Rebels and Traitors: An Epic Novel of the English Civil War [Paperback]

I feel a bit curmudgeonly giving this magisterial and encylopaedic work only three stars, especially when it does such a wonderful job of capturing the daily life of London and England as a whole during the reign of Charles I, and an even better job of conveying to the reader what it must have been like to do battle during the bloody five-year civil war that would culminate in the beheading of that king in front of his own subjects, including, in Davis's fictional world, the hero of this novel.

That hero is Gideon Jukes, son of a London merchant, and apprenticed to a printer, who is fiercely opposed to the King's growing abuse of his royal prerogatives. When Parliament defies Charles, who raises his standard to summon troops to battle the elected government, Gideon is there to defend the rights of Parliament and the common man. And then, in the latter stages of the war, he encounters Juliana Lovell, whose Cavalier husband has vanished in the wake of the bloody battle of Naseby, and who is struggling to raise two young sons in poverty.

If that story made up the bulk of the book, it would be a great read. Don't get me wrong: I don't insist that every historical novel be a romance in disguise -- on the contrary, I enjoy strong plots with a lot of historical context. This book, however, ended up feeling like 500 pages of historical context (if you want to know the difference between a flintlock musket and other varieties, you'll learn, as well as techniques of 17th century printing, the history of the Levellers, etc. etc.) with about 250 pages left over for the people and events that make most novels move forward. I'm glad that Davis shunned the soft-focus romantic saga approach, but wish she'd found a way to better balance the history with the narrative.

Perhaps I was particularly disappointed by this book because I began reading it shortly after finishing an excellent novel that picks up in time roughly where this one leaves off -- the story of the illegitimate son of Charles II, James, Duke of Monmouth, as told by Jude Morgan in The King's Touch. In that, Morgan deftly weaves together the story of exile and restoration through the eyes of the bastard son of royalty, who is uncertain of his identity. There's no skimping on period detail or historical context, but that is always presented deftly as part of the story, not as almost a lecture.

I had hoped for better things from Davis, after reading her other standalone novelThe Course of Honour, which was a focused and compelling story set in the Roman Empire. This book is simply too unwieldy, with far too many characters for a reader not already familiar with the period and the players to keep track of, much less care about. Add to that the fact that the plot jumps around a lot among the different characters, and that Gideon and Juliana don't even meet until 2/3 of the way through the book, and the result is a potentially fascinating story that never lives up to its potential.

I'd find it hard to recommend this to any but the most devoted historical fiction reader with a compelling interest in the Civil War. Even then, watching all the episodes of the wonderful vintage BBC series, By the Sword Divided, on DVD will take far less time and give you a more memorable experience than reading this book. (Yes, it's more fluffy, but at least it's easy to follow!) For anyone interested in the Stuart era, I'd suggest King-s Daughter, The, a new book about Charles I's sister in the early years of the Stuart dynasty, or the Jude Morgan book about the latter years, The King's Touch. Reading and finishing Rebels & Traitors took a lot of willpower; the three stars I've awarded it are for the period detail and for the all-too-rare and too brief flashes of compelling fiction buried in this doorstop of a novel.

This is not the book to read if you want a novel that flows easily and lightly from scene to scene. But if you are interested in this period in English history (1649-1657) you will really enjoy this novel. It is a very large book because that period is a very traumatic one for the area, covering the buildup to the execution of King Charles and the period before the return of the monarchy.

Ms. Davis has brought ancient Rome to life with her Falco series. And she does the same for this period of English history with this book but in a more concentrated manner. She has characters from both sides that she follows, giving details of their lives and problems and solutions. The history is also given as the story develops which slows down the reading but it is what gives this book its difference from a normal historical novel.

When you finish this book, you will have a new perspective and understanding of life in England in those times. You will understand more of the attitudes and difficulties faced by both men and women in that time of war and change. The book is available from the UK division of Amazon.

Rebels and Traitors proclaims itself to be a novel about the English civil war. When I see the word "novel," I expect a story about characters set against an historical backdrop, filled with great details but focusing mostly on how aforementioned characters were affected by aforementioned historical backdrop. Not the case with Rebels and Traitors. Yes, the main characters are in there in the form of Parliamentary soldier Gideon Jukes and Royalist civilian Juliana Lovell, but Davis gets so bogged down in the historical details of battles and names and meetings that the people that we're supposed to care about and through whom we're supposed to be experiencing this journey completely fade into the background. While I appreciated the historical detail, I spent the majority of the time wondering when we'd see Gideon and Juliana again. I actually ended up skimming through some parts, which I never do! I will say that when they are around, Gideon and Juliana are great and very human characters, and it's extremely affecting to see the twenty years of upheaval through their eyes, but again, they're just not there enough! Like other reviewers have said, this book was extremely difficult to finish, and I wasn't terribly satisfied when I did.

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 18 reviews  3.7 out of 5 stars