Ein tolles, actionreiches Buch.
Ich hätte gern mehr von der Sorte, ich hab es innerhalb einer Woche gelesen und fand die Pausen die ich zum Essen und Schlafen einlegen musste, störend.

I adore the character of Colonel Thomas Blood - so who could not reciprocate with his offspring!

A riotous adventure at the time of the Restoration of King Charles II. This is a period I am delving more into as a reader, and one that I am enjoying immensely. This will not be my last foray and I am looking forward to further exploits in the upcoming books.

This was definitely a book that sucked me into its world. Although it started off a little slow and confusing, at a certain point it grabbed me and wouldn't let go (I'll be honest the deadline for my NetGalley copy was also running out, so that might have helped).

The beginning of the story is a little bit of a puzzle. There are several narrators and I had some difficulty getting all of the characters and their relationships in order. Once I had that on lock, it was pretty much easy sailing.

I enjoyed Holcroft's story line the most. He is a little bit different from everyone else & takes big steps (and risks) to put his own life and the life of his friends and family back on track. He games the system, a system that would have definitely driven me bonkers, and I admire that punches up and tries to make things better for everyone.

This is a lot of action & mystery and I would recommend it to everyone.

Blood's Game is a great read. Looking forward to more by Angus Donald in the future.

Blood's Game by Angus Donald

It is 1670 and the Blood family is still reeling from the aftereffects of the Restoration of the monarchy 10 years before. Colonel Blood unfortunately fought for the Parliamentarians and, as a result, his Irish estates were given to the Duke of Ormande while Blood and his family were consigned to eking out a living in a cottage in Shoreditch, London. Blood is not a man to let such a thing go unavenged and his drive to destroy Ormande is his consuming passion. This means that Blood sees his family little, and supports them even less.

Blood’s young son Holcroft has few options. With no pleasure to be had at home he welcomes the opportunity to become a page of the Duke of Buckingham, Ormande’s great enemy. Holcroft might be little more than a bargaining chip in his father’s games but Holcroft accidentally discovers something he excels at – decoding ciphers. Promoted to confidential clerk, Holcroft finds himself in a position to observe the court of Charles II. And what a place it is. Ruled by sin and greed, here is a place for a young man to succeed, regardless of his past. His father the Colonel, however, has plans of his own and they could get them all killed.

Blood’s Game is the first in a new series by Angus Donald, whose Robin Hood and Alan Dale books have held me enthralled for years. With that series now complete, I’ve been waiting for what would come next. And it takes us to an entirely different period of history – the 17th century of the Restoration. But, as before, the line between wickedness and goodness is blurred and finding a path between the two is no easy thing to do. As with the Robin Hood books we here follow a character who could have been left to exist happily in the sidelines – in that case it was Alan Dale and here it is Colonel Blood’s young son Holcroft.

Holcroft is a fascinating character and not at all typical. As the afterword tells us, Holcroft has Asperger’s syndrome and this makes him stand out from those around him, including those he really should be trying to impress in order to get on in life. His attention to detail, his incredible recall and his inability to jest or to lie gets him into all kinds of trouble while also giving him opportunities to shine in the service of the thoroughly unappealing Duke of Buckingham. Unfortunately for Holcroft, he finds himself in a court ruled by sin, fierce rivalries and corruption. Watching Holcroft cope with that while also learning to play its game is a big part of the novel’s enjoyment.

The title is intentionally misleading. Colonel Blood’s plotting and his most infamous sting – his famous and historically true stealing of the crown jewels – do play an important role in the book but the games that give the novel its added edge and intrigue are those played out by Holcroft Blood.

Blood’s Game is a thoroughly entertaining historical romp, packed full of some brilliantly colourful characters. And chief among them is Charles II himself – I loved Charles in this novel! This is a man intent on enjoying himself but his run ins with his famous mistress Barbara Villiers are scene stealers. Wigged scoundrels abound in this novel – the Earl of Rochester doesn’t come out of this very well – but I particularly liked its women – Barbara Villiers, Nell Gwyn and also the playwright Aphra Behn. The fact that these extraordinary men and women existed in real life make it all the more wonderful to read about them here. No quarter is given. We get them warts and all. Especially with warts.

The only downside of the novel for me is Colonel Blood. I really disliked him and did not like spending the time with him, or the whole crown jewels escapade. But I do understand that this was an important part of setting up Holcroft for Blood’s Game and future books to come in the series. I hope we’ve seen the last of him. I could also have done without some of the swearing but I know that this is a thing of mine, that I’m particularly squeamish with certain words.

