Devil's Brood - Dark Publications

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Editorial Reviews:

Product Description
The long-awaited and highly anticipated final volume in Penmans trilogy of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitainea tumultuous conclusion to this timeless story of love, power, ambition, and betrayal.

Where the second novel in the trilogy, Time And Chance, dealt with the extraordinary politics of the twelfth century, climaxing with the murder of Thomas Becket and Henrys confrontation with the Church and self-imposed exile to Ireland, Devils Brood centers on the implosion of a family. And because it is a royal family whose domains span the English Channel and whose alliances encompass the Christian world, that collapse will have dire consequences. This is a story of betrayal as Henrys three eldest sons and his wife enter into a rebellion against him, aligning themselves with his bitterest enemy, King Louis of France. But it is also the story of a great king whose brilliance forged an empire but whose personal blind spots led him into the most serious mistake of his life.

Sharon Kay Penman has created a novel of tremendous power, as two strong-willed, passionate people clash, a family divides, and a marriage ends in all but name. Curiously, it is a novel without villainsonly flawed human beings caught up in misperceptions and bad judgment calls. Most devastating to Henry was not his sons rebellion but his wifes betrayal in joining them. How could it happen that two people whose love for each other was all consuming end up as bitter adversaries? That is the heart of Penmans tale in Devils Brood.

Customer Reviews: Read 10 more reviews...

5 out of 5 stars

Spectacular October 10, 2008
22 out of 25 found this review helpful

Devil's Brood is the third book in a trilogy that began with When Christ and His Saints Slept and continued with Time and Chance (Ballantine Reader's Circle). Devil's Brood tackles Henry and Eleanor's children, from Prince Hal down to John Lackland. The details of the rift between Henry, Eleanor, and their sons are well-known, but the way in which Sharon Kay Penman presents it here is unique.

In this book, Sharon Kay Penman continues her tradition of writing historical fiction that both tells a good story and educates the reader. The novel opens in 1172, fifteen months after Thomas Becket was murdered and just after Henry returns from a trip to Ireland to pay penance for his unwitting part in it. As with her other novels, the focus is on the interpersonal relationships: between Henry and his sons, Henry and Eleanor, Eleanor and her sons, and between Hal, Richard, and Geoffrey themselves. It's the kind of dysfunctional family you only read about in fiction, the distinction here being that these were, of course, real, living people. And Penman does a fantastic job of bring these people to life, 800 years later: all the little quirks of each of them are here, especially Henry's high energy and uncanny ability to travel hundreds of miles on horseback in short periods of time. .

The book is a bit of a slow read, and no wonder: at over 700 pages, this is a book to take your time over. It's taken six years for Penman to write the third book in the trilogy (on her acknowledgements page, she writes that a reader once remarked, "did Eleanor get lost in Aquitaine?"), but the wait was worth it; I enjoyed the historical detail of this novel, and the way in which the author manages to pull her research together into a comprehensive story that never fails to entertain and educate. Once again, Sharon Kay Penman has given me another reason to go do some research of my own on these fascinating historical figures. And as always, her writing is top-notch. In all, this is a very strong finish to a wonderful trilogy.

5 out of 5 stars

The end of a marriage, with tragic results. October 16, 2008
18 out of 18 found this review helpful

I've been waiting quite a few years to read the conclusion of Sharon Kay Penman's trilogy about Henry II of England, and his wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine. When my copy of The Devil's Brood arrived on my doorstep, everything else got set aside as I dove in.

Thomas Becket has been murdered, and Henry has taken himself off to Ireland to bring that troublesome country under control. While he is in Ireland, his wife, Eleanor, is taking the management of her duchy, Aquitaine, into her own hands, as well as raising their numerous brood of children. Her favourite, Richard, is already learning the arts of war and Eleanor has decided that he will be Duke of Aquitaine in time. Their eldest son, Hal, has been crowned king (a custom among the French kings to ensure a smooth succession), and married, but he is proving to have none of his parent's cunning and skill at politics. Quite the opposite in fact. And John, the youngest of the children, is too young to any influence, but he watches and waits, caught as he is between two very strong willed parents.

When the sons are thwarted of any real power, and Eleanor joins them in rebellion, it unleashes consequences that no one can imagine. Especially for Eleanor, who has led a life that most women could only dream of, and having the daring to divorce her first husband and forge with her second husband an empire that was the mightiest in the Europe of its time. Most history of the time tends to blame the rebellion on Eleanor discovering about her husband's mistress, Rosamund Clifford, but the reality is much more different -- Eleanor was far more pragmatic and very much a realist.

And thankfully, so is Ms. Penman. This tale of Eleanor and Henry II and their children goes in a far more different direction than most novels set in this period. And for fans of the film Outstanding! Well worth the wait! October 12, 2008
11 out of 13 found this review helpful

Henry II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine thought they had it all - the greatest empire since Charlemagne, healthy children including the heir and several to spare - so how did it all go so wrong? The Devil's Brood takes up the story where Time and Chance left off with the murder of Thomas Becket, as Henry returns from his self imposed exile to Ireland. Henry's three eldest sons are chafing at the bit to have lands and power of their own and egged on by Louis of France they join with their mother Eleanor in rebellion against their father. In time Henry quells the rebellion and forgives his sons, but he cannot forgive his wife and queen and he imprisons her. Even though Henry forgave his sons, they are still not happy with his generosity and it eventually leads to more power struggles and back-biting amongst the brothers, particularly young Hal, who suffers the ultimate punishment for his reckless deeds.

