This is a beautiful book of paper dolls of Henry VIII and his Wives. It's full of nice little details but in the front page Jane Seymour have one of the dress of Catherine of Aragon and Catherine got one of the costume of Jane and Catherine Howard got one of the dress of Jane.

I have other books by Mr. Tierney, but this is one that I recommend most highly... Mr. Tierney does an exquisite job of rendering one of my all time favorite historical periods with his usual flair, and yet each figure is easily recognizable. Like Hans Holbein, the court painter for Henry VIII, he delivers ART!

This is an enjoyable paper doll book containing standard size paper dolls (about the same general size as other paper doll books made by Dover). This set depicts Henry VII in three dolls; two with two sets of clothing, one with only one, and his six wives (Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves, Catherine Howard, Catherine Parr) with two sets of clothing each. It also includes historical information that I found very interesting.

"The Gallows Murders" by Michael Clynes is described as "being the fifth journal of Sir Roger Shallot concerning certain wicked conspiracies and horrible murders perpetuated in the reign of King Henry VIII." And this fifth episode comes as no disappointment to Clynes' readers as his champion, Shallot, rides to the fore and before you can say "Bob's your uncle," the 16th century puzzle is solved!

An interesting character, Shallot describes himself : "I am not a coward. I just run very fast. I am also not a fool," who lives by his favorite maxim: "He who fights and runs away may get out of fighting on another day." And author Clynes makes him the ultimate hero of Tudor England (among his boasts: being special adviser to King Henry VIII and Cardinal Wolsey, confidant of Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn, and lover of Elizabeth I and the father of their "love child." He also claims "ownership" to several of Shakespeare's best lines. The Bard, Shallot, and Kit Marlowe are all drinking and wenching buddies! (An original fairy tale!)

Whatever. What Clynes does, however, is weave a yarn that is entertaining at best; however, the author is quite an authority on medieval England and his expertise is readily apparent in his descriptions of the period. While his concoctions may be historically far-fetched (and far from actuality!), still, his "accounts" offer a literary intrigue (if not a "gossipy account" of the times!) and an enjoyable tale!

In this episode, Shallot finds himself involved in another of Henry's misadventures. The Great Mouldwarp of Merlin's prophecies is ever so insecure about his own kingship and now messages arrive signed and sealed by King Edward V (one of the little "princes of the Tower" of Richard III fame), demanding that Henry pay extortion fees. Henry expects Shallot to solve the problem and clean up the mystery. Intrigue and murder/mayhem follow, one after the other and rivals Act V of "Hamlet" for seeing which has more dead bodies!

Light, light, light, but clever, clever, clever. And amusing. A relaxing afternoon's read!

(Billyjhobbs@tyler.net)

THE GALLOWS MURDERS by Michael Clynes "The Gallows Murders" by Michael Clynes is described as "being the fifth journal of Sir Roger Shallot concerning certain wicked conspiracies and horrible murders perpetuated in the reign of King Henry VIII." And this fifth episode comes as no disappointment to Clynes' readers as his champion, Shallot, rides to the fore and before you can say "Bob's your uncle," the 16th century puzzle is solved! An interesting character, Shallot describes himself : "I am not a coward. I just run very fast. I am also not a fool," who lives by his favorite maxim: "He who fights and runs away may get out of fighting on another day." And author Clynes makes him the ultimate hero of Tudor England (among his boasts: being special adviser to King Henry VIII and Cardinal Wolsey, confidant of Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn, and lover of Elizabeth I and the father of their "love child." He also claims "ownership" to several of Shakespeare's best lines. The Bard, Shallot, and Kit Marlowe are all drinking and wenching buddies! (An original fairy tale!) Whatever. What Clynes does, however, is weave a yarn that is entertaining at best; however, the author is quite an authority on medieval England and his expertise is readily apparent in his descriptions of the period. While his concoctions may be historically far-fetched (and far from actuality!), still, his "accounts" offer a literary intrigue (if not a "gossipy account" of the times!) and an enjoyable tale! In this episode, Shallot finds himself involved in another of Henry's misadventures. The Great Mouldwarp of Merlin's prophecies is ever so insecure about his own kingship and now messages arrive signed and sealed by King Edward V (one of the little "princes of the Tower" of Richard III fame), demanding that Henry pay extortion fees. Henry expects Shallot to solve the problem and clean up the mystery. Intrigue and murder/mayhem follow, one after the other and rivals Act V of "Hamlet" for seeing which has more dead bodies! Light, light, light, but clever, clever, clever. And amusing. A relaxing afternoon