Angus Donald is a favourite novelist of mine (you only have to look at my list of reviews below!). I love the way that he fills history with colour, character and adventure. He writes so well and he creates people I want to read about and spend time with. Following the Alan Dale books was never going to be easy – how could it be? They’re spectacularly good – but I think he’s done a fine job with Blood’s Game, which has all the signs of developing into a future favourite series. Holcroft Blood is such a strong character and his future is an exciting one and I can’t wait to follow it as he takes us away from the court of Charles II and onto the battlefield.

Other reviews
Outlaw
Holy Warrior
King’s Man
Warlord
Grail Knight
The Iron Castle
The King’s Assassin
The Death of Robin Hood

Angus Donald increased my enjoyment of Robin Hood and I am now fascinated by the story of Thomas Blood, who as every school child knows, stole the Crown Jewels in Restoration England. This new series of books will concern the story of Holcroft Blood, 15 years old in this first story, who becomes a page to the Duke of Buckingham, and is promoted to confidential clerk, responsible for encrypting and decoding letters smuggled between England and France, thanks to his ' special' gift of being brilliant at maths and numerical codes, whilst being socially awkward, probably some form of Asperger's, in modern medical parlance. Whereas his father Thomas, is a ruffian, Holcroft is a gentle ,trusting soul and his inability to read people's moods and expressions will lead him into trouble. Holcroft desires peace and certainties in life, but finds himself constantly hiding from powerful enemies.
The atmosphere of the Royal Court is brilliantly realised, the extravagance and luxury contrasted with the life of the common people is stark and the intrigue and machinations of war is always present. Mistresses and bastard children alongside constant skirmishes with France and Holland depleted the Royal coffers and the author offers an intriguing and alternative explanation of why Blood was forgiven, rewarded and given a pension for stealing the Crown Jewels!! Was it Blackmail and was King Charles himself involved ?
This is the first book of a promised series of books about Holcroft Blood and his friend at court, Jack Churchill, who later became the Duke of Marlborough in what was a fascinating and extremely innovative period of history. Loved the period detail in this book , but am afraid that the descriptions of card play went way over my head,but both courts loved intricate games of chance, with huge fortunes being wagered and lost nightly.
A most enjoyable read, already looking forward to the next instalment. I have posted a copy of this review on Goodreads today.

Angus Donald is an amazing author - although this was my first experience of his books, it won't be my last - as this is certainly historical fiction at its best!

The year is 1670 and Colonel Thomas Blood is no longer a man of standing, having fallen on hard times. He's a fighting man, very much at home on the battlefield, and will do whatever it takes to survive, morals don't enter the equation, though he prides himself on being a man of his word. His latest escapade involves stealing the Crown Jewels on orders from higher up, but he risks not only his own life (the crime is punishable by hanging) but also the lives of his family.

His son Holcroft, has acquired employment in the service of the Duke of Buckingham, an extremely powerful man, one of the most powerful men after King Charles II. However, the court of King Charles is a dangerous place, a place where men scheme and plot to secure England's future. Holcroft, to his dismay, discovers exactly how dangerous his new employment is, when a betrayal by his employer the Duke of Buckingham, leads him to exact revenge. He too is prepared to take risks just like his father, and the pair find themselves in a very precarious position.

OMG this was a glorious read - the court of King Charles II was legendary for its debauchery, treachery, lies and deceit, but of course it makes for a fascinating, compelling tale, and I would recommend it without reserve, it's an absolute gem!


*Thank you to Netgalley and Bonnier Zaffre for my ARC in exchange for an honest review*

Blood's Game is the first in a new historical fiction series from a proven master of the genre. After the brilliant Outlaw chronicles, which came to an immensely satisfying conclusion last year, Angus Donald has jumped through the centuries to the court of King Charles II.

This new book follows the exploits of notorious rouge Thomas Blood and his young son Holcroft. Its a story full of political intrigue and statecraft, clever wit and cunning subplots. The main story follows Blood's attempts to steal the Crown Jewels. This story in itself is so fantastical that you wouldn't believe it was true for one moment. That it is just adds to the thrill of the story.

Holcroft's parallel story follows his life in the employ of the Duke of Buckingham and events surrounded a bumbling monarch.

Its such a hugely enjoyable tale, non-stop action from the first page to the last. Moreover it makes a change to read a book set in 1670's London that doesn't follow the fallout of the plague and the Fire. Donald's London is believable and real, wonderfully written.

And finally, I loved the little throwback to the Outlaw chronicles with the addition of one of Sir Alan's descendants!