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Carolus Rex #1
The Shadow of Albion
Thanks to the magic of the dying Duchess of Roxbury, Sarah Cunningham is hurtled into a unstable alternative world--in which King Henry IX rules Britain, America never revolted, and Napoleon marches across Europe--where she joins forces with a royal spy, the Duke of Wessex, to rescue a missing princess. 20,000 first printing.
350 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1999
16 people are currently reading
440 people want to read
About the author
Andre Norton
696 books1,388 followersAndre Norton, born Alice Mary Norton, was a pioneering American author of science fiction and fantasy, widely regarded as the Grande Dame of those genres. She also wrote historical and contemporary fiction, publishing under the pen names Andre Alice Norton, Andrew North, and Allen Weston. She launched her career in 1934 with The Prince Commands, adopting the name “Andre” to appeal to a male readership. After working for the Cleveland Library System and the Library of Congress, she began publishing science fiction under “Andrew North” and fantasy under her own name. She became a full-time writer in 1958 and was known for her prolific output, including Star Man’s Son, 2250 A.D. and Witch World, the latter spawning a long-running series and shared universe. Norton was a founding member of the Swordsmen and Sorcerers' Guild of America and authored Quag Keep, the first novel based on the Dungeons & Dragons game. She influenced generations of writers, including Lois McMaster Bujold and Mercedes Lackey. Among her many honors were being the first woman named Gandalf Grand Master of Fantasy and SFWA Grand Master. In her later years, she established the High Hallack Library to support research in genre fiction. Her legacy continues with the Andre Norton Award for young adult science fiction and fantasy.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
October 11, 2023
A well researched and interesting book. True, sometimes descriptions of sartorial ingenuity can be a bit overwhelming, but that doesn't detract significantly from the flow of the book. There are several ex machina momnets, a few times characters seem extraordinarily lucky, but the supernatural part is very well written in, and it's a pleasurable reading over all.
December 7, 2018
The “Carolus Rex” series is set in a world in which James, Duke of Monmouth was recognized as the legitimate son of Charles II, the latter having married the Duke’s mother while living in exile. The restored Stuart King acknowledged this fact to his councilors and the Duke of Monmouth was crowned King Charles III upon his father’s death – instead of the late king’s ardently Catholic brother James (James II of history). But these first two books are set in the reign of King Henry IX of England, during the time of England’s confrontation with Revolutionary and Napoleonic France.
Strongly Protestant in religion and reportedly possessing his royal father’s famous charm in full, King Charles III holds England’s loyalty and faces down though does not entirely eliminate the threat from diehard Catholic English lords. He is succeeded in direct line by Charles IV, James II, Charles V, and Henry IX – all of the House of Stuart. With the Stuarts on the throne instead of the prickly Hanoverians, relations with the American colonies were given more consideration and revolution and separation have been avoided. America is now governed by a Lord Protector (Thomas Jefferson, Earl of Monticello) and the colonists have full representation in the London Parliament. As in Ireland, a line of American titles has been created – though likewise considered somewhat second-class. But the Stuart England of the widower King Henry IX must still contend with the revolution of 1789 in France and now in 1805 by the newly born Empire – and its martial emperor Napoleon I – and the threat from internal Catholic opponents also remains.
The authors have added a further, and for them familiar, spark to their mix – magic. While the great majority of their world’s population lives in a fashion familiar to historians of our world, Andre Norton and Rosemary Edghill have introduced a backstage war of the shadows that draws both on traditions of conspiracy and espionage from our world and added a further layer of the supernatural. Hereditary monarchs in their world rule with the acquiescence, allegiance, and support of a parallel magical world – a world that works in this one through individual practionners of magic as well as selected residents of this parallel world, reminiscent of Ireland’s Tuatha De Danaan. The usurper Napoleon has broken the bonds between the two worlds that serve to sustain rightful kings and kingdoms, thus depriving himself of the benefit of the powers of that world and made this magical world the natural if secret ally of Stuart England. Napoleon’s action also threatens the continued hidden existence of that magical parallel world as its ties to the real world are already dwindling in the face of modern science.
The first book is set in 1805. The armies of the Triple Alliance of Great Britain, Prussia, and Russia are in the field and the Royal Navy has benefited from the service of Admiral Lord Nelson. King Henry IX is hoping to seal an alliance with Denmark by marrying Crown Prince James Charles Henry David Robert Stuart to Princess Stephanie Julianna, Granddaughter of Denmark’s King Christian VII. This proposed marriage becomes the target of British and French efforts on the principle arena for these books – the realm of espionage, agents, plot, and counterplot. This allows for the introduction of the two main characters – Rupert St. Ives Dyer, Captain His Grace the Duke of Wessex and his fiancée, Sarah Marchioness of Roxbury.
