Fools & Mortals by Bernard Cornwell
Bernard Cornwell always does brilliant historical fiction, and this novel doesn’t disappoint, on the whole. Set in the Elizabethan period and in particular in a company of theatre players led by William Shakespeare. The company are struggling, and rivals are trying to steal Shakespeare’s newest play. Richard is trying to convince his brother William, to give him a male part in the next play, as he is tired of playing the female lead. The main body of the story is based around the performance of 'A Midsummer Night’s Dream', being rehearsed to celebrate the marriage of the Lord Chancellor’s daughter.
Rivalries, intrigue, and love all play their parts, but although well researched and written, as this book is, I didn’t find it quite so good a read as earlier books, although it is entertaining.
The book is also interesting, with lots of information about Elizabethan England, and the birth of the theatre, and how the first playhouses were built, but, I think on the whole I have preferred his Viking, or Sharpe series. Perhaps there will be other books in this series in so I will reserve judgement, sometimes you just need to get used to the new characters and period, and then be as much in love with this series as the previous ones. Thanks to Net Galley for letting me read it.

Fools and Mortals tells the story of of the rivalry of the London theatres in the last year's of Elizabeth I, a time that was a renaissance for British theatre. It's told from the point of view of Richard Shakespeare, the younger brother of a reasonably well known playwright called William. In this world whoever performs a play can claim ownership, and many are not averse to claiming others work as their own.

This is the first Bernard Cornwell book I've read (I know.... ridiculous.....where have I been?). It's not that his other books didn't appeal, it was just by the time I'd catch on he'd be on part 4 of some saga. So when I saw this, and set during my very favourite historical period I was very excited. And it didn't let me down. This is a good old fashioned adventure story, full of thievery, villainy, heroics,romance and a fair bit of cross dressing. It's a pretty light read which is a good thing - it's not an overly long novel but somehow still transports you to 1600's London. In other reviews I lament novels that are too long, stretched out as if the reader will feel hard done by than less than 400 pages when in fact we'll more likely hate a story that is stretched. This is an example of how to make every word count, Every page tells and adds to the story. A sheer pleasure to read.

Fools And Mortals is a departure from Bernard Cornwell’s usual genre of historical warfare and epic adventures. Instead he takes the reader to the Elizabethan era, one of his favourite periods in history, when William Shakespeare was establishing himself as an up-and-coming playwright in London. As one of the shareholders of the ‘Theatre’, his playhouse, Will and his entourage of actors perform plays to a rapidly growing audience. Until recently most actors toured the country and could perform the same play at every town they visited, but due to the growing popularity of this kind of entertainment, new playhouses were springing up bringing in its tow a shortage of plays and actors.

Will had been joined by his younger brother, Richard, who had run away from Stratford-upon-Avon when he was only 14, expecting Will to take him under his wing. Sadly, Will had shown him little brotherly love. It is Richard’s story that is the focal point in this historical fiction. Although Cornwell has based Fools And Mortals on actual historical figures and events, he then blends them with his own imagination. As there is very little information on Richard Shakespeare, Cornwell has had the freedom to be creative with his character. As the story unfolds, Richard who is now 17, having hitherto played female characters (which are paid a lesser wage than their male counterparts), now yearns to play a man, to be allowed to grow a beard and essentially earn a living wage. But there are other experienced actors in this company of players, jostling for the plum roles and Will seems reluctant to favour him. Richard knows that he will face penury if he cannot make that leap to a higher level. From time to time he has stolen to keep his head above water, but this is a crime punishable by death.

Will’s entourage comes under the auspices of Lord Chamberlain who is Queen Elizabeth’s cousin, but they have enemies - Her Majesty’s Pursuivants, nicknamed the Percies, whose job is to hunt down and root out those Roman Catholics who would slaughter the Queen and take England back to the Roman Church. The Percies are Puritans who view plays and actors as a den of corruption and want to close them down. Both Lord Chamberlain and the Queen are patrons of the Theatre, but the Queen needs her Pursuivants as she is nervous of being overthrown by Catholicism.

Lord Chamberlain’s granddaughter is getting married and a special production must be performed for the wedding day. Will has written A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Romeo and Juliet and now the characters must be cast. But intrigue and treachery between the rival playhouses and the bully boy tactics of the Pursuivants thicken the plot and Richard takes on a very dangerous, even foolhardy mission. Spurred on by a moment of heroism, perhaps because a young maidservant has caught his eye, but also to prove to himself and others that he has come of age, he attempts a daring feat. Cornwell always thinks of an historical novel as having two stories, the big story which is the background picture and the little story as the suspense content. He is a master storyteller and Fools And Mortals combines a wonderful balance between darkness and light, tension and humour, coldness and romance. His deft characterisation favours a flawed hero. His fastidious research into the historical detail of the day reveal the dangers, dog eat dog survival and filthy conditions of London during this period. His knowledge and love of Shakespeare is evident and the dialogue is powerfully evocative of the era.

