Wonders Will Never Cease

by Robert Irwin

An Exhilarating, Magical Blend of History and Fantasy Set during the Original Game of Thrones.
Beginning with the Palm Sunday battle of Towton, the bloodiest ever fought on English soil, Wonders Will Never Cease relates the fabulous adventures of one man and his noble family amid the chaos and political intrigue that beset England during the War of the Roses, when two great houses battled for control of the throne. Anthony Woodville, Lord Scales and brother to the future queen, Elizabeth Woodville, seems to die during that battle and be resurrected. While dead, he witnesses the Grail ceremony last seen during the age of King Arthur, before England was cursed by war and Hell so filled with bodies that the dead now walk the land.
What he wakes to and witnesses for the rest of his life as he defends his king is a ceaseless stream of a family rumored to be descended from the fairy Melusine and imbued with her dragon’s blood, a talking head that predicts the future, a miraculous cauldron, a museum of skulls, alchemists and wizards, the Swordsman’s Pentacle, and plenty of battles, sieges, swordplay, jousts, treachery, murder, beheadings, and horrific torture. And all the while, stories—some so porous that their characters enter history and threaten their maker.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Fiction, British Literature, Novels, Medieval, Alternate History

392 pages, Paperback

First published November 4, 2016

About the author

Robert Graham Irwin was a British historian, novelist, and writer on Arabic literature.

Reviews

[Vit Babenco · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy Grail and divinity, wraiths and spirits, sorcery and witchcraft, fidelity and treason, gallantry and chivalry: Wonders Will Never Cease is as full of magic, passion and valour as Le Morte d'Arthur…

Samson was undone by his lust for Delilah. Lancelot would have been judged a perfect knight had it not been for his adultery with Guinevere, after which his sin sent him running mad in the forest. Lust makes fools of all men. Love is a kind of madness that chains men to women. Bright eyes, golden hair and young flesh give enchantment, yet all end up in the grave as food for worms.

Wonders Will Never Cease is a kind of Gothic novel but similar to The Canterbury Tales it is on the ribald and derisive side…

‘What are the Brothers and Sisters of the Blessed Vespers?’ Anthony had never heard of such a group before.
‘They profess an evil heresy. They are almost as bad as Lollards, though not quite so evil. The adherents of the Blessed Vespers are dedicated to coupling in churches.’
‘What do they do that for?’
‘It is not one thing. As far as I can understand it, some do it in hope that such a blasphemous act will put them beyond any hope of redemption in the afterlife and thus thereafter they may worship God without any expectation of reward and that is the purest form of worship there is, for they envisage themselves still offering up prayers and thanks to God from the flaming pits of Hell. Some, on the other hand, believe that having sex in a church confers a blessing both on the act and on any children that may be born as a result. Then it is well known that demons and ghosts cannot interrupt couplings in churches and there are yet others who go to church to fornicate in the summer months because it is cooler there.’

And like The Name of the Rose Wonders Will Never Cease has an alluring intellectual whiff…

‘People prate about how wonderful life is, but I swear to you that reading is better. Search how you may you will never find happy endings in life. It is only there in books. Our Christian faith is based upon a book and our salvation depends upon a book which is the Bible. Books give us saints and heroes to emulate. Our lives are such paltry things that we must at least have the possibility of a dream of something grander. I see clearly that this world is a prison in which we are closely confined and, short of death, it is only books that can deliver us from this prison.’

Miracles will never cease – neither in stories nor in dreams.

[Jack Tripper · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm surprised there aren't more ratings and reviews for this, Robert Irwin's first novel in 17 years. Part reality-bending fantasy, part historical fiction, this was quite the absorbing read for me, with the same "stories within stories" concept of Irwin's (brilliant) The Arabian Nightmare, only set in England during the Wars of the Roses as opposed to medieval Cairo. It's a mostly third-person, partial first-person tale following Anthony, a knight who is killed very early on in the book during the bloody Battle of Palm Sunday, but miraculously comes back to life three days later. While his life is relatively normal before his death -- for a highborn knight during the late middle ages, at least -- it is anything but thereafter. Wraiths, fantastical beasts, the undead, strange visions, demonic entities, and the like are not uncommon during Anthony's adventures now.