The Duke of Wessex fits well within the model of English aristocratic literary adventurer heroes such as the Scarlet Pimpernel – elegant foppish aristocrat to the general public, a hard experienced secret agent of the King otherwise. The two families arranged his engagement to Lady Roxbury when they were much younger and there has been no rush to nuptials on either part. For her part, Lady Roxbury is even more an example of the high handed and high-living English aristocrat than Wessex at his most foppish. But her health has suffered and she is now reportedly near death – and this is when the magic comes in.
The human agents of that world of magic intervene and switch Lady Roxbury with her twin from a parallel universe – our world. Thus our world’s Sarah Cunningham of Baltimore, Maryland of the independent United States of American finds that her transatlantic voyage to Great Britain has brought her not to the home of distant English relations but instead to Mooncoign House, home of Lady Roxbury and her doppelganger in this world. There Sarah is now addressed as and recognized by all – save herself – as Marchioness Roxbury. But this Lady Roxbury has memories of life in a different world in which she lived in the wilderness with the Indians, learned to fire a rifle accurately, and was not the extravagant socialite of her reputation. Sarah’s efforts to cope with this duality and Wessex’s indecision about his engagement and his confusion over the true character of his fiancée represent the major nonpolitical story line. In a twist not yet fully explored in these two books, Sarah is more in touch with the world without being fully aware of its reach and importance, while Wessex displays a rationalist disbelief that is likely to be tested in future books as the deus ex machina of the magical realm intervenes in his war of the shadows activities.
The political story of espionage, plot, and counterplot would be recognized by Sir Walter Scott and Alexander Dumas. The cast of characters – minor and otherwise – that populate the two novels that so far populate the series include George Washington, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Talleyrand, the Marquis de Sade, the Dauphin, Nelson, Wellington, Andrew Jackson, and Jean Lafitte. Napoleon himself has not yet appeared as a character but as Emperor of the French is an overarching backdrop to the events that play out. The world of magic is mostly a backdrop to this story, intruding occasionally and only coming to the foreground at particular moments.
Born Alice Mary Norton in Cleveland, Ohio on February 17, 1912 in Cleveland, Ohio, Andre Norton began writing in the 1930s – first as Andre Alice and eventually just as Andre Norton. Her published work includes poetry, short stories, and novels – as well as collaborations with other authors that have dominated her recent published work. Andre Norton is generally considered a fantasy author; many of these works reflect her interest in history, as do her historical novels. Her collaborator and apparently the principal author of these books, Rosemary Edghill, has been writing since 1984, producing numerous fantasy, romance, and mystery novels under several pseudonyms. She is currently working on several different series of books, some in collaborations such as this with Andre Norton. A third novel in the series is reportedly under way but no publication date has been announced.
The two books constituting the series to date may be mildly diverting for the general reader of historical fictionbut are more likely to be of interest only to those students of the Napoleonic area who also enjoy fantasy and magic. One is tempted to suggest that in blending these three genres the authors may be presenting themselves with too great a challenge as they attempt to meet the potentially contradictory demands of each. Of course, the introduction of magic offers them a ready device for resolving such conflicts and the use they make of their historical characters – the Marquis de Sade for example as the Emperor’s Governor General of Napoleonic Louisiana – offers some entertainment.
Strongly Protestant in religion and reportedly possessing his royal father’s famous charm in full, King Charles III holds England’s loyalty and faces down though does not entirely eliminate the threat from diehard Catholic English lords. He is succeeded in direct line by Charles IV, James II, Charles V, and Henry IX – all of the House of Stuart. With the Stuarts on the throne instead of the prickly Hanoverians, relations with the American colonies were given more consideration and revolution and separation have been avoided. America is now governed by a Lord Protector (Thomas Jefferson, Earl of Monticello) and the colonists have full representation in the London Parliament. As in Ireland, a line of American titles has been created – though likewise considered somewhat second-class. But the Stuart England of the widower King Henry IX must still contend with the revolution of 1789 in France and now in 1805 by the newly born Empire – and its martial emperor Napoleon I – and the threat from internal Catholic opponents also remains.