"The Gallows Murders" by Michael Clynes is described as "being the fifth journal of Sir Roger Shallot concerning certain wicked conspiracies and horrible murders perpetuated in the reign of King Henry VIII." And this fifth episode comes as no disappointment to Clynes' readers as his champion, Shallot, rides to the fore and before you can say "Bob's your uncle," the 16th century puzzle is solved! An interesting character, Shallot describes himself : "I am not a coward. I just run very fast. I am also not a fool," who lives by his favorite maxim: "He who fights and runs away may get out of fighting on another day." And author Clynes makes him the ultimate hero of Tudor England (among his boasts: being special adviser to King Henry VIII and Cardinal Wolsey, confidant of Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn, and lover of Elizabeth I and the father of their "love child." He also claims "ownership" to several of Shakespeare's best lines. The Bard, Shallot, and Kit Marlowe are all drinking and wenching buddies! (An original fairy tale!) Whatever. What Clynes does, however, is weave a yarn that is entertaining at best; however, the author is quite an authority on medieval England and his expertise is readily apparent in his descriptions of the period. While his concoctions may be historically far-fetched (and far from actuality!), still, his "accounts" offer a literary intrigue (if not a "gossipy account" of the times!) and an enjoyable tale! In this episode, Shallot finds himself involved in another of Henry's misadventures. The Great Mouldwarp of Merlin's prophecies is ever so insecure about his own kingship and now messages arrive signed and sealed by King Edward V (one of the little "princes of the Tower" of Richard III fame), demanding that Henry pay extortion fees. Henry expects Shallot to solve the problem and clean up the mystery. Intrigue and murder/mayhem follow, one after the other and rivals Act V of "Hamlet" for seeing which has more dead bodies! Light, light, light, but clever, clever, clever. And amusing. A relaxing afternoon's read. And now on to the sixth episode!

How do you average a review when you feel that the story line is fabulous and the time it takes to get through it is too slow?

Everything that we want in a romance novel is here. A beautiful heroine, a strong and heroic hero, an entertaining list of supporting characters, steamy and seductive romance scenes and all of that combined with a sinister plot.

It is all there. So what is wrong.

It just moves too slowly in the first half of the book. Too much dilly-dallying trying to find out why a widow can possibly end up being a widow four times in eleven years.

The hero, Hugh of Beaucaire, tries very hard to resist the charms of the beautiful Guinevere Mallory and in so doing, finds himself wondering if all of her husbands met their deaths because they were not careful to escape her charms when they could.

The plot thickens nicely with the wondering and speculating about Guinevere's supposed guilt in the disposing of her husbands. It's also quite amusing to watch hers and his (children, that is) co-mingle. A nice touch. The reader even enjoys a smidgeon of Henry the VIII here and there.

But still a long read. So with that, I average the 5 stars for plot with the 3 for delivery, and come up nicely and neatly with 4 stars. Enjoy.

Ms. Feather is a terrific author who writes stories that are well researched, full of intrigue and romance, history and engaging characters.

Except that each book that I have read she seems to have to include one character who is guaranteed to drive you to distraction with irritating characteristics. In this story it is the 8 or 9 year old daughter Pippa who positively cannot shut up. Pippa piped, Pippa fluted, Pippa trumpeted or screeched or shrilled, etc. etc. The Pippa dialog is so often and so aggravating that I found myself skipping whole paragraphs when she used the name Pippa. This is not good for one loses the continuity of the story.

On a positive note, I did enjoy the history of 16th Century England during the mercurial, hugely obese and clever Henry VIII reign and all his poor wives who could not seem to provide him with a male heir. I would have enjoyed more information on the Star Chamber and Thomas Cromwell who was a terrible villian according to recorded history.

Ms. Feather has a real penchant for strong, nurturing, rough edged males as her heros. Well so do I. However, once again she has given us a heroine who is drop dead gorgeous, hugely flawed, conniving and quite difficult to feel much sympathy for in the story line. It was nice that she made the Lady Guinevere an intelligent and learned woman despite her obstinancy and intransiegence.

All in all, the story is interesting and Ms. Feather is becoming more elegant and refined with each book. I very much appreciate her breaking from the mold of most of the other romance writers who seem to need to refer to the male anatomy in cutesy or military language, ie: swords, etc. She uses the correct biological term which adds a great amount of intellectual credibility as a writer.

