One of the best fiction books that I have read this year is “Virgin and the Crab: Fables and Mysteries from the Early life of John Dee and Elizabeth Tudor” by Robert Parry – it ties for first place on my list with Jeane Westin’s “The Virgin’s Daughters: In the Court of Elizabeth I” and I would put both ahead of “The White Queen” by Philippa Gregory.
I have reviewed “Virgin and the Crab” over on our review site – see http://reviews.theanneboleynfiles.com/the-virgin-and-the-crab-by-robert-parry/184 – but here is an excerpt from my review:-
“Virgin and the Crab: Fables and Mysteries from the Early life of John Dee and Elizabeth Tudor” tells the story of John Dee, a real man not a fictional character, and a man who was both a friend and adviser to Queen Elizabeth I. He was seen as one of the most learned men of his age, being accomplished in mathematics, astronomy, navigation and astrology, but what was interesting about Dee was that he straddled the worlds of academia and magic. He was both a scientist and a magician. A renowned mathematician and astrologer. A philosopher and an alchemist. A most interesting character to base a novel around!
The author, Robert Parry, does a wonderful job at bringing his central character to life. I was left imagining John Dee as a mixture of Derren Brown, Patrick Jane/Simon Baker from The Mentalist, Paul McKenna, Einstein, Galileo and James Bond. He is a master of disguise, the perfect spy, a teacher, philosopher, free thinker, hypnotist, magician and most importantly a fiercely loyal friend. In short, he is someone you want and need on your side!”
It is a wonderful novel, and I can’t recommend it highly enough, and the author, Robert, has produced a video trailer for it featuring excerpts from the novel. So, go and get yourself a mug of hot chocolate and a chocolate biscuit (cookie!), and enjoy:
“Virgin and the Crab” is available from Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk.