I would recommend this book to anyone who loves historical fiction and Shakespeare. Many thanks to Netgalley, Harper Collins UK and to Bernard Cornwell for an advance copy of the eARC in return for an honest review.

8/10

If you’d have said I would have enjoyed a book about the trials and tribulations of actors in the 16th century and the complexities of writing, producing and performing a play then I would have quite easily said you were full of something. However, I requested this book more because of who wrote it than what it was about and went in without being overly excited about it caught me from the off and was a surprise hit with me!

I was waiting for some sort of major turning point; like Shakespeare actually being a sentient being from another planet or a serial killing rogue eliminating actors from the play. But nothing like this happened. Nothing major happened at all really. Sounds a little dull but the way Cornwell weaves the tale and makes the 16th century come alive made the book flow on by without me ever noticing. I actually wanted to know how the production of A Midsummers Night Dream would turn out and what troubles there would be along the way. Whether the actors would get through the situation and pull it off or whether Shakespeare was just a flash in the pan (well I guess I knew the answer to that).

There is some heavy backstory to this without massive info dumps. It just flows along nicely adding information to the tale and fleshing it out. Without it the story would fall flat. The main characters are fleshed out nicely without it being overdone but some of the minor characters aren’t developed too much.

There is a little bit of a slower section in the back third after some exciting stealth action and the ending wasn’t explosive but more a nice end to the tale (which is probably perfect for this story). It may not be an era that Cornwell has looked into much previously but the research he’s done here is clear to see and makes this one to pick up. Highly recommended.

Sorry, but I could not get into this book. I found myself reading page after page and just not knowing what I had read as I had switched off. I am sure lots of people will find the period of interst as well as the storyline, I myself wanted to read the book after reading the synopsis, but it just did not hold my interst. Sorry!!

I really struggled with this, I'm an avid Bernard Cromwell fan, however this just didn't grab my attention like his other novels.

I can’t comment on how much of a departure this is for Bernard Cornwell as this is the first book of his that I’ve read. What I can say is that I loved this book, that Bernard Cornwell is a great storyteller and if the rest of his books are like this I’ve found a ‘new’ favourite author! I was quickly drawn into the complexities of life in the Elizabethan theatre.

It’s just the sort of historical fiction that I enjoy, bringing the past to life, with drama and an interesting cast of characters. I’ve read a few non-fiction books about the Elizabethan era and about William Shakespeare but I knew nothing about Richard Shakespeare, his younger brother. William doesn’t come across as a very likeable character, particularly in the early part of this book. Richard is longing to play a male role, but so far has only been given female roles and there is little brotherly love between them. Richard is persistent though, determined to make William see that he can play a bigger role.

It’s 1595 and the players are rehearsing a new play, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, to be performed at the wedding of Elizabeth Carey, the daughter of the Lord Chamberlain, Lord Hunsdon (the patron of the Lord Chamberlain’s Men). I loved all the details of the rehearsals, the rivalries between the actors, and the competition with other theatre companies in London – the Swan in Southwark is under construction and Francis Langley, the producer, is looking for both playwrights and actors. As Richard seems to be getting nowhere in persuading William to give him a better and a male role he is tempted to leave the Lord Chamberlain’s Men when Langley offers him a job, providing he will steal two of his brother’s new plays. There’s also the added problem of the Puritan opposition to the theatre, looking for hints of heresy, papists and to bring to justice traitors who would kill the Queen.

I like Cornwell’s Historical Note in which he gives an account of the development of the professional theatre in the late 16th century. In 1595 Shakespeare’s company played at the Theatre in Shoreditch – the Globe was a later building, built in 1599. The playhouses were large and could accommodate around 2,000 people (the new Swan theatre around 3,000 people), comparable to today’s largest theatres in London, or New York. The puritan opposition meant that all the playhouses were built outside the City of London’s boundaries. And it was Queen Elizabeth’s patronage and that of the nobility that saved them.

He goes into much more detail too – about the structure of the playhouses, the plays and other entertainments they performed and most interesting – to me anyway – whether the companies used a director, using for evidence the production of Pyramus and Thisbe, the play within a play in A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

I was spellbound by the whole book, complete with a love story, jealousy and intrigue in abundance.

Many thanks to the publishers for a review copy via NetGalley.

Another excellent book by Bernard Cornwell. A different era but still well researched and well written.
I devoured this in one sitting on a rainy Sunday. Wish I’d drawn it out now!

Easy to read, fast-paced, everything you'd expect from Bernard Cornwell. The setting was well portrayed and meticulously researched.

