Heather’s Bookshelf: The Shroud
Author: George Bachman
Released: 10/15/22
Genre: Historical Fiction with Fantasy Elements
“Nothing happened. Some force pushed against Hertford’s descent, keeping him quivering in place. However, hard the earth pulled at him, he could not pierce the unseeable fluttering obstacle around Kettler, as if drapes made of air ensconced him, though only death could break the cord.”
“The Shroud” is set in 16th century Europe and centers around the fight and search for the Shroud of Turin. It introduces Hertford, Queen Elizabeth’s former spymaster.
An organization known as The Owls hear of a rival group’s plan to steal the Shroud in order to use it’s power to take over Europe. They approach Hertford and recruit him to retrieve it from Rome before the others can get their hands on it.
As Hertford finds himself framed for the murder of an Owl by an old enemy, Kettler, he must overcome even more obstacles if he is going to succeed and survive. Outrunning and outmaneuvering people from both sides, Hertford chases Kettler across Europe.
Trigger Warning: violence, adult language, murder
Overall, I was a little mixed on this tale. I found the concept interesting and was instantly drawn to the possibility of a Dan Brown-esque story. The mystery and religious aspect surrounding the the Shroud was intriguing, but the similarity ended there. A majority of the story was spent with different groups and individuals fighting over and chasing the Shroud. I am not a huge fan of overly descriptive fight scenes within books and this was a big part, especially earlier on. The story is told in language that’s consistent with the era. It makes the story more authentic. However, the combination of the language and the absolutely astounding amount of characters leads to a rather challenging read. There are characters from history, which the author gives interesting and sometimes playful voices, but the amount of characters dulls this impact. The fantasy aspects are built in to the story early and unexpectantly, but in a way that seemed somehow natural. I found this to be the most successful aspect of the tale. The main protagonist, Hertford had a well developed background, but I felt again he was not a strong enough character to pull the story together. The ending felt finished and stayed true to the tone and storytelling of the rest of the tale.
I received a copy of this story in exchange of a fair and honest review.
OVERALL REVIEW:
An interesting concept with well incorporated fantasy aspects that suffered from too many characters and a drowned out protagonist
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