What do you think?
Rate this book
Promethean Age #4
Hell and Earth
The reigns of two Queens in two different worlds may come to an end. In the iron world, conspiracy and subterfuge within England's royal courts threaten Elizabeth's power. In the Faerie realm, Mab, bound by magic to her sister sovereign, finds herself weakened as well. Now, the fate of two worlds lies in the hands of two clever wordsmiths...
414 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 5, 2008
5 people are currently reading
721 people want to read
About the author
Elizabeth Bear
312 books2,469 followersWhat Goodreads really needs is a "currently WRITING" option for its default bookshelves...
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews
August 30, 2012
Rating: 3.5* of five
The Book Description: Kit Marley and William Shakespeare are playwrights in the service of Queen Elizabeth, employed by the Prometheus Club. Their words, infused with magic, empower Her Majesty's rule. But some of the Prometheans, comprised of England's most influential men and mages, conspire to usurp the Queen.
Able to walk in both worlds, Kit seeks allies to aid him in his mission to protect Elizabeth only to encounter enemies, mortal and monster, who will stop at nothing to usher in a new age. But despite the might of his adversaries, Kit possesses more power than even he can possibly imagine.
My Review: I can't believe I so spectacularly failed to pay attention to the position this book occupies in a series! I am usually completely obsessive about reading series in order. I dislike intensely the feeling of not understanding why something is a climactic moment, when the structure so clearly says that it is...and then, going back to fill in the backstory, I run across the cliffhanger or set-up for the later climax and it's just completely ruined by foreknowledge.
Anyway. This is the fourth book of “The Promethean Age” series Bear wrote in an alternate England still touching the Faerie lands ruled by the Mebd (given to us by Shakespeare, our primary POV character, as Queen Mab). The reason for Queen Elizabeth I's greatness and enduring fame are given as her England's intertwined destiny with Faerie, and her own shadowing of the Mebd's rise to power.
Christopher Marlowe, Richard Baines, Ben Jonson, Thomas Walsingham and a host of other factual figures are used cleverly in this fictional story of intrigues resolved and debts of dishonor paid. It's a wonderful, creative beast stitched together like a Faerie bard's patchwork cloak from bits and snatches of fact and hints of facts gleaned by the careful between-the-lines reading of the author. The conspirators of the Gunpowder Plot, which was a Catholic effort to blow King James I and his family to Glory at the opening of a Parliamentary session, are revealed to have been making a Royal sacrifice, one that would spill Royal blood to sustain the order of the Universe as it was and therefore to prevent change from coming to the material world.
The dark machinations of the Prometheans are all in service of giving the world a vengeful, angry God that will enforce the power and influence of the Prometheans themselves and their evil legatees The poets and playwrights Shakespeare, Marlowe, Jonson et alii are allied against the Prometheans in these designs, gifted with the most extraordinary ability to write the world in the image they'd have it take. Their loyalty is to Elizabeth, Gloriana as she was then known to her world, the strongest Royal ruler England was ever to know. Their plays and poems are all calculated to give her reign the full force and power she needs to guide England through its rejection of world-straddling Catholicism and its dominion over Faerie.
It's a very frustrating read at first because the book is written in faux-Shakespeearean English, with “thee” and “thou” and “sitteth” heaved around with seeming randomness. The effort I made to read past this stylistic tic was too much, and I would have abandoned ship early on, except I love the story itself. As I slogged on, I realized Bear isn't being random in her use of the old-fashioned English forms. She's pointing up, subtly and nicely (in the oldest sense of that word), the shift that Shakespeare and Marlowe were leading into modern forms of English I shifted from tooth-gritted impatience to a mellower judgment, followed closely by a respectful half-awe at the subtlety of this device and its deployment. Oh, well done, I found myself thinking many times as Lucifer and angel Mehiel and Marlowe would converse Will Shakespeare and Kit Marlowe, here lovers of the most passionate sort, are the only characters who never use anything but the familiar “thee” to each other. It's exactly right for them. It's so quiet that it might easily go unremarked, but if you read this series, be on the lookout for this trope. It will add something good and large to your appreciation of the writing.
Homosexuality. Big topic. I am on record as finding the modern desire to “out” people in history as “gay” before such an identity existed as absurd. These men, though, aren't gay in the modern identity sense They're in love with each other, and the married one (Shakespeare) is deeply and lastingly troubled by his infidelity to his wife with Marlowe. They reach an accommodation, one reached by many, many people caught in that situation before and since, of acknowledging their love, not acting on it. Cold comfort for the spouse of the one, terrible pain for all, and nothing to be done about it. Well, that's the nature of marriage, isn't it? Making choices, sticking to them as best one can, cobbling together the most workable solution for all the parties. It's a ringingly true part of this writer's repertoire to explore the love and the passion and the needs of people in ordinary situations. She's done so in every one of her books that I've read, and it's a good reason to try her books out if you haven't yet.
I remain annoyed that I know the end of the story before I've read the beginning. I wish like fury I'd started at the start and only reached this point after going where Bear wanted me to go first. But, unless something very weird has happened here, I'd recommend that you go read the books in their proper order: Blood and Iron, Whiskey and Water, Ink and Steel, and lastly Hell and Earth. The ending is one helluva (pardon, please, the pun after you read the books) bang that is really worth the buck.
The Book Description: Kit Marley and William Shakespeare are playwrights in the service of Queen Elizabeth, employed by the Prometheus Club. Their words, infused with magic, empower Her Majesty's rule. But some of the Prometheans, comprised of England's most influential men and mages, conspire to usurp the Queen.
Able to walk in both worlds, Kit seeks allies to aid him in his mission to protect Elizabeth only to encounter enemies, mortal and monster, who will stop at nothing to usher in a new age. But despite the might of his adversaries, Kit possesses more power than even he can possibly imagine.
My Review: I can't believe I so spectacularly failed to pay attention to the position this book occupies in a series! I am usually completely obsessive about reading series in order. I dislike intensely the feeling of not understanding why something is a climactic moment, when the structure so clearly says that it is...and then, going back to fill in the backstory, I run across the cliffhanger or set-up for the later climax and it's just completely ruined by foreknowledge.
Anyway. This is the fourth book of “The Promethean Age” series Bear wrote in an alternate England still touching the Faerie lands ruled by the Mebd (given to us by Shakespeare, our primary POV character, as Queen Mab). The reason for Queen Elizabeth I's greatness and enduring fame are given as her England's intertwined destiny with Faerie, and her own shadowing of the Mebd's rise to power.
Christopher Marlowe, Richard Baines, Ben Jonson, Thomas Walsingham and a host of other factual figures are used cleverly in this fictional story of intrigues resolved and debts of dishonor paid. It's a wonderful, creative beast stitched together like a Faerie bard's patchwork cloak from bits and snatches of fact and hints of facts gleaned by the careful between-the-lines reading of the author. The conspirators of the Gunpowder Plot, which was a Catholic effort to blow King James I and his family to Glory at the opening of a Parliamentary session, are revealed to have been making a Royal sacrifice, one that would spill Royal blood to sustain the order of the Universe as it was and therefore to prevent change from coming to the material world.
