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Thomas Hill #2
The King's Exile
Spring, 1648.When Thomas Hill, a bookseller living in rural Hampshire, publishes a political pamphlet he has little idea of the trouble that will follow. He is quickly arrested, forced on a boat to Barbados and condemned to life as a slave to two of the island’s most notoriously violent brothers.In England war has erupted again, with London under threat of attack. When news of the king’s execution reaches the island, political stability is threatened and a fleet commanded by Sir George Ayscue arrives to take control of the island for Cromwell. The threat of violence increases. Thomas finds himself witness to abuse, poison, rape and savage brutality. When a coded message from Ayscue to a sympathiser on the island is intercepted, Thomas is asked to decipher it. A disastrous battle seems inevitable.But nothing turns out as planned. And as the death toll mounts, the escape Thomas has been relying on seems ever more unlikely…
482 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 1, 2013
141 people are currently reading
327 people want to read
About the author
Andrew Swanston
10 books56 followersAndrew Swanston read Law at Cambridge University, and held various positions in the book trade, including being a director of Waterstone & Co, and chairman of Methven’s plc, before turning to writing. Inspired by a lifelong interest in early modern history, his ‘Thomas Hill’ novels are set during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms and the early period of the Restoration. Incendium is the first of two novels set in the 1570's and Waterloo:The Bravest Man describes the vital defence of Hougoumont at the battle. Beautiful Star and Other Stories will be published in early 2018. He lives with his wife in Surrey.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
February 3, 2018
A plot to murder, a nation at war. Nowhere is safe....
Second book of an enjoyable, entertaining historical series. I think I'll read the final book in the 3-book series during summer holidays....;-) People who like to read historical books, will enjoy this series and this writer. Found him last year, when he published a book which I think will be the first in a new historical series, Incendium. 3+ rating. I read this comment from a Goodreads reader and it is spot on for me: "Not as good as the first in the series, but nonetheless a jolly good read"!
Spring 1648
When Thomas Hill, a quiet bookseller (yes!) living in rural Hampshire, publishes a political pamphlet, he is arrested and forced onto a boat to Barbados and condemned to life - and probably death - as a slave.
War has erupted again in England. When news of the king's execution reaches Barbados, political stability is threatened and a fleet commanded by Sir George Ayscue arrives to take control of the island for Cromwell. But nothing turns out as planned. Violence increases, the death toll mounts - and the escape Thomas had been relying on seems ever more unlikely...
Second book of an enjoyable, entertaining historical series. I think I'll read the final book in the 3-book series during summer holidays....;-) People who like to read historical books, will enjoy this series and this writer. Found him last year, when he published a book which I think will be the first in a new historical series, Incendium. 3+ rating. I read this comment from a Goodreads reader and it is spot on for me: "Not as good as the first in the series, but nonetheless a jolly good read"!
Spring 1648
When Thomas Hill, a quiet bookseller (yes!) living in rural Hampshire, publishes a political pamphlet, he is arrested and forced onto a boat to Barbados and condemned to life - and probably death - as a slave.
War has erupted again in England. When news of the king's execution reaches Barbados, political stability is threatened and a fleet commanded by Sir George Ayscue arrives to take control of the island for Cromwell. But nothing turns out as planned. Violence increases, the death toll mounts - and the escape Thomas had been relying on seems ever more unlikely...
February 18, 2023
Damn fine read!!!!!😁
A.S. has done a remarkable job in the telling of this story. You get see the beauty of Barbados. You get a sense of sugar is made out of sugar cane an all the make from it. The story is amazing an how humans can endure pain, lack of food, human contact or the reason why. How strong we can be when the need arises to guard our lives. Thomas Hill endures all this an more.
A.S. has done a remarkable job in the telling of this story. You get see the beauty of Barbados. You get a sense of sugar is made out of sugar cane an all the make from it. The story is amazing an how humans can endure pain, lack of food, human contact or the reason why. How strong we can be when the need arises to guard our lives. Thomas Hill endures all this an more.
July 22, 2021
Another really interesting story from AS carrying on the tale of Thomas Hill. Very enjoyable read.
