Doom Painting

by A.K. Blakemore

It is 1381. England, reeling from the Black Death and years of conflict abroad, prepares for harvest. Two childhood friends ride into the town of Brentwood, Essex, where they come upon an altercation with a local Justice bent on squeezing more coin from the masses. Thus begins a rebellion of the commons - loyal to the king, but not to those landowners who press to curtail their freedoms; the multitude finding common cause against the powers that threaten their livelihoods.

Set over sixteen days, from Whitsuntide to Corpus Christi, Doom Painting roves across England as the men and women of the southern counties, supported by the visionary poet-priest John Ball, march to London to take their demands to the child King Richard II. Out of the revolt emerges its enigmatic and charismatic leader Wat Tyler, an opportunistic and mercurial rogue whose morality is birthed by the cause, and who shapes an identity for the English which has never been lost.

Written in sinuous and exhilarating prose, with all the drama and tension of fated history, A.K. Blakemore's thrilling retelling of the Peasant's Revolt renders it as a definitive moment in British history. In the meeting of peasantry and nobility, new versions of England were born, and - for one bloody summer - the people of England seized control.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction

674 pages, Kindle Edition

Expected publication September 24, 2026

About the author

A.K. Blakemore is the author of two collections of poetry: Humbert Summer and Fondue. She has also translated the work of Sichuanese poet Yu Yoyo. Her poetry and prose writing have been widely published and anthologized, appearing in The London Review of Books, Poetry, The Poetry Review, and The White Review, among other publications. Her debut novel, The Manningtree Witches won the Desmond Elliot Prize 2021. She lives in London, England.

Reviews

[Zo Smi · Rating 4 out of 5]

{ARC REVIEW} You're either going to like or dislike this book--no in-betweens. It's a book that probably deserves 5 stars, but on a personal taste level, for me it's a 3, which is why I've awarded 4.

As I had recently visited some local churches with medieval doom paintings frescoed onto their walls, the title of this book caught my eye (although any link to "doom paintings" is indirect in this book--perhaps the core similarity is the historical period). Added to this, I got into historical fiction from Laura Shepherd-Robinson's books and wanted to try another history author.

The plot centres around the revolt against the introduction of the poll tax in England in the 1300s. I had no prior knowledge of this event, and thus could not anticipate the cast or the outcome. In many ways I was hoping to learn about a piece of distant history through reading this book.

Overall, the flavour is very much like Hilary Mantel's writing. It is literary with liberal creative embellishment, and in both Mantel and in this book, I'm left doubting how meaningfully the writing style enriches the story. For me, I find the attempt to capture a sense of the era's language distracting and more challenging to read. (I personally failed to finish Mantel's The Mirror and The Light.)

I really wanted to enjoy this book, but I felt like I plodded on for the sake of not feeling dumb. And, at over 600 pages, the plodding on was arduous and skimming parts was the only way I could stick with it. 

I can recognize the writer's talent, however, as the medieval world is intricately crafted, and I know many history buffs will love the detailing and the characters.

Read a few pages first to decide whether it's for you.

[Abi Walton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of those books that completely consumed me.

The prose is something you linger with, and it demands your full attention. At nearly 700 pages it is not a book you can simply breeze through. But I think that is why I loved it, and it completely hooked me.

A.K. Blakemore has written something that feels unlike anything else I've read. It is brutal, beautiful, filthy, strange and unexpectedly funny. The medieval world feels so tangible that by the end I felt like I'd been living in it rather than reading about it. Every page is packed with gorgeous imagery, but it never loses sight of the people at its heart.

What I loved most was the ambition of it. It completely commits to its vision, and I admired that so much. Once I settled into the rhythm of Blakemore's writing, I couldn't imagine the story being told any other way. She is wonderful at writing the line between beauty and tragedy.

It's certainly not a book I'd recommend to everyone. You have to meet it where it is, give it your time and trust that it knows where it's taking you. If you're looking for something fast-paced, this probably isn't it. But if you love literary historical fiction that is rich, uncompromising and utterly immersive, I think this is something really special. Wat Taylor has taken over my body and soul forever!

By the end I was completely in awe of it. One of the most ambitious and rewarding novels I've read this year.

[Julia]

A. K. Blakemore's Doom Painting is an extraordinary achievement in historical fiction. What impressed me most was the richness of the language: every page is beautifully crafted, with prose that feels both poetic and deeply immersive. Blakemore has a remarkable ability to evoke the medieval world and the characters she portrays through vivid, lyrical English..
The novel excels in its sense of scale. Its sweeping descriptions of the unfolding Peasants' Revolt create a powerful feeling of place, people and continuity. The broad historical canvas is balanced with intimate human moments, resulting in a novel that feels both epic and deeply personal.
For readers who appreciate elegant writing and expansive historical storytelling, Doom Painting is a richly rewarding read. It is extremely well researched, covering the sixteen days of the Peasants' Revolt with an unexpected intensity and a broadness of scope that I wasn't expecting. If I'm honest, I probably prefer faster paced fiction - Blakemore's prose is beautiful but I'm not sure that if I'd picked it up and read a sample before starting that I would have continued - which has more to do with my reading habits these days than the quality of Blakemore's writing.

[Ben Dutton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Doom Painting, the third novel from A. K. Blakemore, like her previous works takes us to a distinct period of history to reveal it, bloody and brutal in its telling. Her first two novels - The Manningtree Witches and The Glutton I absolutely adored, and was fearful there might be a tumble with her next. I should never have doubted her - Doom Painting is not only an utterly fantastic novel, it is her best yet.

Wat Tyler is a figure you may know from The Peasants Revolt of 1381, although we know little about him. This grants Blakemore the opportunity to craft a fiction around the truth, and to dig into the psyche of the time and it's people.

Doom Painting is exquisitely written, with Blakemore luxuriating in language, poetically rich. She is also playful at times, concentrating the distance between those days and ours in a mere sentence before focussing back on her subject. She recreates the days of the revolt with sharp focus, evocative in style, and though this is not a fast-paced read - you take your time with it - for me it was worth it. Doom Painting is, for me, one of the masterpieces of the year.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publishers and A. K. Blakemore for the ARC.

[Fiona · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was drawn to read this book by the description as I knew very little about Wat Tyler and the Peasants’ Revolt in the 14th century. The issue then was the imposition of a poll tax, to be revisited upon Britain in the 1980s (leading not to a revolt as such but to a great deal of discontent and protests). From that point of view, the book is well researched and I learned the background to the uprising and who the main characters were. I hadn’t read this author before and to be honest, had I read an excerpt of the book before requesting it, I probably wouldn’t have read it. Her lyrical, poetic prose is praised by many readers but for me it was unnecessarily verbose. I found myself skim reading great swathes with no resulting loss of understanding of the storyline or the motivations of the leading actors. It was an interesting experience but not one I’d wish to repeat.

With thanks to Granta Publications and NetGalley for a review copy.

[georginab · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review of advance copy received by NetGalley

This book is beautifully written, I found the writing profound and illustrative.

I love historical fiction and long novels that I can really get lost in so this was perfect for me.

4* because I occasionally felt lost in the initial 15% of this book with characters and setting, but pushing through this and was really worth it towards the end.

I haven’t read this authors previous work but will definitely be bumping it up my TBR!

[Florence Barnes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Crying in the club rn bc Wat Tyler’s dead