To convince the famously occult-loving Emperor to join his side, Dee entices him with the esoteric Book of Secrets, a volume that, if decoded, could provide the chance to control the levers of heaven and earth. But Dee faces enemies at every turn, including a female codebreaker who could be the undoing of Dee and the British Empire.
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I wasn't a fan. Despite the plotline, I was not really engaged and I think the reason is that this is the third in the series - and I had not realised that at the time.
I have read much historical fiction set in Elizabethan England, with the focus on her notorious spy network, with characters such as Marlowe and Shakespeare, Walsingham and Cecil; as well as non-fiction on the subject to hand. And whilst this tome had all the essential elements: Elizabethan espionage, a notorious manuscript, secret codes, notable nobles - jumping in the middle of a series can detract from anyone's reading pleasure.
I can see why Clements chose Dee as his main character: Dee was, among other things, court astronomer for Elizabeth I of England, an occultist, mathematician, and librarian. When he embarked on his travels throughout Europe, he was accused of being a spy - which really was a standard accusation against any diplomat of the time.
One of the main storylines concern's Dee time at the court of Rudolf II in Prague with Edward Kelly - and the mysterious Voynich Manuscript. Dee has often been associated with the Voynich manuscript, and it has been suggested that Dee not only may have owned it but sold it to Rudolph II. Kelley remained at the imperial court whilst Dee returned to England.
Add to this the legendary “escadron volant” or “flying squadron” which would become as much a part of Catherine de Medici’s legend as poison and intrigue. This band of beautiful women, loyal to their queen, were hand-picked for their charms and sexual prowess, all with the aim of helping Catherine retain power. Whether this extended beyond the French kingdom is open to conjecture but it does make for an interesting sub-theme.
Start at the beginning to ensure greater enjoyment of the work at hand. The two preceding works are:
The Eyes of the Queen:
In this first novel of the exhilarating Agents of the Crown series, a man who will become the original MI6 agent protects England and Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth I from Spain’s nefarious plan to crush the Age of the Enlightenment.
After centuries locked in an endless cycle of poverty, persecution, and barbarity, Europe has finally emerged into the Age of Enlightenment. Scientists, philosophers, scholars, and poets alike believe this to be a new era of reason and hope for all. But the forces of darkness haven’t completely dissipated, as Spain hunts and butchers any who dare to defy its ironclad Catholic orthodoxy.
Only one nation can fight the black shadow that threatens this new age, and that is Britain, now ruled by a brilliant young Queen Elizabeth I. But although she may be brave and headstrong, Elizabeth knows she cannot win this war simply by force of arms. After her armies have been slashed in half, her treasury is on its knees. Elizabeth needs a new kind of weapon forged to fight a new kind of war, in which stealth and secrecy, not bloodshed, are the means.
In this tense situation, Her Majesty’s Secret Service is born with the charismatic John Dee at its head. A scholar, a soldier, and an alchemist, Dee is loyal only to the truth and to his Queen. And for her, the woman he’s forbidden from loving, he is prepared to risk his life.
The Queen's Men:
As she travels through Waltham Forest, Queen Elizabeth I is ambushed by masked gunmen who leave her carriage riddled with holes before disappearing into the night. The Queen’s Private Secretary, Sir Francis Walsingham, is tasked with finding the perpetrators, about whom they know precious little. But someone alerted the gunman to the route of the Queen’s carriage, and Walsingham knows that the assassins will not stop until she’s dead.
While Queen Elizabeth’s Privy Council debates how to best secure the throne in the wake of the attack and Catholic Spain’s further intrusion into the Low Countries, the queen herself searches for the ultimate weapon to protect her country and throne: Greek fire, the recipe of which disappeared with the collapse of the Byzantine Empire. She orders her friend John Dee—scientist, philosopher, and spy—to rediscover this vital secret, despite his misgivings. For he understands that in a world fraught with coded messages, ruthless adversaries, and deadly plot, his mission to secure his nation’s future may prove impossible, unless he deploys the most effective weapon of all: intelligence.
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