The authors have added a further, and for them familiar, spark to their mix – magic. While the great majority of their world’s population lives in a fashion familiar to historians of our world, Andre Norton and Rosemary Edghill have introduced a backstage war of the shadows that draws both on traditions of conspiracy and espionage from our world and added a further layer of the supernatural. Hereditary monarchs in their world rule with the acquiescence, allegiance, and support of a parallel magical world – a world that works in this one through individual practionners of magic as well as selected residents of this parallel world, reminiscent of Ireland’s Tuatha De Danaan. The usurper Napoleon has broken the bonds between the two worlds that serve to sustain rightful kings and kingdoms, thus depriving himself of the benefit of the powers of that world and made this magical world the natural if secret ally of Stuart England. Napoleon’s action also threatens the continued hidden existence of that magical parallel world as its ties to the real world are already dwindling in the face of modern science.
The first book is set in 1805. The armies of the Triple Alliance of Great Britain, Prussia, and Russia are in the field and the Royal Navy has benefited from the service of Admiral Lord Nelson. King Henry IX is hoping to seal an alliance with Denmark by marrying Crown Prince James Charles Henry David Robert Stuart to Princess Stephanie Julianna, Granddaughter of Denmark’s King Christian VII. This proposed marriage becomes the target of British and French efforts on the principle arena for these books – the realm of espionage, agents, plot, and counterplot. This allows for the introduction of the two main characters – Rupert St. Ives Dyer, Captain His Grace the Duke of Wessex and his fiancée, Sarah Marchioness of Roxbury.
The Duke of Wessex fits well within the model of English aristocratic literary adventurer heroes such as the Scarlet Pimpernel – elegant foppish aristocrat to the general public, a hard experienced secret agent of the King otherwise. The two families arranged his engagement to Lady Roxbury when they were much younger and there has been no rush to nuptials on either part. For her part, Lady Roxbury is even more an example of the high handed and high-living English aristocrat than Wessex at his most foppish. But her health has suffered and she is now reportedly near death – and this is when the magic comes in.
The human agents of that world of magic intervene and switch Lady Roxbury with her twin from a parallel universe – our world. Thus our world’s Sarah Cunningham of Baltimore, Maryland of the independent United States of American finds that her transatlantic voyage to Great Britain has brought her not to the home of distant English relations but instead to Mooncoign House, home of Lady Roxbury and her doppelganger in this world. There Sarah is now addressed as and recognized by all – save herself – as Marchioness Roxbury. But this Lady Roxbury has memories of life in a different world in which she lived in the wilderness with the Indians, learned to fire a rifle accurately, and was not the extravagant socialite of her reputation. Sarah’s efforts to cope with this duality and Wessex’s indecision about his engagement and his confusion over the true character of his fiancée represent the major nonpolitical story line. In a twist not yet fully explored in these two books, Sarah is more in touch with the world without being fully aware of its reach and importance, while Wessex displays a rationalist disbelief that is likely to be tested in future books as the deus ex machina of the magical realm intervenes in his war of the shadows activities.
The political story of espionage, plot, and counterplot would be recognized by Sir Walter Scott and Alexander Dumas. The cast of characters – minor and otherwise – that populate the two novels that so far populate the series include George Washington, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Talleyrand, the Marquis de Sade, the Dauphin, Nelson, Wellington, Andrew Jackson, and Jean Lafitte. Napoleon himself has not yet appeared as a character but as Emperor of the French is an overarching backdrop to the events that play out. The world of magic is mostly a backdrop to this story, intruding occasionally and only coming to the foreground at particular moments.
Born Alice Mary Norton in Cleveland, Ohio on February 17, 1912 in Cleveland, Ohio, Andre Norton began writing in the 1930s – first as Andre Alice and eventually just as Andre Norton. Her published work includes poetry, short stories, and novels – as well as collaborations with other authors that have dominated her recent published work. Andre Norton is generally considered a fantasy author; many of these works reflect her interest in history, as do her historical novels. Her collaborator and apparently the principal author of these books, Rosemary Edghill, has been writing since 1984, producing numerous fantasy, romance, and mystery novels under several pseudonyms. She is currently working on several different series of books, some in collaborations such as this with Andre Norton. A third novel in the series is reportedly under way but no publication date has been announced.