One thing that distanced me slightly from the narrative at times, at least during the first-person sections, is the fact that Anthony is an extremely unreliable narrator, and one is never sure if certain events "really happened" (within the context of the story) the way he says, or are just made up. King Edward's chief alchemist, the odd and eccentric Ripley, is for some hidden reason determined to make Anthony a legendary figure, and so sometimes Anthony may exaggerate or make things up entirely due to Ripley's urgings. I know that this is fiction, but when the narrator is obviously lying for chapters at a time, it can be hard for me as a reader to stay totally enveloped, to "believe" what I'm reading.

But I soon got past all that as the utter strangeness of the story swept me up. It's pretty damn hilarious at times, creepy as hell at others, and just plain tripped-out yet others. Not to mention beautifully written, with some of the most memorably bizarre characters I've come across in fiction. I've seen reviews comparing this to A Song of Ice and Fire, due to both being inspired by the York-Lancaster rivalry, but this is about as far away from high fantasy as you can get. Yes, it's fantasy, and yes it has a medieval setting, but this is more of a surrealistic, dreamlike tale, with one POV character as opposed to several, and without all the political machinations and back-stabbings (though there is a bit of that in the background, of course, considering the time period). It's also cemented Irwin as a favorite author of mine. Hopefully he doesn't wait another 17 years for his followup.

4.5 Stars.

[Nell Beaudry McLachlan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This, theoretically, is a book I should have really enjoyed. And I did enjoy parts of it. It was wild and imaginative and has a sort of fable-type quality to it that made reading it a bit of a breathless experience, partially because it was written in the present tense. I don't love historical fiction in the present tense, it has to be said. I did feel I got to know Anthony, but really none of the other characters. It was fantastic, but the fantastic often gained foothold solely by shoving things like a consistent plot out of the way. The vaguely magical realism elements were fun, but I wish the historical part of the "historical fiction" were better researched, and I take considerable exception to the portrayal of Richard, Duke of Gloucester as a mean, villainous, ugly and extremely misshapen dwarf of a man. And so, while the book is often quite fun and absorbing, Irwin, it seems, did his study on the War of the Roses at the great school of Shakespeare, rather than via academic texts, which he surely has access to.

I'll get over it, but I think I'm disappointed because the synopsis (and the author's credentials) set me up to expect something much greater than what I got.

[Angus McKeogh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Despite this book taking me a long time to finish I thoroughly enjoyed it. Not once did I pick it up with dread. The format of stories within stories within stories was great. Several of the subplots were phenomenal (I loved the talking head in a barrel). I’m further enamored with the Medieval setting and it was based around a surreal narrative following the life of Anthony Woodville. The War of the Roses from an intriguing angle. Neil Gaiman has an expressive blurb on the front cover and it was certainly well deserved.

[James · Rating 2 out of 5]

Based loosely on the life of Anthony Woodville, Irwin adds fantasy encounters and adventures for Anthony as well as bizarre stories for other characters as well as Arthurian and Greek legends. At times it's hard to tell if this is a straight historical novel or a fantasy hodgepodge. It starts out well but soon gets strange, I almost stopped reading it. The ending is preordained about 75% into the book, and that's a bummer, I would have been much better off not knowing.

It's an odd duck, maybe this is the English version of magical realism and I'm too much of a literary booby to recognize its greatness. I think I will pass on future books by the author though his histories might be worth a look.

[Tom Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this. I might have considered it confusing if I hadn't read The Arabian Nightmare a few years back. Yes, there were places where it dragged, but also one or two stand-out creations - the goose (you'll know what I mean once you've read it) - and the head (ditto). Most of the characters are rooted in history, but this is myth-making rather than history as you know it.

[Maura Heaphy Dutton · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have seen this compared to "Game of Thrones" and Russell Hoban's novel "Ridley Walker," both of which I love, but I could not get on board with this strange novel, which re-imagines the life of Anthony, Lord Scales, and later 2nd Earl Rivers, as a mythic saga, in the style of "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight." On a line by line basis, it was very readable -- witty, clever -- but I just found it hard to care, once the novelty wore off.

[Roberta Sciortino · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful. Admirable as the author reaches the goal of writing a very correct historical fiction maintaining the rhythm of a very compelling book. Now I'm going to look for the other masterpieces of him!

[Peter Aronson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three-and-three-quarters stars. An odd mix of historical fiction, fantasy, magical realism and metafiction. I found it entertaining but not compelling. Perhaps part of the problem is that while the writer tried to make the main character likeable, he also wanted him to be a man of his time, and frankly, the War of the Roses wasn't a very likeable time.