She remains on my list of writers who are closing the gap in skill as great as the incomparable Guy Gavriel Kay.

This was the first book of Jane Feather's that I have read and I have to say that I was very impressed. Ms. Feather's work is absolutely amazing... the very first chapter of _The Widow's Kiss_ pulled me right in and gave me a very entertaining read. Although it is not as strong in romance as some would like, I hardly noticed it. Ms. Feather's writing is first rate- her characters come alive along with the settings that they are placed in. She is a superb mystery/suspense writer and _The Widow's Kiss_ proves that she could make a living with her writing outside the romance genre. The research that went into making _The Widow's Kiss_ accurate is evident and makes the book all the more enjoyable. Guinevere was truly an amazing heroine that endears herself to you right away. You sympathize with her struggles for justice and I could not help but fall in love with her daughters. Although Hugh is a little rough around the edges when he is first introduced he redeemed himself latter on. The plot in _The Widow's Kiss_ is highly origional and very engrossing. I had this book with me when I had a three hour airplane layover in Hawaii and was dressed in heavy clothing without shorts and a tank top to change into. Reading Ms. Feather's work and losing myself in her tale was the only thing that kept me sane. I was sad to let this book go when I was finished and I can assure you that I will be searching out her work in the future. For those of you who think that mideval romances are too complicated to get into, I would suggest this book to you. It is a good intorduction to this sub genre of romance and will get you hooked. Bravo, Ms. Feather! _The Widow's Kiss_ is an amazing piece of literature and a must read to anyone out there.

Erickson is a great biographer, and her Tudor quartet are lively and throughly enjoyable. But one of her strengths--her ability to write as a novelist--makes her inevitably biased to her hero or heroine. In Great Harry, it's clear that she has no great love of the man, perhaps a grudging admiration, and certainly a good deal of pity as relates to his later years. That said, this is still an excellent bio, highly recommended to Tudor enthusiasts more interested in Henry's wives than his statesmanship--but they would be better served reading Alison Weir.

Carolly Erickson's Tudor and Stuart biographies are all splendid affairs. "Great Harry" attacks the personality of this man and the issues with which he graplled in a compelling and well-researched fashion without ever losing the reader's attention. Henry VIII was as big and grand as the Tudor age and this book captures both well. I also recommend Erickson's other biographies, especially "The First Elizabeth," about Henry and Anne Boylen's (she was the second wife, the first to lose her head) daughter. Truly one of the best popular historians writing about this period.

The book showed a different side of Henry VIII, not just thestereotype of the cruel, evil, lecherous king. A great picture of hisearly life and his life with Catherine of Aragon is given, along with the difficulties he faced while on the throne throughout his life. It showed how loved and admired he was through his life (at least until the last part of his life) and gives another perspective of the heir-to-the-throne problem.

... the reviews for King Henry VIII by William Shakespeare (and all their other books as far as I can tell) as if different editions have the same content - obviously in the case of classics that is far from true.

... 3 editions of Henry VIII at this time: (1) Hardback edited by Gordon McMullar published in November 2000 (2) Paperback edited by Jay L. Halio published in September 2000 (3) Paperback edited by R. A. Foakes published in February 1998

Their editorial reviews describe ALL 3 of these editions as "This is the first fully annotated modern-spelling edition of King Henry VIII to appear for over a decade and includes up-to-date scholarship on all aspects of the play, including dating authorship, printing, sources and stage history." I don't think so! The reader reviews don't distinguish the editions but they are the same reviews posted for the different books. I wish I could contribute the answer but I am still trying to figure it out -- in the meantime, purchase cautiously or you may be disappointed.

Shakespeare managed to describe the later life of King Henry the eight, with much intelligence and gracefulness. This play, written centuries before, has captured my attention unlike any present-day play or novel. King Henry VIII was based on the life of the notoriously known King Henry the eight of England. To my dismay, only two of King Henry's wives were mentioned. This play showed how King Henry's life was never truly complete: he couldn't trust anyone, he was unfaithful to the Lord, his wives and his country, and he was never blessed with a son, to be heir to his throne. For myself, the climax of the play was viewing how the king dealt with the change of wives and the birth of his daughter, Elizabeth. The play King Henry VIII by William Shakespeare is a wonderful recommendation for anyone who wishes to understand the tidings of King Henry the eight from a fictitious, historical, personal point of view, rather than from historical facts.

