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Christian Hardy #4
Cradle
For fans of Conn Iggulden and Bernard Cornwell, a pulse-racing and dramatic new thriller from Sunday Times bestselling author James Jackson about the founding of America's first colony.
American was born in blood.
1607. With King James on the throne, thousands of miles away, in Virginia, the English have established Jamestown, a tiny foothold on a vast, untamed continent and a powerful symbol of their colonial ambition. But trouble is stirring. The settlement has the support of Prince Henry, but is despised by his jealous father, the King, who seeks to destroy it.
Meanwhile, a ship arrives, harbouring Hardy's the deadly renegade Realm. The battle for America has begun . . .
American was born in blood.
1607. With King James on the throne, thousands of miles away, in Virginia, the English have established Jamestown, a tiny foothold on a vast, untamed continent and a powerful symbol of their colonial ambition. But trouble is stirring. The settlement has the support of Prince Henry, but is despised by his jealous father, the King, who seeks to destroy it.
Meanwhile, a ship arrives, harbouring Hardy's the deadly renegade Realm. The battle for America has begun . . .
- GenresHistorical Fiction
352 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 2, 2017
2 people are currently reading
158 people want to read
About the author
James Jackson
12 books16 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Previous books published under the name of James H. Jackson.
James Jackson has a postgraduate degree in Military Studies and is a consultant in military risk. He is the author of The Counter-Terrorist Handbook and lives in London.
Previous books published under the name of James H. Jackson.
James Jackson has a postgraduate degree in Military Studies and is a consultant in military risk. He is the author of The Counter-Terrorist Handbook and lives in London.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
January 10, 2018
"Cradle" by James Jackson is a thrilling and compelling historical fiction novel set in the early 1600's that I really enjoyed and found very interesting.
The author has created a brilliant story and brought to life a very vibrant and turbulent time in history when the first permanent British settlers colonised in the Americas. One hundred English settlers in 1607, deposited from three ships, erected a rudimentary wood fort in the wilds of Virginia and named it Jamestown. So began the battle for America....
The frontier setting of the story is fabulously described and truly sets the scene.
I loved the opening chapter, it truly drew me in... "The priests danced and death was close. It was the worst of times to be a prisoner of the natives......" Often quite brutal and violent, this story truly reflects how barbaric the native Indians were and understandably passionate about defending and protecting their land.
I did find the timeline jumped a little and that's the only criticism I would have about the writing style. The narrative is superbly written with some mighty strong characters including Captain John Smith, Realm and Christian Hardy.
James Jackson is well up there in the ranks of historical fiction writers who I believe is also a Sunday Times bestseller. I'd happily read more by him in the future and I may even look up some of his previous successful novels.
The author has created a brilliant story and brought to life a very vibrant and turbulent time in history when the first permanent British settlers colonised in the Americas. One hundred English settlers in 1607, deposited from three ships, erected a rudimentary wood fort in the wilds of Virginia and named it Jamestown. So began the battle for America....
The frontier setting of the story is fabulously described and truly sets the scene.
I loved the opening chapter, it truly drew me in... "The priests danced and death was close. It was the worst of times to be a prisoner of the natives......" Often quite brutal and violent, this story truly reflects how barbaric the native Indians were and understandably passionate about defending and protecting their land.
I did find the timeline jumped a little and that's the only criticism I would have about the writing style. The narrative is superbly written with some mighty strong characters including Captain John Smith, Realm and Christian Hardy.
James Jackson is well up there in the ranks of historical fiction writers who I believe is also a Sunday Times bestseller. I'd happily read more by him in the future and I may even look up some of his previous successful novels.
November 2, 2017
GNab I received a free electronic copy of this historical based on fact novel from Netgalley, James Jackson, and Bonnier Zaffre in exchange for an honest review. Thank you all, for sharing your hard work with me.
The colonization of Jamestown, Virginia in May 1607 was due to the efforts of Prince Henry, son of England's King James, and a conglomeration of English investors known as the Virginia Company of London. King James openly opposed this effort of colonization fearing it would cause another war with Spain, who already had colonies on the southeastern coast of America. the Establishment of Jamestown occurred about 20 years after the discovery that the Lost Colony, Queen Elizabeth I and Sir Walter Raleigh's effort to establish an outpost on Roanoke Island, North Carolina had completely disappeared. (See Wikipedia "The Croatoan Project" for archeological information on this band of settlers uncovered by Hurricane Emily in 1993).