The dark machinations of the Prometheans are all in service of giving the world a vengeful, angry God that will enforce the power and influence of the Prometheans themselves and their evil legatees The poets and playwrights Shakespeare, Marlowe, Jonson et alii are allied against the Prometheans in these designs, gifted with the most extraordinary ability to write the world in the image they'd have it take. Their loyalty is to Elizabeth, Gloriana as she was then known to her world, the strongest Royal ruler England was ever to know. Their plays and poems are all calculated to give her reign the full force and power she needs to guide England through its rejection of world-straddling Catholicism and its dominion over Faerie.
It's a very frustrating read at first because the book is written in faux-Shakespeearean English, with “thee” and “thou” and “sitteth” heaved around with seeming randomness. The effort I made to read past this stylistic tic was too much, and I would have abandoned ship early on, except I love the story itself. As I slogged on, I realized Bear isn't being random in her use of the old-fashioned English forms. She's pointing up, subtly and nicely (in the oldest sense of that word), the shift that Shakespeare and Marlowe were leading into modern forms of English I shifted from tooth-gritted impatience to a mellower judgment, followed closely by a respectful half-awe at the subtlety of this device and its deployment. Oh, well done, I found myself thinking many times as Lucifer and angel Mehiel and Marlowe would converse Will Shakespeare and Kit Marlowe, here lovers of the most passionate sort, are the only characters who never use anything but the familiar “thee” to each other. It's exactly right for them. It's so quiet that it might easily go unremarked, but if you read this series, be on the lookout for this trope. It will add something good and large to your appreciation of the writing.
Homosexuality. Big topic. I am on record as finding the modern desire to “out” people in history as “gay” before such an identity existed as absurd. These men, though, aren't gay in the modern identity sense They're in love with each other, and the married one (Shakespeare) is deeply and lastingly troubled by his infidelity to his wife with Marlowe. They reach an accommodation, one reached by many, many people caught in that situation before and since, of acknowledging their love, not acting on it. Cold comfort for the spouse of the one, terrible pain for all, and nothing to be done about it. Well, that's the nature of marriage, isn't it? Making choices, sticking to them as best one can, cobbling together the most workable solution for all the parties. It's a ringingly true part of this writer's repertoire to explore the love and the passion and the needs of people in ordinary situations. She's done so in every one of her books that I've read, and it's a good reason to try her books out if you haven't yet.
I remain annoyed that I know the end of the story before I've read the beginning. I wish like fury I'd started at the start and only reached this point after going where Bear wanted me to go first. But, unless something very weird has happened here, I'd recommend that you go read the books in their proper order: Blood and Iron, Whiskey and Water, Ink and Steel, and lastly Hell and Earth. The ending is one helluva (pardon, please, the pun after you read the books) bang that is really worth the buck.
February 24, 2016
Wow...that was intense, almost breathtaking. As with Ink and Steel, I'm impressed with the author's word craft--what beautiful and delicious turns of phrase. These books have made me crave hearing Shakespearean language again. And I liked how the author played with various aspects of English history.
Kit's journey was harrowing, but satisfying. He was so amazingly courageous. Hoorah for revenge! As I said before, I like him a lot. Not in a book crush way, but like an old friend or favourite cousin with major emotional baggage who still manages to be brilliant and funny, as well as maddening and heartbreaking.
Will was more likeable in this installment, more honourable, braver than I ever thought he'd be. And it was sad to see him suffer. I liked the depiction of his wife, Anne, too.
The plot was labyrinthine as hell.
This story might not be everybody's cup of tea, but I'm very glad I read it.
Kit's journey was harrowing, but satisfying. He was so amazingly courageous. Hoorah for revenge! As I said before, I like him a lot. Not in a book crush way, but like an old friend or favourite cousin with major emotional baggage who still manages to be brilliant and funny, as well as maddening and heartbreaking.
Will was more likeable in this installment, more honourable, braver than I ever thought he'd be. And it was sad to see him suffer. I liked the depiction of his wife, Anne, too.
The plot was labyrinthine as hell.
This story might not be everybody's cup of tea, but I'm very glad I read it.
February 28, 2012
Oh. My. God. These are not the books for you if you are intolerant of literary wankery. I would also like to point out that I suspect they will make more sense if you have a grounding in the changing nature of God. If you do love literary fiction, this is an excellent example of the genre.
Oh, the heartbreaking beauty of this book. I devoured it in a day. Which, given that it's a 400-pg book and it was a work day, you can see that I did pretty much nothing else. And political intrigue! And delicious foreshadowing! And the lovely conceit that all stories are true, somewhere, and that they affect the reality of Fairie. I mean, that's been touched on before, but this one is deliciously effectively used.
----
"No," Kit answered. "He could have been forgiven. Anyone can be forgiven, who repents. Faustus had opportunity, time, and chance to repent, again and again and again. But he never meant to. Never meant to repent, my lord [spoiler]."
:Then what was his fatal flaw, Sir Poet?: Lucifer's eyes sparkled. He tilted his head aside, lovelocks drifting against the exquisite curve of his neck. Enjoying the game.
" 'But Faustus' offence can ne'er be pardoned,' " Kit quoted. "The serpent that tempted Eve may be saved, but not Faustus.' Faustus' flaw was the sin of Judas, who deemed his transgression too great to repent of, and thereby diminished the love of God, who can forgive any offense, so long as the sinner wishes forgiveness. Faustus sinned by hubris."
---
That! That right there! That's what made me twitter that I was crying, because it is so perfectly correct, so true, so chewy in the intersection of theology and literature. Believing you are unforgiveable is to diminish God's love. :waves arms madly.
Um, yeah. Start with Ink & Steel. Don't blame me if you have to take a day off.
Oh, the heartbreaking beauty of this book. I devoured it in a day. Which, given that it's a 400-pg book and it was a work day, you can see that I did pretty much nothing else. And political intrigue! And delicious foreshadowing! And the lovely conceit that all stories are true, somewhere, and that they affect the reality of Fairie. I mean, that's been touched on before, but this one is deliciously effectively used.
----
"No," Kit answered. "He could have been forgiven. Anyone can be forgiven, who repents. Faustus had opportunity, time, and chance to repent, again and again and again. But he never meant to. Never meant to repent, my lord [spoiler]."
:Then what was his fatal flaw, Sir Poet?: Lucifer's eyes sparkled. He tilted his head aside, lovelocks drifting against the exquisite curve of his neck. Enjoying the game.
" 'But Faustus' offence can ne'er be pardoned,' " Kit quoted. "The serpent that tempted Eve may be saved, but not Faustus.' Faustus' flaw was the sin of Judas, who deemed his transgression too great to repent of, and thereby diminished the love of God, who can forgive any offense, so long as the sinner wishes forgiveness. Faustus sinned by hubris."
---
That! That right there! That's what made me twitter that I was crying, because it is so perfectly correct, so true, so chewy in the intersection of theology and literature. Believing you are unforgiveable is to diminish God's love. :waves arms madly.
Um, yeah. Start with Ink & Steel. Don't blame me if you have to take a day off.
June 14, 2021
I..... have many thoughts and feelings... this was four stars until the last fifty pages, I was enjoying (if not all the time understanding it) much better than its predecessor, but the ending infuriated me. Maybe I read too many HEA books, so this more complicated and painfully bittersweet one dug hard. All over though, I did like it and found the pacing and character interactions much more engaging. Murchaud, Tom, and Ben were wonderful side characters and I was pleased to see more with them, and Will was much more compelling this go around. I adore Kit, but good Christ, the shit he was put through and for what??? I don’t love the prominent use of rape and sexual assault as a plot device, although I was very glad to see Baines get his long awaited due, god damn him. That scene with Murchaud with the brand removal and bound sex as a way to liberate Kit and angel both, and undo the trauma of the original assault, had something in it about the healing nature of kink and control in trauma—I just wish there had been some room to breathe with that instead of it being crammed into the last few pages, and no closure given between him and Will before we get a Will on his deathbed scene, what on earth.