This was an appropriate conclusion to Shakespeare's career. Not only are the characters such as Henry VIII, Cranmer, and Wolsey convincing, but the poetry and images are beautiful. In addition, through the fall of several characters such as Wolsey, we can see reflections of Shakespeare himself as he wrote his 37th and final play. It is also poetically appropriate that one of the greatest writers England ever knew ended his career by writing a play about one of the greatest kings that England ever knew! I DO NOT believe that Shakespeare only wrote parts of this play as many people do. With the beautiful images, poetry, and captivating characters, I am very confident in the belief that this play was written entirely by the one and only William Shakespeare.

I'm not a fan of the Tudors, and I've always taken strong exception to writers who whitewash the Tudors. Not that Iris Collier does this at all. This is, I think, one of the most even handed and well researched mystery novels I've ever come across, (no surprises there of course, after all the authour did read history at Cambridge) -- the authour manages to balance a realistic view of a ruthless and capricious king with the overwhelming praise and approval that he garnered from his subjects at the time of his reign. "Day of Wrath" also accurately captures the vibrancy and pageantry of Henry's court, and juxtaposes this nicely with the prosperous and somewhat idyllic lives of the people in Dean Peverell. The book also captures the perils of the period as well -- the fears that intelligent people had about the course that Henry VIII and his piggy friends were set on (the dissolution of the monasteries and the swift execution of all those who opposed their will); the religious dilemma (was England going to remain a Catholic country, or was Henry about to adopt some strain of Lutherism?); and if all this change would lead to more civil unrest (i.e. another civil war). There was only one problem I had with this book, and that was that the mystery at the core of the novel was not a very intriguing or suspenseful one at all.

Lord Nicholas Peverell, one of King Henry VIII's advisors at court, hurriedly makes for his manor house in Sussex. The King is about to sign into law an act dissolving all the monasteries, and Nicholas is anxious to warn Prior Thomas, prior of the priory that Nicholas's family have been patrons of ever since they founded it almost 500 years ago, of this latest development. Especially since the King's Commissioners are about to land en masse upon the Priory in order to access it's wealth and decide how to stripe it bear for their King. However, Nicholas is soon sidetracked by the mysterious murder of his steward, Matthew. The evidence suggests that Matthew had been killed as a result of an interrupted robbery. Nicholas however is puzzled as to why the robbers chose to strangle Matthew instead of merely bashing him on the head in order to make a quick getaway. And then his comely neighbour, Jane Warrener, discloses that Matthew and his betrothed (Bess Knowles) had overheard a plot against the King. Jane thinks that Matthew was killed by the conspirators in order to prevent him from warning anyone of their scheme. Nicholas is aghast. Could another civil war be in the offing? For although Nicholas does not agree with the King on the issue of the dissolution of the monasteries, neither does he want a civil war. Resolute, Nicholas decides to look into things, and in this he is ably aided by Jane (even though he'd rather that she didn't involve herself in such dangerous matters). Unfortunately, other distractions keep getting in the way of his investigation: the King who seems to constantly require for Nicholas to attend him at court; and Prior Thomas who has decided not to take the King's Commissioners seriously and who seems to have a Nero-fiddling-while-Rome-burnt attitude towards things! Will Nicholas discover who murdered Matthew and why? And will he be able to stop the conspirators before their Day of Wrath unfolds?

While the plot is an interesting one, and one that moves forward at an almost dizzy speed, the plotting left a lot to be desired. There was very little mounting of tensions or clever plot twists to keep you guessing or red herring clues/suspects that would have made "Day of Wrath" a truly exciting and intriguing read. On the other hand, the characters found in this novel were all very well developed, esp those of the conspirators, so that you really understood the motivations of those who plotted against the King. I would describe "Day of Wrath" as a wonderfully engrossing historical novel that has elements of intrigue with a murder mystery attached to it, rather than as a 'straight' historical mystery novel. Described that way the book rates a strong 4 stars; however as mystery novel, it rates somewhere around 3 1/2 stars

Henry VIII sits on the throne of England and has ignored the papal refusal to annul his marriage. He gets a divorce to marry Anne Boleyn and is in the process of setting up a church independent of Rome. His first step is to inventory the monasteries so that he could add anything of value to his treasury before he disbands them and sells the buildings.

