The Heresy of Dr. Dee

John Dee Papers #2

by Phil Rickman

All talk is of the End-time... and the dead are rising. At the end of the sunless summer of 1560, black rumour shrouds the death of the one woman who stands between Lord Robert Dudley and marriage to the young Queen Elizabeth. Did Dudley's wife, Amy, die from an accidental fall in a deserted house, or was it murder? Even Dr John Dee, astrologer royal, adviser on the Hidden and one of Dudley's oldest friends, is uncertain. Then a rash promise to the Queen sends him to his family's old home on the Welsh Border in pursuit of the Wigmore Shewstone, a crystal credited supernatural properties. With Dee goes Robert Dudley, considered the most hated man in England. They travel with a London judge sent to try a sinister Welsh brigand with a legacy dating back to the Battle of Brynglas. After the battle, many of the English bodies were, according to legend, obscenely mutilated. Now, on the same haunted hill, another dead man has been found, similarly slashed. Devious politics, small-town corruption, twisted religion and a brooding superstition leave John Dee isolated in the land of his father.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical, Mystery, Fantasy, Historical Mystery, Crime

233 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 1, 2012

About the author

Phil Rickman, also known under the pen names Thom Madley and Will Kingdom, was a British author of supernatural and mystery novels.

Reviews

[Margaret · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not really sure what to say about this.

The book felt like the wrong character was the main on. Dr John Dee never really gelled as a character. The one who had the most power and presence and should've been leading the story was Robert Dudley.

The book kept promising a good story but never quite seemed to deliver. I kept reading simply because it felt like there was a really good bit coming soon, but nothing arrived.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Heresy of Dr Dee continues the adventures of Dr John Dee on his quest to understand and examine The Hidden. A hasty promise to the Queen leads Dr Dee and friend Lord Robert Dudley (who is perhaps the most hated man in England) to the Welsh border in search of a powerful, supernatural crystal. The Welsh border proves a fertile ground for both the supernatural and corruption. Dr Dee and Dudley are ensnared in a complex web of evil both of this world and from beyond.

Phil Rickman does historical fiction as well as anyone I've read. The history of the times and the Welsh border is portrayed vividly and accurately. Rickman's ability to bring the supernatural to life (even to the skeptical) is even more powerful in the Elizabethan setting.

I loved Dr Dee, his persistent paranoia, self deprecating manner, quiet intellect and inner strength. He alone would make the book worth reading but what makes the book truly stand out is an array of well developed characters that draw you in completely. It is a novel so engrossing you will struggle to leave the world created even when the book ends. I hope there is a third installment of Dr Dee in the future!

[Andrew Puckett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dr John Dee, Queen Elizabeth I's magician, boasts to her that he is in possession of a scryer's stone and tells her that he can give her advise her based on what he can see in it. In fact, he has no such stone, and is desperate to obtain one. His efforts to do this at home fail, but he does hear of one that was owned by an abbot on the Welsh borders before the monasteries were dissolved, in the same area from which his own father originated.
Robert Dudley, who has been pressuring Dee to advise Elizabeth to marry him, now suggests they go to find and buy this stone. A judge is about to travel to the area in order to try a local robber, so they attach themselves to his retinue. Dudley, however, has motives of his own for the journey - he has been a less than reliable friend to Dee in the past, and so it turns out this time.
Dee's ancestral home is a sad - some say cursed - area, because of a massacre that took place there in the past. Dee is made very unwelcome by his relatives, and then they become embroiled in the trial of the robber - and it turns out to be very dangerous for both of them ...

I didn't think this book had quite the excellence as the author's previous novel about Dee, The Bones of Avalon, but it is nevertheless a very good read.

[Jayaprakash Satyamurthy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite a gripping tale, set early in Elizabeth 1's reign, with Robert Dudley and John Dee heading to Wales to respectively lay low for a while and to find a scrying stone. All sorts of devious plots are unfolding around Dee, and there is something very weird going on in his father's old hometown. It's a little frustrating that neither Dee nor Dudley are really prime movers in any of this, although one significant plot does revolve around the latter. However, the point of view of Dee, a man focused on learning and thrown haplessly in the midst of deep currents, is interesting too, if you're willing to forgo seeing things through the eyes of a more conventional hero. And if you know a little about the life of Dee the allusions and hints to things that lie ahead for me are interesting and piquant. There's also a strong sense of the numinous, of the mysticism of ancient places. It's a pity there aren't more of these, but I guess Rickman is more focused on his other series.

