The Boy King

by Janet Wertman

Overview

One of Open Letters Review's Ten Best Historical Novels of 2020; First Place Winner, 2021 Chaucer Award for pre-1750s historical fiction

"Highly recommend both as a standalone and series read. Wertman's work is among the best Tudor fiction on the market" - Historical Fiction Reader

His mother, Jane Seymour, died at his birth. Now his father, King Henry VIII, has died as well. Nine-year-old Edward Tudor ascends to the throne of England and quickly learns that he cannot trust anyone, even himself.

Struggling to understand the political and religious turmoil that threatens the realm, Edward is at first relieved that his uncle, the new Duke of Somerset, will act on his behalf as Lord Protector, but this consolation evaporates as jealousy spreads through the court. Challengers arise on all sides to wrest control of the child king, and through him, England.

While Edward can bring frustratingly little direction to the Council's policies, he refuses to abandon his one firm conviction: that Catholicism has no place in England. When Edward falls ill, this steadfast belief threatens England's best hope for a smooth succession: the transfer of the throne to Edward's very Catholic half-sister, Mary Tudor, whose heart's desire is to return the realm to the way it worshipped in her mother's day.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780997133875
Publisher:	Janet Wertman
Publication date:	07/21/2020
Series:	Seymour Saga , #3
Pages:	364
Sales rank:	210,226
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.81(d)

About the Author

By day, Janet Wertman is a freelance grantwriter for impactful nonprofits. By night, she writes critically acclaimed, character-driven historical fiction - indulging a passion for the Tudor era she had harbored since she was eight years old and her parents let her stay up late to watch The Six Wives of Henry VIII and Elizabeth R. Janet also runs a blog (www.janetwertman.com) where she posts interesting takes on the Tudors and what it's like to write about them.

Editorial Reviews

One of Open Letters Reviews' Ten Best Historical Novels of 2020

"A compelling blend of historical portraiture and novelistic flair" and "Wertman offers what everyone should want from historical fiction-rigorously enacted authenticity and gripping literary drama" - Kirkus Reviews

"Fans of historical fiction will enjoy this exquisite blend of fact and fiction" - Publishers Weekly

"Highly recommended both as a standalone and series read. Wertman's work is among the best Tudor fiction on the market." - Historical Fiction Reader

"Terrific...Electric characters being driven by dialogue...better than 95% of the Tudor fiction that's been written in the last twenty years" - Steve Donoghue, book reviewer for the Christian Science Monitor, the Washington Post, and The National

"The conclusion to The Seymour Saga is a sheer delight...Wertman has created a magnificent window into the lives of the Seymour family, and 'The Boy King' is the piece de resistance of the entire series." - Adventures of a Tudor Nerd

"The book is layered in detail" and "The overall effect is ... impressive" - Historical Novel Society

"Wonderfully written" - Tudors Dynasty

"Impeccably researched and fascinating novel...Wertman masterfully counterbalances Edward's story with that of his half-sister Mary." - Tudor Time Machine

From the Publisher

2020-12-23
In this final installment of a historical fiction trilogy chronicling the Tudors, young Prince Edward suddenly becomes king and deals with palace intrigue.

When King Henry VIII succumbs to illness, his son, Prince Edward, only 9 years old, ascends to the British throne. Edward is provided counsel by his uncle Edward Seymour, the Earl of Hertford, who is made his Lord Protector and quickly promoted to the Duke of Somerset. Somerset is a sagacious veteran of the kingdom’s internecine political squabbles, but Edward chafes under his sometimes-prohibitive tutelage. The boy quickly becomes aware that many “bowed to Edward, obsequiously so, but they listened to Somerset.” Meanwhile, Tom Seymour, Somerset’s brother and another of Edward’s uncles, slyly manipulates the child king into endorsing a marriage between him and the Queen Dowager, an opportunistic bid to seize the reins of power, possibly by violence. As Edward grows ill and his reign looks to be a brief one, he frets anxiously that the succession to the throne of his Roman Catholic sister, Mary, will usher in a wave of “popish superstition,” a fear powerfully portrayed by Wertman: “Edward would fulfill his destiny. He owed it to God, who had entrusted him with removing superstition from his men’s prayer. He owed it to his people, as their king.” The author’s research is magisterial—this is a worthy history lesson wrapped in a compelling drama. The genealogical intricacies of the plot can become overwhelming, but the story as a whole is conveyed with admirable lucidity and emotional poignancy. The character of Edward is memorable—daunted by responsibilities he struggles to fully comprehend, he rises to the occasion as much as anyone could expect of a child. Wertman offers what everyone should want from historical fiction—rigorously enacted authenticity and gripping literary drama.

A compelling blend of historical portraiture and novelistic flair.

Kirkus Reviews