One of his advisors, Nicholas Peverell is sick about the regal decision since the one nearest his manor home in Sussex was built by his ancestors and supported by him. The king is planning on visiting Nicholas on his way to Portsmouth but there is a conspiracy to assassinate His Highness. Nicholas doesn't know if the threat comes from, the defeated York supporters or a rebellious churchman but he knows he must keep his king safe if he wants to live.

Iris Collier brings the pageantry and culture of the era when Henry VIII ruled England to vivid life in her meticulously researched historical mystery DAY OF WRATH. The mystery itself is cleverly constructed and there are enough suspects to keep the reader guessing until the author is ready to reveal the killer's identity. The hero is a warm caring man who makes this work a touch above the well written sub-genre novel as the age comes alive as much as the who-will-do-it plot.

Harriet Klausner

This biography of Anne Boleyn is short and quite accurate. There are a ton of illustrations in the book that really contribute to the overall effect. I life the fact that the author didn't overly sypathize with Mistress Anne but didn't try to persecute her either.

A great book for someone who wants to learn more about history but doesn't have time to delve into a 500 page book that is full of dry, useless information.

This book is in the sperit of the others in this series, The feeling for the time period is fantastic. The mystory is not to deep but the action and wit is enough to keep you reading late into the night. These books are very good and fun reads.

Erickson demonstrates her profound knowledge of the Tudor era in England through the amazing variety of details she fits into her easy and engaging narrative of the life of one of England's most loved but notorious kings. The reader learns about the perosn, the monarch, his family and his country, and how all were intertwined. The development of Henry, second son not meant to inherit the throne, into Great Harry, fearless and fearsome king who practically destroyed his kingdom to get his own way are beautifully chronicled and bristles with personal touches. It's high drama and well worth it.

I have read Alison Weir's books on the Tudor period: Six Wives, Children of Henry VIII, and Life of Elizabeth I. I found her a very enjoyable writer, and felt involved in her subjects as people, not just as historical figures. In this book, however, I felt distant from Henry VIII, even though descriptions and anecdotes abounded through the pages. Perhaps that was part of the problem--it felt like his person was being justified, rather than developed as the book progressed. Also, a more fitting title would have been "Life in and around King Henry VIII's Court." The in-depth instruction of architecture, interior decoration, politicking, and background nature took some attention away from the king in question. I enjoyed the period review, but the pace did plod along more than her other books that I've read.

If you have read Alison's Weir's The Six Wives of Henry VIII, you will probably already have a good understanding of this aspect of Henry's life, that his, his private life. A.W. asserts in the beginning of this outing that she will not repeat what she had already covered - she only marginally succeeds. She does a good job of covering the information that you would remiss in not repeating; the dissolution of church, and the execution of A. Boleyn etc. However, in place of those details she's placed page after page of tedious information on the many castles and houses he owned and how much he spent fixing them up or redecorating for his new wife. I really enjoyed her picture of life at court and the internal court fractions between those vying for favor. However, the reason this book does not rate higher is that A.W. spends little or no time exploring the politics and society outside the castle(S) walls. I realize the title is "...and his court," but a lot of that was already covered in Henry's Six Wives. Having read A.W.'s surface treatment of Queen Elizabeth, I know that she is mostly interested in the drama aspect and the personal lives of those in the renaissance court, and not necessarily in the actual broader history of the time.
Bottom Line: I don't think I'm being too harsh on this book. I think A.W. is a wonderful researcher and a fine writer, it's just that this book is not the place I would recommend to anyone really wishing to further their understanding of the world in which Henry VIII lived.
Note: One bit of irritation is A.W.'s mention in the back-of-the-book interview that she has new information regarding Anne's execution, of course she does not mention what it is there because she wants you to read the book. I read over the key chapters where she covers Anne Boleyn's charges and there is really nothing new. As we've learned before the charges against her were mostly fabricated.

Alison Weir's Henry VIII (the King and his Court) is another dip into the Tudor pool from this wonderful writer. This book covers some similar territory seen in the previous volumes by the author, The Six Wives of Henry VIII and the Children of Henry VIII, but this one will give the reader a more focused look at the moving force behind these previous books. This particular book is much the same in structure as The Life of Elizabeth I, with each chapter looking at specific subjects until the historical narrative finally begins. The endless stream of descriptions of houses and castles can grow a little wearisome but the completeness will be welcomed by some readers. Another nice addition to the Tudor library built up by Alison Weir to help fill in the gaps in the previous volumes.