Helpful Score: 2
Captures the mood of London in the decade after the death of Elizabeth I. A historical thriller that combines alchemy with political and sexual intrigue.
Helpful Score: 1
Not my type of book. It received good reviews as a period piece. It is set in the year 1609 London, England. I only managed to make it through the first 50 pages before deciding it just wasn't for me. The author is listed as bestselling, and this book received a positive review from the NY Times.
Top notch! Alchemy and mystery in an incredibly well-researched historical novel set in London, 1609
Great book - even better than her first (The Music of the Spheres). I'm so glad to have found this British author. She writes historical novels with a lot of suspense and mystery. This one is about alchemy and is really great!
Historical novel about alchemy and intrigue in the time of James the 3rd of Scotland. Fairly interesting, though the plot twists are somewhat hard to follow, and I'm not sure all of the threads came together in the end. And don't expect a particularly happy ending!
London 1609 is the setting for this interesting novel about love, murder and alchemy - the secret to making gold.
When I first started reading this book, I didn't particularly understand what was happening. It dragged all through the first chapter, but then, it really caught my interest. Auriel Rising is a wonderful book and I think anybody who likes alchemy and longer tales like this one will love it!
interesting historical yarn..
Great book! Interesting and historical. Really enjoyed it.
Great story. Historic (London, early 1600's) and exciting. Hope to read more about Ned and Kate.
After reading "The Music of the Spheres" I found this book generally in the same vein (no happy ending), but ultimately disappointing.
In the England of King James, Ned returns from overseas to look up his love, Kate, only to find out that she married shortly after he left, and now has a small son. In a pub he wins a letter, written by the famous Dr. Dee, an alchemist, addressed "To Auriel, I will give the gift of gold ...". Soon Ned realizes that there are many people who are after it, and who are not shy to kill for it. Ned does not believe in a recipe for gold, and indeed the letter seems to have a double meaning ...
I had a hard time sometimes, following why the characters acted the way they did; the story was a bit disjointed. It took 130 pages to finally figure out what was going on. I developed no sympathy for any of the characters. ... So: meh.
In the England of King James, Ned returns from overseas to look up his love, Kate, only to find out that she married shortly after he left, and now has a small son. In a pub he wins a letter, written by the famous Dr. Dee, an alchemist, addressed "To Auriel, I will give the gift of gold ...". Soon Ned realizes that there are many people who are after it, and who are not shy to kill for it. Ned does not believe in a recipe for gold, and indeed the letter seems to have a double meaning ...
I had a hard time sometimes, following why the characters acted the way they did; the story was a bit disjointed. It took 130 pages to finally figure out what was going on. I developed no sympathy for any of the characters. ... So: meh.