May 30, 2014
The first book in the Thomas Hill series,
The King's Spy
, was one of the first books set during the English Civil War I read and it was certainly one that opened my eyes to this fascinating era of British history. It also had a rather intriguing protagonist, a bookseller who was also a cryptographer. I really enjoyed that first book, especially since Andrew Swanston gave the reader the opportunity to try her own hand at decrypting the messages, though to be honest, I am not made for these sorts of exercises, yet I still found it captivating. The King's Exile, the second book in the series has languished on my TBR-pile for a while, but when I finally opened it up it was very easy to get back into Thomas' world. The narrative was very different from last time, with far less puzzles and decrypting and more surviving and action, yet all the same very entertaining.
The book is set in a very different locale than last time. Instead of Oxford and Romsey, we follow Thomas to Barbados in the Caribbean. Not only did this give Swanston the opportunity to show the corruption of Cromwell's Republic, but it also allows him to showcase that the Civil War didn't just affect England and its close neighbours such as Ireland and Scotland, but its colonies too. I loved this emphasis as I'd never really considered this and since we are usually shown the reverse position, where trouble in the colonies destabilises the situation at home. The difference between the rigid, strict nature of Cromwellian society and the more relaxed, less hidebound Barbadian planter society is shown and used to good effect, but Swanston doesn't paint Barbados as a paradise, in fact he stresses the horrid conditions slaves and indentures servants were forced to live and work in.
One of my issues with The King's Spy was that it was somewhat heavy on exposition, with Thomas regularly lecturing people and by extension the reader on the topic of cryptography. The King's Exile however is far less prone to info-dumping and also less of a puzzle narrative; in fact, decrypting doesn't come into play until very late in the book. Instead, Thomas has to rely on his wits and courage to first survive the brutal journey to Barbados and then the awful treatment by his owners. His trial-and-error explorations of edible fruits and philosophical approach to making sense of his situation were wonderful to read. And we also see him applying his mind to accounting and military strategy, which leads to some interesting situations.
Swanston has a very readable writing style and I loved the new characters we meet in this book. My favourites were Mary Lyte, a young lady who has grown up on Barbados, and Patrick, a mulatto slave, who due to his education and wonderful personality is treated more like an adoptive sibling than a servant. Patrick is wonderful, but there was one thing that was hard for me to resolve and that is his complete peace with his existence. I mean I can understand that his situation is about the best he could hope for short of being set free, but he doesn't even really seem to mind the fact that he is still a slave, however much he's loved. That just felt odd to me. Mary was amazing; her free spirit and her determination to decide her own destiny and doing so regardless of what her brother thinks was fantastic and I love how Thomas is secretly rooting for her to get her way. Another fantastic character whose iron spirit I loved was Thomas' sister, Margaret. I loved how strong she is and how self-reliant. Her pulling a gun on the man who is responsible for Thomas' exile was a great scene.
The King's Exile is a great sequel to The King's Spy, one that allows Swanston to prove that the cryptography included in the former wasn't just a gimmick and that he doesn't need it to write a compelling story. Because The King's Exile is very much a character-driven story and all the stronger for it. Having enjoyed this book a lot, I'm looking forward to getting my hands on The King's Return, the next book in the series which was published last month.
This book was provided for review by the publisher.
The book is set in a very different locale than last time. Instead of Oxford and Romsey, we follow Thomas to Barbados in the Caribbean. Not only did this give Swanston the opportunity to show the corruption of Cromwell's Republic, but it also allows him to showcase that the Civil War didn't just affect England and its close neighbours such as Ireland and Scotland, but its colonies too. I loved this emphasis as I'd never really considered this and since we are usually shown the reverse position, where trouble in the colonies destabilises the situation at home. The difference between the rigid, strict nature of Cromwellian society and the more relaxed, less hidebound Barbadian planter society is shown and used to good effect, but Swanston doesn't paint Barbados as a paradise, in fact he stresses the horrid conditions slaves and indentures servants were forced to live and work in.
