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The Marlen of Prague: Christopher Marlowe and the City of Gold
Christopher Marlowe, Elizabethan playwright, mage, and spy, is haunted by the ripples of powerful magics used to defeat the Spanish Armada. The world has changed, the stars themselves have shifted, and no one but he seems to notice.
Now he is sent by Queen Elizabeth's secret service to the court of Emperor Rudolf II in Prague, on the trail of English magician John Dee. Rudolf's court is a hotbed of mysticism, art, magic, and intrigue. Marlowe must navigate a labyrinth of politics and religion, hidden identities, and mischievous spirits if he is to protect those he cares about. He falls into a dangerous romance with a man he may have to kill.
How far must he go to protect magical secrets too dangerous to reveal, which in the wrong hands could throw Europe into chaos?
Now he is sent by Queen Elizabeth's secret service to the court of Emperor Rudolf II in Prague, on the trail of English magician John Dee. Rudolf's court is a hotbed of mysticism, art, magic, and intrigue. Marlowe must navigate a labyrinth of politics and religion, hidden identities, and mischievous spirits if he is to protect those he cares about. He falls into a dangerous romance with a man he may have to kill.
How far must he go to protect magical secrets too dangerous to reveal, which in the wrong hands could throw Europe into chaos?
- GenresFantasy
349 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 9, 2022
4 people are currently reading
40 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
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January 19, 2023I truly didn't know what I got myself into. I really didn't, until Will showed up. Shakespeare, that is. This was brilliant. But however much I liked it, it was not written for me, as it requires some historical, political, religious and mostly literacy knowledge of the Elizabethan era, that I don't possess. If anyone does, they may find this book a lot more amusing and fun. It might be a good idea to have Wikipedia open, just in case.
The connections between the characters just blew my mind. I was delighted every time someone new showed up and I yelped "hey, I know him". :)
The book classifies as historical fantasy, and it reads as such. It's on the lighter side, there's even some humor and flows nicely. It's very slow-paced, tho it picks up a bit in the middle. The writing is amazing. I think I enjoyed reading for the sake of reading, rather than the story itself. Which so rarely happens to me. Though I have to mention that in my copy (read it on Scribd), there's a lot of typos.The story itself is not very fantastical, in that... there's not much magic or sorcery, and if there is, it is mostly off page. But the characters do think of themselves as magicians, they just use the word Gifted. It's more occult than anything else.
The romance I'd say is very age appropriate, it's not slow-burn, it just happens. And it is a liiittle bit Shakespearean, but nothing overly dramatic.
Funny thing, I initially picked this up, because Kit Marlowe's name was familiar, but I thought I read it in another fantasy book and it's just a coincidence (I have not read Faustus, so I had no idea who he was). Now that I know more about him, it's clear to me how influential he was to those around him and I find that intriguing. I have seen that there are other fiction books inspired by him, and I feel prompted to try a few.Overall I feel like this was a tribute to the poets and playwrights in that era. Nicely done.
The connections between the characters just blew my mind. I was delighted every time someone new showed up and I yelped "hey, I know him". :)
The book classifies as historical fantasy, and it reads as such. It's on the lighter side, there's even some humor and flows nicely. It's very slow-paced, tho it picks up a bit in the middle. The writing is amazing. I think I enjoyed reading for the sake of reading, rather than the story itself. Which so rarely happens to me. Though I have to mention that in my copy (read it on Scribd), there's a lot of typos.The story itself is not very fantastical, in that... there's not much magic or sorcery, and if there is, it is mostly off page. But the characters do think of themselves as magicians, they just use the word Gifted. It's more occult than anything else.
The romance I'd say is very age appropriate, it's not slow-burn, it just happens. And it is a liiittle bit Shakespearean, but nothing overly dramatic.
Funny thing, I initially picked this up, because Kit Marlowe's name was familiar, but I thought I read it in another fantasy book and it's just a coincidence (I have not read Faustus, so I had no idea who he was). Now that I know more about him, it's clear to me how influential he was to those around him and I find that intriguing. I have seen that there are other fiction books inspired by him, and I feel prompted to try a few.Overall I feel like this was a tribute to the poets and playwrights in that era. Nicely done.
April 5, 2023
An excerpt:
“There are always islands like Prague, and they are always in peril.… You are sworn to protect such places.…”
Oh hell. I had sworn exactly that. This is what comes from joining too many secret societies, you mix up the specifics.
***
The story opens when sorcery in England is used to defeat the Spanish Armada in 1588, leaving Christopher Marlowe, a magically gifted playwright, shattered emotionally. Marlow narrates the story, and he is a delight: charming, witty, sophisticated, and entirely aware of how dire his situation is. The novel is more backstabbing than swashbuckling, and more treachery than sorcery — for a good reason.
As history tells us, Europe is slowly sliding toward the unspeakable horror that will be the Thirty Year’s War. The characters in the novel know something is coming that will lay waste to much of Europe. Can it be stopped? Marlowe gets himself into an increasingly complex web of secrets, deadly politics, and magic — magic too powerful and awful to attempt again.
Author Angeli Primlani spent time in Prague and in the theater, which lends an almost tactile depth to the writing. She also knows her history and creates a fast-moving novel about desperate people trying to save the world from those who have the means to ruin it even without magic.
“There are always islands like Prague, and they are always in peril.… You are sworn to protect such places.…”
Oh hell. I had sworn exactly that. This is what comes from joining too many secret societies, you mix up the specifics.
***
The story opens when sorcery in England is used to defeat the Spanish Armada in 1588, leaving Christopher Marlowe, a magically gifted playwright, shattered emotionally. Marlow narrates the story, and he is a delight: charming, witty, sophisticated, and entirely aware of how dire his situation is. The novel is more backstabbing than swashbuckling, and more treachery than sorcery — for a good reason.
As history tells us, Europe is slowly sliding toward the unspeakable horror that will be the Thirty Year’s War. The characters in the novel know something is coming that will lay waste to much of Europe. Can it be stopped? Marlowe gets himself into an increasingly complex web of secrets, deadly politics, and magic — magic too powerful and awful to attempt again.
Author Angeli Primlani spent time in Prague and in the theater, which lends an almost tactile depth to the writing. She also knows her history and creates a fast-moving novel about desperate people trying to save the world from those who have the means to ruin it even without magic.
April 10, 2023
For me, another example of unmet expectations. Unfortunately, I projected an approach to the subject matter so different to what I received that I came away wondering how the beginning and the end of the book could be so incongruent. I think it's just me. I certainly plan a look in on any further books, if there should be any. The magic was much more intriguing than in other works of fiction with this general setting. The narrator's voice made me love the character.
April 19, 2026
The prospect of a book featuring Christopher Marlowe as its protagonist is one I'm never able to resist - and the fact that this one happened to be a historical fantasy, a genre I tend to greatly enjoy, also didn't hurt.
Primlani's writing flows beautifully (what do you mean, this is her ONLY novel???), I loved her take on Marlowe as a character as well as the setting in Prague, and the story had me hooked. What more could anyone ask for? (Except, y'know, more books by this author.)
Primlani's writing flows beautifully (what do you mean, this is her ONLY novel???), I loved her take on Marlowe as a character as well as the setting in Prague, and the story had me hooked. What more could anyone ask for? (Except, y'know, more books by this author.)
July 30, 2025
Ok
I liked the idea of this more than the execution. There are quite a lot of editing errors too. I feel like it would have benefited from a more robust redraft.
I liked the idea of this more than the execution. There are quite a lot of editing errors too. I feel like it would have benefited from a more robust redraft.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews