financial minister, could not care less. Until he is drawn into the glittering palaces, bawdy back streets, and stunning theatrics of Renaissance France and Shakespearean London in a deadly plot both to kill King James I and to save him. For this swordsman without a conscience is about to find himself caught between loyalty, love, and blackmail, between kings, queens, politicians, and Rosicrucians -- and the woman he has, unknowingly, crossed land and sea to meet.

Critics

  • The Best Reviews: Mary Gentle, A Sundial in a Grave: 1610

    "Terrific historical thriller" In 1610 England, astrological mathematician Robert Fludd concludes that if current trends continue, a comet will crash into the earth in five centuries killing every living organism. Robert knows he must alter the calcu ... (read full critics)

    thebestreviews published on Thu, 16 Sep 2010

  • 1610: A Sundial in a Grave

    Coerced into engineering the assassination of King Henri IV, Valentin Raoul Rochefort must either leave France or be silenced by his own assassination. While preparing to leave, he is intercepted by the androgynous Dariole, a young duellist of superl ... (read full critics)

    infinityplus published on Tue, 31 Aug 2010

1 Review

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  • My thoughts

    I enjoyed this historical fiction filled with adventure and intrigue set in 17th century France and England. At first, it seemed slow to me, but once Rochefort and Dariole meet Saburo and head to England, the pace definitely picked up.

    Is this helpful?

    krin5292 said on Aug 2, 2009 | Add your feedback

Book Details

  • Rating:
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  • English Books
  • Paperback 688 Pages
  • ISBN-10: 0380820412
  • ISBN-13: 9780380820412
  • Publisher: Harper Paperbacks
  • Pub date: May 01, 2005
  • Dimensions: 1290 mm x 903 mm x 194 mm Just how big is that?
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ISBN Edition List Sale Seller
9780380820412 Paperback $14.95 $12.78 bn.com
-- $10.99 ebooks.com
$14.95 $14.45 The Book Depository
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