Cradle follows true the problems of the Jamestown settlers as written up by historians at the time. Problems with weather, misunderstandings with the native population and the 'lost' third mission of supply ships were exasperated by infighting in England between the factions of King James and the Virginia Company of London representatives. Despite the intention of the surviving 60 settlers to abandon Jamestown in spring of 1610, the three arriving supply ships of Lord Delaware saved the day. Colonization of Virginia was able to recover and become self supporting over then next several years. Jamestown was eventually again abandoned, as the colonists moved inland and established themselves as self sufficient, finally making peace with the native Americans in 1614. This is an excellent book which brings to life the spirit of the colonists and native Americans in this time of turmoil and discovery.
pub date November 2 2017
Bonnier Zaffre
The colonization of Jamestown, Virginia in May 1607 was due to the efforts of Prince Henry, son of England's King James, and a conglomeration of English investors known as the Virginia Company of London. King James openly opposed this effort of colonization fearing it would cause another war with Spain, who already had colonies on the southeastern coast of America. the Establishment of Jamestown occurred about 20 years after the discovery that the Lost Colony, Queen Elizabeth I and Sir Walter Raleigh's effort to establish an outpost on Roanoke Island, North Carolina had completely disappeared. (See Wikipedia "The Croatoan Project" for archeological information on this band of settlers uncovered by Hurricane Emily in 1993).
Cradle follows true the problems of the Jamestown settlers as written up by historians at the time. Problems with weather, misunderstandings with the native population and the 'lost' third mission of supply ships were exasperated by infighting in England between the factions of King James and the Virginia Company of London representatives. Despite the intention of the surviving 60 settlers to abandon Jamestown in spring of 1610, the three arriving supply ships of Lord Delaware saved the day. Colonization of Virginia was able to recover and become self supporting over then next several years. Jamestown was eventually again abandoned, as the colonists moved inland and established themselves as self sufficient, finally making peace with the native Americans in 1614. This is an excellent book which brings to life the spirit of the colonists and native Americans in this time of turmoil and discovery.
pub date November 2 2017
Bonnier Zaffre
January 3, 2018
A great setting and premise, but this was too gruesome and action-focused for me. Which is a shame because the character of Christian Hardy is one I'm very ready to like. I can't say that I enjoyed the portrayal of the native Americans either.
October 17, 2017
I really don’t know why I kept on reading, even when I really cannot even seem to find a character to relate. Strangely, I just kept on reading.
The writing is excellent, and somehow really drew me in. Anything else really was difficult to relate to, but as long as it was the writing, I found it strangely entertaining and easy to read.
However, the plot and characters are not even memorable. Apart form the fact that it is set in the era of King James I, who happens to be a new king. And also one of the many colonies where settlers would eventually go to, I really don’t know what else about it. Nothing about the main character is really entertaining, and I can’t really remember anything about it at all.
And well, you could say that I only kept on reading because of the writing style. And also because I was slightly interested yet had no idea what was happening. I didn’t remember much from this book, but I really liked the writing.
So, how can I rate this? It won’t be high, since apart from the style I really didn’t feel anything about the story.
The writing is excellent, and somehow really drew me in. Anything else really was difficult to relate to, but as long as it was the writing, I found it strangely entertaining and easy to read.
However, the plot and characters are not even memorable. Apart form the fact that it is set in the era of King James I, who happens to be a new king. And also one of the many colonies where settlers would eventually go to, I really don’t know what else about it. Nothing about the main character is really entertaining, and I can’t really remember anything about it at all.
And well, you could say that I only kept on reading because of the writing style. And also because I was slightly interested yet had no idea what was happening. I didn’t remember much from this book, but I really liked the writing.
So, how can I rate this? It won’t be high, since apart from the style I really didn’t feel anything about the story.
February 6, 2018
This rollicking read is set mainly in Jamestown back in 1607 in what subsequently became part of the United States of America. It is no surprise that the native population of the land at that time do not welcome the new, invading, settlers with open arms.
The start of the book is a graphic, violent, dramatic and atmospheric scene setter and highlights the inevitable dark echoes of future confrontations between the natives and the settlers.
Not everyone wishes Jamestown to be a success. King James I is not enamoured with the new settlement that bears his name and his spy master Robert Cecil is heavily involved in the machinations designed to bring the embryonic settlement to a permanent premature end.
