Also known as Daughter of Albion: A Novel of Ancient Britain in other countries. Skin by Ilka Tampke takes place in the 1st century AD, when the Roman Empire began to encroach upon the British Isles. Although rooted in the history and culture of ancient tribal Britain, Tampke weaves a magical element into the story… Continue reading Review: Skin by Ilka Tampke
Mary Toft; or, The Rabbit Queen by Dexter Palmer fictionalizes the true story of an 18th century Englishwoman who convinced doctors of all rankings--even the King's own--that she could birth rabbits. This unique historical nugget seems stranger than fiction, and Palmer vividly fills in the blanks and the world in which Mary Toft conducts… Continue reading Review: Mary Toft; or, The Rabbit Queen by Dexter Palmer
I will be taking a brief hiatus on reviews to do some pure enjoyment reading of some thick Fantasy novels I've had on my to-do list for a while (which don't really fit the theme of my usual reviews, despite the few Sci-Fi ones I slid in.) I have more Historical Fiction ARC reviews coming… Continue reading Hiatus
One Thousand White Women by Jim Fergus is an alt-history novel, of sorts, in which the US government agreed to the true to life request of the Cheyenne tribe to send white brides to them in order to help integrate the Cheyenne into white society and thus survive. In reality, President Grant refused, but Jim… Continue reading Review: One Thousand White Women by Jim Fergus
Based on the historical figure Mary Bryant, Fled by Meg Keneally follows the extraordinary journey of late 18th century Jenny from Cornwall to The Sydney Cove Penal Colony and all the raging seas and lives that could have been in between. When Jenny's fisherman/smuggler father dies, Jenny must find work to help support her mother… Continue reading Review: Fled by Meg Keneally
About seven years ago I read Year of Wonder by Geraldine Brooks and really enjoyed it. Caleb's Crossing has been on my to-read list for a while, so when I found it at my local used book store, I finally decided it was time to read it. Taking place in the 17th century, Caleb's Crossing… Continue reading Review: Caleb’s Crossing by Geraldine Brooks
Elizabeth of Bohemia was the daughter of King James and the granddaughter of Mary, Queen of Scots. While Elizabeth Stuart may not be as famous as her grandmother or father, I was curious to learn about her life through David Elias's new novel. From a young age, Elizabeth's life seemed to be marked be death… Continue reading Review: Elizabeth of Bohemia by David Elias
The Man Who Could Be King by John Ripin Miller follows a young aide-de-camp of George Washington during the threat of internal revolt within the Continental faction in Newburgh, News York. King reads very much like a primary source diary of the time, however, Miller's Josiah Stockbridge is a fabrication and amalgamation of the experiences… Continue reading Review: The Man Who Could Be King by John Ripin Miller
Long after the slave trade had ended, slavers and merchants would still travel to the West coast of Africa to illegally purchase new "property," while at the same time avoiding any nation's govt ships to bring the "contraband" to the US. Such was the case with Cudjo Lewis in the early 1860s, right before the… Continue reading Review: Barracoon by Zora Neale Hurston
The Tubman Command by Elizabeth Cobbs tells the true story of Harriet Tubman's instrumental involvement in the Combahee River raid which resulted in freeing about 750 enslaved people from plantations situated on that river. Cobbs brings Tubman from mythic figure of "Moses" down to earth as a woman conflicted with her emotions in relation… Continue reading Review: The Tubman Command by Elizabeth Cobbs
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