Kate Williams, known as Vulcana, was a world-famous strongwoman in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, but she has slipped out of history since then. When Rebecca F John came across her she knew she had to tell Vulcana’s extraordinary story. Here she does just that, and wonders why Vulcana was forgotten. Was she […]
Historia giveaway! Napoleon’s Spy by Ben Kane
Ben Kane‘s new novel, Napoleon’s Spy, will be published on 25 May. It’s a new era for Ben, and we hope you’re as intrigued about it as we are! So to celebrate, we’re giving away five copies, one to each of five giveaway winners. For your chance to win this book, described by Giles Kristian […]
The Flames by Sophie Haydock
A new century is dawning. Vienna in 1912 is at its zenith, an opulent, extravagant city teeming with art, music and radical ideas. It is a place where anything seems possible… Edith and Adele are sisters, the daughters of a wealthy bourgeois family. They are expected to follow the rules, to marry well, and produce […]
Empire’s Edge by Damion Hunter
Centurion Faustus Valerianus marched with Julius Agricola on his six-year campaign to conquer the north of Britain. With Agricola now returned to Rome, Faustus is sent to Hibernia with exiled Irish prince Tuathal Techtmar to reclaim his throne, to crown a new king. But victory is a fleeting thing, and back in Caledonia fears grow […]
Shameful Secrets on Coronation Close by Lizzie Lane
The year is 1937 and the country is still reeling from the abdication of King Edward the Eighth the year before. His brother, the Duke of York, has become King George the Sixth and will be crowned in May. The country is on a high. Union Jacks are being dusted off and bunting is being […]
Review: The Last Kingdom – Seven Kings Must Die
Essie Fox reviews the last TV screen appearance of Uhtred of Bebbanburg in Seven Kings Must Die, the final episode of the long-running The Last Kingdom series. She finds much to admire. Seven Kings Must Die is the one-off Netflix film that finally concludes the historical TV series, The Last Kingdom. These enthralling screen adaptions […]
Six godmothers of archaeology
Alexandra Walsh pays tribute to six pioneering women who gained respect in the male domain of archaeology in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and who inspired her latest novel. They were the ‘godmothers of archaeology’ who worked in Crete, Egypt, Iran, Iraq and Turkey at sites such as Knossos, Babylon and Troy. The […]
The Chosen by Elizabeth Lowry
One Wednesday morning in November 1912 the ageing Thomas Hardy, entombed by paper and books and increasingly estranged from his wife Emma, finds her dying in her bedroom. Between his speaking to her and taking her in his arms, she has gone. The day before, he and Emma had exchanged bitter words — leading Hardy […]