There are forces at work inside and outside the Jamestown settlement working together and independently to bring about the end of the establishment.
There have been a number of characters going by the surname of Hardy over the years; Thomas Hardy (famous author), Tom Hardy (enigmatic actor) and Dan Hardy (a pioneering mixed marital artist) to name but three. This story has another wonderful Hardy – Christian Hardy. Christian Hardy is a spy who is in the employ of Prince Henry. Christian is a marvellous character who is charismatic, pragmatic, knowledgeable, a lethal assassin (who Racks up quite a body count in this book) and all round enjoyable fictional character. Christian Hardy has appeared in other Jackson books (Blood Rock, Realm and Treason).
There are a number of rivals in this book including England against Spain, the natives against the settlers, King James I against his own son Prince Henry and Christian Hardy against his arch nemesis Realm. Throughout the story there is a crescendo to the showdown between Christian Hardy and Realm that is worth the wait.
James Jackson is no stranger to his fans and this addition to his cannon will, no doubt, add to his audience. In the style of other modern historical fiction behemoths (Simon Scarrow, Wilbur Smith and Bernard Cornwell) Jackson brings the era to life without unnecessary embellishments.
The 17th Century is a gold mine to be harvested with numerous hugely historic events for the English. Fans of historical stories that rattle along at a decent pace will not be disappointed with this novel.
The start of the book is a graphic, violent, dramatic and atmospheric scene setter and highlights the inevitable dark echoes of future confrontations between the natives and the settlers.
Not everyone wishes Jamestown to be a success. King James I is not enamoured with the new settlement that bears his name and his spy master Robert Cecil is heavily involved in the machinations designed to bring the embryonic settlement to a permanent premature end.
There are forces at work inside and outside the Jamestown settlement working together and independently to bring about the end of the establishment.
There have been a number of characters going by the surname of Hardy over the years; Thomas Hardy (famous author), Tom Hardy (enigmatic actor) and Dan Hardy (a pioneering mixed marital artist) to name but three. This story has another wonderful Hardy – Christian Hardy. Christian Hardy is a spy who is in the employ of Prince Henry. Christian is a marvellous character who is charismatic, pragmatic, knowledgeable, a lethal assassin (who Racks up quite a body count in this book) and all round enjoyable fictional character. Christian Hardy has appeared in other Jackson books (Blood Rock, Realm and Treason).
There are a number of rivals in this book including England against Spain, the natives against the settlers, King James I against his own son Prince Henry and Christian Hardy against his arch nemesis Realm. Throughout the story there is a crescendo to the showdown between Christian Hardy and Realm that is worth the wait.
James Jackson is no stranger to his fans and this addition to his cannon will, no doubt, add to his audience. In the style of other modern historical fiction behemoths (Simon Scarrow, Wilbur Smith and Bernard Cornwell) Jackson brings the era to life without unnecessary embellishments.
The 17th Century is a gold mine to be harvested with numerous hugely historic events for the English. Fans of historical stories that rattle along at a decent pace will not be disappointed with this novel.
November 22, 2017
The tragic settlement in Jamestown, Virginia
One hundred English settlers erected a new fort called Jamestown in the honour of King James I in 1607. They experienced wild and turbulent conditions such as the native population attacking them and an English Catholic agent codenamed Realm, who sided with Spain after the failed Gunpowder plot against the King.
Christian Hardy might escape from the spymaster, Robert Cecil, who wanted him dead. He boarded the ship to Jamestown at the command of Henry, the Prince of Wales to preserve the settlement. The King might wish the settlers fail! Most settlers lost their lives through diseases, harsh winter conditions and famines.
The president of Virginia Company, John Ratcliffe and Captain John Smith struggled for the power to control the fort. Smith wanted the company to explore more settlements and sow the seeds in the fields. However, the bloodshed continued.
This novel sounds like Roanoke the lost colony! The settler felt that they lived in Hell. I am glad to read the historical note at the end of this novel for which I thank James Jackson!
Caesar13
Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of this book to review
One hundred English settlers erected a new fort called Jamestown in the honour of King James I in 1607. They experienced wild and turbulent conditions such as the native population attacking them and an English Catholic agent codenamed Realm, who sided with Spain after the failed Gunpowder plot against the King.
Christian Hardy might escape from the spymaster, Robert Cecil, who wanted him dead. He boarded the ship to Jamestown at the command of Henry, the Prince of Wales to preserve the settlement. The King might wish the settlers fail! Most settlers lost their lives through diseases, harsh winter conditions and famines.