One of my issues with The King's Spy was that it was somewhat heavy on exposition, with Thomas regularly lecturing people and by extension the reader on the topic of cryptography. The King's Exile however is far less prone to info-dumping and also less of a puzzle narrative; in fact, decrypting doesn't come into play until very late in the book. Instead, Thomas has to rely on his wits and courage to first survive the brutal journey to Barbados and then the awful treatment by his owners. His trial-and-error explorations of edible fruits and philosophical approach to making sense of his situation were wonderful to read. And we also see him applying his mind to accounting and military strategy, which leads to some interesting situations.
Swanston has a very readable writing style and I loved the new characters we meet in this book. My favourites were Mary Lyte, a young lady who has grown up on Barbados, and Patrick, a mulatto slave, who due to his education and wonderful personality is treated more like an adoptive sibling than a servant. Patrick is wonderful, but there was one thing that was hard for me to resolve and that is his complete peace with his existence. I mean I can understand that his situation is about the best he could hope for short of being set free, but he doesn't even really seem to mind the fact that he is still a slave, however much he's loved. That just felt odd to me. Mary was amazing; her free spirit and her determination to decide her own destiny and doing so regardless of what her brother thinks was fantastic and I love how Thomas is secretly rooting for her to get her way. Another fantastic character whose iron spirit I loved was Thomas' sister, Margaret. I loved how strong she is and how self-reliant. Her pulling a gun on the man who is responsible for Thomas' exile was a great scene.
The King's Exile is a great sequel to The King's Spy, one that allows Swanston to prove that the cryptography included in the former wasn't just a gimmick and that he doesn't need it to write a compelling story. Because The King's Exile is very much a character-driven story and all the stronger for it. Having enjoyed this book a lot, I'm looking forward to getting my hands on The King's Return, the next book in the series which was published last month.
This book was provided for review by the publisher.
May 28, 2015
I found this in the Asia Books shop around the corner from my Bangkok hotel. I like this shop quite a bit because it carries books by English authors whom I've never heard of (they never make it to the U.S.). For those English writers who are published in the U.S., I can often find their books first in Thailand long before they are available at home. This book was the former; written by the man who used to run Waterstone's the "Barnes and Nobel" of the U.K. The main character is wrongfully exiled, as an indentured servant, to Barbados in the Spring of 1648, just before King Charles I is executed. Interesting social history about the island and the sugar/rum/slaves triangle. A well-written, delightful read.
May 25, 2023
As a fan of historical mysteries and thrillers, I bought the Andrew Swanston trilogy together based on lots of positive reviews and intriguing synopsis. Having fought my way through the first book, which I was less than impressed with, I was hoping for more from book 2.
Sadly, I enjoyed this book even less than the King's Spy. The title of the book "The King's Exile" has no bearing on the story, in fact, the main character even expressed his dislike for the King within the book and isn't exiled by, with or in behalf of the King. The tag line on the cover says, "A plot to murder, a nation at war. Nowhere is safe". I may have missed it, but the story seemed to lack a 'plot to murder'.
The book begins with Thomas Hill being plucked out of his home and transported to Barbados as an indentured man. No preamble, no tension built up, just picked up and dumped. The journey across holds no excitement or plot enhancement, and then when he gets to Barbados, he effectively becomes a slave to a pair of brothers. It felt like a dreadful attempt at a children's fairytale, with the evil, ugly brothers getting Hill to do their bidding.
If you think that this book is going to be filled with action packed adventure, plot twists and excitement, then you're going to be disappointed. The story is boring and dull with repetitive, plodding narrative where nothing happens for big chunks of the book.
The atrocious dialogue hasn't improved at all and is still as wooden and clunky as ever.
There's plenty of things I'd like to call out that made me cringe, but I don't want to spoil things for anyone who goes ahead and reads the book after reading this review. However, I can't overlook the handy resurrection of a villainous arch enemy from the first book. Dear lord! Surely the author could come up with a different bad guy, rather than having to rely on his original villain miraculously, not actually killed off in the previous story!
Finally, with over three quarters of the book gone, it's a though the author remembers that Thomas Hill was a master cryptographer in his first instalment, and he managed to shoehorn in a coded message for him to work his magic on and remind everyone how great he is!
There are plenty of positive reviews for this book, so please don't let me out you off as you may actually enjoy it, but I sadly didn't.
