Illyria - Imbalance of Power by Armin Shimerman

Synopsis: The Queen’s conjurer, Doctor John Dee is an Elizabethan mathematician, cryptographer, and mystic, commissioned by Her Majesty’s spymaster, Sir Francis Walsingham, to suss out a noble Count who governs an island in the English Channel. Dee’s mission? Uncover treason, reveal terrorists, and unveil threats to The Crown. 

Embarking, Dr. Dee is accosted by an eager acolyte. The unknown teen playwright, William, has just endured his first flop—Prince Amleth. Will solicits the renowned scholar’s mentorship. A winter tide sees these unlikely collaborators set sail for the Channel Islands to sleuth out sedition on Protestant England’s strategic outpost. On Illyria, clues appear as Dee comes to rely on the surprising ingenuity of his young companion. Clandestine powers collide as Queen Elizabeth’s spy tracks each slim lead. When Dee is brought to the brink of destruction, can his incipient discovery of Count Orsino’s recusants and loyalists be thwarted?

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Whilst I love the use of the Elizabethan alchemist John Dee as the main character in an historical fiction tome, this one, like the others I have read, did not do the man justice.

Maybe my lack of connection was due to the fact that this is book three and this is where I began. Possibly had I started at the beginning I may have developed into and with this series, but unfortunately, this just was not for me.

I am sure there will be others who will enjoy the adventures of John Dee and the young Elizabethan playwright, Shakespar. But read the series from the beginning!