A hugely enjoyable, almost entirely fictitious, romp through Shakespearean England narrated by Richard, Will’s brother. The plays are brought to life by Richard’s descriptions of performances and the book is clearly well researched in respect of how early theatre worked. It would be 5 stars except that I found there to be quite a bit of repetition. We’re told several times, for example, how ceruse mixed with crushed pearls makes the skin white and shimmering. That’s probably being a bit picky though as I raced through it and found it highly entertaining.

The Epilogue is another chapter in itself in which Cornwell gives more detailed information about the early theatre and its plays. If you’re interested in this period, I strongly recommend the excellent Futurelearn course from the University of Warwick, Shakespeare and his World.

Thanks to Harper Collins UK and NetGalley for a free review copy.

I have long been a fan of Bernard Cornwell's Sharpe series and as this novel sounded interesting (and has a great first line) decided to give it a go. I wasn't disappointed. Cornwell brings the same level of historical detail to this novel as he does his other works, making for a rich setting. This time that setting is Elizabethan and our 'hero' is Richard Shakespeare - William's younger brother.
A feel good historical romp of a novel with a likeable main character, this is well worth a read.

As I have come to expect from Cornwell, this was a well written and well researched book that shed new light on Shakespeare. It tells the story of the Lord Chamberlain's Men as they prepare for a performance at the wedding of his granddaughter, while also dealing with the threat of the Percy's, who hunt down Catholics. The pacing and tone of this book were pitch perfect for me. There is just the right amount of threat and levity to ensure the narrative moves along well without ever becoming too bogged down in any one aspect. The characters are well drawn and you really get a sense of the time, in terms of small historical details that Cornwell does so well. I particularly enjoyed the enmity between the two Shakespeare brothers that speaks to sibling rivalry throughout the ages. That being said, there were a couple of areas that I thought became a little bit repetitive and could have been shaved down a bit, but overall, this is a fun and interesting read and Cornwell has once again demonstrated his skill with a new historical setting for him.
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

There is a disturbing revelation at the heart of Bernard Cornwell's new book 'Fools and Mortals', one that must be addressed. The book claims that A Midsummer Night's Dream and Romeo and Juliet were written by William Shakespeare of Stratford-upon-Avon. A bold and in contemporary literary circles possibly a unique attribution. However, if you are willing to embrace this unusual theory you will be richly rewarded by a story that moulds a compelling depiction of late sixteenth century London from the blood, mud, and carrion that pollute its plague-infested streets.
The date is 1595, the scene London at a time when, against all argument, huge theatres have grown like mushrooms from the dunghills that surround the outskirts of the city. Between the 1580's and the Civil War, between the outbreaks of plague and the censure of the Puritan city authorities a new form of mass entertainment has become pre-eminent. Given the unlikely and tenuous emergence of public theatre how more unlikely and improbable was the emergence of a writer from relatively humble stock who would exploit this brief interlude and leave such a rich legacy thanks to the survival of the majority of his work, published in the First Folio.
'Fools and Mortals' focuses on Richard Shakespeare who has followed his brother to London and is struggling to earn a living playing female roles in the Lord Chamberlain's Men. Richard is at an age when he will soon be too old to play women and his frosty relationship with William cast doubts over his chances of forging a career on the stage. Across the river, a new patron is building a huge theatre, the Swan. He has gold, he has a playhouse, what he needs are new plays as the permanent theatres in London play to the same audiences each week and generate a constant demand for fresh material. The manuscripts of two new plays by William Shakespeare lie in a locked box at the Theatre, what lengths will the new Swan company go to in the pursuit of these literary treasures and what lengths will the theatre-hating Puritan city authorities go to in their attempts to close the theatres so full of professional dissemblers.
To bring this dark and violent, yet thrilling world to life is a great achievement and Bernard Cornwell is a master at conjuring past worlds without burdening the reader with evidence of the hours of research necessary to produce credible historical fiction. It's a rattling good story full of dark intrigues and bloody violence. My only reservation is whether it will appeal to an audience that is so loyal to the military adventures of Sharpe and Uhtred. There seems to be a strong aversion to Shakespeare that will have to be overcome, but I'm sure if readers give 'Fools and Mortals' a chance they will enjoy the thrilling journey through the dark byways of Tudor England.

I haven’t read a Cornwell book since reading a couple of Sharpe novels about twenty years ago when at university. I loved them, but with so many books to read and so little time to devote to reading for pleasure, I forgot how good an author Bernard Cornwell was and moved onto new genres.
I loved this book, as I enjoy anything to do with theatre and revel losing myself in London in the Elizabethan era. It was also delightful to be reminded after twenty years of what a great author Bernard Cornwell is and how I believe he could make any subject so very interesting.
I would highly recommend this to anyone with an interest in Elizabethan London, the theatre or Shakespeare (but don’t let this put you off if you’re not a fan of his work). I would suggest that die hard fans of Mr Cornwell approach it with an open mind and understand that this is a departure from his normal type of book, but his flair for writing and passion for his subject matter shine through as always making it a must read for all fans in my view.

