Tombland

Shardlake, Book 7

De: C. J. Sansom

Narrado por: Steven Crossley

Tudor England is brought vividly to life in Tombland, the seventh novel in C. J. Sansom's number one bestselling Shardlake series, for fans of Hilary Mantel and Philippa Gregory.

'When it comes to intriguing Tudor-based narratives, Hilary Mantel has a serious rival' - Sunday Times
‘Sansom has the trick of writing an enthralling narrative. Like Hilary Mantel, he produces densely textured historical novels that absorb their readers in another time’ - Andrew Taylor, Spectator

The Sunday Times Number One Bestseller

England, 1549: Two years after the death of Henry VIII, England is sliding into chaos . . .

The nominal king, Edward VI, is eleven years old. His uncle Edward Seymour, Duke of Somerset, rules as Protector. The extirpation of the old religion by radical Protestants is stirring discontent among the populace while the Protector’s prolonged war with Scotland is proving a disastrous failure and threatens to involve France. Worst of all, the economy is in collapse, inflation rages and rebellion is stirring among the peasantry.

Since the old King’s death, Matthew Shardlake has been working as a lawyer in the service of Henry’s younger daughter, the Lady Elizabeth. The gruesome murder of Edith Boleyn, the wife of John Boleyn – a distant Norfolk relation of Elizabeth's mother – which could have political implications for Elizabeth, brings Shardlake and his assistant Nicholas Overton to the summer assizes at Norwich. There they are reunited with Shardlake’s former assistant Jack Barak. The three find layers of mystery and danger surrounding Edith's death, as a second murder is committed.

And then East Anglia explodes, as peasant rebellion breaks out across the country. The yeoman Robert Kett leads a force of thousands in overthrowing the landlords and establishing a vast camp outside Norwich. Soon the rebels have taken over the city, England’s second largest.

Barak throws in his lot with the rebels; Nicholas, opposed to them, becomes a prisoner in Norwich Castle; while Shardlake has to decide where his ultimate loyalties lie, as government forces in London prepare to march north and destroy the rebels. Meanwhile he discovers that the murder of Edith Boleyn may have connections reaching into both the heart of the rebel camp and of the Norfolk gentry . . .

This is the seventh stunning novel in the bestselling Shardlake series, that began with Dissolution. Includes an Historical Essay from the author on Reimagining Kett's Rebellion.

Reseñas de la Crítica

Tudor England of 1549 is effortlessly evoked. The murder mystery absorbs, the characters are vivid and the history is seductive, but it's the author's inclusive humanity that lingers (Elizabeth Buchan)

Tudor terror tingles through C. J. Sansom's murder mystery novels . . . With remarkable expertise, sustained over more than 850 pages, Sansom weaves together a wide cast of characters and knits his murder story into a vivid tapestry of little-known historical happenings (Peter Kemp)

Sansom handles his huge cast with aplomb. This is a totally immersive and vividly written tale: compelling reading for history lovers and crime aficionados alike (Laura Wilson)

Sansom has the trick of writing an enthralling narrative. Like Hilary Mantel, he produces densely textured historical novels that absorb their readers in another time (Andrew Taylor)

Sansom blends impeccable historical research with a bloody good whodunnit

Sansom has the rare knack of bringing the past to life in three dimensions . . . The honest Shardlake shines like a beacon

With the Shardlake series . . . Sansom has surely established himself as one of the best novelists around

Tudor England has never seemed so vibrantly alive and viscerally authentic than in the pages of the extraordinary Matthew Shardlake novels and after a four-year wait, C.J. Sansom’s mild-mannered, middle-aged, hunchback lawyer makes a magnificent return.

Shardlake is a superb creation who gains more substance with each new book . . . A grand historical epic . . . 800 pages in Shardlake's company will always fly by (Stephanie Merritt)

I really don’t think crime writing comes much better than this, and as always with Sansom there is a wealth of enjoyment in his rich storytelling . . . This novel may have been four years in the making but it was well worth the wait.

Few writers can keep readers interested over the length of 866 pages, but C. J. Sansom is one of those . . . Built on substantial research and written with such confidence that the prose is both smooth and colourful, Tombland is a superb achievement

Yet again C. J. Sansom has produced a novel so rich in historical detail and colour that the reader feels immersed in Tudor England

A compelling story that rises above the stink of stables and open sewers . . . The marketplaces and hovels zing off the page, as does the colourful Norfolk dialect

When it comes to intriguing Tudor-based narratives, Hilary Mantel has a serious rival . . . A Scottish historian who had a career in law before turning to fiction, Sansom finds an ideal protagonist in Matthew Shardlake, the humane hunchbacked lawyer-sleuth, in his Tudor novels

A book to curl up with . . . At 880 pages it's a real doorstopper, but the inventive plot is a delight, and the characterization is as strong as ever

CJ Sansom’s books are arguably the best Tudor novels going

Amazing!

Wonderfully narrated. Amazing characters and story. Five stars all around for the whole series. A must read for all fans of Tudor era!

Excellent I could not put it down

Loved it as I have all other books in this series. Fiction based on historical fact I can think of a better way of learning some history, and get a feeling of what life was like in the 1500's, and at no point did I feel I was being lecture at or being taught some history, just listening to a very good highly believable story.
Steve Crossley's narration as always is excellent and can't imagine this being read by any other reader.

The best of the Matthew Shardlake series

A combination of excellent background historical research supporting an engaging mystery. This is probably the best of the Shardlake novels so far. Stick around for the explanation of the historical background at the end. You won’t regret it.

Disturbing trend

I've always enjoyed the books in this series and was very excited when I found this one. The story was interesting as always, the historical setting lovely. What disturbs me though is the introduction of so many sear words! Are these historically accurate or are they inserted to add modes appeal? The author has obviously invested much effort in to research and thus does not need such cheapening flourishes. Even if the "common" folk used such language, gentlemen of that era would never use such muscular language - especially in the presence of ladies. Great story, but no need to inflict such language on readers.

Dreary, bloated and repetitive

Obviously I am in the minority of readers who found this book impossible to finish. Well, not impossible because as a background noise while doing other more interesting things it works quite well, but as an entertainment it surely demands more patience and forbearance than I for one am willing to accord it.
The characters are almost universally unlikeable and fall into three discernible categories: dithering and ineffectual, those detestable in their resentments, and the mentally incompetent. The hero falls within the first category so we have to follow his failure to notice the obvious for more than 30 hours while the author diverges, pads, props up, repeats (and repeats and repeats) to fill the vacuum left by an amazing lack of imagination - amazing because the basic concept for the series is quite imaginative and original.
For example, the hero is a hunchback, in itself quite a novel idea for a hero, but a fact that the author feels it necessary to restate at least once a chapter, while inserting phrases such as 'my back ached', 'my back was hurting', 'my back was painful', 'my back was giving me discomfort' so frequently that I was able to predict the next incidences quite accurately. This physical anomaly turns out to be the the hero's chief personality trait - aside from being incapable of making any progress in his investigation for upwards of 30 dreary hours, or did I say that already? Oh, and regularly handing out 'a few shillings' to the economically and mentally challenged denizens of the historical period as the author wishes us to perceive it.
When I find myself sighing and grinding my teeth despite beginning with the best intentions to find the novel as gripping and absorbing as my fellow readers insist, I just have to stop listening. Fortunately I found John Biggins' truly excellent but severely under appreciated series with which to heal the spiritual trauma.