Heresy

By: S. J. Parris

Narrated by: John Lee

Masterfully blending true events with fiction, this blockbuster historical thriller delivers a page-turning murder mystery set on the sixteenth-century Oxford University campus.Giordano Bruno was a monk, poet, scientist, and magician on the run from the Roman Inquisition on charges of heresy for his belief that the Earth orbits the sun and that the universe is infinite. This alone could have got him burned at the stake, but he was also a student of occult philosophies and magic. In S. J. Parris's gripping novel, Bruno's pursuit of this rare knowledge brings him to London, where he is unexpectedly recruited by Queen Elizabeth I and is sent undercover to Oxford University on the pretext of a royal visitation. Officially Bruno is to take part in a debate on the Copernican theory of the universe; unofficially, he is to find out whatever he can about a Catholic plot to overthrow the queen. His mission is dramatically thrown off course by a series of grisly murders and a spirited and beautiful young woman. As Bruno begins to discover a pattern in these killings, he realizes that no one at Oxford is who he seems to be. Bruno must attempt to outwit a killer who appears obsessed with the boundary between truth and heresy. Like The Dante Club and The Alienist, this clever, sophisticated, exceptionally enjoyable novel is written with the unstoppable narrative propulsion and stylistic flair of the very best historical thrillers.

Was it a boring story, a bad narrator or a both

I won't be listening to more of this series, even if the story is passable, because the narrator was so irritating that I almost stopped several times. I was very surprised to find out that John Lee is an award winning voice actor because I found his reading off putting. His staccato delivery made him sound like Mr. Sulu doing a bad impression of himself. I kept seeing the Enterprise instead of Oxford in my head. And his Italianate voice for Bruno was just plain annoying, when his wasn't drifting in and out of it. I was surprised to read that Lee is English. I would have sworn he was an American doing both a bad British and Italian accent. The story was okay. I might have rated if higher if I had read it rather than listened to it. But I never really warmed to Bruno and I didn't accept the killers motivation for such grisly crimes.

Great atmosphere

Elizabethan Oxford, sixteenth century, political/religious conflict, and in sweeps the very real and humane Giordano Bruno. I loved his flaws and his ability to navigate in a world that he knows is full of hidden dangers. I thought John Lee was superb with the accents and the tone. Enjoyed this very much. It was not as dense as it sounded and I found it easy to step into and hard to walk away from.

Wonderful listen!

Right up front, let me say that I would listen to John Lee read just about anything. He is a wonderful narrator, never hitting a wrong note with accents, phrasing or emotion. His voice is a world treasure. Heresy is a perfect vehicle for John's voice. He does all the accents well and the characters are completely distinguishable as he reads. The book is a medieval mystery--well written and slightly gory. I will look forward to the next part of the series, especially if Mr. Lee is the reader.

well researched

I enjoyed this book. as a student of the history of science and the life and writings of Giordano Bruno, I found very little to quibble about.

Gripping

Bruno is a different kind of sleuth. He is less interested in the mystery than he is in science. Lucky for him the two are intertwined in this complicated plot. The historical details are many but put forth to involve the reader rather than to weigh the story down. It has a few slow spots but overall I enjoyed the book and the narration very much. I would read more by this author