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A commissioned but
self-penned review
or
'Own-trumpet voluntary'
as demanded and then not used by The Surrey Advertiser
To
Build Jerusalem by John Whitbourn.
Published by Victor Gollancz Ltd. (Cassell Group) 1995.
Hardback £ 15.99 ISBN 0 575 05871 4
Paperback £ 5.99 ISBN 0 575 05873 0
Probably the first ever Science-Fiction book set in Guildford (and surrounding
villages) !
This novel is part of the same 'altered history' as John Whitbourn's
prize-winning book A
Dangerous Energy which was awarded the 'BBC First Fantasy Novel' award in
1991; though To
Build Jerusalem stands alone as a story in its own right. Readers will enjoy
the dramatic scenes set in familiar places and maybe boggle at the
Guildford-of-another-history depicted. For instance, at one point the (walled)
Town is besieged and Guildford Castle (no mere ruin as in our time, but fully
garrisoned and functional) goes 'missing', to reappear in a remarkable role. The
effect is to make the familiar strange and after reading this book a walk round
our homely streets will never seem the same again.
In this world 'Good Queen Bess' died 'early', a 'Queen Mary II' welcomed the
Spanish Armada ashore, Guy Fawkes got spectacularly lucky (and was made Saint
Guy for his pains) and the Reformation is just a disreputable footnote in
history books. The Church has returned and presides over a peaceful
'Christendom' stretching from the Americas to Muscovy. However, under the placid
surface, malign forces now rise to the surface ....
One morning in 1995, whilst on a state visit to Guildford, Charles IV ( 'King of
England, Wales and Cornwall, Protector of Mannin and the Isles, Patron of the
Jerusalem and Jaffa Citadels' ), disappears into thin air whilst processing up the steps of 'Holy Trinity
Cathedral'. His courtiers and guards and the Cathedral steps go with him! A well
prepared armed revolt breaks out in the chaos that ensues. 'Adam', one of the
Vatican's trusted military elite, and a ruthless fanatic, travels to England to
investigate, granted full powers to settle the troubled English realm once and
for all. With the aid of a patriotic-Guildfordian (and witness to the King's
departure), Fred Pelling, Adam soon discovers that the threat is not just to one
nation or religion, but to mankind and the earth itself.
All action and yet with deep undercurrents, this novel recommends itself to fans
of fantasy and the 'what-ifs' of history, and those interested in seeing their
home town in a (very) different light. Also, books set in Guildford aren't so
thick on the ground that we can ignore those that do come along! (Guildford Book
Festival please note) The author comes from a long established local family and
his previous books, such as A
Dangerous Energy and Popes
& Phantoms, have attracted high praise from The Times and other
reviewers. He has also written the locally set series of 'Binscombe Tales'
supernatural stories. These have appeared in the UK, USA and Europe and were
published in a two-volume
collected form in 1998 and 1999.
******
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