Anyway, this is a rambling review, but that’s what you get because these books have made me feel crazy like literature used to in college. The sort of raving that would send me hurtling to my keyboard to hammer out a lengthy paper and argue and analyze much. I don’t feel smart enough for that anymore, or these books, but it was fun experiencing that frenzied feeling again and shouting “WHAT THE FUCK” into my empty house and disgruntling the dog. So thank you, Elizabeth Bear, for this weird Will/Kit fanfic that made me feel things even when I didn’t understand a single goddamn thing that was happening.
Anyway, this is a rambling review, but that’s what you get because these books have made me feel crazy like literature used to in college. The sort of raving that would send me hurtling to my keyboard to hammer out a lengthy paper and argue and analyze much. I don’t feel smart enough for that anymore, or these books, but it was fun experiencing that frenzied feeling again and shouting “WHAT THE FUCK” into my empty house and disgruntling the dog. So thank you, Elizabeth Bear, for this weird Will/Kit fanfic that made me feel things even when I didn’t understand a single goddamn thing that was happening.
October 4, 2011
So this appears to be the last book, at least for now, of Elizabeth Bear’s Promethean Age series. The series is actually two loose duologies: Blood and Iron and
Whiskey and Water
are set in the modern day;
Ink and Steel
and this book are part of the Stratford Man duology, set in a Faerie-infested Elizabethan England. As my previous reviews of books in this series make clear, I am incredibly ambivalent. Bear’s commitment to detail is obvious, but the sheer intricacy and convoluted nature of her plots make these novels somewhat of a chore. Ink and Steel alleviated that by way of setting: I was just utterly fascinated by the way Bear took familiar historical figures, like Shakespeare and Marlowe, and weaved them into her complex tapestry of war and intrigue among Faerie, England, and Hell.
Hell and Earth concludes the story of Kit Marlowe, dead poet and spy now living in Faerie, and William Shakespeare, master playwright and sorcerer loyal to England and to Elizabeth. Marlowe and Shakespeare square off against members of their own Promethean Club, which has fractured into various factions who are all vying for power and prestige. Bear mixes fact with fantasy quite liberally—the end of the book includes an Author’s Note outlining where she altered the historical record or embellished it, which was quite a bit. Marlowe, of course, is very much alive, albeit somewhat worse for wear. The King James Bible becomes a poetic masterpiece of magic. And Shakespeare becomes instrumental in defeating the Gunpowder Plot. (From my own reading on the subject—i.e., an intense ten-second session of Googling—it seems like Shakespeare was connected to many of the conspirators, which makes sense, but did not play so large a role in defusing the conspiracy.)
It has been over two years since I read the previous book in this series, so I am somewhat foggy on the details! That didn’t work to my advantage as I read Hell and Earth, which is intimately connected to Ink and Steel—they are very close to being a single book. Of course, this didn’t do much for my opinion of the story or the plot, both of which are hard to follow. In particular, Bear’s idea of exposition is somewhat loquacious but unhelpful: the characters say a lot, but I don’t comprehend much of it. This did not become problematic until the climax, where understanding the actions of Lucifer is central to understanding the events. (I still don’t know what was really going on there, and if you feel you can explain it to me, please comment!) So there were parts of this book that I didn’t skim but I felt as if I had skimmed. I think this is how I felt like much of the first two Promethean Age books (except I distinctly remember disliking those books as well, which isn’t quite the case here). I hope that I have established enough “street cred” as a reviewer to make these complaints meaningful and more than just idle whining. There is a plot to Hell and Earth, but its complexities escape me.
In fact, reading this book was kind of like dunking my head underwater and holding my breath while I travelled back in time four hundred years. Bear portrays the setting in a very interesting way: her visual descriptions are sparse, but her use of language and description of the relationships between characters more than make up for this. In the end, what we get is a very conceptual and emotional grasp of England at the beginning of the seventeenth century: Elizabeth’s power is waning, and after she dies, a Scottish king assumes the throne. There’s a great deal of uncertainty, particularly when it comes to religious freedom and the growing influence of the Puritans. Oh, and don’t forget the plague. Nasty stuff, that.
If, like me, you are partial to this period of English history, and especially interested in fantastic portrayals of Shakespeare and his literary contemporaries, then these two books hold something for you. Bear has done her research, even though she often deviates from history for her own purposes. Whatever background knowledge one brings to the book will only serve to augment the experience; for those with little knowledge, it might seem heavy on the name soup, but it will still be an interesting glimpse into a history that never was.
I wish I could provide a more pertinent review of Hell and Earth. It deserves one. There are some great themes here: Marlowe’s love for and loyalty to Will are tested; Will himself must choose between Elizabeth or England; and we glimpse the burdens of ruling Faerie or Hell. There are some deep moments to this book, the kind of weighty moments that only happen when there is an extensive, enchanting mythology to rely upon. All these details are excellent, but they also create a lot of noise, and that’s where my memories of this book begin and end.
Hell and Earth concludes the story of Kit Marlowe, dead poet and spy now living in Faerie, and William Shakespeare, master playwright and sorcerer loyal to England and to Elizabeth. Marlowe and Shakespeare square off against members of their own Promethean Club, which has fractured into various factions who are all vying for power and prestige. Bear mixes fact with fantasy quite liberally—the end of the book includes an Author’s Note outlining where she altered the historical record or embellished it, which was quite a bit. Marlowe, of course, is very much alive, albeit somewhat worse for wear. The King James Bible becomes a poetic masterpiece of magic. And Shakespeare becomes instrumental in defeating the Gunpowder Plot. (From my own reading on the subject—i.e., an intense ten-second session of Googling—it seems like Shakespeare was connected to many of the conspirators, which makes sense, but did not play so large a role in defusing the conspiracy.)
It has been over two years since I read the previous book in this series, so I am somewhat foggy on the details! That didn’t work to my advantage as I read Hell and Earth, which is intimately connected to Ink and Steel—they are very close to being a single book. Of course, this didn’t do much for my opinion of the story or the plot, both of which are hard to follow. In particular, Bear’s idea of exposition is somewhat loquacious but unhelpful: the characters say a lot, but I don’t comprehend much of it. This did not become problematic until the climax, where understanding the actions of Lucifer is central to understanding the events. (I still don’t know what was really going on there, and if you feel you can explain it to me, please comment!) So there were parts of this book that I didn’t skim but I felt as if I had skimmed. I think this is how I felt like much of the first two Promethean Age books (except I distinctly remember disliking those books as well, which isn’t quite the case here). I hope that I have established enough “street cred” as a reviewer to make these complaints meaningful and more than just idle whining. There is a plot to Hell and Earth, but its complexities escape me.
