nocowardsoul

There is a Patricia Finney wiki. I am surprised and delighted. Found it while Googling to make sure I spelled Becket right for the Porn Battle.

Just finished

Unspoken by Sarah Rees Brennan, which took me forever to read, considering its brevity. I generally find contemporary YA hard to love, so I doubt I'll continue the series.

Currently reading

Gloriana's Torch by Patricia Finney. aslfjsalfj

It was 2007 when I looked at my little sister's Scholastic book order (remember those?), and I saw the Lady Grace Mysteries. They are a series about one of Elizabeth I's maids of honor who solvers mysteries at court. Some of them are written by Patricia Finney and some co-written by Sara Vogler and Jan Burchett. The plots are simple enough for a older reader to figure out before Grace does, but she's a delightful character, and the historical details and Elizabeth's appearances are excellent.

Now fast forward to 2011, when someone on the Yuletide fandom promotion post mentions Finney's adult Elizabethan novels, beginning with Firedrake's Eye. I immediately checked it out. And it was awesome. David Becket is an ex-soldier turned swordmaster. Simon Ames is an inquisitor for Elizabeth's spymaster. His family members are real historical people, but he isn't. He's Jewish and far-sighted and a geek. Like in one scene, they're sitting in the Tower of London, and Becket says, "What the hell are you doing?" (Not an actual quote). And Simon says that he's trying to figure out how the Earth stays up if the planets revolve around the sun.

In Firedrake's Eye they foil a plot to assassinate the queen during a parade. Unicorn's Blood is about the search for her childhood diary. It's more interesting than it sounds and the most pro-choice narrative I've ever encountered. Gloriana's Torch is about the Spanish Armada, including AU dream sequences where it succeeds.

While it may be called the Becket and Ames series, there are a number of interesting characters. A great portrait of Elizabeth. Her clever fool, Thomasina de Paris, a little person. Simon's wife Rebecca, who is currently attempting to rescue him from the Spanish Inquisition. Merula, a West African woman searching for her son, who was sold into slavery. Poor Tom o' Bedlam. David's sweet, provincial brother Philip.

The blurb on my copy says "The le Carre of the sixteenth century." Other reviews compare Finney to Patrick O'Brian and Dorothy Dunnett.

Reading next

I shouldn't be reading anything; I have classwork to do. Although I have Meg Rosoff's What I Was out from the library.