I can see how readers would love this book and I did find that it was well written. I just found it a bit too boring. It seemed as though there was not enough of a story to keep me reading though the descriptions of what was happening was good.
The book is set in the time of William Shakespeare's theatre.

A departure for the author and although it is an interesting era, it lacked a real spark to keep you turning the pages. Interesting that it is told from Shakespeare's brothers perspective and the setting you know will be factual up to a point given the author's knowledge and research.

I had never read anything by Bernard Cornwell, but since my dad is quite a fan I was eager to try this one when the opportunity arose.

The setting is the Elizabethan theatre and the players are players.
Meet Richard Shakespeare, Will's brother who is an actor in the same theatre company. Richard is fed up with and getting too old for playing the women's roles in their pays and wants to establish himself as a male role actor. Getting the better male parts would not only allow him to cut his hair and grow a beard, but would also pave the way to a more steady income, not unimportant when you're thinking about marriage. Richard's tale gives us a behind the scenes tour of Shakespearean theatre. We witness the rehearsals, the costumes, learning the lines, the power play between the players and the different theaters. This all against a backdrop of Elizabethan politics and religion, Pursuivants and priests.

In the first chapters I was afraid the research would be a bit to prominent as it sometimes is in historical novels. I can imagine it must be hard to leave out the historical tidbits of information and detail you have unearthed. However, the story quickly took over and was thoroughly enjoyable.

Be prepared for mulled ale, branding, snow, swords, traitors, and a bear.

I have never read a Bernard Cornwell book before, so I now have the pleasure of reading his back catalogue. This book tells the story of Richard Shakespeare, brother of William. The reader is plunged into life in Elizabethan days, complete with the fear of being found to be believing in the 'wrong'religion'. The descriptions of the horrors of living in cold, damp lodgings make you shudder but pulls you in to the book.
This is one of the most well-written books that I have read this year & has reminded me why I love English history!

If you look up Bernard Cornwell you find a fascinating story and an astonishing number of books written over the past 40 years: according to Wikipedia he moved to the USA to be with his wife, but had no Green Card, so began writing novels because he could do it without a permit and needed to make some money. Well that sounds easy.

But he was obviously born to the trade, writing adventure historical novels – famously his Sharpe novels (which became a very successful TV series) following the fate of the eponymous soldier during the years of the Napoleonic wars.

I’d never read any of his books: this new one was set in Elizabethan England, with William Shakespeare as a main character (place, era and people that I love to read about), so when I was offered a copy I thought it was time to try him out. And I loved this book – fantastic historical research, wonderful characters, and an exciting plot.

The story revolves round Richard Shakespeare, brother of the more famous Will, a junior member of the Lord Chamberlain’s acting company: he’s fed up with playing women, he’s unsure about his future, his brother is mean to him. And so is nearly everyone else.

Richard wanders round London: rehearsing plays, visiting their rich patron, courting a young woman, getting involved in politics, religion and a rival theatre company. There are missing scripts and heretical books, hidden priests, jealous rivals and dastardly villains. You could never predict where the next bit of jeopardy and excitement was coming from, and which were the main plotlines – and I thought that was excellent.

The historical research is first-class: very detailed and convincing, covering areas that maybe don’t feature so much in most historical novels – but at no point did it feel shoehorned in, or as if the author (or his researcher) was showing off.

The main performance featured in the book is Shakespeare’s Midsummers Night Dream, and this is beautifully done with great descriptions.



There is a lot about the theatre costumes, which was also very fascinating to me.

The book is full of violence and jeopardy, and some rather horrible details of Tudor life – but it is also full of warmth and humour (it is very funny) and something of the essential goodness of people – and the violence and blood never go too far. I knew Cornwell would be a good story-teller, but I thought his style might not be for me. But I was very impressed, really enjoyed the book, and hope that this might be the start of another series – the man surely can squeeze out another couple of Shakespeare books amongst his endless other output?

The top picture is Henry Carey, Baron Hunsdon, from his Wikipedia entry.

The costumes are from A procession of Characters from Shakespeare’s plays, a picture by an unknown artist. It is held at the Yale Center for British Art and is used with their permission.

I have said before that searching for Midsummer Night Dream fairies on Google Images conjures up a wonderful picture of the world, and of the fairies of the past 400 years... the third picture is a tiny corner of such a search.

There is more on Shakespeare all over the blog – click on the label below – and quite a lot just on Midsummer’s Night Dream.

I really loved this book. It was very well written, it felt very authentic, and it was a great story. Set in Elizabethan London, the story is of Shakespeare’s brother, the birth of the theatre and the plays written for these new venues. I haven’t read a book by Bernard Cromwell before as I didn’t think I would like them. This was said to be a departure from his normal style but I am now planning to read more of his work. The writing was excellent.