Customer Reviews
Another excellent book by CJ Sansom - By: A. L. Mcleod, 07 Jan 2009 
This is another excellent book by CJ Sansom, murder & political intriguein Tudor England. The author captures the period very well, with great attention to detail that bring Tudor times to life. Well worth reading.
Dark Fire - By: Rich, 16 Dec 2008 
Big disappointment. The plot, particularly regarding the Wentworth family was very easy to work out. The pace of the novel is slow to say the least. The book is full of detail, perhaps too much. The time & place is evoked well but overwhelms the main story.
A gripping and convincing novel of Tudor London - By: J. Aitcheson, 06 Nov 2008 "Dark Fire" is the second novelin C.J. Sansom's series setin King Henry VIII's England, following the career of the hunchback lawyer Matthew Shardlake. It is the summer of 1540, a time of political & religious turmoil as various factions at court vie for the king's attentions. When Shardlake is asked to defend a girl accused of murder, the case brings him into contact once again with his old employer, Earl Cromwell. The earl has a new assignment for him, of vital importance to the state: the long-forgotten weapon of Greek Fire has been unearthedin London, but now the formula is stolen & the alchemists involved, killed. It is down to Shardlake to discover who the perpetrators are & recover Greek Fire - before it is too late. For the king himself is interestedin the substance, & Cromwell's own career & life hangin the balance if it is not found soon.
I arrived at "Dark Fire" without reading "Dissolution", the first bookin the series. However, since each volume is intended as a separate episodein Shardlake's career, at no point did I feel that I had missed out on any essential details. At approaching 600 pages, this is the longest of the four Shardlake novels thus far, & some perseverance is required through the first half of the book, which does at times make for difficult reading. Part of the problem is that a large number of characters are introduced very quickly, & it is often difficult to differentiate between them. Nevertheless, as the book progresses, things are made easier. Indeedin the second half, as Shardlake discovers more about Greek Fire & his task becomes more concrete, it is much easier to feel drawn into the story.
The sights & sounds of Tudor London are brought outin full, with everything from the heat of the summer to the undertones of political unrest realised on the page. Sanson holds a PhDin History, & it is clear that he has transferred that academic intimacy with his period to great effect here. The dialogue is well crafted, suggesting an antiquated 'period' fell but without being heavy-handed about it, & rarely slipping into modern speech. Likewise the characters are well-rounded & feel of their time. In particular the addition of Jack Barak to the cast, as Shardlake's assistant, is a welcome one: his grit & no-nonsense approach prove to be an excellent foil to the lawyer.
Allin all, despite a difficult start, "Dark Fire" is an entertaining & immersive read. The paperback edition also contains the first chapter of the next volumein the series, "Sovereign", to whet the reader's appetite.
16th century murder mystery - By: Uncle Barbar, 21 Oct 2008 Having read "Dissolution" & thoroughly enjoyed it, I thought I'd give "Dark Fire" a go. I must admit I didn't enjoy it so much. It was a little pedestrianin places - I wanted it to move a little quicker. Also the plot got a little convolutedin places.
But... I DID feel I was "living"in the 16th century with Thomas Cromwell & his ilk. Sansom is good at scene setting. For this alone it deserves the four stars!
Brilliant - By: PH, 29 Aug 2008 
I have just finished this book and, after Dissolution, I am well & truly addicted to this series. I really like the lead character of Matthew Shardlake & the other charactersin this & the previous book. Will be starting on Sovereign asap & can't wait to read Revelation from what I've read on Amazon about that story. There seems to be a plethora of murder-thriller type books setin the 15th-16th century around at the moment but this is without doubt the best of them all.
