BOOK CLUB REVIEW
Post by kimmyschemy06
» 30 Aug 2019, 10:20
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of
"Sheep Wasps and the king" by Graham Williams.]
3 out of 4 stars
Sheep, Wasps, and the King is an engaging historical fiction
and the second book in The Master Harry Book Series created by Graham Williams.
It is another summer during the reign of King James and the
population of London is plagued by The Black Death that gives rise to scarcity
and criminality. Jorne, Harry’s master and now adoptive father, keeps his
household safe by deciding to move everyone to his Hillingdon house. As Harry
and his best friend, Thomas, arrive at Hillingdon, however, they are met by
grave news about sheep thieves stealing from Master Jorne’s flock.
To put a stop to the thievery, Master Jorne, the Sheriff and
some of his constables, the Steward of Cranford Manor, and the leaseholder of
Ruislip Manor, Peter Longford, meet up to deal with the unfortunate situation.
Meanwhile, the King and his court live safely and
comfortably in Oxford.
Told in the first-person perspective of Harry, this is an
adventure-filled book with sixteen chapters. The story takes place during the
time of King James I, at the time of the Great Plague. The plot is developed
by, first, describing the appalling condition of the city of London, followed by
introduction of characters, carefully explaining the relationship of each with
one another. Characters, settings, and scenes are described in details making
it easy to visualize not only the people but also the events that take place in
the story. The characters are well-developed and are provided with sufficient
backstories especially the newly-introduced ones. Those from the first book are
given shortened character profile, which, I believe, benefits both those who
read the first book and those who did not. The ending is conclusive enough to
leave a feeling of satisfaction.
Generally, this is one enjoyable book. It is interesting,
intriguing, engaging, and adventure-filled. It is about love, friendship,
family, and kindness as well as indifference, betrayal, duplicity, and even
murder. The part I enjoyed most is the depiction of the character, Urchin. He
is, for me, an enigma. He is trustworthy, reliable and dependable. He is good
at what he does. He mysteriously disappears then reappears exactly when needed.
He gets things done. He makes the story very interesting.
However, mature readers may find the book, somehow, simple
and predictable and may consider the plot more fitting for young adults.
Moreover, the book features homosexual relationships and includes scenes
pertaining to sexual activities between males, which may put-off some readers.
Finally, there are several noticeable errors within the entire book including
missing apostrophe and other punctuation marks (like the oven It must have been
good and We cant do this tonight) and typo errors (like introduced to us to the
other guest and the white shirt and, and yellow hose). They detract from the
overall reading experience.
I, therefore, rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. It is
intriguing and engaging. I recommend it to readers who enjoy historical
fiction. Scenes of sex and violence, however, may not be suitable for young
readers.
******
Sheep Wasps and the king BY GRAHAM WILLIAMS
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