The two books constituting the series to date may be mildly diverting for the general reader of historical fictionbut are more likely to be of interest only to those students of the Napoleonic area who also enjoy fantasy and magic. One is tempted to suggest that in blending these three genres the authors may be presenting themselves with too great a challenge as they attempt to meet the potentially contradictory demands of each. Of course, the introduction of magic offers them a ready device for resolving such conflicts and the use they make of their historical characters – the Marquis de Sade for example as the Emperor’s Governor General of Napoleonic Louisiana – offers some entertainment.
July 27, 2010
The Shadow of Albion is a alternative historical fantasy set in early 19th-century England. In this universe, Charles II was succeeded by his illegitimate son, the Duke of Monmouth, and thus the Stuarts have remained firmly entrenched on the throne; the French Revolution has happened, so Napoleon is in power, but America remains a British colony. The story begins when the dying Marchioness of Roxbury magically summons an alternate self (Sarah Cunningham, an orphan from Maryland) to replace her, catapulting Sarah into a new world of intrigue and power plays and into an arranged marriage with the Duke of Wessex, who leads a double life as a spy for King Henry IX.
This was an entertaining light read, with an intriguing plot and lively characters (particularly Sarah, whose new role of Marchioness is in constant conflict with her American upbringing and outdoors skills). As usual with alternate history, it's amusing (though not always convincing) to see how the authors have recast famous historical figures: Beau Brummell as valet to the Prince of Wales; the Marquis de Sade as a black warlock in Napoleon's service; and John Adams as a British diplomat. I could have wished for fewer sartorial details (a paragraph about practically every new outfit was far too much) and a little more humor, but The Shadow of Albion was enjoyable nonetheless; I'll be seeking out the sequel.
This was an entertaining light read, with an intriguing plot and lively characters (particularly Sarah, whose new role of Marchioness is in constant conflict with her American upbringing and outdoors skills). As usual with alternate history, it's amusing (though not always convincing) to see how the authors have recast famous historical figures: Beau Brummell as valet to the Prince of Wales; the Marquis de Sade as a black warlock in Napoleon's service; and John Adams as a British diplomat. I could have wished for fewer sartorial details (a paragraph about practically every new outfit was far too much) and a little more humor, but The Shadow of Albion was enjoyable nonetheless; I'll be seeking out the sequel.
January 13, 2011
This is a fantasy set in an alternate early 19th century England, in which the Stuarts still rule (Charles II having been succeeded by his son rather than his arrogant and pig-headed brother), and the Lord Protector of the American colonies is Thomas Jefferson, Earl of Monticello. This book is the first of a projected series whose intended length is unstated, but th e series title is Carolus Rex, which is suggestive: in this book, in 1805, the king of England is Henry IX, and his only son is Prince James.
But none of these characters are our protagonists. The book opens with Sarah Conyngham, Marchioness of Roxbury (a peer in her own right, apparently slightly more common in this world than in our own), dying of her own foolishness in getting soaked and spending another few hours enjoying herself rather than getting inside and getting warm and dry. Unfortunately, this England can't really afford to be without the Marchioness of Roxbury; the Old People still walk the land, and England's safety depends in part on the promises that exist between Roxbury and the Old People--and Roxbury at present has no heir to take up the responsibility. So a replacement Roxbury is needed, and one is found: one Sarah Cunningham of Baltimore, in the USA, from our world. With her parents dead, she has traveled to England to live with a distant cousin, and en route from Portsmouth to London she will be killed in a carriage crash.
Except that, of course, the dying Roxbury and her allies intervene, and the two Sarahs change places. With her own memory temporarily suppressed and a few of the late Marchioness's allies working to fill in her "memory" of the dead woman's life, Sarah Cunningham, with some bewilderment, takes up her new role.
That's the set-up. The plot, like the plots of many good regency novels, involves a plot: specifically, a plot by an ambitious Catholic lord to prevent the Prince of Wales' marriage to the Danish (and Protestant) Princess Stephanie, and instead marry him to his niece, thus bringing England back into the Catholic fold. There is, of course, also a parallel French plot (yes, Napoleon's career is much the same, in this world) to prevent the Danish marriage and draw Denmark into a French alliance, to become a platform for a French invasion of England. Prince Jamie is being encouraged by the Catholic plotters to resent the Danish betrothal and the Danish princess, and he also wants to have Adventures, specifically to go fight against the French--a prospect which naturally appalls the king, who doesn't have a spare heir handy. So in addition to forbidding any such hare-brained plans as joining the fighting, King Henry wants the Danish princess to have the right kind of social backing when she arrives, so that she won't become so socially isolated that Prince Jamie's resistance to the marriage gets popular support.