[Annie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Truth is sometimes stranger than fiction, by Robert Irwin’s Wonders Will Never Cease repeatedly demonstrates that fiction will always win a competition for imaginative bizarreness. This metafictional novel follows the life of Anthony Woodville, an actual historical figure, as he is bounced around by the vagaries of War of the Roses-era politics and by the fictional wrangling of the king’s alchemist and Sir Thomas Malory. This is not a biographical novel so much as it is a bibliographic one. By the end, I think I had contemplated dozens of the purposes and consequences of storytelling along with the characters. Be warned, however. This is not an easy book to read because it is mostly people telling stories to each other. The action happens quickly and mostly off the page...

Read the rest of my review at A Bookish Type. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via Edelweiss for review consideration.

[Tim Hicks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anthony was dead: to begin with. Then he wasn't, sort of. His sorcerous amulet may or may not have had anything to do with it.

The Wars of the Roses unfold before us, as we follow Anthony Woodville (who existed). But his life path is hardly straightforward. Two odd men, Ripley and Malory (who existed, alhough perhaps not quite as shown here) weave in and out. Ripley's alchemy includes a Talking Head with some accurate predictions of the future (or are they causing that future?) and Malory's working on Le Morte d'Arthur in a way that gives Anthony odd visions and maybe more.

So here's a real history, carefully explained mostly the way it happened, but with some VERY creative explanations of why it happened that way.

I enjoyed it, but then I already had quite a good knowledge of the history and the Arthurian stories; if you don't maybe you'll find less value here.

[Roy Kenagy · Rating 5 out of 5]

An extraordinarily satisfying existential fantasy, re-imagining the career of Anthony Woodville, 2nd Earl Rivers, doomed courtier in the court of Edward IV. The young King Edward marries Anthony's sister Elizabeth in a fit of lusty romance; this fatal MacGuffin casually propels the wandering, magical realist plot, eventually populating the Tower (which Anthony has chosen as his memory palace) with the skulls of almost all his enemies and friends. "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead" performed slightly closer to the stage, with an episodic melding of "3 Henry VI" and "Richard III" in the background. Spare, elegant, and elagaic.

[Sem · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm appalled by the 'description' comparing this book to Philippa Gregory and GRRM. I'm appalled by a review snippet on the back of the dustjacket describing it as 'a sort of marriage between' A.S. Byatt and Terry Pratchett. I'm deeply appalled by the flap blurb stating that it's set "during the Original Game of Thrones". It's set during the reign of Edward IV. There is no 'original' Game of Thrones. Game of Thrones has nothing whatsoever to do with the Middle Ages. Gah.

[Steve M · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rather like Antony Woodville, the central character, I drifted passively through this tale rarely knowing what on earth was happening. There's a lot of impressive accumulated research contained in this novel but it does rather impede the narrative drive.

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Would rather have had it either historical fiction or fairy tale.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can't say I'm usually this influenced by other reviewers on goodreads, but I felt sorry for Irwin after reading the reviews here - not because they're scanty, which they are, but because so many people dismissed it because of how it's written.

Granted, I came to it from Abigail Nussbaum's recommendation and had an expectation, maybe not fairly, raised by her that it was comparable to Hilary Mantel's historical fiction. (I qualify that because I haven't actually read her non-historical fiction.) It's certainly comparable in scope and historical knowledge, and possibly in the sense of somewhat rehabilitating a historical figure. But two things differentiate them: Anthony Woodville (who is variously referred to as Scales and de River in the book, thus losing the one connection shallow buffs of the War of the Roses might recognise) isn't a maligned figure in history like Danton or Thomas Cromwell so much as he is a forgotten one; and Irwin doesn't have remotely the same deep affection for him that Mantel clearly developed for her pet villains as she wrote.

There's also the fact that both are written in an atypical style for the genre, but Mantel's first person present tense (in Wolf Hall/Bring Up the Bodies) works better for me, personally, than Irwin's third person present tense. An assiduous commenter to reviews of Irwin on here has pointed out to a few people that what Irwin was trying to do was recreate the feeling of the Canterbury Tales, and perhaps other medieval literature and/or oral storytelling. I respect that this was his ambition and he entirely succeeded at that as a thing of itself. Whether that succeeds as a reading experience is a different matter entirely. I'm not a scholar or an academic, so the reading of texts venerated by scholarly academics is just a pastime for me. There's a reason longform poetry and re-creation of oral storytelling doesn't hold up in the twenty-first century. I'm not sure if it's the rise of cinema and television or if the simple fact that straightforward novels appeal more to a reader (as opposed to a listener) - I'm not a historian either. So while I can appreciate this on a technical level, I didn't enjoy it. I did like Anthony's and various other people's attempts to interrogate the stories, but I didn't like that there was no clear line between what was real and what was magical. It's one thing to have characters in history think that magic is real, and quite another to expect me in 2018 to believe it altered the course of history. The prophecy plotlines that kept intruding were amusing because I know how it ends, but it wasn't terribly ambiguous for the people listening to them, which bolsters Anthony's objection to them. It's just the mark of a hero to hear his own death prophesied and do the same thing anyway, instead of trying to avoid it? That's just straight up bullshit.

