The Bones of Avalon
Praise forThe Bones of Avalon"Phil Rickman is one of my all-time favorites…. He's done it again, with his usual sense of permeating atmosphere, with vivid characters in a complex plot that grows through the bones of history like a deadly nightshade." --Diana Gabaldon, #1New York Timesbestselling author ofAn Echo in the Bone"With his supernatural touch, a terrifying plot involving a necromancer, Glastonbury, King Arthur’s bones, and superb research, Phil Rickman takes us back brilliantly into the dark world of the first Elizabethans." --Ariana Franklin, national bestselling author ofA Murderous Procession“Shadowed with his hallmark eeriness and full of richly drawn landscapes and fascinating characters,The Bones of Avalonis just the sort of uncanny, page-turning wonder that I’ve come to expect from Phil Rickman. What’s new is the magnificent sweep of Elizabethan England and tantalizing legends of King Arthur. A glorious read.” --Jennifer Lee Carrell, international bestselling author ofInterred with Their Bones“For those of us waiting with bated breath for the next installment in C.J. Sansom's marvelous Matthew Shardlake murder mysteries set in Tudor England, heed my words: Phil Rickman and his John Dee have arrived! … The novel chills, thrills and satisfies, providing good history, great plot, and fascinating characters. Pull up a chair, turn off the phone, and settle in for a most delectable read…The Bones of Avalonis a fabulous read and John Dee is a marvelous addition to the world of Tudor intrigue.” –HuffingtonPost.com“A historical thriller with a touch of romance and more than a hint of necromancy… Brilliantly imagined and grippingly executed.” --The Times(London)“In this compelling and historically convincing novel, [Rickman] recreates a world of religious and political uncertainty where one man’s science is another man’s witchcraft, and where the mundane and the mystical rub shoulders… An assured and compelling opening to a new historical series.” –The Spectator"Rickman, who’s wending his way through Welsh history, myth and mores (the Merrily Watkins series), revisits many of the real-life characters he wrote of inThe Chalice (1997, etc.) with admirable scholarship and verve, making a John Dee sequel something to look forward to." --Kirkus“This wonderful stand alone immediately draws the reader into danger and mystery, focused on Dr. John Dee, astrologer to Elizabeth I.  If readers are lucky, this will turn into a series featuring one of the most fascinating historical figures of the period.” –RT Book Reviews, 4 ½ stars, Top Pick“An immaculate Elizabethan mystery, beautifully written, cunningly contrived. John Dee himself could not have conjured up anything finer.” –Michael Gregorio, author ofCritique of Criminal Reason“Phil Rickman'sThe Bones of Avalonis a treasure chest that, once opened, transports the reader back in time to one of our planet's most perilous eras… With its numerous descriptions of Medieval barbarism, savagery and hardship,The Bones of Avalonis a most enthralling read that engrossed me from cover to cover. It was as though a spell had been cast over me, forcing me to keep reading…. An epic journey of Medieval adventure and horror. Every fan of historical mysteries needs to embark on it. It has a twisting, suspenseful plot with numerous shocks.” --gumshoereview.com