[Julia · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was hoping the writing would improve with the second book in this series, but it didn't. Grammar mistakes, grammar and storyline inconsistencies, as well as misspellings made this novel not as enjoyable as it could have been.
The story of the trip to the Welsh borderlands, the little village his father was born and the ensuing mystery was interesting, yet only the final few chapters were really gripping. Eventually I was glad when I reached the last page.
Would not have finished had this not been part of my Litsy-A-to-Z challenge.

[Lucy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m a big Phil Rickman fan but the Dr. Dee book oks don’t work for me. The Dee character is too confused and uncertain. And do we really need a manic pixie dream girl in every volume?

[Damaskcat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dr John Dee – first introduced to us by Phil Rickman in The Bones of Avalon – continues his adventures in this complex and entertaining novel. Dee’s friend Robert Dudley – one of Queen Elizabeth I’s many favourites – needs to get away from court because his wife, Amy, has been found dead in suspicious circumstances. Both Dee and Dudley travel to the border between England and Wales where Dee was born; Dudley to get away from the rumours and Dee to fulfil a rash promise to the Queen herself.

John Dee is much more interested in learning about the hidden side of life – about magic, the supernatural and his current interest, scrying – than he is in getting involved in either local or national politics. But involved he is whether he likes it or not and both his life and Dudley’s will be in danger before they can return to London.

I enjoyed this book very much though I struggled to unravel the politics. But then politics in the age of Elizabeth I was complex and allegiances and loyalties changed by the minute and it was virtually impossible to tell whom you could trust. I enjoyed Dee’s quest to find the Shewstone (crystal ball to the uninitiated) and liked the characters he encountered – especially the Bishop of Hereford. I also liked Anna Ceddol and thought she was an interesting person. Dudley was well drawn too and I felt his character came over very well and corresponded with all I’ve read about the real man.

I really like John Dee as a character especially his sense of humour. I thought his sense of confusion at being always one step behind in his understanding of the politics was very well drawn. I think this is a book which will repay a second reading and I’m sure I will see things in it the second time around that I missed on first reading. If you enjoyed The Bones of Avalon I’m sure you will enjoy this second book in the series.

[Janette Fleming · Rating 4 out of 5]

All talk is of the End-time...and the dead are rising. At the end of the sunless summer of 1560, black rumour shrouds the death of the one woman who stands between Lord Robert Dudley and marriage to the young Queen Elizabeth. Did Dudley's wife, Amy, die from an accidental fall in a deserted house, or was it a calculated murder?

Even Dr John Dee, astrologer royal, adviser on the Hidden and one of Dudley's oldest friends, is uncertain. Then a rash promise to the Queen sends him to his family's old home on the Welsh Border in pursuit of the Wigmore Shewstone, a crystal credited supernatural properties. With Dee goes Robert Dudley, considered the most hated man in England.

They travel with the entourage of a London judge sent to try a sinister Welsh brigand with a legacy dating back to the Battle of Brynglas, in which close to a thousand Englishmen died at the hands of the Welsh. After the battle, many of the bodies were, according to legend, obscenely mutilated. Now, on the same haunted hill, another dead man has been found, similarly slashed. Devious politics, small-town corruption, twisted religion and a brooding superstition leave John Dee isolated in the land of his father...

Not having read the first in the series I was at a slight disadvantage but thoroughly enjoyed this tale of occult magic,folklore and religious shenanigans in the Welsh borderlands. John Dee is an excellent character; alchemist and astrologer but also a truth seeker, puzzled and enlightened by turns. Nobody does decaying, haunted places with a violent history better than Rickman, as his stand alone novel December showed. Bloody, gruesome and very good fun

[Ruth · Rating 3 out of 5]

c2012: FWFTB: 1560, Hidden, Shewstone, Welsh, battle. Another solidly entertaining novel from Mr Rickman. Several twists and turns in the plot which I didn't see coming and which drove me on to finish the book well past my bedtime! I remember reading somewhere that Mr Rickman is an undeservedly little known author - and I can only agree. This would make a great TV Series with lots of opportunities for excitement. Usually, any attempt to get an accent into the dialogure irritates the bejesus out of me however Mr Rickman has a delicate touch with this and the frequent 'yere' ie here is really true to the Welsh accent. I even found myself reading with a lilt.The Welsh have such a beautiful accent!I have always found this particular period of history interesting and Dr Dee really was a mysterious figure for those times. I am looking forward to the next instalment. Highly recommended to the normal crew. FCN: Dr Dee (obviously), Lord Robert Dudley (an interesting historical character to use as a side-kick), Prys Gethin (the pyscho baddie), Roger Vaughan (a minor attorney a ' solemn young man with a half-grown gingery beard , Anna Ceddol (about the only female character in the book that is present, so to speak). 'How shallow people are. Give them shit to spread, and they'll forge new shovels overnight.'