To that end, he wants one of the most influential women in society, the Marchioness of Roxbury, to be Mistress of Robes. For that, she has to be married. No problem; she's betrothed--a childhood betrothal--to the Duke of Wessex, who happens to be one of King Henry's most loyal men, and a covert agent of the Crown. (He's ashamed of being a spy, of course, being an honorable man and a creature of his culture, and even more ashamed of the fact that he enjoys it.)
Wessex and the faux Roxbury don't like or trust each other, and the fact that she has absolutely no memory of the formal renewal of the betrothal, which supposedly took place when she was sixteen, strengthens Sarah's previously weak and vague suspicions that something is very strange, and she's not who everyone thinks she is.
It's from this point that things start to get complicated. Recommended if you like regency novels.
But none of these characters are our protagonists. The book opens with Sarah Conyngham, Marchioness of Roxbury (a peer in her own right, apparently slightly more common in this world than in our own), dying of her own foolishness in getting soaked and spending another few hours enjoying herself rather than getting inside and getting warm and dry. Unfortunately, this England can't really afford to be without the Marchioness of Roxbury; the Old People still walk the land, and England's safety depends in part on the promises that exist between Roxbury and the Old People--and Roxbury at present has no heir to take up the responsibility. So a replacement Roxbury is needed, and one is found: one Sarah Cunningham of Baltimore, in the USA, from our world. With her parents dead, she has traveled to England to live with a distant cousin, and en route from Portsmouth to London she will be killed in a carriage crash.
Except that, of course, the dying Roxbury and her allies intervene, and the two Sarahs change places. With her own memory temporarily suppressed and a few of the late Marchioness's allies working to fill in her "memory" of the dead woman's life, Sarah Cunningham, with some bewilderment, takes up her new role.
That's the set-up. The plot, like the plots of many good regency novels, involves a plot: specifically, a plot by an ambitious Catholic lord to prevent the Prince of Wales' marriage to the Danish (and Protestant) Princess Stephanie, and instead marry him to his niece, thus bringing England back into the Catholic fold. There is, of course, also a parallel French plot (yes, Napoleon's career is much the same, in this world) to prevent the Danish marriage and draw Denmark into a French alliance, to become a platform for a French invasion of England. Prince Jamie is being encouraged by the Catholic plotters to resent the Danish betrothal and the Danish princess, and he also wants to have Adventures, specifically to go fight against the French--a prospect which naturally appalls the king, who doesn't have a spare heir handy. So in addition to forbidding any such hare-brained plans as joining the fighting, King Henry wants the Danish princess to have the right kind of social backing when she arrives, so that she won't become so socially isolated that Prince Jamie's resistance to the marriage gets popular support.
To that end, he wants one of the most influential women in society, the Marchioness of Roxbury, to be Mistress of Robes. For that, she has to be married. No problem; she's betrothed--a childhood betrothal--to the Duke of Wessex, who happens to be one of King Henry's most loyal men, and a covert agent of the Crown. (He's ashamed of being a spy, of course, being an honorable man and a creature of his culture, and even more ashamed of the fact that he enjoys it.)
Wessex and the faux Roxbury don't like or trust each other, and the fact that she has absolutely no memory of the formal renewal of the betrothal, which supposedly took place when she was sixteen, strengthens Sarah's previously weak and vague suspicions that something is very strange, and she's not who everyone thinks she is.
It's from this point that things start to get complicated. Recommended if you like regency novels.
January 24, 2008
This book took me a while to get the hang of, largely because it's quite heavy on the Napoleonic-era history & politics, which is hard to read in 1-hour lunch break chunks. It's an alternative history as well, so in addition to knowing something about that period--people, places, & alliances--you have to keep track of fictional people, places, & alliances. Very complex. Lots of fancy words, too!
Eventually, though, I started to figure out what was going on and was able to follow the main characters. You have Sarah Cunningham, who's on her way from Baltimore to London when the carriage she's riding in for the last leg of her journey has a very strange accident. When she wakes up, everyone around her is calling her "Marchioness Roxbury," and she's given some sort of drug until she can be brainwashed into believing it. Reason being, the real marchioness died too soon, and to save...the world, basically...Dame Alecto pulled an alternate Sarah from our reality into hers. Confused yet?