Sadly, I enjoyed this book even less than the King's Spy. The title of the book "The King's Exile" has no bearing on the story, in fact, the main character even expressed his dislike for the King within the book and isn't exiled by, with or in behalf of the King. The tag line on the cover says, "A plot to murder, a nation at war. Nowhere is safe". I may have missed it, but the story seemed to lack a 'plot to murder'.
The book begins with Thomas Hill being plucked out of his home and transported to Barbados as an indentured man. No preamble, no tension built up, just picked up and dumped. The journey across holds no excitement or plot enhancement, and then when he gets to Barbados, he effectively becomes a slave to a pair of brothers. It felt like a dreadful attempt at a children's fairytale, with the evil, ugly brothers getting Hill to do their bidding.
If you think that this book is going to be filled with action packed adventure, plot twists and excitement, then you're going to be disappointed. The story is boring and dull with repetitive, plodding narrative where nothing happens for big chunks of the book.
The atrocious dialogue hasn't improved at all and is still as wooden and clunky as ever.
There's plenty of things I'd like to call out that made me cringe, but I don't want to spoil things for anyone who goes ahead and reads the book after reading this review. However, I can't overlook the handy resurrection of a villainous arch enemy from the first book. Dear lord! Surely the author could come up with a different bad guy, rather than having to rely on his original villain miraculously, not actually killed off in the previous story!
Finally, with over three quarters of the book gone, it's a though the author remembers that Thomas Hill was a master cryptographer in his first instalment, and he managed to shoehorn in a coded message for him to work his magic on and remind everyone how great he is!
There are plenty of positive reviews for this book, so please don't let me out you off as you may actually enjoy it, but I sadly didn't.
September 13, 2019
The second instalment of Thomas Hill. Charles I is still at loggerheads with parliament, the English Civil War still in progress.
Thomas is arrested and taken to Winchester Gaol. His crime- writing a seditious pamphlet against parliament. He isn’t given a trial, just informed that he’s to be deported out of England and sent to Barbados, as an indentured man. He will be bought by planters, and put to work as a slave on a sugar plant. Upon arrival, he asks to see a magistrate, claiming to be innocent of the crime he is accused of. It seems there’s to be no justice for him though, as he is sold to a pair of brothers called Gibbes. They treat him horribly. Beat him, hurl abuse at him, threaten him etc. He then discovers that they are in a partnership with his onetime enemy, Tobias Rush, who was supposed to be dead. Rush was the man responsible for Thomas’s arrest and deportation. Now he has ceased Thomas’s property at home, and threatened his family.
Thomas suddenly loses his temper, and lashes out at the brothers, injuring one of them in the process. He escapes their land, and finds shelter with a local family, The Lytes. They take him in, and promise to help him get home to England.
The civil war finds its way to Barbados, and Thomas finds himself helpful in decryption of letters. Both the Gibbes, and also Rush end up dead. Thomas is reunited with his family, and sails back to England.
I really couldn’t enjoy this. I find the author’s writing to be so clumsy. I don’t feel like there’s any development of characters, and I was actually quite bored. I do have the third book in this series on my shelves, but I’m not rushing to read it any time soon.
Thomas is arrested and taken to Winchester Gaol. His crime- writing a seditious pamphlet against parliament. He isn’t given a trial, just informed that he’s to be deported out of England and sent to Barbados, as an indentured man. He will be bought by planters, and put to work as a slave on a sugar plant. Upon arrival, he asks to see a magistrate, claiming to be innocent of the crime he is accused of. It seems there’s to be no justice for him though, as he is sold to a pair of brothers called Gibbes. They treat him horribly. Beat him, hurl abuse at him, threaten him etc. He then discovers that they are in a partnership with his onetime enemy, Tobias Rush, who was supposed to be dead. Rush was the man responsible for Thomas’s arrest and deportation. Now he has ceased Thomas’s property at home, and threatened his family.
Thomas suddenly loses his temper, and lashes out at the brothers, injuring one of them in the process. He escapes their land, and finds shelter with a local family, The Lytes. They take him in, and promise to help him get home to England.
The civil war finds its way to Barbados, and Thomas finds himself helpful in decryption of letters. Both the Gibbes, and also Rush end up dead. Thomas is reunited with his family, and sails back to England.