In fact, reading this book was kind of like dunking my head underwater and holding my breath while I travelled back in time four hundred years. Bear portrays the setting in a very interesting way: her visual descriptions are sparse, but her use of language and description of the relationships between characters more than make up for this. In the end, what we get is a very conceptual and emotional grasp of England at the beginning of the seventeenth century: Elizabeth’s power is waning, and after she dies, a Scottish king assumes the throne. There’s a great deal of uncertainty, particularly when it comes to religious freedom and the growing influence of the Puritans. Oh, and don’t forget the plague. Nasty stuff, that.
If, like me, you are partial to this period of English history, and especially interested in fantastic portrayals of Shakespeare and his literary contemporaries, then these two books hold something for you. Bear has done her research, even though she often deviates from history for her own purposes. Whatever background knowledge one brings to the book will only serve to augment the experience; for those with little knowledge, it might seem heavy on the name soup, but it will still be an interesting glimpse into a history that never was.
I wish I could provide a more pertinent review of Hell and Earth. It deserves one. There are some great themes here: Marlowe’s love for and loyalty to Will are tested; Will himself must choose between Elizabeth or England; and we glimpse the burdens of ruling Faerie or Hell. There are some deep moments to this book, the kind of weighty moments that only happen when there is an extensive, enchanting mythology to rely upon. All these details are excellent, but they also create a lot of noise, and that’s where my memories of this book begin and end.
April 16, 2018
Mesmerising, sensual, enchanting, bittersweet perfection: The second part of the Stratford Man duology possesses all the wonderfully crafted intricacy of outstanding worldbuilding, stunningly beautiful writing, and effortlessly absorbing mixture of Elizabethan theatre and poetry with the myths of faerie of the first book. A delectable feast of imagination and marvelous imagery, and another instant favourite of mine.
January 8, 2012
I finished Elizabeth Bear's The Stratford Man (composed of the two novels Ink and Steel, and Hell and Earth) today.
Although published in two volumes, this is actually very much a single story, written in a 5-act structure, like a Renaissance play (acts 1-3 in the first volume, acts 4 and 5 in the second one)
Unsurprisingly, one of the main characters of the books is one Will Shakespeare of Stratford, but the main theme of the books is the fight of a group of English poets and magicians to sustain Queen Elizabeth I's reign against a rival group of mages, supposed to be in league with Lucider, through introducing strengthening magic into their work.
After Will's friend and fellow poet Christofer Marley (or Marlow, or Marlin...) is murdered, Will is recruited to take his place. However, he is lacking in magic, so support has to be gotten from Faerie, as Elizabeth and her counterpart, the Mebd, Queen of Faerie, are linked through stories. (Mebd is apparently pronounced Maeve. Gotta love Irish...).
Meanwhile, Kit Marley awakes in Faerie, missing one eye, but otherwise alive, and is introduced into the court of the Mebd and her sister Morgan le Fey, and especially her son Murchaud (court being a euphemism in that case).
From here on, the chapters alternate between Will's and Kit's point-of-view, and depict their struggles, in London and in Faerie, to save the reign of their Queens.
I really like Bear's Promethean novels, as they depict a really interesting, intricate and vivid picture of Faerie, and in this case, of Elizabethan England. The style is lush and sensual, sex is frequent, but almost always the grapgic description ends with the foreplay, which saves the books from becoming teenie-fare monster-soft-porn. I must admit that I found Kit's chapters a lot more interesting than Will's, in general.
I really like Faeries done in this style, hinting at danger, fascination, and endless time. I guess the depiction is quite similar to the one in the Dresden Files, if a good bit more favourably disposed towards the Faeries...
I like the premise that there is power in stories, and that all stories are true. This means, on the one hand, that the plays that Will and his company perform can sway the political situation in favour of Elizabeth, and that they can positively influence her health. On the other hand, the Fae are very much subject to stories told about them, to such an extend that they physically change in relation to them. For example, Morgan's appearance changes from dark-haired and swarthy to red-haired and fair as her legends become more and more associated with Elizabeth. (It is said that she was blonde, and a goddess once, before her story changed)
The problem I had with these books is keeping people straight. English nobility have the annoying habit of having a name completely different from their title, so if they're referred to alternately by both (and their first names), it's rather hard to keep track of them. The fact that they're all called either Thomas or Robert doesn't help either. So sometimes I wasn't really sure what side a certain person was on.
Bear provides a dramatis personae at the beginning of the first volume though.
Definetely recommended, if you like good historical/magical fiction :)
7.5/10
Although published in two volumes, this is actually very much a single story, written in a 5-act structure, like a Renaissance play (acts 1-3 in the first volume, acts 4 and 5 in the second one)
Unsurprisingly, one of the main characters of the books is one Will Shakespeare of Stratford, but the main theme of the books is the fight of a group of English poets and magicians to sustain Queen Elizabeth I's reign against a rival group of mages, supposed to be in league with Lucider, through introducing strengthening magic into their work.
After Will's friend and fellow poet Christofer Marley (or Marlow, or Marlin...) is murdered, Will is recruited to take his place. However, he is lacking in magic, so support has to be gotten from Faerie, as Elizabeth and her counterpart, the Mebd, Queen of Faerie, are linked through stories. (Mebd is apparently pronounced Maeve. Gotta love Irish...).
Meanwhile, Kit Marley awakes in Faerie, missing one eye, but otherwise alive, and is introduced into the court of the Mebd and her sister Morgan le Fey, and especially her son Murchaud (court being a euphemism in that case).
From here on, the chapters alternate between Will's and Kit's point-of-view, and depict their struggles, in London and in Faerie, to save the reign of their Queens.
I really like Bear's Promethean novels, as they depict a really interesting, intricate and vivid picture of Faerie, and in this case, of Elizabethan England. The style is lush and sensual, sex is frequent, but almost always the grapgic description ends with the foreplay, which saves the books from becoming teenie-fare monster-soft-porn. I must admit that I found Kit's chapters a lot more interesting than Will's, in general.
I really like Faeries done in this style, hinting at danger, fascination, and endless time. I guess the depiction is quite similar to the one in the Dresden Files, if a good bit more favourably disposed towards the Faeries...
I like the premise that there is power in stories, and that all stories are true. This means, on the one hand, that the plays that Will and his company perform can sway the political situation in favour of Elizabeth, and that they can positively influence her health. On the other hand, the Fae are very much subject to stories told about them, to such an extend that they physically change in relation to them. For example, Morgan's appearance changes from dark-haired and swarthy to red-haired and fair as her legends become more and more associated with Elizabeth. (It is said that she was blonde, and a goddess once, before her story changed)
The problem I had with these books is keeping people straight. English nobility have the annoying habit of having a name completely different from their title, so if they're referred to alternately by both (and their first names), it's rather hard to keep track of them. The fact that they're all called either Thomas or Robert doesn't help either. So sometimes I wasn't really sure what side a certain person was on.
Bear provides a dramatis personae at the beginning of the first volume though.
Definetely recommended, if you like good historical/magical fiction :)
7.5/10
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 1, 2010
I'm reviewing this book and Ink and Steel together. Basically the two books are a single story.
These two books are a prequel to the books about the Promethian Age that are set in modern times. These two books are set during the life of William Shakespeare.
In the first book Faerie and England are linked through their two Queens. The poets and play writers of the era are using their language and their poetry to magically shore up Elizabeth I's life and reign. In the second book, it is the reign of her successor that is at risk.
Elizabeth Bear writes a complex book about complex people, places and issues, involving Earth, Faerie and several versions of Hell. Basically everything is being controlled by the "fact" that all stories are true and any story, or myth, or poem changes the reality of the people living in any of the places we visit in the books.