Then there is the Duke of Wessex, Roxbury's betrothed. He's a spy trying to prevent Napoleon from taking over England & Russia in addition to France, Spain, etc. He & Sarah have to wed though neither wants to, and there's some confusion when he thinks she might also be a sort of spy for the king. Throw in a kidnapped Danish princess, a plot to cause scandal by making the prince (British) fall for the niece of some very bad men, a foiled escape attempt, and a multi-player search for the Lost King of France, and, well, you won't be bored!
I read this book because Alternative History is this month's book group theme. I'm thankful for that because I really liked it, and I almost certainly wouldn't have read it otherwise. I just added its sequel, Leopard in Exile, to my to-read list. Hooray for the broadening nature of book groups! :)
Eventually, though, I started to figure out what was going on and was able to follow the main characters. You have Sarah Cunningham, who's on her way from Baltimore to London when the carriage she's riding in for the last leg of her journey has a very strange accident. When she wakes up, everyone around her is calling her "Marchioness Roxbury," and she's given some sort of drug until she can be brainwashed into believing it. Reason being, the real marchioness died too soon, and to save...the world, basically...Dame Alecto pulled an alternate Sarah from our reality into hers. Confused yet?
Then there is the Duke of Wessex, Roxbury's betrothed. He's a spy trying to prevent Napoleon from taking over England & Russia in addition to France, Spain, etc. He & Sarah have to wed though neither wants to, and there's some confusion when he thinks she might also be a sort of spy for the king. Throw in a kidnapped Danish princess, a plot to cause scandal by making the prince (British) fall for the niece of some very bad men, a foiled escape attempt, and a multi-player search for the Lost King of France, and, well, you won't be bored!
I read this book because Alternative History is this month's book group theme. I'm thankful for that because I really liked it, and I almost certainly wouldn't have read it otherwise. I just added its sequel, Leopard in Exile, to my to-read list. Hooray for the broadening nature of book groups! :)
April 11, 2014
Fiction is lovely when done right. And Andre Norton has entertained me since I was a young reader borrowing her books from the local library.
This story is a historical romance/fiction set in an alternate history where Charles Stuart II (King of England) announces that the Duke on Monmouth is actually his legitimate heir and so the Stuart's continue to rein instead of James (brother to Charles and Catholic to boot) taking the throne. In this alternate world America never breaks off from England as the Stuarts are better at keeping on friendly and reasonable terms.
Our main character is a girl from Boston from the real world who is drawn into this other world to replace a Duchess who is dying before fulfilling a promise that must be fulfilled. She has to figure out how to be an aristocrat without giving herself away. She also has to deal with being promised in marriage to the Duke of Wessex, our other main character. He, is busy leading a life of intrigue as a spy for the King during the time of war with France lead by Napoleon. He's not very familiar with the Duchess (they were betrothed when they were both children) and he's not really sure he wants to settle down and he does not want to give up being a spy to marry a silly woman whose main interests in life are parties and fashion.
Of course adventures begin that lead to our two characters getting caught up in intrigue and travel in this time of war as they begin to discover that the other may not be the person they thought they were.
This story is a historical romance/fiction set in an alternate history where Charles Stuart II (King of England) announces that the Duke on Monmouth is actually his legitimate heir and so the Stuart's continue to rein instead of James (brother to Charles and Catholic to boot) taking the throne. In this alternate world America never breaks off from England as the Stuarts are better at keeping on friendly and reasonable terms.
Our main character is a girl from Boston from the real world who is drawn into this other world to replace a Duchess who is dying before fulfilling a promise that must be fulfilled. She has to figure out how to be an aristocrat without giving herself away. She also has to deal with being promised in marriage to the Duke of Wessex, our other main character. He, is busy leading a life of intrigue as a spy for the King during the time of war with France lead by Napoleon. He's not very familiar with the Duchess (they were betrothed when they were both children) and he's not really sure he wants to settle down and he does not want to give up being a spy to marry a silly woman whose main interests in life are parties and fashion.
Of course adventures begin that lead to our two characters getting caught up in intrigue and travel in this time of war as they begin to discover that the other may not be the person they thought they were.
Read
February 20, 2010A Regency Romance with as many twists as Lombard Street.
This was evidently intended to be the 1st book in a trilogy--but Norton's death seems to've put an end to that plan.
I much prefer this to the second book, Leopard in Exile, which seems to wallow in grotesquerie and filth.
