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Invincibilis: A William Occam Mystery
Avignon, 1328: Charged with heresy by the corrupt Pope John XXII, Friar William Occam—Doctor Invincibilis—will soon face the inquisitors’ pyre unless other attempts on his life dispatch him first. As he awaits the inquisitors’ verdict, he discovers a secret that could change Europe the fate of England’s deposed King Edward II. Occam’s secret could determine who reigns over England and France, and whether the pope can keep the papacy in Avignon, free of the clutches of the Holy Roman Emperor. Friar William must decide whether to strike a bargain with the man he despises above all others—Pope John himself—or attempt to escape from Avignon. As he weighs his decision, he wonders what has become of Lady Eleanor de Clare, the woman his vows forbid him to love.
INVINCIBILIS traces the convergence of two signature events of the 14th the overthrow of the English King Edward II (including recent revelations surrounding his purported murder) and William Occam’s heresy trial in Avignon, France. Occam has never appeared in a work of fiction, though he served as inspiration (along with Sherlock Holmes) for William of Baskerville, the hero of Umberto Eco’s great postmodern novel THE NAME OF THE ROSE. INVINCIBILIS includes appearances by Baskerville himself and also William Wallace (“Braveheart”) and Francesco Petrarch, the founder of the Italian Renaissance. INVINCIBILIS should appeal to murder mystery aficionados as well as readers of medieval history and anyone interested in the distant origins of contemporary intellectual life.
INVINCIBILIS traces the convergence of two signature events of the 14th the overthrow of the English King Edward II (including recent revelations surrounding his purported murder) and William Occam’s heresy trial in Avignon, France. Occam has never appeared in a work of fiction, though he served as inspiration (along with Sherlock Holmes) for William of Baskerville, the hero of Umberto Eco’s great postmodern novel THE NAME OF THE ROSE. INVINCIBILIS includes appearances by Baskerville himself and also William Wallace (“Braveheart”) and Francesco Petrarch, the founder of the Italian Renaissance. INVINCIBILIS should appeal to murder mystery aficionados as well as readers of medieval history and anyone interested in the distant origins of contemporary intellectual life.
360 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 13, 2022
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April 8, 2023
For anyone who enjoys Umberto Eco's The Name of the Rose, Invincibilis is a worthy extension of that poetic historical fiction epic. In fact William of Occam, our title character, is a pupil of that Eco's William of Baskerville, and the ambience and overall feeling of this novel is the same.
Harmon's writing is beautiful, though that beauty may wear thin if you absolutely need lots of action in your books. There are thrilling moments but there aren't many. This book is a simmer, not a boil.
Historical fiction has an interesting challenge to it, in that the author has to properly guess at the audience's level of familiarity with a period of time or set of historical characters and build their own story on top of that foundation. I found it almost impossible to get into Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall because I didn't have the requisite English education to avoid nearly universal confusion, but this book strikes a perfect balance.
Harmon's writing is beautiful, though that beauty may wear thin if you absolutely need lots of action in your books. There are thrilling moments but there aren't many. This book is a simmer, not a boil.
Historical fiction has an interesting challenge to it, in that the author has to properly guess at the audience's level of familiarity with a period of time or set of historical characters and build their own story on top of that foundation. I found it almost impossible to get into Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall because I didn't have the requisite English education to avoid nearly universal confusion, but this book strikes a perfect balance.
Displaying 1 of 1 review