tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19545049.post3103738663485653143..comments2024-03-14T05:56:44.390+00:00Comments on Edward II: Book Review: The Ruling Passion by David PownallKathryn Warnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00397714441908100576noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19545049.post-12205743825616414432013-06-12T19:53:35.009+01:002013-06-12T19:53:35.009+01:00The British Royal family and not Hitler should be ...The British Royal family and not Hitler should be historically accused of commiting the most heinous atrocities against human beings across the world and killing the most number of people!<br /><br />There is nothing royal about them and the present ones Charles, Harry and Edward should hang their heads in shame for what their forefathers did.<br /><br />And yes, in this globalized world, no on really cares who their father was, they are irrelevant!chetannarayanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05845221464545313403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19545049.post-35207091195604971442011-02-25T05:42:27.194+00:002011-02-25T05:42:27.194+00:00Thanks, Miss Moppet - I appreciate you adding the ...Thanks, Miss Moppet - I appreciate you adding the link!Kathryn Warnerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00397714441908100576noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19545049.post-28114264403230159622011-02-25T03:50:42.366+00:002011-02-25T03:50:42.366+00:00Thanks for the review, Kathryn. This is eligible f...Thanks for the review, Kathryn. This is eligible for the Royal Mistress Challenge (which includes male favourites) so I'll add it to the list but I'll also link to your post so people know what to expect!Miss Moppethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05712153554458139838noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19545049.post-8980628977169155152011-02-21T16:46:51.785+00:002011-02-21T16:46:51.785+00:00Completely agree about the wish fulfilment issue, ...Completely agree about the wish fulfilment issue, Ragged Staff - these fictional characters often come across to me as author inserts, the dreaded Mary-Sues/Marty-Stus!Kathryn Warnerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00397714441908100576noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19545049.post-38863928488839690372011-02-21T16:38:34.246+00:002011-02-21T16:38:34.246+00:00I agree wholeheartedly with the comment about inve...I agree wholeheartedly with the comment about invented characters. The only HF book I've read where that's done successfully is We Speak No Treason - here the OCs don't even have names and are very much there as vehicles to tell the story *not* wish fulfillment characters (though the Maiden could be accused of that). I try to avoid all novels of this type, whatever era they're set.Ragged Staffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13285451640470655380noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19545049.post-5552828154244781462011-02-20T07:24:21.849+00:002011-02-20T07:24:21.849+00:00*big grin* :-))*big grin* :-))Kathryn Warnerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00397714441908100576noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19545049.post-80899217418231787302011-02-19T20:06:54.767+00:002011-02-19T20:06:54.767+00:00I can see sound sense in making Piers blond - in c...I can see sound sense in making Piers blond - in case he has to father Edward III after all! :)))Kate Shttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07285253170830170840noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19545049.post-59770686008915381762011-02-18T09:32:05.753+00:002011-02-18T09:32:05.753+00:00Thanks, Anerje! My heart sank a few pages in when...Thanks, Anerje! My heart sank a few pages in when I realised The Irishman William Wild Who Is An Irishman And Irish was going to be the main character. Dammit, it's marketed as a novel about Ed and Piers!!! I read the last few pages again yesterday and saw that he's made Piers blond - cannot imagine that.<br /><br />Carla, I didn't hear it on BAB, unfortunately - my mother phoned to tell me it was on as she knew I'd be interested in an Ed II novel, but I don't think she listened to it. I bet they left out the 'noisily b*ggered' bit. :-)<br /><br />Thanks, Bryan. David Pownall has (apparently; I'd never heard of him before, I have to admit) a good reputation as a writer, so I was expecting the novel to be much better. I've written quite a lot of Ed II fiction myself which I hope will be a completed novel sometime before the end of the century (!!) - but as you say, it's really hard work, and I don't often have the time to dedicate myself to it as much as I'd like.<br /><br />Queen Echo, quite agree that's going waaaaay too far. I found that one a pretty bizarre novel, all round. What the heck was all that with Piers setting his dogs on (Corbett, I think)??