The president of Virginia Company, John Ratcliffe and Captain John Smith struggled for the power to control the fort. Smith wanted the company to explore more settlements and sow the seeds in the fields. However, the bloodshed continued.
This novel sounds like Roanoke the lost colony! The settler felt that they lived in Hell. I am glad to read the historical note at the end of this novel for which I thank James Jackson!
Caesar13
Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of this book to review
January 20, 2018
Fantastic read couldn't read it quickly enough. Story line kept me guessing to the very end. Spies and settlers from England to the Americas and all manner of life in between. The characters are all very much visual in the mind while reading. King and Prince using espionage and the population are pawns. Starvation and the natives made life very tough without all the machinations of spy and government ministers colluded in a fantastic read made all the better for being a give away book. I have read books previously by this author namely Pilgrim for me a great story teller well worth reading.
November 16, 2018
c2017 (2) FWFTB: Virginia, fort, intelligencer, spymaster, Realm. Really, I should have known better. I found the previous book about the Guy Fawkes plot, interesting but thought the dialogue was dire. Gave this one a shot - just in case - but I felt the dialogue got even worse. It is so stilted and full of 'English gentlemanly' thoughts that I cringed at most of it. Half heartedly recommending to the normal crew because I did finish it at least!
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October 23, 2024Didn’t finish
November 22, 2017
I thought this sounded quite exciting, set in the beginnings of Jamestown, fighting the local tribes for survival, spies from Spain, Robert Cecil scheming in England. However i was a little disappointed with it, it was quite a short book and I believe now that it is a sequel of sorts as it refers to previous actions from the main characters quite a few times, so feels like missing key information to enjoy the plot more.
It was well researched and gave a good feel for the setting, but the characters just felt like they were dealt with too briefly, and even the action seemed quite short like it was just bullet pointing historic facts. Even the ending was a little disappointing, after such a buildup the final showdown between the rival protaganists felt very flat indeed.
It was well researched and gave a good feel for the setting, but the characters just felt like they were dealt with too briefly, and even the action seemed quite short like it was just bullet pointing historic facts. Even the ending was a little disappointing, after such a buildup the final showdown between the rival protaganists felt very flat indeed.
July 9, 2018
I received a copy of Cradle from Allen & Unwin Australia to review.
The ninth book from James Jackson is an over-the-top account of the circumstances surrounding the original Jamestown settlement. Featuring highly detailed and brutal descriptions of the formation of America and making full use for Jackson’s propensity for thrilling spy stories, Cradle is perfect for those looking for some exhilarating action and adventure in their historical fiction.
Click link for full review:
https://unseenlibrary.com/2018/05/29/...
Or visit my blog at:
https://unseenlibrary.com/
The ninth book from James Jackson is an over-the-top account of the circumstances surrounding the original Jamestown settlement. Featuring highly detailed and brutal descriptions of the formation of America and making full use for Jackson’s propensity for thrilling spy stories, Cradle is perfect for those looking for some exhilarating action and adventure in their historical fiction.
Click link for full review:
https://unseenlibrary.com/2018/05/29/...
Or visit my blog at:
https://unseenlibrary.com/
March 1, 2018
I have to be honest, I struggled with this book. I think I only got to the end of it because it's short, at only 290 pages.
In truth I feel like it should have been fascinating. What a period of history - trying to colonize the US. There's even a whole TV series about Jamestown at the moment so clearly there should be plenty of drama.
However I found that the most gripping parts of this book were when some of the characters returned to London, when we get to see some of the machinations that are occurring at court.
I think there was just too much dialogue and it just didn't feel like a particularly effective way of actually telling the story. I found myself getting confused as to who was who.
There were some pretty graphic descriptions of killings made by the natives which made me squirm a little but overall this book just left me cold.
In truth I feel like it should have been fascinating. What a period of history - trying to colonize the US. There's even a whole TV series about Jamestown at the moment so clearly there should be plenty of drama.
However I found that the most gripping parts of this book were when some of the characters returned to London, when we get to see some of the machinations that are occurring at court.
I think there was just too much dialogue and it just didn't feel like a particularly effective way of actually telling the story. I found myself getting confused as to who was who.
There were some pretty graphic descriptions of killings made by the natives which made me squirm a little but overall this book just left me cold.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews