Reformation Historical Fiction

In Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall trilogy, one of our very best writers brings the opulent world of the Tudors to bloody, glittering life. It is the backdrop to the rise and rise of Thomas Cromwell: lowborn boy, charmer, bully, master of deadly intrigue, and, finally, most powerful of Henry VIII’s coutiers. But the bloody theatre of Cromwell’s ascension will leave no one unscathed.

Embra, winter of 1574. Queen Mary has fled Scotland, to raise an army from the French. Her son and heir, Jamie, is held under protection in Stirling Castle. John Knox is dead. The people are unmoored and lurching under the uncertain governance of this riven land. It's a deadly time for young student Will Fowler, short of stature, low of birth but mightily ambitious, to make his name.

Sixteenth century England. The Protestant Reformation sweeps across Europe into England, bringing political and religious upheaval and danger to all who embrace this new learning. Into this tumultuous period, young Anne Askew, a gentlewoman from Lincolnshire, forges her way into history. From the peasant revolt in Northern England, which threatens the very lives of her beloved father and brothers, through a loveless marriage, and finally to the political intrigues of Henry VIII’s court, Anne’s courageous and steadfast faith sustains her.

Tom Fitzgerald, better known as the Great Brain, is struggling to stay reformed now that his friends have threatened to shut him out if he pulls even one more swindle. But his younger brother, J. D., knows Tom's reformation makes for a dull life, and is not altogether unhappy - or blameless - when his brother's money-loving heart stealthily returns to business as usual.

He is regarded today as one of the most influential figures in the history of the world. But to those who knew him intimately, Martin Luther was more than just the leader of an important historical revolt; he was a man of vision, commitment, and passion, determined to serve his Lord and purify the degenerate world church.