I really couldn’t enjoy this. I find the author’s writing to be so clumsy. I don’t feel like there’s any development of characters, and I was actually quite bored. I do have the third book in this series on my shelves, but I’m not rushing to read it any time soon.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 25, 2019
came across this book in a kindle listing. I am an enthusiastic amateur historian with a particular interest in the Civil War so this was perfect (I have since discovered that this is the second of a trilogy). I was also interested to find that Romsey is the setting for the bookshop etc, Romsey is five miles up the road from me so I could happily identify the Love Lane references, although a little baffled by the Romsey School references at the end of the book. I also have a little knowledge of the Barbadian sugar plantations and with one landowner in particular (who, incidentally, still owns said plantations to this day!). A good read (sorry) with believable characters. I look forward to reading the other two books in the trilogy.
August 28, 2020
This follows on - same world after the War and many of the same protagonists
Our man is set up and sent off to the colonies! Whatever next. This allows the author to paint a broad colourful picture of the West Indies and the sugar and slavery/indentured servitude that drove that industry. it did feel a bit sanitised in places and if it has been me I would have been sunburnt neat to death and that would have been that!
It is a bit more rip roaring, a bit more action packed than the first, whilst codes are involved it is clearly because he is a cryptographer than for the tale.
I enjoyed
Our man is set up and sent off to the colonies! Whatever next. This allows the author to paint a broad colourful picture of the West Indies and the sugar and slavery/indentured servitude that drove that industry. it did feel a bit sanitised in places and if it has been me I would have been sunburnt neat to death and that would have been that!
It is a bit more rip roaring, a bit more action packed than the first, whilst codes are involved it is clearly because he is a cryptographer than for the tale.
I enjoyed
September 8, 2023
Not as good as the first one for me. An accurate depiction of the casual violence and brutality of slavery and the Caribbean sugar trade. Daily life as an indentured servant is Thomas's lot, and the cryptography that I found interesting in the first book is missing here (just a small bit at the end). And this author is all tell and not show. It makes for a juvenile feel to the book, like it's set for easy reading, despite the subject matter. I think I won't read book 3 (I'm satisfied with the way this one ended, it is a happy ending for Thomas at least).
CW: Sexual assault, slavery, graphic violence
CW: Sexual assault, slavery, graphic violence
January 7, 2022
I really like the protagonist, Thomas Hill. But I was disappointed that most of the story took place in Barbados. I should have appreciated a different locale than the typical English stories. But this just seemed forced. But there was plenty of mayhem, just not enough ciphering. Deciphering is what makes the Thomas Hill character compelling and interesting.
January 16, 2023
I'm reading this three-part trilogy out of order, but it doesn't seem to matter. This second book is set in Cromwell's England. Thomas Hill, who had been an aide to the late King Charles finds himself arrested and sent to Barbados as an indentured man, sold to two brutal brothers.
Why was he arrested? Why was he not given a trial? How will he survive in Barbados? Read it and see!
Why was he arrested? Why was he not given a trial? How will he survive in Barbados? Read it and see!
May 12, 2019
Civil War and Barbados
Enjoyed the book and whilst I thought it was a little drawn out in places, learned a great deal of the effects of the Civil War on this small island. During the blockade the tension was really good and at times couldn't put the book down.
Enjoyed the book and whilst I thought it was a little drawn out in places, learned a great deal of the effects of the Civil War on this small island. During the blockade the tension was really good and at times couldn't put the book down.
December 7, 2020
Really liked the first book in this series, but this one was dull and long winded.
Other than the same main characters it’s (almost) nothing like the first book. It’s not even written particularly well. Disappointed- would not recommend.
Other than the same main characters it’s (almost) nothing like the first book. It’s not even written particularly well. Disappointed- would not recommend.
October 8, 2017
Really interesting to read about the history of Barbados during the civil war. I grew up in Barbados and we were never taught any of that.
December 31, 2018
1.5 stars
June 2, 2019
I adored this book just as the first one and looking forward to read the final instalment
November 21, 2020
The second of three Thomas Hill books set during the English Civil War. Moving the action to Barbados gave it a unique angle.
March 16, 2021
When you bully is crazy good luck!