I could have dealt with the trippy real-fake stories and the magic and the prophesies if it wasn't for the slurring of time. Anthony just rambles along, skipping months and years at a time, arriving at random places to realise his father/mother/wife have died and never grieving for them. He doesn't have any feelings, except maybe for his horse. He also misses a lot of the most interesting pieces of history by virtue of not really being an important player. Clearly his most important trait is being Elizabeth Woodville's brother, but this is almost totally elided; the only thing I know about their relationship is that he used to give her piggy-back rides as a child.

I sound like I have a lot of issues, but ultimately I don't get a feeling of incompleteness from the book. I think this is exactly the book Irwin wanted to write; that he hit all the character/storytelling beats he wanted for it. Do I wish it was a different type of story? Yes, but then someone else would have to have written it.

[Brittany · Rating 1 out of 5]

It's rare that I rate a book so poorly but I just cannot recommend this book to anyone and feel OK about it. I picked up Wonders Will Never Cease at BEA this year and was pretty excited about it. I've never read any of Irwin's books prior to this but seeing a blurb from Gaiman on the front cover, it had to be good, right?

I don't know how to explain this book but I'll try. The way it was written was so odd. It was written as if a friend of mine was re telling a book to me that they read in the past. It was a whole lot of "Anthony went to see his mother and then he stopped at the store and bought some milk. And then two weeks later, the milk went bad." Maybe this a writing style that Irwin uses—he is a historian after all—but it was not a style I could get on board with. There were so many jumps in the timeline, i.e., there was literally a chapter that jumped to two weeks later, completely ignoring some potential escalating tension at Anthony's sisters coronation. This happens often—a whole lot of build up to get you hooked and then a whole lot of nothing. It was extremely underwhelming.

There were some great ideas in this book, especially the fact that Anthony has been brought back from the dead (hello, Jon Snow!), and sees ghosts, but after a few chapters it is seemingly forgotten. It was such a huge bombshell and then totally deserted. The synopsis on the back of the book mentions so many interesting adventures that happen in the book but don't expect anything more wild than what is mentioned. They are briefly explained and then left for you to think about.

So overall, this book was a giant letdown. I wish I could say better things about it but I really cannot. I still may try Arabian Nightmare considering the reviews it received but this has left me skeptical.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

This novel is in many ways more like a collection of short stories or even fairy tales held together with a larger framing story. The stories match the medieval setting and often mirror or parody legends and fairy tales, so the subject matter is often suitably grim and violent as a result, which may be true to the medium but still may not be up your alley.

The writing is engaging and pulls you in, and most of the stories are enjoyable in their own right, though obviously not all will be enjoyed by all. Still, I honestly think I lack the literary/historical chops to grok the big picture or the point of this book, so I imagine those more well versed in Arthurian lore and England's history will get more out of it than I did.

The protagonist is pretty unlikable, and the book has a lot of the sort of sexism you'd expect from a medieval setting, but at least at the end the hero is self aware enough to recognize he's potentially a villain.

It's a hard book for me to review because I can see the glimmers of what's behind the curtain even if I don't fully perceive what's backstage.

The narration by James Langton is quite good and matches the immediacy and abrupt nature of the writing.

[Missberet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fiction and off the chart fantasy mingle fantastically in the time of The War of Roses in Anthony Woodville, Lord Scales, eyes. Anthony has risen from a three day death on the side of Henry VI , later on the side of King Edward IV,and everyone is in wonder of what lies on the other side. There is nothing for him that resides in after life. His Mother, Jacqetta de St Paul is believed to be from fairy blood having story after story to tell. She was more of a seer that fortold the future through story telling. She had told a tale of murder that Anthony commits upon his sister's child,who is the Queen and wife of Edward. The fantasy of Anthony is that the stories of his villainy are possibly fictitious or true, yet the actual acts are not committed in reality. His closest friend Ripley an alchemist weaves his magic by bringing a head back to life to see the future which depicts accurate events. Story telling is passed on generation to generation and a few have been truthful, or fictions made-up. We can fantasize about people, places and things, yet what do we really know beyond what has been documented? That is where "Wonders Will Never Cease" comes in Rich in characters, rich in stories.....