Ironically, this book is less violent than many of Norton's books--perhaps the need to conform (to some extent) with realism tempered the violence somewhat. There's still an argument that situations were more violent than they probably were. But I base my assessment of probability on my own comparisons between the hyped-up media version and personal experience. Can't do that in this case, since I only have the hyped-up media version.
Not to say there's no violence--just less than in Norton's other books. Early on, there's an argument that killing by spies in ambush is less honorable than killing in open battle. How so? I hark back to a comment by Peter Lorre in Arsenic And Old Lace: "In the end, the guy in Sydney was just as dead".
This was evidently intended to be the 1st book in a trilogy--but Norton's death seems to've put an end to that plan.
I much prefer this to the second book, Leopard in Exile, which seems to wallow in grotesquerie and filth.
Ironically, this book is less violent than many of Norton's books--perhaps the need to conform (to some extent) with realism tempered the violence somewhat. There's still an argument that situations were more violent than they probably were. But I base my assessment of probability on my own comparisons between the hyped-up media version and personal experience. Can't do that in this case, since I only have the hyped-up media version.
Not to say there's no violence--just less than in Norton's other books. Early on, there's an argument that killing by spies in ambush is less honorable than killing in open battle. How so? I hark back to a comment by Peter Lorre in Arsenic And Old Lace: "In the end, the guy in Sydney was just as dead".
September 29, 2013
By Andre Norton and Rosemary Edghill, though I suspect Edghill wrote most of it - it's not very stylistically Norton). Alternate-history adventure-romance with magic & lots of intrigue - fun stuff.
November 8, 2015
Interesting premise
May 22, 2025
I think I've remembered enough European history to enjoy the flavor of international intrigue; certainly not enough to appreciate the cleverness in the detailed alternate timeline. Anything combining the fantastical with the Napoleonic era will always have my attention, but by the end I found I'd come to anticipate too much from the fleeting glimpses of faery-type beings, Sarah's predicament of misplaced identity, and dire predictions of Bonaparte's world dominion, none of which are seriously addressed. A few minor mysteries are solved - the rest of the intrigue serves as background, alas.
Tangentially, I'm glad to know that there is (or was) an audience for this very particular mix. Classic portal story, but for those who are also curious about what would've happened if the Stuarts were never succeeded by Hanovers? A more Austen-esque approach to the Scarlet Pimpernel? The 90's/00's era fantasy continues to astound and amaze.
Tangentially, I'm glad to know that there is (or was) an audience for this very particular mix. Classic portal story, but for those who are also curious about what would've happened if the Stuarts were never succeeded by Hanovers? A more Austen-esque approach to the Scarlet Pimpernel? The 90's/00's era fantasy continues to astound and amaze.
August 7, 2018
A nice historical fantasy by a master. The flow is done well and the fantasy elements add to the story but do not overwhelm - a possible teaser for the following volume. The one drawback for me was the overlong descriptions of clothing styles which had me reaching for a dictionary to understand what each piece described was.
The setting is the Napoleonic Wars with the protagonist brought from our reality to another by her doppelganger in order to fight for freedom. She and the Duke of Wessex work on liberating Europe from Napoleon's rule and in the work discover they have been betrothed since childhood by their parents. The ending seems a bit of a reach, but well paced and intriguing.
The setting is the Napoleonic Wars with the protagonist brought from our reality to another by her doppelganger in order to fight for freedom. She and the Duke of Wessex work on liberating Europe from Napoleon's rule and in the work discover they have been betrothed since childhood by their parents. The ending seems a bit of a reach, but well paced and intriguing.
April 14, 2020
Very rich world, very well written, lots of layers and plenty of tribute paid to the tropes of Regency Romance. By and large, the characters were intriguing and well rounded and there were only a bare few "oh, you TWIT" moments that I have frequently in most Regencies. The magical elements seemed a bit less well-woven than the rest of the story, unfortunately, a bit slap-dash and inserted. There were just enough hints that it nearly worked. Instead they felt more deus ex machina while the real love and effort went into the political intrigue and plots and costume design. The romance, too, was slipped-in and unreal. But I still enjoyed it a lot and need to get around to reading the sequel.
April 25, 2022
I found the pacing of this book to be quite singular. It works in stops and starts and is the most driving within the last 50 pages or so. The magic could have been slightly further developed and the book probably could have been longer, but I truly enjoy the characters and wondered what would happen next at every stage. I love the fact that readers never feel trapped in one space throughout this novel, but truly have a feeling of traveling through different lands and environments.