November 28, 2021
More enjoyable than the 1st
January 31, 2023
Fascinating period of English and Barbados history, and the story of indentured culture that I knew little about.
June 23, 2023
Great setting, amazing storytelling and exciting! Great sequel, now for the last book! Very curious to find out what happens to Thomas and the world he inhabits!
June 26, 2023
Not as good as the first but still a good read.
August 11, 2025
Good
This was ,certainly a very interesting story. What a bunch of villains, who got their just deserts. Always Thomas Hill's books the good guys win!
This was ,certainly a very interesting story. What a bunch of villains, who got their just deserts. Always Thomas Hill's books the good guys win!
October 2, 2025
Interesting and entertaining
November 7, 2025
Cartoonish villains, naked hippies, and a plot that takes forever to blossom.
August 5, 2013
Received in ebook format from www.netgalley.com
It was only after checking online that I realised that this was #2 in a series - there has clearly been events in #1 that would explain why Thomas rapidly finds himself on a boat going to Barbados as an indentured servant, to work for two violent vicious thugs on a sugar plantation. They are physically and verbally violent, mainly towards their betters and women. Much of the violence is implied (screams in the distance etc), with only the occasional slightly more graphical indication of events - such as when boiling sugar strips away flesh from an unfortunate slave.
Thomas spends his first two years working for the Gibbes brothers, whose threats of violence (and occasional whipping) seem to be enough to keep Thomas from escaping. The threats allow for no interaction with the black slaves on the estate and there is only one mulatto from another estate who is educated and well spoken enough for no attempt to be made at a patois. There are the occasional scenes of the Boiling room etc, but in every situation Thomas is on his own, with no interaction with the black slaves.
Thomas escapes and takes refuge with another plantation owner and the next few years sees him recovering from his treatment and becoming a useful member to the plantation owners. This is a difficult time for the inhabitants of Barbados, where news from England is slow to arrive and does not rapidly reflect the ever changing politics around the Monarchy and Oliver Cromwell's waning fortunes. Politics seem to be at the mercy of the local inhabitants as much as what is going on in England.
There are several bloody fights where people are protecting both their specific plantations, and the wider island against invaders. It many instances people are dispatched in a bloody and violent manner. Finally Thomas manages to reach his just rewards and return home with his family and rich and more contented man.
My overall feeling was that it was very.... dispassionate and disconnected. Whilst an interesting story, I wasn't really that engaged with the main character or any of the supporting people (the most amusing and satisfying bit being the unmarried Mary's reasoning for not wanting to lose one of her legs as "Charles likes the way my legs wrap around him"). The sister and nieces were so one-dimensional as to be non-entities - I dont know if they were more rounded in the previous book - or will be in further books.
This is a section of history that I don't know much about - just what *was* the effect of the change in monarchy on the Slave Trade and the Colonies? I'm sure that the daily lives of all people working in the sugar trade was more brutal and short as envisioned in this book.
So in short, a nice interlude of a story that wasnt a deep commentary on history or slavery but which had the opportunity of being so much more.
It was only after checking online that I realised that this was #2 in a series - there has clearly been events in #1 that would explain why Thomas rapidly finds himself on a boat going to Barbados as an indentured servant, to work for two violent vicious thugs on a sugar plantation. They are physically and verbally violent, mainly towards their betters and women. Much of the violence is implied (screams in the distance etc), with only the occasional slightly more graphical indication of events - such as when boiling sugar strips away flesh from an unfortunate slave.
Thomas spends his first two years working for the Gibbes brothers, whose threats of violence (and occasional whipping) seem to be enough to keep Thomas from escaping. The threats allow for no interaction with the black slaves on the estate and there is only one mulatto from another estate who is educated and well spoken enough for no attempt to be made at a patois. There are the occasional scenes of the Boiling room etc, but in every situation Thomas is on his own, with no interaction with the black slaves.
Thomas escapes and takes refuge with another plantation owner and the next few years sees him recovering from his treatment and becoming a useful member to the plantation owners. This is a difficult time for the inhabitants of Barbados, where news from England is slow to arrive and does not rapidly reflect the ever changing politics around the Monarchy and Oliver Cromwell's waning fortunes. Politics seem to be at the mercy of the local inhabitants as much as what is going on in England.