[Greg Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was really enthralled with Irwin’s earlier work and I wasn’t disappointed with Wonders Will Never Cease.

The theme of the novel is the nature of narrative, the power of storytelling, and the question of where fiction ends and where reality begins. I enjoyed all the references to Malory’s Le Morte d’Arthur (Sir Thomas Malory is one of the characters), The Mabinogion, and other works in the literary canon. If some of the characters are closer to their Shakespearean depiction than their historical personas, then that’s part of the point. Characters become trapped in the narratives of others and these narratives take on a life of their own. The protagonist, Anthony Woodville, is buffeted about by the designs of various “narrators,” and the idea of free will seems like just another fantasy. As individuals, perhaps we are the sums of the stories told about us and the stories we concoct about ourselves.
I recommend this novel to those interested in literature and history, especially on how texts influence our beliefs and perceptions. Fans of historical fiction or fantasy may enjoy it, but it’s not a genre novel. Those interested in the conflicts and literature of 15th Century England will especially enjoy it.

[Margaret · Rating 1 out of 5]

I tried to get into this, I really did. It just never really happened. Parts of the book were interesting, and I kind of liked the bits about the difference between the stories told about someone, and the actual person. The whole book, though, had a kind of "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead" vibe, but without the humor.

I felt like the main character was so passive that I couldn't relate to him, and it kept taking me out of the story. I couldn't care about him enough to follow the rest of his journey. Too bad, because I did feel like the writing was enjoyable, and again, there were parts of it I liked. Just not enough to make up for what I didn't.

[Carl Barlow · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another erudite read from Irwin.

Set in the medieval period of British history, Wonders Will Never Cease seems to be about Story, and how it merges with Real Life, moulding and informing it, and how Real Life then moulds and informs Story, until the two are quite indistinguishable. It is a Historical Fantasy -though with a sharp leaning toward the Historical- presented in an almost documentary style (of the dramatised sort popular these days); it's almost stand-offish, endowing a dreamlike aura to proceedings that's entirely fitting.

And I only mean it as high praise when I say it reminded me a lot of Umberto Eco.

[Sarak77 · Rating 5 out of 5]

The medieval mindset in which the earth is 4000 years old and dog headed people exist on the other side of the world is brilliantly recreated in this novel, which tells the story of the Edward IV's reign through the eyes Anthony Woodville. The detached style and episodic nature is reminiscent of Le Morte D'Arthur whose disreputable author Sir Thomas Malory is one of the characters. It's fun spotting references to other literature of the period, but it doesn't detract from the book if you don't get them all.

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it, but beware, it is not as it is marketed. This isn't a traditional fantasy--it's more like epic storytelling, and by "epic" I mean "A long narrative poem written in elevated style, in which heroes of great historical or legendary importance perform valorous deeds". This isn't a poem, and it's style isn't really elevated, but it's also not "modern."

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a weird ass book that I got because Gaiman had commented on it. He tends to comment on weird ass books I find. It's an interesting book. It's fairly well written. I dislike the main character, but that's because of who he is rather than how he was written.

I liked to read it. Wouldn't read it again but you know, it was worth a good go through.

[Deodand · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good, with a dreamy quality. I don't normally like a book that floats between fantasy, folklore and the central plot. It takes skill to manage this, and at points the book does kind of disappear into its own navel. But bear with it, because the path becomes clear again and you can follow the protagonist knight on his weird journey.

[Caroline · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really, really tried to like this novel, but I just couldn't get past the first few chapters. The writing seemed stilted to me and the story disjointed. I think it tries to straddle the line between historical fiction and fantasy and never truly embraces either.

[Kim Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting and unusual book. I'm grateful for the tip from others here that the author intended it to evoke the style of a medieval chronicle. Understanding that helped me appreciate its tone, which I found rather eerily detached. But it works.

[Charlie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Odd

A rather unusual telling of a chunk of the War of the Roses, mixing historical details and characters with utter fantasy. Although knowing the history augments the story, I have no doubt a reader could enjoy it without that familiarity.

[Kelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

Couldn't get into the narrative style.