I found myself glued to the pages. I just loved the explanations of why Elizabethan plays had the kinds of subjects they had and why they were in poetry and not prose. But quite frankly nothing really gets resolved. The way is open for even more books and even more stories. And that is rather unsatisfying.
Do I recommend the books? Yes, but ... I'm not quite sure to whom.
These two books are a prequel to the books about the Promethian Age that are set in modern times. These two books are set during the life of William Shakespeare.
In the first book Faerie and England are linked through their two Queens. The poets and play writers of the era are using their language and their poetry to magically shore up Elizabeth I's life and reign. In the second book, it is the reign of her successor that is at risk.
Elizabeth Bear writes a complex book about complex people, places and issues, involving Earth, Faerie and several versions of Hell. Basically everything is being controlled by the "fact" that all stories are true and any story, or myth, or poem changes the reality of the people living in any of the places we visit in the books.
I found myself glued to the pages. I just loved the explanations of why Elizabethan plays had the kinds of subjects they had and why they were in poetry and not prose. But quite frankly nothing really gets resolved. The way is open for even more books and even more stories. And that is rather unsatisfying.
Do I recommend the books? Yes, but ... I'm not quite sure to whom.
February 23, 2011
4.5 stars really. Although to be accurate, maybe 5.5 stars with some quibbles that bring it back down to just below 5.
Don't even think of reading this until you've read "Ink & Steel" - the two form one story.
Bring some knowledge on British history, Faerie, and Lucifer, and bring a large dose of flexibility about sexual preferences.
This is a complex and fascinating story.
I didn't really care for how some of the plot threads were resolved. Richard Baines, for one: big setup, weak resolution.
A few of the characters were wooden - Ben Jonson made me think of Big Moose from the Archie Comics, before they got politically correct. But that's forgivable, and maybe even necessary when you have 20 other complex and interesting characters on stage. Sometimes literally. Anne Hathaway Shakespeare alone makes up for it; she's excellent.
It's also good to read a story in which the heroes are not super-strong and super-smart, and sometimes do the wrong thing.
Not quite unputdownable, but well into, "Geez, I should have stopped half an hour ago"
Don't even think of reading this until you've read "Ink & Steel" - the two form one story.
Bring some knowledge on British history, Faerie, and Lucifer, and bring a large dose of flexibility about sexual preferences.
This is a complex and fascinating story.
I didn't really care for how some of the plot threads were resolved. Richard Baines, for one: big setup, weak resolution.
A few of the characters were wooden - Ben Jonson made me think of Big Moose from the Archie Comics, before they got politically correct. But that's forgivable, and maybe even necessary when you have 20 other complex and interesting characters on stage. Sometimes literally. Anne Hathaway Shakespeare alone makes up for it; she's excellent.
It's also good to read a story in which the heroes are not super-strong and super-smart, and sometimes do the wrong thing.
Not quite unputdownable, but well into, "Geez, I should have stopped half an hour ago"
November 15, 2011
My review HERE should give you some idea of what this second volume of The Stratford Man duology by the inimitable Elizabeth Bear is about.
If you're not interested in making with the clicky, let's just say that, if I knew you personally, and your house had just burned down, taking all of your books with it, and if I showed up after you had found a new place to stay, and I knew you a) liked stories about Shakespeare, b) liked stories about Queen Elizabeth, c) liked stories about the sinister Faerie Court of A Midsummer Night's Dream, and d) didn't object to LGBT themes, then this book and its sister would be the books I would give you to restart your collection with.
I simply can't recommend these two books strongly enough. It's a wonderful story, and I did not give it five stars lightly. I promise you won't regret reading it.
If you're not interested in making with the clicky, let's just say that, if I knew you personally, and your house had just burned down, taking all of your books with it, and if I showed up after you had found a new place to stay, and I knew you a) liked stories about Shakespeare, b) liked stories about Queen Elizabeth, c) liked stories about the sinister Faerie Court of A Midsummer Night's Dream, and d) didn't object to LGBT themes, then this book and its sister would be the books I would give you to restart your collection with.
I simply can't recommend these two books strongly enough. It's a wonderful story, and I did not give it five stars lightly. I promise you won't regret reading it.
December 1, 2009
The second act, so to speak, of Ink and Steel. We've moved on from Marlowe/Shakepseare action to Marlowe/Lucifer action with extra angels and faeries thrown in for fun. To give her credit, her theatre history is good and well researched. On the other hand the whole thing is convoluted and doesn't make a whole lot of sense. I'm not sure I have the patience to try the modern day books in the series to see if any of it ever does make sense.
February 28, 2024
I had the choice of three Elizabeth Bear books. I tried to pick the earliest one in the series; I obviously got it wrong...
I'm not sure if this book would have worked better for me if I had read the preceding novel first. It didn't work very well when I was jumping in at the middle, despite the author's scrupulous attempts to straighten out the identities of her large cast of historical figures, from the Earl of Oxford to just about every minor poet or playwright in the Elizabethan court; I didn't have any particular emotional bond to either of our protagonists, and the supposed romantic triangles (is *everybody* in love with Kit Marlowe?) amount to little more than authorial assertions that so-and-so is, for reasons that were presumably established in the previous volume, apparently deeply in love with so-and-so, and in my case failed to convince. I admit to reconciling instinctively from the depiction of Will Shakespeare as having a lifelong lust for Kit Marlowe, who in this alternate history was apparently not murdered but carried off to Faerie, but I wasn't any more convinced by the touchingly unrequited passion of the Faerie Prince, either. In fact I was confused for a long time as to whether he was supposed to be the consort or (as I think was eventually established) the son of the Faerie Queen.
The blurb promised an alternate universe in which the reign of the human Gloriana has its parallel in the reign of Queen Medbh, the realms stand or fall together, and poets wield magic... but if that was ever established, it must have been over the course of the preceding books, because there is very little of it in evidence here. The 'Prometheans' are so sketchy as to be barely there at all. And there is some incongruous Arthurian mythology very vaguely introduced - scarcely a reference, save the Morgan le Fay is apparently the Queen's sister.
What we mainly get is a somewhat threadbare canter and skip through various historical events, from the Essex Rebellion to the Gunpowder Plot, insofar as they can be tied back to what really seems to interest the author, which is 'shipping' Marlowe with everybody up to and including Lucifer himself - yes, we get slashy sexy Fallen Angel material. Marlowe was apparently raped in a previous book, and the text shows a great fascination with that, as well, and with hurt/comfort material. In fact in retrospect this whole novel reads very much like fan-fiction in its preoccupations - Real Person Fiction, which I think is one reason I was uncomfortable with it.
The jarring modern American used of 'passed' to mean 'died' sat poorly along the studious 'thee' and 'thou', as well (and the too-careful pointing out of when people were *not* using the familiar terms, as well; I know, I know that it is an important distinction that modern English has sadly lost, making translation from eras and languages where the shift in tone was vital a very difficult challenge, but trying to use the pronoun shift for its original purpose to indicate unwarranted intimacy simply doesn't work any more, and the fact that the author clearly knows that and respects to over-explaining doesn't help. It just makes her sound pretentious and the prose sound awkward, rather than giving it a seamless 'period' feel.)