[Gerard Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Comparisons with CJ Sansom’s Matthew Shardlake mysteries are inevitable in the light of Phil Rickman’s decision to dive into the Tudor era. But the comparison is not one Rickman fails in. As a newcomer to this field, he is remarkably confident. His characters have real depth, he spins a great yarn and his atmospheric explorations of Elizabethan faiths and superstitions are compelling. Above all, as with his excellent Merrily Watkins series, Rickman writes beautifully of the power of place, and exploits to the full his own fascination with the Welsh-English border lands; their myths and legends and the heavy air of spiritual awareness that hangs over their hills. Like Sansom, he takes the methodology of modern mystery writing and transposes it to an earlier time – to very good effect. A page-turner with intriguing historical detail, this is a story that does not disappoint.

[Sarah K · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting tale from Dr Dee - interesting how it is based around the myths and legends of Wales and the heroes of the ages.

[Leanne Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set in Elizabethan Wales, so a not a common historical theme. A bit quirky with Phil Rickman's usual mix of factual history, supernatural theories and who-dunnit.

[Valerie · Rating 2 out of 5]

A second book I picked up at the mobile library recently, unfortunately it was not nearly as good as the first one for a number of reasons. And how do I keep picking up books that are part of series by not marked as such on the cover?

First, the writing was not very good at all. This was compounded by an unusual choice in voice and various stylistic choices the author made, any of which might have been fine if handled well but they were not.

For instance, the whole book was written completely from Dee's point of view, yet Phil kept showing scenes which happened when Dee was not present. In order to do this, he wrote a mix of Dee telling us what he had been told had happened (convoluted much?) along with some of the actual dialogue which happened and snippets from other characters pov. Mixed together, these led to a rather surreal scene, particularly when mixed with Dee's opinions of it all and observations on various bits.

Then some of the book was written out of order, with Dee telling us stuff about people he had not yet met or places he hadn't yet been. Which made it confusing when they appeared later and we had to deal with Dee not knowing what he had already told us earlier due to the time being slightly messed up. But this was done without indications of time on the chapters, so you had to figure it out even as (at the start of the book) we are still figuring out whose pov any given chapter is in.

A fact made all the harder by the author's tendency to end a chapter with a cliffhanger and then jump to another scene in the next chapter rather than doing the continuation of the previous chapter. Which can be brilliantly done to extend suspence in books, but that normally involves jumping to another character, to try it when staying with the same character made it confusing as you had to figure out when/where/why we were elsewhere. And if we'd jumped to Dee's retelling of another character's experience it could be even more difficult as that wasn't always clear from the start of a chapter, so you could be nearly down the next page before it became clear when and where you were.

Added to all this was an overly convulted plot. I'm all for lots of twists and turns or subplots hidden beneath the main one, but when it is achieved by being needlessly confusing at times, then it loses a lot of its appeal. Badly handled complexity is awful and this was with Dee needing to come right out and explain things to the reader in order for it to all make some semblance of sense. Which was a pity as the afternote made it clear a lot of the elements from the story were real or had historical basis, so it's a pity it wasn't woven together better as then it could have been a 4 star book quite easily.

My final annoyance is simple: at the start of the book Dee thinks it vital to get a shewstone as he had told Queen Elizabeth he had one and she thus expected him to be able to do things with it. This is why he had Dudley go on the whole journey of the book and become involved in things. Yet at the end he doesn't have the shewstone as he gave it away but somehow now this isn't a problem. The afternote makes it clear why this might be so, but this is not clear in the story itself so my last thought was: so this was all unnecessary? Not a great place to end.

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did enjoy this book, but maybe slightly less than the first (The Bones of Avalon). The politics of the time were rather complicated, and it was difficult to work them out at times, but I didn't feel too bad about that as Dr Dee had the same problem. This left him (and me) not sure who to trust. This book took John Dee back to his father's birthplace on the Welsh border, in search of a Shewstone (crystal ball) with a view to furthering his learning and also Queen Elizabeth wished to acquire one. He went with his friend Robert Dudley, close companion and confidant of the queen, but this was due to the fact that Dudley's wife had recently died so Dudley was under suspicion of having murdered her to leave his path clear to marry Elizabeth. The numerous characters Dee meets were well drawn and plausible, and a lot were likable at first meeting. Anna Ceddol and her brother, looked to have a bigger role in Dee's life for a while.
I would advise people to read the first book first, as this I feel aids the understanding of this one.

