Wonders Will Never Cease

September 11, 2017
Irwin (The Arabian Nightmare) draws on the strangest elements of early Renaissance legend and history for this charming, peculiar picaresque. Anthony Woodville, Lord Scales, fights on the losing side of the War of the Roses and dies in battle. After a brief trip in the land of the dead, he finds himself back among the living; even more unexpectedly, he’s in the new king’s good graces. During the reign of Edward IV, he encounters events both miraculous and strange, but Anthony provides little besides the stitching that holds a number of disparate tales together; the actual events of his life—such as the deaths of his father—take up less space than a tale about one of King Arthur’s knights. Narratives are spun by Anthony’s mother, Jacquetta (supposedly descended from a dragon); a court alchemist named Ripley; and Thomas Malory, a knight who mostly spends his time working on his magnum opus, Le Morte d’Arthur. These stories drift out of their tellers’ control, as Anthony’s life drifts out of his, and he ends up on the wrong side of history again. Medievalists and history buffs will enjoy this premodern romp of bloody battles, court intrigues, and the occasional prophesying disembodied head, but fans of Game of Thrones and The Other Boleyn Girl are likely to bounce off it.

October 1, 2017

Anthony Woodville, and everyone else, doesn't understand why he isn't dead; he should be. He was killed in the 1461 Palm Sunday Battle of Towton, during England's War of the Roses. Oddly, three days later, Anthony is awake and conversing about his visions (including witnessing the Arthurian Grail ceremony) during his unnatural slumber. Resplendent with a keen and authentic sense of the times, Irwin's (The Arabian Nightmare) historical epic also entertains an array of fantastical side adventures that involve voyeuristic zombies, fairies, prophesying severed talking heads, and omens predicting clashing destinies. Along the way, within the context of the story, the characters also argue philosophy and theology. VERDICT Lovers of historical fiction, eccentric period pieces, and escapist reads with a touch of magical realism will enjoy Irwin's fun and engaging tale, which cleverly mixes the historical and the fanciful in bizarrely amusing ways.--Russell Miller, Prescott P.L., AZ

Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 15, 2017
Irwin's entertaining literary fantasy has a solid historical framework yet is stuffed to the brim with well-known myths, rumors come to life, and imaginative tales created of whole cloth. Its protagonist (or maybe antagonist) is Anthony Woodville, a minor figure from England's Wars of the Roses. After he appears to be killed at the Battle of Towton and later revives, his life becomes overlaid with occult happenings. A disembodied head prognosticates, and the dead walk again. Various characters, including knight prisoner Thomas Malory and the royal alchemist, relate episodes from Arthurian lore, the Welsh Mabinogion, The Canterbury Tales, and more. Characters from stories appear in the tangible world and historical figures surface in paranormal realms. Anthony's mother claims descent from the fairy Melusine, and his sister, a widowed commoner, secretly marries King Edward. With so much strangeness around, Anthony has trouble discerning what is real. History and fiction are interlaced throughout with dexterity and wit. Perhaps best appreciated by medieval enthusiasts, Irwin's novel invites discussion on the value of stories and how they communicate our place in the world.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)