I suppose I felt cheated by having been, as I saw it, promised one sort of book and given another; the original premise sounded interesting, but this wasn't that story. It would have taken a lot to win me over, and the book simply didn't manage it. I nearly abandoned reading after an hour and a half but eventually went back and soldiered on, but I'm afraid I shan't be going back to read the author's other works, even if I might have appreciated this one better through having read them all in order.
I'm not sure if this book would have worked better for me if I had read the preceding novel first. It didn't work very well when I was jumping in at the middle, despite the author's scrupulous attempts to straighten out the identities of her large cast of historical figures, from the Earl of Oxford to just about every minor poet or playwright in the Elizabethan court; I didn't have any particular emotional bond to either of our protagonists, and the supposed romantic triangles (is *everybody* in love with Kit Marlowe?) amount to little more than authorial assertions that so-and-so is, for reasons that were presumably established in the previous volume, apparently deeply in love with so-and-so, and in my case failed to convince. I admit to reconciling instinctively from the depiction of Will Shakespeare as having a lifelong lust for Kit Marlowe, who in this alternate history was apparently not murdered but carried off to Faerie, but I wasn't any more convinced by the touchingly unrequited passion of the Faerie Prince, either. In fact I was confused for a long time as to whether he was supposed to be the consort or (as I think was eventually established) the son of the Faerie Queen.
The blurb promised an alternate universe in which the reign of the human Gloriana has its parallel in the reign of Queen Medbh, the realms stand or fall together, and poets wield magic... but if that was ever established, it must have been over the course of the preceding books, because there is very little of it in evidence here. The 'Prometheans' are so sketchy as to be barely there at all. And there is some incongruous Arthurian mythology very vaguely introduced - scarcely a reference, save the Morgan le Fay is apparently the Queen's sister.
What we mainly get is a somewhat threadbare canter and skip through various historical events, from the Essex Rebellion to the Gunpowder Plot, insofar as they can be tied back to what really seems to interest the author, which is 'shipping' Marlowe with everybody up to and including Lucifer himself - yes, we get slashy sexy Fallen Angel material. Marlowe was apparently raped in a previous book, and the text shows a great fascination with that, as well, and with hurt/comfort material. In fact in retrospect this whole novel reads very much like fan-fiction in its preoccupations - Real Person Fiction, which I think is one reason I was uncomfortable with it.
The jarring modern American used of 'passed' to mean 'died' sat poorly along the studious 'thee' and 'thou', as well (and the too-careful pointing out of when people were *not* using the familiar terms, as well; I know, I know that it is an important distinction that modern English has sadly lost, making translation from eras and languages where the shift in tone was vital a very difficult challenge, but trying to use the pronoun shift for its original purpose to indicate unwarranted intimacy simply doesn't work any more, and the fact that the author clearly knows that and respects to over-explaining doesn't help. It just makes her sound pretentious and the prose sound awkward, rather than giving it a seamless 'period' feel.)
I suppose I felt cheated by having been, as I saw it, promised one sort of book and given another; the original premise sounded interesting, but this wasn't that story. It would have taken a lot to win me over, and the book simply didn't manage it. I nearly abandoned reading after an hour and a half but eventually went back and soldiered on, but I'm afraid I shan't be going back to read the author's other works, even if I might have appreciated this one better through having read them all in order.
August 12, 2017
One of the best books I've read in my life. The stunning sequel to Ink and Steel, it takes Kit Marlowe and Will Shakespeare through Elizabethan intrigue, Jacobean drama, riveting magical rituals, and finishing with a Wyld Hunt to end all Wyld Hunts. If you like faeries, historical fiction and intrigue, beautifully written male pairings which include Kit Marlowe/Will Shakespeare, Lucifer/Kit Marlowe, and different kinds of devotion expressed in language powerful enough to make the Bard weep, don't miss this many layered and intense story.
May 17, 2023
Hell and Earth is Elizabeth Bear’s sequel to Ink and Steel. Kit Marlowe is dead and living in Faerie. Will Shakespeare is writing good plays and dealing with conspiracies. Elizabeth dies. James takes over. Faerie is disturbed. Angels and demons are involved. Of course. Will Marlowe go to Hell? Will Will? Is Will’s wife jealous of dead Kit? Yes, it’s complicated. Elizabeth Bear is having such fun. Just go with it. Four stars.
June 3, 2018
A satisfying ending to the Stratford Man duology, as well as a prequel that gives depth to the first two Promethean Age books. Kit Marlowe is a rogue and a romantic, and he fairly leaps off the page. I'm not enamored with Shakespeare but I liked him more in this series that I have in any other fictional retellings.
November 6, 2019
It had been a bit since I had read book three of this series, but that really wasn’t an issue as the story is so engaging right from the beginning. I love how she writes Kit and Shakespeare. They are very realistic in a fantasy world.
May 18, 2020
The old English made this book a slog. The plot was fairly interesting, but got lost somewhat frequently. I really liked the other Prometheus book, so was disappointed.
January 8, 2011
William Shakespeare is free from Hell thanks to the love of their mutual lives, the now-Changeling Christopher Marlowe. Kit has lost much, including his name, and William's palsy is a slow death sentence, but both figures, in Faerie and on Earth, cannot rest on their laurels. Elizabeth is dying, and there are those who wish to use her death and the life of her successor to change not only the destiny of England, but the destiny of all realms.
For William Shakespeare and, even more so, Kit Marlowe is more powerful than he knows, and his untapped power, if harnessed properly, could be used to topple more than James I and the Mebd. Much, much more. The Nature of God itself is up for grabs, if that power is used properly...
The narrative of Hell and Earth is the second half of the "play" that begins in Ink and Steel and Elizabeth Bear wastes no time in plunging us back into her 16th century world. The shadowy plots and plans of the Prometheans who oppose Kit and Will slowly reveal themselves, and their plans are both monstrous and breathtaking indeed. Throw in an audacious and unapologetic attempt to coil in everything from the date of Elizabeth's death to the Guy Fawkes plot to the writing of the King James Bible, and I have found that Hell and Earth, along with Ink and Steel functions as much as a secret history as well as a historical fictional fantasy. In an afterword, Bear mentions that Shakespeare and Marlowe did this very same thing in their own plays, cutting history to suit a narrative end. She makes no apologies.
And so shouldn't the reader. Even beyond Faerie and Hell, Hell and Earth shows an Elizabethan England that is in a fictionalized past, and in this second volume, I started to really grok that in a way that I didn't really internalize in the first volume, Ink and Steel. Treat the books in the same way one might treat Henry V, and
The writing is crisp, vital, and has the ring of veracity. Well drawn characters that never feel like they are 21st century individuals wearing period garb, Bear populates her narrative with complex and conflicted people who are true to their life and times.
Again, though, don't start here. Start with Ink and Steel and immerse yourself in Bear's vision of 16th century England seen through two of its greatest playwrights, plus the nature of God, secret conspiracies,two Queens, Hell, and the Faerie realms.
Highly recommended.
For William Shakespeare and, even more so, Kit Marlowe is more powerful than he knows, and his untapped power, if harnessed properly, could be used to topple more than James I and the Mebd. Much, much more. The Nature of God itself is up for grabs, if that power is used properly...
