LoveReading Says
LoveReading Says
A slightly improbable historical novel of a novice monk accused of stealing a holy relic – a saint’s hand. He finds refuge with pirates and a great adventure ensues. Equally enjoyable to readers of fantasy, it is light and fun and, I believe, the beginning of a series.
Similar this month: None.
Comparison:
C C Humphreys,
Martin Stephen,
Ellis Peters.
Sarah Broadhurst
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About
Relics Synopsis
England, 1235, and Brother Petroc is living a simple life as a novice monk. Struggling to keep his soul fairly clean and worrying most about resisting the local girls, he inadvertently stumbles headlong into vicious trap. Framed by a sinister Templar Knight for a brutal murder of a church official and accused of the theft of a priceless relic, he is forced to run for his life. But when his best friend Will is killed by the chasing knight, Petroc's flight becomes a quest for restitution.
Trusting his fate to an enigmatic relic-hunter and scoundrel, he must dodge the long arm of the church and somehow get to the bottom of everything that has happened to him. He must find out how his fate is entwined with that of the sacred object and get revenge on the man who wrecked his life - all the while avoiding the pitfalls and perils of love for a beautiful Greek princess...
About This Edition
ISBN: |
9780752881249 |
Publication date: |
4th January 2007 |
Author: |
Pip Vaughan-hughes |
Publisher: |
Orion Publishing Co |
Format: |
Paperback (b Format) |
Pagination: |
368 pages |
Series: |
Unholy Relics |
Primary Genre |
Historical Fiction
|
Other Genres: |
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Recommendations: |
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Press Reviews
Pip Vaughan-hughes Press Reviews
'An impressive debut, with vivid period atmosphere, colourful personalities and stirring action.'
Susanna Yager
SUNDAY TELEGRAPH
'It's a pleasure to discover something so fresh and gripping.'
NEWMARKET JOURNAL
'Vaughan-Hughes portrays Petroc's adventures with lip-smacking relish, conjuring up a colourful cast of pirates, cut-throats, scoundrals... all things considered he has a whale of a time. And by and large, so do we.'
YORKSHIRE EVENING POST
'A picuresque tale of strange lands and dark deeds with Petroc as it's appealing hero... the action scenes are exciting, the turns of the plot unpredictable and the Knights Templar is a deliciously nasty villain.'
HISTORICAL NOVELS REVIEW
Author
About Pip Vaughan-hughes
Pip Vaughan-Hughes grew up in South Devon. He studied medieval history at London University and later worked as a reader for a literary agency when he wasn't dabbling as a bike messenger, saxophonist, food critic, gardener and restaurant owner. He now lives in Devon with his wife and children.
Below is a Q & A with this author.
What's the first book you remember reading?
Comet in Moominland by Tove Jansson.
What's the greatest influence on your writing?
The complete joy I felt when I first learned to read. I'm still intoxicated by it.
Where do you write?
In a makeshift office in an upstairs hallway.
Typewriter, word processor or pen?
My trusty imac.
Name your favourite literary hero and villain.
My favourite villain is Pinkie in Graham Greene's Brighton Rock.
Hero? Possibly Moomintroll.
Where were you born and raised?
Born in London; raised in South Devon.
What is your philosophy for life?
Death or glory!
Did you enjoy school? What is your most vivid memory of your school years?
I alternately hated and tolerated school. My most vivid memory is of being told off in front of the entire school for shuffling my feet in line-up when I was five years old.
What educational qualifications do you have? Have you had any formal tuition in creative writing? If so, where and what? Did you find it useful? I have a degree in history. I don't have any formal writing training and I doubt it would have been useful to me, due to my general bloody-mindedness about being told what to do.
Did you always want to be an author? If not, what did you originally want to be and when and why did you change your mind? I think I did always want to be an author. I vaguely wanted to be in films but experience very rapidly put me off. Now I can see my previous mess of a worklife as being a strangely logical prelude to writing.
Name your top five pieces of music.
'narchy in the UK' by The Sex Pistols, Five Last Songs by Richard Strauss, The Kids Are Alright by The Who, Heroin by The Velvet Underground and Billy's Bounce by Charlie Parker.
Who do you most admire and why?
All the people I know who've had the courage and the strength of will not to sell out.
If your house were burning down, what would you save?
My family.
What is the most embarrassing thing that has happened to you?
Many and various, but getting fired from the BBC for swearing is an innocuous starting point.
How do you write each novel, i.e. do you block out the narrative first, take each page at a time, create the central character, build a cast of characters? I start with a story in my head, begin to write scenes that interest me, and use that momentum to create the narrative.
More About Pip Vaughan-hughes