There are several bloody fights where people are protecting both their specific plantations, and the wider island against invaders. It many instances people are dispatched in a bloody and violent manner. Finally Thomas manages to reach his just rewards and return home with his family and rich and more contented man.
My overall feeling was that it was very.... dispassionate and disconnected. Whilst an interesting story, I wasn't really that engaged with the main character or any of the supporting people (the most amusing and satisfying bit being the unmarried Mary's reasoning for not wanting to lose one of her legs as "Charles likes the way my legs wrap around him"). The sister and nieces were so one-dimensional as to be non-entities - I dont know if they were more rounded in the previous book - or will be in further books.
This is a section of history that I don't know much about - just what *was* the effect of the change in monarchy on the Slave Trade and the Colonies? I'm sure that the daily lives of all people working in the sugar trade was more brutal and short as envisioned in this book.
So in short, a nice interlude of a story that wasnt a deep commentary on history or slavery but which had the opportunity of being so much more.
September 24, 2013
This is the second book in the Thomas Hill trilogy and continues the story which started in The King’s Spy with Thomas’s role as cartographer and decoder during the English Civil war and of his association with the English King, Charles I.
Thomas Hill is a book seller living in rural Hampshire with his widowed sister and her two daughters. Without warning, in the spring of 1648, Thomas is arrested for the publication of an alleged seditious pamphlet and without any form of trial, he is transported to Barbados to work as an indentured servant to a dreadful set of captors. Life on this sugar plantation is very difficult and Thomas is shown no mercy but with great strength and determination he sets out to prove his innocence.
I do think it would be helpful to have read the first book in the series before embarking on this second book, as there are references made to the previous story which somehow get lost without prior knowledge. However, having said that, I enjoyed this story and felt that the time and place was captured perfectly. The historic involvement of the island of Barbados in the years after the English civil war is well documented, as is the slave trade and its effect on the Colonies, but with a clever blend of fact and fiction, the author has kept the integrity of the story alive and with great skill has produced a fascinating and gripping story.
Thomas Hill is a book seller living in rural Hampshire with his widowed sister and her two daughters. Without warning, in the spring of 1648, Thomas is arrested for the publication of an alleged seditious pamphlet and without any form of trial, he is transported to Barbados to work as an indentured servant to a dreadful set of captors. Life on this sugar plantation is very difficult and Thomas is shown no mercy but with great strength and determination he sets out to prove his innocence.
I do think it would be helpful to have read the first book in the series before embarking on this second book, as there are references made to the previous story which somehow get lost without prior knowledge. However, having said that, I enjoyed this story and felt that the time and place was captured perfectly. The historic involvement of the island of Barbados in the years after the English civil war is well documented, as is the slave trade and its effect on the Colonies, but with a clever blend of fact and fiction, the author has kept the integrity of the story alive and with great skill has produced a fascinating and gripping story.
August 10, 2013
I found the second in the Thomas Hill trilogy even better than the first and I hadn't expected that to be possible.
The mild mannered bookseller found himself punished for crimes he was not even tried for and indentured to Barbados. His slave masters were two revolting brothers who made my skin crawl just reading about them. That, however, is far from the end of the story and his adventures had me on the edge of my seat.
I look forward to the final book in the trilogy, but with some sadness, as it will be the last I'm able to read about Thomas Hill.
The mild mannered bookseller found himself punished for crimes he was not even tried for and indentured to Barbados. His slave masters were two revolting brothers who made my skin crawl just reading about them. That, however, is far from the end of the story and his adventures had me on the edge of my seat.
I look forward to the final book in the trilogy, but with some sadness, as it will be the last I'm able to read about Thomas Hill.
October 23, 2014
Another really good book in the Thomas Hill series. Set in Barbados, it gives a really interesting social history of the small island in the seventeeth century, which I didn't know much about previously. There are some very strong characters, particularly Mary Lyte, Patrick, and Thomas himself. The book was very well researched and I think portrayed very well the hell that was the existence of an indentured man on a sugar plantation at the time.
I look forward to reading the next volume in series.
I look forward to reading the next volume in series.
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