The narrative of Hell and Earth is the second half of the "play" that begins in Ink and Steel and Elizabeth Bear wastes no time in plunging us back into her 16th century world. The shadowy plots and plans of the Prometheans who oppose Kit and Will slowly reveal themselves, and their plans are both monstrous and breathtaking indeed. Throw in an audacious and unapologetic attempt to coil in everything from the date of Elizabeth's death to the Guy Fawkes plot to the writing of the King James Bible, and I have found that Hell and Earth, along with Ink and Steel functions as much as a secret history as well as a historical fictional fantasy. In an afterword, Bear mentions that Shakespeare and Marlowe did this very same thing in their own plays, cutting history to suit a narrative end. She makes no apologies.
And so shouldn't the reader. Even beyond Faerie and Hell, Hell and Earth shows an Elizabethan England that is in a fictionalized past, and in this second volume, I started to really grok that in a way that I didn't really internalize in the first volume, Ink and Steel. Treat the books in the same way one might treat Henry V, and
The writing is crisp, vital, and has the ring of veracity. Well drawn characters that never feel like they are 21st century individuals wearing period garb, Bear populates her narrative with complex and conflicted people who are true to their life and times.
Again, though, don't start here. Start with Ink and Steel and immerse yourself in Bear's vision of 16th century England seen through two of its greatest playwrights, plus the nature of God, secret conspiracies,two Queens, Hell, and the Faerie realms.
Highly recommended.
August 11, 2012
I read this sequel to INK AND STEEL purely for inspiration. There aren't many Tudor paranormal novels out there, and it's the only series I know that blends Tudor historical fiction, fallen angels, Arthurian legend and the Fae, like my own MAGICK trilogy. (MAGICK BY MOONRISE is coming in March 2013 from Harlequin/Carina, yay!) This makes Bear's duology an incredibly fresh and imaginative work.
Set in late Elizabethan England and the early Stuart period, HELL AND EARTH centers around the fictional adventures of Will Shakespeare and a resurrected Christopher Marlowe. Troubled England is spellbound to a shadow-realm in which Morgan le Fay and the Faerie Queene hold sway. The fallen angel Lucifer plots with a cult of Tudor-era sorcerers called the Prometheans to overthrow the English monarch (Tudor or Stuart sovereign seems to make no difference to the villains, an aspect I fretted over while reading, political me!). Only the poetry of Will Shakespeare and a band of confederates including Marlowe and Ben Jonson can hold the Prometheans' dark schemes at bay and save the English throne.
Bear writes with beautiful, lyrical, literary prose--one of the joys of this book. Her use of Shakespearean English is exquisite and also influenced my own work. The book is more challenging to approach as genre or popular fiction, because the characters' goals-motivation-conflict are often obscured (particularly for the villains), the stakes are not always as clear as a popular fiction reader might prefer, and the pacing is mostly leisurely.
Still, if you have patience and can approach the book as a literary novel, HELL AND EARTH is an unusual, rewarding and thought-provoking read. If you're a fan of intricate, politically-flavored Tudor fiction, Shakespeare and Arthurian legend in particular, you might enjoy this one!
Set in late Elizabethan England and the early Stuart period, HELL AND EARTH centers around the fictional adventures of Will Shakespeare and a resurrected Christopher Marlowe. Troubled England is spellbound to a shadow-realm in which Morgan le Fay and the Faerie Queene hold sway. The fallen angel Lucifer plots with a cult of Tudor-era sorcerers called the Prometheans to overthrow the English monarch (Tudor or Stuart sovereign seems to make no difference to the villains, an aspect I fretted over while reading, political me!). Only the poetry of Will Shakespeare and a band of confederates including Marlowe and Ben Jonson can hold the Prometheans' dark schemes at bay and save the English throne.
Bear writes with beautiful, lyrical, literary prose--one of the joys of this book. Her use of Shakespearean English is exquisite and also influenced my own work. The book is more challenging to approach as genre or popular fiction, because the characters' goals-motivation-conflict are often obscured (particularly for the villains), the stakes are not always as clear as a popular fiction reader might prefer, and the pacing is mostly leisurely.
Still, if you have patience and can approach the book as a literary novel, HELL AND EARTH is an unusual, rewarding and thought-provoking read. If you're a fan of intricate, politically-flavored Tudor fiction, Shakespeare and Arthurian legend in particular, you might enjoy this one!
January 5, 2013
The sequel to Ink and Steel, Hell and Earth is really the concluding section to book 1. I was in two minds whether to read this as aspects of the #1 annoyed me, particularly with respect to style and editing. For me #1 didn't really take off until Act 3. So I was holding my breath when I started this...and then was totally blown away: I would give Hell and Earth a 6* if I could. Unlike #1, archaisms are restricted mainly to speech and editing is much tighter allowing for a much more focused narrative (200 pages shorter), an increase in tension and relationships which develop with more focus, becoming both subtle and complex.
Using the Elizabethan poets, Lucifer and the fae as her protagonists Bear explores complex ideas interweaving dream, reality and theology. I found I had to re-read many moments to ensure I had understood the narrative development, particularly since the changing nature of 'stories' almost becomes a character in its own right. Touching, poignant and often breathtaking, this is probably one of the best books I have read in this genre and probably beyond. I' m not sure I can say much without giving away clues but I felt I had been 'tenderly by the nose as asses are'.
Outstanding: a joy of a book if you are prepared for a challenge (it would suit experienced readers who are not irritated by flights of fancy). If like me you thought #1 was overly complicated or convoluted stylistically, don't give up - try #2 you might love it.
Using the Elizabethan poets, Lucifer and the fae as her protagonists Bear explores complex ideas interweaving dream, reality and theology. I found I had to re-read many moments to ensure I had understood the narrative development, particularly since the changing nature of 'stories' almost becomes a character in its own right. Touching, poignant and often breathtaking, this is probably one of the best books I have read in this genre and probably beyond. I' m not sure I can say much without giving away clues but I felt I had been 'tenderly by the nose as asses are'.
Outstanding: a joy of a book if you are prepared for a challenge (it would suit experienced readers who are not irritated by flights of fancy). If like me you thought #1 was overly complicated or convoluted stylistically, don't give up - try #2 you might love it.
September 23, 2022
Elizabethan and Jacobean intrigue become emeshed with the fae, a seductive devil, and the scheming sorcerers that oppose and use them. All of these being have ensnared or seduced the formerly dead poet Kit Marlowe, attempting to manipulate him at their will. All the while Kit himself tries to hold onto his own bond with his beloved Will Shakespeare, the cabal of poets and playwrights, fighting for queen and the future. Alas, Elizabeth is not immortal and the battle may cost them both dear.
This remains one of my favorite novels by a writer who’s written many an excellent novel. I adore the tangle of intrigue and passion, how it mingles a fairytale ambience with historical figures and events. Arthurian legends reach out to snatch or cuddle up to Elizabethan poets and a devil can become everything his beloved poet channeled into verse. I love how the schemes of mortal courtiers overlaps with the schemes of Faerie and Hell. I love the power poets and writers have to shape god, devil, and myth, making all stories true. I love the Shakespeare and Marlowe in this novel, their fierce love for each other; in spite of the forces standing between them. This remains one of the most beautiful and engrossing books I’ve ever read where even the tragedy has a trace of humor. Every time I read this story, I fall in love with it.
