Rebels and Traitors

One of the stories from the bestselling historical fiction Falco series Set against the terrible struggle of the English Civil War and the dark plots of the Commonwealth, Rebels and Traitors tells of soldiers, adventurers, aristocrats and kings, tradesmen, politicians, radicals and scavengers - and the hopes and dreams that carried them through one of the most turbulent eras of English history. Men who never imagined fighting a war gladly risk their lives; women strive to keep families and businesses together through years of deprivation; innocents are caught up in bloodshed and terror. After years of struggle Gideon Jukes and Juliana Lovell, on opposite sides of the Parliamentarian/Royalist divide, are brought together by fate on one of the significant dates of the struggles and its aftermath. After adversity and loss, their mutual attraction may one day bring the comfort and companionship for which they both have yearned through a disastrous war. But a dark shadow lurks over them and even in peace the past is not far behind. Rebels and Traitors is an absolute epic masterpiece, poignant and convincing characterisation and razor-sharp historical realism.

About the Author :
Historical novelist Lindsey Davis is best known for her novels set in Ancient Rome, including the much-loved Marcus Didius Falco series, although she has also written about the English Civil War, including in 2014 A Cruel Fate, a book for the Quick Reads literacy initiative. Her examination of the paranoid reign of the roman emperor Domitian began with Master and God, a standalone novel, leading to her new series about Flavia Albia, set in that dark period. Her books are translated and have been dramatized on BBC Radio 4. Her many awards include the Premio Colosseo (from the city of Rome) and the Crime Writers' Cartier Diamond Dagger for lifetime achievement. Most recently she was awarded the City of Ubeda Historical Novel Prize, also for lifetime achievement.

Review :
Every now and then along comes an historical novel with such scope and ambition that it takes your breath away...So it is appropriate that Lindsey Davis's monumental English Civil War epic, Rebels and Traitors, is billed as the equivalent of Margaret Mitchell's American blockbuster Gone With The Wind ... Rebels and Traitors is as much an informative history lesson as a gripping historical novel and Davis spares us none of the terrible realities of this disastrous war - the slaughter of innocents, the break-up of families, the shattered dreams and the desperate struggle to survive. A magnificent evocation of time and place Davies is a prolific and popular writer, with a wide following for her thrillers set in the classical world. This is something different, large-scale and very ambitious. The word "epic" is overused, but this book deserves it. Davies never forgets that this is not the "English" civil war, but a conflict fought in Wales, Ireland and Scotland as well ... Her research has been assiduous and detailed, her commitment to the subject is impressive, and the background detail is often eye-opening.