<br /><br />Thanks, Undine! I'd put the novel into the 'Life's too short when there are so many great books out there' category, I'm afraid. (Although two people on Amazon UK evidently disagree with me.) I definitely agree with you about the invented characters! Oh, one exception I've just remembered: Valerie Anand's quartet of books set in 11th-century England, which features the Godwinsons, Edward the Confessor, William the Conqueror etc mixed with fictional characters who play important roles, but IMHO it works brilliantly. Very hard to do well though, and too often, it fails.Kathryn Warnerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00397714441908100576noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19545049.post-63003186383757277532011-02-17T21:43:50.384+00:002011-02-17T21:43:50.384+00:00Ugh. Thanks for tipping us off on a book to avoid...Ugh. Thanks for tipping us off on a book to avoid. My life is weird enough without reading about voyeur dwarves.<br /><br />As an aside, it's been my experience that when you encounter a "historical" novel--of any era--where one or more lead characters are completely invented by the author, it's usually a sign of trouble ahead.Undinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16214242522330278662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19545049.post-13558460426384892192011-02-17T21:34:52.266+00:002011-02-17T21:34:52.266+00:00In "The Prince of Darkness" Piers is dep...In "The Prince of Darkness" Piers is depicted as a murderer as well as a practitioner of Black Magic. That is really going too far even for fiction!Queen Echohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15940804193849619863noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19545049.post-71538246608917522172011-02-17T20:23:59.776+00:002011-02-17T20:23:59.776+00:00My first thought was that it was very kind and gen...My first thought was that it was very kind and generous of you to give a book like this such a careful review. From what you tell us the writing has all the trademarks of much pulp fiction - lazy characterization and gratuitous sensation. Edward, Gaveston and Isabella (and you know this better than I do) must have been complex characters whose lives were made more interesting by events. Perfect material you would think for a good novelist who is prepared to inhabit the characters and reveal them to the reader.<br />This requires a great deal of hard work, and until someone comes along with the talent and dedication and sheer grit you may continue to be disappointed by hack writers who whisk off boilerplate novels.Bryan Dunleavyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13550652628913169630noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19545049.post-22863493180610651892011-02-17T19:33:21.351+00:002011-02-17T19:33:21.351+00:00Oh, dear. First rule of fiction: try not to bore ...Oh, dear. First rule of fiction: try not to bore the reader. It doesn't exactly sound like a gripping read (!). Was it as dire when it was on Book at Bedtime? Usually I think something is lost in the abridging, but I am wondering if the reverse was true in this case.Carlahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11901028520813891575noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19545049.post-51784818215130757982011-02-17T18:48:09.034+00:002011-02-17T18:48:09.034+00:00Good review Kathryn. The title promised so much a...Good review Kathryn. The title promised so much and as you say, the focus is on William Wild, who is Irish - in case you didn't know:> This is one of the few novels that portrays Piers as a blonde as well - not that that has got much to do with the plot!LOL! I'm not sure about Wild's relationship with Piers either - because he sort of becomes besotted with Piers himself but we're not sure why. It's also a bit silly when Edward makes his first 'kill' in battle.Anerjehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16305237339979790391noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19545049.post-66921710080299829322011-02-17T18:16:13.484+00:002011-02-17T18:16:13.484+00:00True! My expectations of Edward II novels are ext...True! My expectations of Edward II novels are extremely low, unfortunately (there's so much rubbish out there), but at least he didn't go <i>that</i> route. :-)Kathryn Warnerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00397714441908100576noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19545049.post-51825344250128612012011-02-17T16:29:59.073+00:002011-02-17T16:29:59.073+00:00Sorry to hear this books was a disappointment. You...Sorry to hear this books was a disappointment. You'll need to write your own version, it seems. ;)<br /><br />And thanks for small mercies, at least Ed 2 sired Ed 3 and not Willy or Bob. :PGabriele Campbellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17205770868139083575noreply@blogger.com