Books 113-114: The Betrayal and On Monsters
Book 113: The Betrayal (At the House of the Magician 03) .
Author: Mary Hooper, 2009.
Genre: YA Historical Fiction. Elizabethan England.
Other Details: Paperback. 283 pages.
The final in this trilogy of YA historical novels featuring Lucy, who while working as a nursemaid in the household of Dr. John Dee is recruited as a spy. The concluding volume is mainly set in London as Lucy and other staff are sent to set up house in advance of Dr. Dee and family moving there from Mortlake. In the course of the novel Lucy becomes involved with a troupe of actors. She is disguised as a boy when she meets them and ends up being recruited to play some minor female roles. More importantly she again becomes involved in court intrigues associated with Mary, Queen of Scots. Her budding romance with Tomas, the Queen's Fool, is threatened by the arrival of Mistress Juliette, a new lady-in-waiting, whom appears to be paying too much attention to him and vice versa.
Again, I found this a very enjoyable read which brought the series to a satisfying conclusion. This volume is more focused on a particular time given the events surrounding Mary, Queen of Scots, whereas Hooper was more vague in the others as to what year they were set. Again, she supplies a reading list, historical notes and glossary. I very much enjoyed the introduction of the theatrical elements. There was also playful sub-plot in which one of the palace's female servants takes a fancy to Lucy in her boyish disguise which of course echoes Shakespeare's comedies.
Overall I felt this was a good series for younger readers who might wish an accessible introduction to the period with a very lively and likeable female narrator.
Book 114: On Monsters: An Unnatural History of Our Worst Fears .
Author: Stephen T. Asma, 2009.
Genre: Non Fiction. True Crime. Mythology and Folklore. Popular Culture. Film. History.
Other Details: Hardback. 351 pages.
The premises of this work intrigued me when I caught a review of it in The Guardian newspaper. It is marketed as a "wide-ranging cultural and conceptual history of monsters--how they have evolved over time, what functions they have served for us, and what shapes they are likely to take in the future". It does meet this criteria and is certainly well researched containing plenty of notes and sources.
However, in terms of content I found it a rather mixed bag with some chapters holding my attention while others left me flat so found myself agreeing with The Guardian reviewer that it was not entirely coherent. I will also note that some of the images of biological deformities collected for exhibitions while certainly necessary for historical context were fairly disturbing.
Overall though I appreciated it for the questions it raised on what exactly a monster is and how that designation has shifted over the centuries and in different contexts.
Cross-posted to 50bookchallenge.