This remains one of my favorite novels by a writer who’s written many an excellent novel. I adore the tangle of intrigue and passion, how it mingles a fairytale ambience with historical figures and events. Arthurian legends reach out to snatch or cuddle up to Elizabethan poets and a devil can become everything his beloved poet channeled into verse. I love how the schemes of mortal courtiers overlaps with the schemes of Faerie and Hell. I love the power poets and writers have to shape god, devil, and myth, making all stories true. I love the Shakespeare and Marlowe in this novel, their fierce love for each other; in spite of the forces standing between them. This remains one of the most beautiful and engrossing books I’ve ever read where even the tragedy has a trace of humor. Every time I read this story, I fall in love with it.
March 9, 2013
Similarly to how Ink and Steel set up premises better than Blood and Iron did, Hell and Earth wraps up to a better conclusion than Whiskey and Water.
Bear's ambition is matched only by that of her characters, who plan to save the universe by rewriting the nature of God himself. It's heady stuff, and for the most part, she pulls it off. Plus, there are some great character moments, such as Essex's comeuppance and resolution. Lucifer is one of the most interesting and complex takes on the character since Mike Carey's graphic novels.
My one real objection is that the ultimate villain seems awfully one dimensional, in comparison to the richness of the other characters. I'm not sure I ever figured out what his real motivations were. Lucifer plays both ends against the middle, of course, but what does Baines really stand to gain?
I did rather like the way Bear navigates her own cosmology to bring Shakespeare to a suitably satisfying end. Cleverly done, all around.
Bear's ambition is matched only by that of her characters, who plan to save the universe by rewriting the nature of God himself. It's heady stuff, and for the most part, she pulls it off. Plus, there are some great character moments, such as Essex's comeuppance and resolution. Lucifer is one of the most interesting and complex takes on the character since Mike Carey's graphic novels.
My one real objection is that the ultimate villain seems awfully one dimensional, in comparison to the richness of the other characters. I'm not sure I ever figured out what his real motivations were. Lucifer plays both ends against the middle, of course, but what does Baines really stand to gain?
I did rather like the way Bear navigates her own cosmology to bring Shakespeare to a suitably satisfying end. Cleverly done, all around.
November 27, 2015
I needed a little more Kit and Will in this book being together as I felt that is what Ink and Steel was leading up to. I just didn't understand why they didn't get their happily ever after,I think I need to re-read it again to understand better.
The second half of the 'play' of Kit and Will's adventures which started in Ink and Steel but now is Hell and Earth opens in Act 4 with Will back in the mortal realm and Kit getting used to his powers. We see more shadowy plots from the Promethean's as Bear leads us through the events of Elizabeths death, Guy Faulks plot and the writing of king James bible, and I have found both books function as much as a secret history as well as a fictional historical fantasy.
Bear's writing is crisp and her characters deep and complex, especially Lucifer, who shifts and changes just as Morgan La Fay.
I recommend this book to everyone but read Ink and Steel first as it will be hard to understand otherwise. Need to re read again to fully appreciate Will and Kits relationship.
The second half of the 'play' of Kit and Will's adventures which started in Ink and Steel but now is Hell and Earth opens in Act 4 with Will back in the mortal realm and Kit getting used to his powers. We see more shadowy plots from the Promethean's as Bear leads us through the events of Elizabeths death, Guy Faulks plot and the writing of king James bible, and I have found both books function as much as a secret history as well as a fictional historical fantasy.
Bear's writing is crisp and her characters deep and complex, especially Lucifer, who shifts and changes just as Morgan La Fay.
I recommend this book to everyone but read Ink and Steel first as it will be hard to understand otherwise. Need to re read again to fully appreciate Will and Kits relationship.
December 3, 2008
Hell and Earth continues the story begun in Ink and Steel (the first part of the Stratford Man). It lacks the handy guide to the characters that was in the first book, which is more of a problem if you're starting with this one. I wouldn't recommend you do that, though. It was written as one story and only split into two books because of the length, so starting with the second book is like opening a book to the middle and starting there. Unsurprisingly, since it really is all one story, I enjoyed this book as much as the first. There were a few things I learned in Whiskey and Water that I thought would be explained here that weren't, but that isn't a mark against the book. It just leaves me wondering if the author intends to cover that in a future story. :)
February 16, 2012
Complex historical mystery/fantasy involving Shakespeare, Kit Marlowe, Lucifer, British royalty, the Faerie World and more in this second in the Stratford series and last of the Promethean series. I found this slow moving at the beginning but worth the struggle of continuing. Perhaps would have been easier had I read the first two books of the Promethean Age series before reading the two in the Stratford Man series which are the prequels to the first two of the Promethean series.
Tied in nicely with my Shakespeare reading though and added lots of new possibilities and conjectures involving Shakespeare and his time.
Tied in nicely with my Shakespeare reading though and added lots of new possibilities and conjectures involving Shakespeare and his time.
March 13, 2019
All of the reversals, betrayals, unexpected good fortune, and tragic love a girl could ask for. The Stratford Man as a whole turns out to be a thoughtful exploration of love and loyalty and the nature of storytelling, and comes out to a perfectly satisfying conclusion.
There are some particularly good bits regarding Lucifer - his motives, his methods, and his philosophy, presented wrapped in some rather stunning language and imagery. The Elizabethan idiom throughout worked really well for me - it was a nice compromise between readability and accuracy. Lovely overall, and now I have to go find the rest of the Promethean Age books.
There are some particularly good bits regarding Lucifer - his motives, his methods, and his philosophy, presented wrapped in some rather stunning language and imagery. The Elizabethan idiom throughout worked really well for me - it was a nice compromise between readability and accuracy. Lovely overall, and now I have to go find the rest of the Promethean Age books.
January 22, 2010
This was an interesting take on William Shakespeare and his friends. In it, he is gay, with a lover named Kit, although nothing sexual happens between them in the book. I was bummed that this was the first book in the series that I read, as there was a lot that apparently led up to the goings on in this number 4 in the series. I'm not sure if I'm interested enough to go back and read the others that came before this one. I did enjoy it, though.
It has a lot of adventure in it, which I liked. It gave a real feel for the period.
It has a lot of adventure in it, which I liked. It gave a real feel for the period.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 19, 2014
I loved Bear's Range of Ghosts but this left me cold. It's set in the Elizabethan age when the great playwright and poets have a magic that can shape the kingdom and faerie hides around every corner. And after about 150 pages I gave up because everyone just seems to sit and think and ponder about whatever's happening rather than reacting with feeling. If I want Elizabethan faeries, I'll stick with Midnight Never Come.
October 27, 2014
I tried so hard to finish this on Shakespeare's birthday but, alas, it was not to be (which, I suppose, answers that question).
I loved the Stratford Man duology. I'm not sure which of my friends to recommend it to, but I loved it even more than the first part of the Promethean Age. And I think I may have officially adopted her characterizations of Shakespeare and Marlowe. Especially Marlowe.
Now if I could only figure who to recommend this to...
I loved the Stratford Man duology. I'm not sure which of my friends to recommend it to, but I loved it even more than the first part of the Promethean Age. And I think I may have officially adopted her characterizations of Shakespeare and Marlowe. Especially Marlowe.
Now if I could only figure who to recommend this to...
October 7, 2008
Very satisfying read, as I've come to expect from Bear. While the intrigues could have been explained a bit more (especially on the fae side), I felt a kinship with the characters who were never quite certain as to what was going on. There was much less angst about who might be doing whom in this volume than in the last, which was a relief.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews