The Eyes of the Queen

A Novel

By: Oliver Clements

Narrated by: Matthew Lloyd Davies

In this first novel of the “rollicking” (The New York Times Book Review) Agents of the Crown series, the man who will become the original MI6 agent protects England and Queen Elizabeth I from Spain’s nefarious plan to crush the Age of Enlightenment.

After centuries locked in an endless cycle of poverty, persecution, and barbarity, Europe has finally emerged into the Age of Enlightenment. Scientists, philosophers, scholars, and poets alike believe this to be a new era of reason and hope for all. But the forces of darkness haven’t completely dissipated, as Spain hunts and butchers any who dare to defy its ironclad Catholic orthodoxy.

Only one nation can fight the black shadow that threatens this new age, and that is Britain, now ruled by a brilliant young Queen Elizabeth I. But although she may be brave and headstrong, Elizabeth knows she cannot win this war simply by force of arms. Elizabeth needs a new kind of weapon forged to fight a new kind of war, in which stealth and secrecy, not bloodshed, are the means.

In this tense situation, Her Majesty’s Secret Service is born with the charismatic John Dee at its head. A scholar, a soldier, and an alchemist, Dee is loyal only to the truth and to his Queen. And for her, the woman he’s forbidden from loving, he is prepared to risk his life in this “twisty, fast-paced debut” (Publishers Weekly).

Critic reviews

"Matthew Lloyd Davies narrates the first Agents of the Crown series with subtlety and intelligence. It's 1572. The rivalry between Elizabeth I and Mary, Queen of Scots, has reached the boiling point. Elizabeth's treasury is devastated, her army is decimated, and the Spanish are pressing for Catholic Mary to replace her Protestant cousin on the throne. Tension mounts after the queen's spymaster, Francis Walsingham, loses a secret document that could change the balance of power in Europe. Walsingham appeals to John Dee, a scholar and cryptologist, to locate and decode the document. Lloyd Davies masterfully moves Dee through double-dealing opponents, treachery, and graphic violence in this well-researched historical fiction. Lloyd Davies's clear diction, tone, and attitude reflect both period and situation."

Great new series of Tudor-era historical novels

I immediately bought the sequel to this very engaging historical novel concerning a plot in the fall of 1572 to kill Queen Elizabeth I and replace her on the throne with her cousin, the Roman Catholic Mary Queen of Scots. The main protagonists are Sir Francis Walsingham, the queen's spymaster, and John Dee, the queen's brilliant oddball scientist/ natural philosopher / dream-interpreter / alchemist friend. They rush to thwart Mary and her secret supporters, and the development of the relationships among the characters is even more gripping than the tight fast-paced plot. I really enjoyed this book, and look forward to meeting more of the spies on her majesty's secret service who (no spoiler here) number 007.

A guilty pleasure (but an audio problem)

This is a ridiculous and tawdry book that makes loose with every historical and scientific fact you can imagine. And of course I will be downloading the next one post haste!

As for the narration: it was actually top notch … so why one star? It’s not the narrator’s fault but rather the fault of the sound quality. The narrator speaks very softly at several of the most dramatic points in the plot, including in a French accent a few times. Though the part I could actually hear was brilliant, the unintelligibility in several important moments marred the experience—especially when listening while driving, where no matter the speaker volume, I could not hear the words and also could not easily flip back to try again.

story a little slow, awesome narrator

storyline a little slow for me. love the narrator. will try another selection from the author tho

The porn is a distraction and a disservice

The tale of the power struggle and intrigue between Mary Queen of Scots and her cousin Elizabeth really doesn't benefit from inserting imagined sexual encounters between Mary and her maid. From any sexual orientation, these encounters can only be considered abusive and ugly. The scenes between Mary and her maid are cheap, implausible and anachronistic, and detract from the potentially gripping tale of early spycraft that forms the most interesting part of this book. I feel tricked into supporting some sort of misogynistic sexual fantasy by having listened to them. I heartily recommend avoiding this book.

Salacious take on Mary of Scotland in captivity

Overall, this book is a disappointment. If you care about historical accuracy, don't bother with its far-fetched and somewhat incoherent version of conspiracies during the reign of Elizabeth 1. Likewise, the characters have little resemblance to the historical persons they are inspired by. Real events are rendered unbelievable. The worst (or most repugnant) feature of the book is the vicious, prurient caricature of Mary Queen of Scots as a captive of Elizabeth. There's so much real human drama during this period, perfect material for fictional reconstruction- what a shame this book made such a botch of it.