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The Cabinet of Curiosities by Paul Dowswell (view source)
Revision as of 11:14, 9 August 2020
, 11:14, 9 August 2020no edit summary
When Lukas Declercq begins work as an apprentice to his uncle, a court physician to the Holy Roman Emperor in Prague, it's only after an absolutely hair-raising journey. Robbed at knifepoint and left naked and penniless, he fell in with a much more streetwise child, Etienne, who helped him blag his way across the country.
Glad of the chance to earn a living, Lukas is fascinated by this learned and fascinating court. Rudolph II suffers dreadfully from depression, but is openminded and liberal, with an enquiring nature, so Lukas encounters Jews, Muslims, Protestants and Catholics living side by side. Scientific debate is encouraged. And there is an army of alchemists beavering away. This is in stark contrast to much of Catholic Europe, in which the infamous Inquisition holds sway. And Lukas knows all about the Inquisition. It was they who arrested his father for printing seditious pamphlets, and they who condemned him to an a horrific death on the wheel.
So when a Spanish delegation arrives at court he is immediately suspicious...
My thanks to the nice people at Bloomsbury for sending the book.
Although ''The Cabinet of Curiosities'' isn't a fantasy novel, I think they'd also enjoy [[The Undrowned Child by Michelle Lovric]], a magical historical fantasy set in Venice and featuring the world's saltiest mermaids. [[The Story of Cirrus Flux by Matthew Skelton]] might also appeal. From the same era we have [[A World Away by Pauline Francis]], but our reviewer wasn't entirely impressed.
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