[Liz Kirsopp · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this one is my favourite of all Phil Rickman’s books. Although I always enjoy the merrily books some of them have a rather potboiler character and the plots are very formulaic and overwrought.
This book is a much straighter historical novel. There is quite a bit of action and gruesome discoveries I suppose but nothing like the body count in the average Merrily book. There is a paranormal kind of overlay that seeps into the whole thing but nothing ever in your face.
He captures the period very well and the places as well as he always does. The characters are interesting and generally sympathetic but he does do rather black and white baddies. The plot was strange in a very Rickman way. When I looked at the historical details some of the most far-fetched sounding parts are factually true.
Rickman builds that sense of place along with atmosphere and that is the driving force in the joy of his books.

[Gilda Felt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was rather disappointed with the first book in this series, but I’m glad I decided to give this book a go. While I still had the problem of knowing that what Dee believed was wrong, his belief wasn’t as much a part of the plot, but more of a place to begin.

There were still times when I felt like shaking him, as he seemed to stumble from one mess to another. Truly, I preferred when the story focused on Dudley, who knew what he thought and what he wanted. Definitely the stronger character. But I wouldn’t recommend the book to anyone who doesn’t know his background. Still, there’s quite a cast of characters to focus on, so the book was able to hold my interest. I’m sort of glad there isn’t a third book, though.

[Alyson · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had this author recommended to me and picked up this book in the library, possibly without doing enough research as I found it sadly disappointing. The story of the trip to the Welsh borders and the village where the main character, Dr Dee, was born, was interesting but throughout the book we seemed to be waiting for the main event. The several strands of the mystery running through the story did not blend well and we ended with great explosion of information tying it all together for the reader.

[Carmine · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars. What I enjoy about Rickman's book are the way they create a spooky, foreboding atmosphere set in the haunted Welsh/English borderlands. The plots and action, though, can feel a bit on the thin side...one is left feeling that we never reach the "there" there. As far as Queen Bess is concerned, she is like the unfired pistol on the mantelpiece. I think there should be at least one scene with the queen in a novel about the queen's astrologer — either before or after Dee's quest for the "shewstone."

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't sure about this book when I began it but at some point it grabbed hold of me and wouldn't let go. Fascinating story about John Dee, Robert Dudley, Elizabeth I, various other historical figures and the Welch borderlands.

[Jill Rebryna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes I wasn't thinking John Dee, for all I was thinking of John. What a really... well written book with brilliant descriptive flair that you know isn't a non- illustrated issue of Hellblazer but sometimes you have to check the front and make sure.

[Linda Joan Booth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great stuff

John Dee has grown on me a lot since the first book. Really enjoyed the depiction of life on the borders. Have lived not far from Presteigne and find the thought a life there was as portrayed pretty convincing. Excellent plot and characterisation.

[Deborah Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

I started this book twice, and got a bit further the second time (about 50%) but really I just couldn’t see the point of it and frankly didn’t care what happened to Dr. Dee nor Robert Dudley. I love Rickman’s Merrily Watkins’ mysteries, but this series is just not doing it for me.

[David Grieve · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a bad story and an interesting take on the activities of Dr John Dee. However, the story didn't flow and the cod 16th century stylised writing got a bit irritating from time to time. There are nice flashes of humour throughout but it didn't really hang together as a novel.

[Jonathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is so little fiction about John Dee. What a surprise to find something really good. This is good historical fiction that blends in enough mystical thinking and conduct to make the story come alive.

[SJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice balance of magical mysticism and realism. Somewhat anti-climatic ending. However the descriptions of the boy, Sion, are demeaning - obviously, disabled people weren't treated well historically but still.

[Ana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, actually even more than the 1st in the duology. This book can be read on its own but it's better to read after the bones of Avalon as there are references made to it. Again the characters are very engaging and the plot is good ,

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like the first book, there are hints of the supernatural throughout, but both of these books are quite mild compared to most of the author's other fiction novels. This is a historical fiction, and the author kindly shares references. A good read.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gadzooks, possibly Phil's best tale. If you know much Elizabethan history part of the Dudley plot doesn't work but that's why it's fiction.

[Alison S ☯️ · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting and atmospheric read. I liked the historical and supernatural elements. Still prefer his Merrily Watkins series though.

[James Dacey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this book if only for introducing me to the phrase "God's b*llocks".