This was a fascinating story of a brilliant, powerful king whose blind love and trust in his sons lead him to make mistakes in judgment that eventually lead to his downfall. I also loved seeing a different side of the haughty, queenly Eleanor we saw in Time and Chance, as unlike her sons she does come to recognize the wrongness (well sometimes) of her actions and the cataclysmic effects those actions had on her family. Some readers may find the first part of this book a bit slow paced as Penman does spend time setting up the back history of Henry, Eleanor and the Becket murder, but hang in there as about half way through when the boys start turning on each other the pages literally started flying. Penman's dialogue was exceptional, although I couldn't decide who got the best lines, Henry or Richard - they just smoked off the page!

One of Penman's great strengths is to take the most complex political situations and put them into a story that not only entertains the reader but educates at the same time. Five stars and it appears from the author's notes and a recent blog interview that this will not be a trilogy, she will continue the story of Eleanor, Richard and John in one more book. Hurray!

For those of you coming away from this book wanting to know about William Marshal, I highly recommend Elizabeth Chadwick's The Greatest Knight and The Scarlet Lion. They are hard to find in the US, but readily available in the UK and Canada.

PENMAN'S VERY BEST October 13, 2008
7 out of 7 found this review helpful

Devils Brood is the definition of anticipation, the joy of reading a long awaited novel by a favorite author, one that surpasses your expectations.

The final book in a trilogy that began with WHEN CHRIST AND HIS SAINTS SLEPT, Penman leaves behind the confrontations between Becket, State and Church in TIME AND CHANCE and brings to the forefront a very human, very original and fresh vision of the final chapters of the marriage of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine and the complex, dramatic relationships they each had with their sons.

Penman gives us a historically edgy, arrogant Henry, one that overlaps her notion of a flawed parent overwhelmed by bad decisions and love which is demonstrated full-force by the constant in-fighting, alliances and rebellions of his sons Richard, Geoffrey and John: Who are introduced as three tarnished, absorbing (self), fledging individuals, sparking with future strength and uncertainties and not the one diminensional caricatures we've come to expect. Nor is Eleanor. Though she is imprisoned for half the novel, Penman has empowered her with the wisdom and wit of an intelligent woman's middle years, whilst never forgetting this was the extraordinary Eleanor of Aquitaine, making her whispered presence at times the essence of DEVILS BROOD.

Penman's writing is fiercely detailed and delightfully dialogued. Her writing has matured to a diverse, altogether more skillful level. She has taken a well-known tale and presented it with a fresh perspective making DEVILS BROOD arguably her best novel yet.

Penman outdoes herself with this amazing novel! October 15, 2008
7 out of 8 found this review helpful

If ever there was an appropriate title for a book, Devil's Brood surely must be it! Penman's best work yet chronicles the disintegration of one of the most powerful couples of all time, Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine, as well as their squabbling brood of boys. Let me tell you, these kids would test the patience of a saint!

As the boys are growing to manhood Henry tries to let them stretch their wings by giving them their own lands and a small taste of power while making sure that it is his hands that are really firmly on the reigns of the British Empire as well as his lands across the channel in France. He crowns his eldest son, Hal, as the "young King" to squash any doubts as the to the British succession. A move he thinks will secure the throne and keep the peace. However, Hal chafes under this arrangement as he has no real power and no real income of his own. Meanwhile, Richard is Eleanor's heir to her lands in Aquitaine yet Henry tries to retain real control there too.

Regardless of the wisdom involved, the father in Henry struggles with the King and Henry tries to ensure lands and wealth for all his sons by marrying Geoffrey, the third son, to Constance, a wealthy heiress who brings him the lands of Brittany. This leaves his three eldest son's with just enough power and money to make trouble and when they are not warring with each other, they're declaring war on their father. In the first of these rebellions the unthinkable happens and they are joined by their mother, Eleanor, in taking arms against their father.

Henry puts down the rebellion, ends up forgiving his sons and the rebellious lords who helped them but he cannot forgive Eleanor, whose betrayal hurt worst of all. Eleanor pays dearly and ends up as Henry's prisoner for the next 15 years. While in prison we see a remarkable change in Eleanor. She has plenty of time to ponder the reasons for all the strife that occurs in their family and emerges as a wiser, softer, person who now realises all she took for granted.

I loved every minute of this fascinating story. Once again, Penman takes extremely complicated intricate history and turns in into a page turning novel. She manages to bring the reader inside the heads of these Historical figures making them come alive. Her writing was flawless and these characters had some of the best lines ever. You will laugh or wince at some of the zingers that the boys of the "Devil's Brood" throw at each other. You see the bittersweet relationship between Henry and Eleanor through their disintigration and how they manage to patch up some sort of parental alliance between them for the good of their children....better late than never!!

The secondary characters were so well written that they could each carry their own novel. I would not be dissapointed to read an entire novel about Geoffrey and Constance. Constance was a favorite of mine and the reader follows her from a bitter reluctant bride to a strong capable wife who is every bit as hungry for power and has the ambition of her larger than life mother in law.

Over the time I read this book I got so attatched to these characters. So much so that I was dreading the end...until I read the authors note where Penman states that she is writing yet another book continuing the story. How lucky for us! I only hope, as I settle myself in for the wait, that it won't be quite as long between this and the next one as it was between this and the last one.

This novel ranks as one of my top five of the year and I highly recommend it! 5/5 stars

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