Review: The Scarlet Lion

The Scarlet Lion by Elizabeth Chadwick
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The Scarlet Lion, sequel to The Greatest Knight, follows William Marshal and his family now that he is married and a noble landowner rather than just an honorable knight navigating the shark-infested waters of Medieval politics. The political skills he learned as a knight come in handy, but his own life is no longer the only one at stake, and family fortunes change as quickly as kings in this time period.

This book deserves a 5 star rating. It's amazingly written historical fiction - well-researched, accurate as far as what is known about the people and time, and well-imagined as to what is not known. At the same time, it's written in a way that makes me care about the people and what happens to them. I had my heart in my throat with fear for William and his family, and loathed King John for his jealous vindictiveness. He really made my blood boil. And since the story had to stick to history (and I didn't know how it was going to end), I was more afraid for William than I would have been if it was strictly fiction. Imaginations are often not as cruel as reality can be, and I often feared the worst.

So I'm rating this 5 stars even though I can't say I enjoyed it. My ratings are usually based on my enjoyment while reading, but this one is in a different category - it is so well written that any emotional discomfort I experienced pales beside my awe at the way Chadwick brought the people and time alive enough to make me feel so terrified for them.

It was a great book, but I was relieved when it released me. History is a scary thing to resurrect, especially the brutal Middle Ages. I can handle the violence of battles where the greatest fear is merely a bloody death, but the political knives being stabbed into the hearts of our heroes and heroines are not for the faint at heart. And yet somehow I know I'll be back for more of Chadwick's works, willingly letting myself be run through the wringer again. They're that good.

(Review updated 7/29/2014)

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