Auriel RisingAuriel Rising
Title rated 4 out of 5 stars, based on 1 ratings(1 rating)
Book, 2004
Current format, Book, 2004, , All copies in use.Book, 2004
Current format, Book, 2004, , All copies in use. Offered in 0 more formatsAn exile and fugitive from England, Ned Warriner returns to his homeland in spite of the danger to search for his beloved, Kate Revill, unhappily married to an ardent anti-Catholic, and becomes caught up in the intrigues of the early seventeenth-century English court and the quest for the secret of the Philosopher's Stone.
An exile from England, Ned Warriner returns to his homeland to search for his beloved, Kate Revill, and becomes caught up in the intrigues of the early seventeenth-century English court and the quest for the philosopher's stone.
To Auriel, I will give the gift of gold...
So begins the letter that young Ned Warriner possesses, stuffed inside the pages of a leather-bound book. Back in London after years of self-imposed exile, he supports himself by penning poems and playing with dice, and this odd letter - one of his winnings - has been nearly forgotten.
He has not forgotten Kate Revill, though. The woman he left behind, the woman who still haunts his dreams, has married a Catholic-hunter in his absence, despairing of her true love's return. It is not a happy marriage. And Kate, like Ned, still yearns for the passion they once shared - but discovery would put both their lives at risk.
Disreputable in appearance, Ned Warriner makes his way through the squalid streets and rat-infested wharves of London, hiding from those who still hunt him for the crime that drove him from his native land. And now an earl who knows about his identity as a wanted man has threatened him with blackmail, offering freedom and safety - for a brutal price. But the letter addressed to "Auriel" could change his dire circumstances. It may contain what many in the city covet: the secret of the Philosopher's Stone, the method for making gold. It has brought death to those who have possessed it. Its promise of untold riches has led men to lie, to steal, to forget all former loyalties. And even if it is nothing but a hoax, it may change his destiny - for those who know its whereabouts would gladly kill for it.
Elizabeth Redfern works literary alchemy in a novel that seamlessly incorporates the best of historical fiction, romance, and intrigue.
Elizabeth Redfern's storytelling powers have also been compared to le Carré and Dickens, Thomas Harris and Iain Pears. Now she presents her new novel, set in 1609 London and centering on the furious quest to turn lead into gold.
Since the night that young Ned Warriner set upon the guards escorting a Catholic prisoner to the Tower of London, allowing the accused spy to escape a brutal death, he has been in self-imposed exile, supporting himself as a mercenary soldier in the bloody battles between the Dutch and the Spanish. Now, in spite of the danger, he has returned to his native land, where the woman he left behind, his beloved Kate Revill, has married a Catholic-hunter. It is not a happy marriage, and Kate, like Ned, still yearns for the passion they once shared. But discovery would risk both their lives.
Disreputable in appearance, and still wanted for his crime, Warriner makes his way about the city by penning poems or cheating cheaters in late-night pub games. But to win his freedom and safety for good, he must respond to an earl's blackmail and kill a member of the King's court. One thing, though, could change his dire circumstances: the letter he possesses, ad-dressed to "Auriel," stuffed in the pages of a leatherbound book, won with dice and nearly forgotten. It may contain what many in London are buzzing about: the secret of the Philosopher's Stone, the method for making gold. Even if it is a hoax, it may change his destiny as well, for those who know its whereabouts would gladly kill for it.
Journeying to a fascinating era in history and painting an atmosphere rich in detail, Elizabeth Redfern brings us a masterful work of period suspense.
An exile from England, Ned Warriner returns to his homeland to search for his beloved, Kate Revill, and becomes caught up in the intrigues of the early seventeenth-century English court and the quest for the philosopher's stone.
To Auriel, I will give the gift of gold...
So begins the letter that young Ned Warriner possesses, stuffed inside the pages of a leather-bound book. Back in London after years of self-imposed exile, he supports himself by penning poems and playing with dice, and this odd letter - one of his winnings - has been nearly forgotten.
He has not forgotten Kate Revill, though. The woman he left behind, the woman who still haunts his dreams, has married a Catholic-hunter in his absence, despairing of her true love's return. It is not a happy marriage. And Kate, like Ned, still yearns for the passion they once shared - but discovery would put both their lives at risk.
Disreputable in appearance, Ned Warriner makes his way through the squalid streets and rat-infested wharves of London, hiding from those who still hunt him for the crime that drove him from his native land. And now an earl who knows about his identity as a wanted man has threatened him with blackmail, offering freedom and safety - for a brutal price. But the letter addressed to "Auriel" could change his dire circumstances. It may contain what many in the city covet: the secret of the Philosopher's Stone, the method for making gold. It has brought death to those who have possessed it. Its promise of untold riches has led men to lie, to steal, to forget all former loyalties. And even if it is nothing but a hoax, it may change his destiny - for those who know its whereabouts would gladly kill for it.
Elizabeth Redfern works literary alchemy in a novel that seamlessly incorporates the best of historical fiction, romance, and intrigue.
Elizabeth Redfern's storytelling powers have also been compared to le Carré and Dickens, Thomas Harris and Iain Pears. Now she presents her new novel, set in 1609 London and centering on the furious quest to turn lead into gold.
Since the night that young Ned Warriner set upon the guards escorting a Catholic prisoner to the Tower of London, allowing the accused spy to escape a brutal death, he has been in self-imposed exile, supporting himself as a mercenary soldier in the bloody battles between the Dutch and the Spanish. Now, in spite of the danger, he has returned to his native land, where the woman he left behind, his beloved Kate Revill, has married a Catholic-hunter. It is not a happy marriage, and Kate, like Ned, still yearns for the passion they once shared. But discovery would risk both their lives.
Disreputable in appearance, and still wanted for his crime, Warriner makes his way about the city by penning poems or cheating cheaters in late-night pub games. But to win his freedom and safety for good, he must respond to an earl's blackmail and kill a member of the King's court. One thing, though, could change his dire circumstances: the letter he possesses, ad-dressed to "Auriel," stuffed in the pages of a leatherbound book, won with dice and nearly forgotten. It may contain what many in London are buzzing about: the secret of the Philosopher's Stone, the method for making gold. Even if it is a hoax, it may change his destiny as well, for those who know its whereabouts would gladly kill for it.
Journeying to a fascinating era in history and painting an atmosphere rich in detail, Elizabeth Redfern brings us a masterful work of period suspense.
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- New York : Putnam's Sons : Jove, 2004.
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