December 3, 2017
Alternative timelines, alternative history, Magic and mysticism, the old people, even standing stones. Add a little romance set in the non-regency. Meet historical figures, in a whole new setting. Throw away what you know of history, decouple from rationality, and enjoy the romp and circumstances.
November 14, 2021
Вернулась к Нортон впервые с подросткового возраста и очень довольна. Андре пишет очень живо и увлекательно. Книга написана в жанре альтернативной истории, и я, с огромным удовольствием, гуглю имена героев в надежде, что смогу узнать что-то об их исторических прототипах. Мне так интересно читать про Наполеоновский период, что я в серьез думаю перечитать "Войну и мир" Толстого.
June 13, 2021
What if ...
The Stuart dynasty had continued after Queen Anne, and the Hanovers had never ruled England?
The American colonies had never revolted?
This is the alternate history that is the background of Shadow of Albion, an exciting historical fantasy set during the Napoleonic Wars.
The Stuart dynasty had continued after Queen Anne, and the Hanovers had never ruled England?
The American colonies had never revolted?
This is the alternate history that is the background of Shadow of Albion, an exciting historical fantasy set during the Napoleonic Wars.
August 5, 2022
Snatched by magic into an alternate universe, Sarah must regain her memories, rescue the Lost Dauphin, foil several Napoleonic plots against Britain, & fulfill her family oath to the Fae thru marriage to the Duke of Wessex.
May 23, 2021
I needed an alternate history for my library reading challenge. Not my genre, but a fun read. The historical Easter eggs were fun to watch for.
July 24, 2021
Such an interesting alternate history tale. I liked the development of the characters and the story. Hoping for another tale.
August 24, 2014
I really liked this book! It was different from what I usually read, but every time my mother gives me one of her British historical fictions, I always end up getting very engrossed. After reading the trilogy on Josephine Bonaparte, it was interesting to read a book from the other side, where Napoleon was reviled. There was plenty of legitimate history here as well as fiction, romance, intrigue, excellent prose, and a bit of fantasy/magic influence thrown in. It took me a long time to read as I only picked it up while I was eating breakfast or lunch, a few pages at a time, but that didn't mean I didn't enjoy it.
March 27, 2017
The thing about Andre Norton is that her books are so extremely easy to read that I usually forget them about 2 hours later. It has advantages: for example, I have no idea, how many times I've read The Shadow of Albion, but this time I also enjoyed it, as it was the first reading.
Still, like the rest Norton's books its lacking something meaningfull, that would make remember the book after I've probably read about three times.
Still, like the rest Norton's books its lacking something meaningfull, that would make remember the book after I've probably read about three times.
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March 13, 2016I enjoyed this book until about the mid point. By then I was ready to strangle both the female and male leads. Instead of sitting down and talking out their differences; they assumed that the other wouldn't understand what they were going through. While it is an interesting premise, I should have remembered that Ms. Norton and her writing partner have a hard time deciding whether they want to write a really good fantasy novel or a sappy romance.
March 9, 2008
Think The Scarlett Pimpernell as Chick Lit with a very small amount of faerie dust. Cute, nicely written, entertaining if predictable. If you are into historical fiction, this is a nice book. Don't expect anything heavy. The fantasy part is almost neglectable. It's mostly a tool to allow the heroine to be more heroic than she could have been in her time.
July 29, 2011
This book was not what I was expecting. I enjoyed the alternative histories, though at times the details became tedious. That being said, the alternatives presented are both very believable, and enjoyable. The characters are strong, but the plot itself is...not up to my standards. Still, a good read.
November 28, 2008
I found this book on my shelves recently and had no memory of it. So I re-read it, and I found only one character was familiar... and even him I might have had confused with a similar spymaster in another book.
Enjoyable, but I think I'm likely to forget it all over again.
Enjoyable, but I think I'm likely to forget it all over again.
July 12, 2010
While I really enjoyed the majority of this book (and Andre Norton's work in general) I felt the writing lagged toward the end. So far the sequel has also been fun but certainly not my favorite Norton.
October 16, 2010
Like most of Norton's works I found this fascinating. The regency setting and the alternative history were vividly created and masterfully described. At times the high levels of descriptiveness grew tiresome, but apart from that, an excellent book.
August 17, 2007
Pretty well written historical fiction. I can't remember muchof the story now but it wasn't a waste of my time.
November 27, 2007
read 06.04.06
January 30, 2010
Good, not great. Will read Book 2.
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