Book review wanted

[sam_t]

Has anyone read Freedom and Necessity by Steven Brust and Emma Bull? I noticed a copy in Waterstones and the idea of a historical epistolary fantasy with Chartists looks decidedly interesting. However, I get this terrible niggly feeling when I read historical novels when I don't know either the period or the authors well enough to know whether I can trust the research. Is this likely to be a problem with this novel? And can anyone recommend a good History to go along with it?

Comments

[lexin.livejournal.com]

I haven't read it, but now you've mentioned it I'll borrow/buy it. The first bit of genuine historical research I ever did (for my History A level) was about the Chartist movement.

[sam-t.livejournal.com]

Please let me know what you think of it! I'm not sure how large a part the Chartists play but the blurb does suggest that they're in there somewhere.

[peake.livejournal.com]

The book is superb, a must-read. It is vivid, clear, and the authors never loose sight of the fact that their readers probably don't know the period as well as they do. It is written from a very left wing perspective, but you can trust the book.

[sam-t.livejournal.com]

Thank you - I shall go out and buy a copy immediately.

[sartorias.livejournal.com]

It's an alternate universe, one in which Hegel's ideas form the paradigm, so to speak--but you can trust it, and enjoy it.

[sam-t.livejournal.com]

Ooh. Hmm. That sounds nice and chewy. Thanks!

[serrana.livejournal.com]

It's slow to start -- I read the first chapter about three times before I managed to keep going, but then I usually hate epistolary novels -- but worth a read once you get going.

[sam-t.livejournal.com]

I don't mind epistolary novels (although there's a very fine line between including all the repeating and unimportant stuff you'd actually put in a letter, and just adding 'Dear Mum' to the start of a chunk of narrative), or slow starts, so that should be OK. Thanks for the recommendation!