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Pip Vaughan-Hughes

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annis
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Pip Vaughan-Hughes

Post by annis » Tue October 14th, 2008, 7:22 pm

I just recently discovered this author and enjoyed the two books I’ve read so far, “Relics” and “Vault of Bones”. They are fast-paced medieval adventures set in the thirteenth century.

Petroc, a rather naïve and scholarly young monk, becomes the pawn in a scheme set up by an avaricious bishop and his steward, Sir Hugh, a disgraced Templar knight. Petroc ends up accused of murder and accidental owner of a valuable relic. He is is hunted through England by the ruthless Sir Hugh until rescued by the mysterious Jean de Sol, a dispossessed Provencal nobleman, now turned relic-broker.

There’s plenty of action and travel throughout the known world, including a trip to Greenland, whose Scandinavian community is in its last stages.

The short-lived Latin Empire (discussed earlier on the Alfred Duggan thread) also features, with Baldwin II, styled Emperor of Romania, a major character in the second book, “Vault of Bones”. Baldwin is a pathetic figure, trailing around Europe trying to gain support and more importantly funds for his bankrupt empire from the French King Louis IX, the ancient but terrifying Pope, and the wily Venetians, instigators and main beneficiaries of the infamous 1204 Sack of Constantinople by the Fourth Crusaders.

Th author is an Englishman now living in the States. He studied Medieval History at university, and he certainly seems to know his stuff. There is a third book out which I've just ordered, called "Painted in Blood".
Last edited by annis on Tue October 14th, 2008, 7:25 pm, edited 2 times in total.

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Perdita
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Post by Perdita » Tue October 14th, 2008, 8:57 pm

I read Relics and thought it was a lot of fun. Petroc is a very memorable character. I'll have to get the Vault of Bones sometime. Thanks for the reminder :)

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EC2
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Post by EC2 » Tue October 14th, 2008, 10:22 pm

[quote=""annis""]I just recently discovered this author and enjoyed the two books I’ve read so far, “Relics” and “Vault of Bones”. They are fast-paced medieval adventures set in the thirteenth century.

Petroc, a rather naïve and scholarly young monk, becomes the pawn in a scheme set up by an avaricious bishop and his steward, Sir Hugh, a disgraced Templar knight. Petroc ends up accused of murder and accidental owner of a valuable relic. He is is hunted through England by the ruthless Sir Hugh until rescued by the mysterious Jean de Sol, a dispossessed Provencal nobleman, now turned relic-broker.

There’s plenty of action and travel throughout the known world, including a trip to Greenland, whose Scandinavian community is in its last stages.

The short-lived Latin Empire (discussed earlier on the Alfred Duggan thread) also features, with Baldwin II, styled Emperor of Romania, a major character in the second book, “Vault of Bones”. Baldwin is a pathetic figure, trailing around Europe trying to gain support and more importantly funds for his bankrupt empire from the French King Louis IX, the ancient but terrifying Pope, and the wily Venetians, instigators and main beneficiaries of the infamous 1204 Sack of Constantinople by the Fourth Crusaders.

Th author is an Englishman now living in the States. He studied Medieval History at university, and he certainly seems to know his stuff. There is a third book out which I've just ordered, called "Painted in Blood".[/quote]

Sounds interesting Annis. Another one for my mental TBR!
Les proz e les vassals
Souvent entre piez de chevals
Kar ja li coard n’I chasront

'The Brave and the valiant
Are always to be found between the hooves of horses
For never will cowards fall down there.'

Histoire de Guillaume le Mareschal

www.elizabethchadwick.com

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Carine
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Post by Carine » Wed October 15th, 2008, 6:17 am

I've never heard of this author but he sounds good !
Thanks for the tip Annis, I'll certainly look for him now !

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Post by consterdine » Wed November 25th, 2009, 7:26 pm

I've just started Relics and am really enjoying it. I'm reading it concurrently with SP's 'When Christ and His Saints Slept' as light relief. It's quite visceral but well paced and nicely illustrative of the times (I know it's all mostly guesswork but I'm enjoying his guessing :-)

I'd recommend it to anyone who wants more 13th century on their bookcase.

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Ken
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Post by Ken » Wed November 25th, 2009, 9:23 pm

[quote=""annis""]

The author is an Englishman now living in the States. He studied Medieval History at university, and he certainly seems to know his stuff. There is a third book out which I've just ordered, called "Painted in Blood".[/quote]

Excuse me Annis!! Since when is anyone with the surname 'Vaughan-Hughes' English????? He's obviously one of our own lovely boys!

annis
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Post by annis » Thu November 26th, 2009, 2:30 am

Oops! Sorry about that, Ken-- didn't mean to stir up the Welsh brigade and get the red dragon flying :)

And for anyone reading the "Petroc" series, the good news is that there's a fourth one due out in August next year. They're historical adventures, but cover slightly unusual areas of medieval history and have an interesting edge to them. I enjoyed the first three.

"Fool's Crusade"
Synopsis:
King Louis of France is about to invade Egypt on his vainglorious Seventh Crusade. The Pope and the Emperor are at each other's throats. And where greed and ambition cross, blood soon follows. Caught in the middle of this is Petroc of Auneford, or Patch to his friends. After years aboard the Cormoran, a ship of relic-traders and adventurers, Patch has finally returned to living on dry land. Now a rich man, running a bank in Venice, life should be easy. But money and liberty are not the same thing - and all too soon, Patch is being called on by all sides to do their bidding in this deadly game of power and glory. As the rulers of Europe crush lives like beetles underfoot, Patch knows if he, his friends and his beloved Iselda are to stay alive, he must go to the blistering heart of the crusade, where zealot, infidel, mercenary and heretic fight to the death. He must outwit the cunning, outrun disease and death and find a way to true freedom. And all the while, cling on to a precious dream of home...

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