The Pretender: A Novel

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A sweeping historical novel in the vein of Hilary Mantel and Maggie OFarrell set during the time of the Tudors ascent. The Pretender tells the story of Lambert Simnel, who was raised in obscurity as a peasant boy to protect his safety, believed to be the heir to the throne occupied by Richard III, and briefly crowned, at the age of ten, as King Edward VI, one of the last of the Plantagenets.

In 1480 John Collans greatest anxiety is how to circumvent the villages devil goat on his way to collect water. But the arrival of a well-dressed stranger from London upends his life forever: John is not John Collan, not the son of Will Collan but the son of the long-deceased Duke of Clarence, and has been hidden in the countryside after a brotherly rift over the crownand because Richard III has a habit of disappearing his nephews. Removed from his humble origins, sent to Oxford to be educated in a manner befitting the thrones rightful heir, John is put into play by his masters, learning the rules of etiquette in Burgundy and the machinations of the court in Ireland, where he encounters the intractable Joan, the delightfully strong-willed and manipulative daughter of his Irish patrons, a girl imbued with both extraordinary political savvy and occasional murderous tendencies. Joan has two paths available hermarry or become a nun. Lamberts choices are similarly stark: he will either become king or die in battle. Together they form an alliance that will change the fate of the English monarchy.

Reviews

The Wars of the Roses are always ripe for storyand Jo Harkins turn to historical fiction looks like itll be catnip for Tudor/Plantagenet fanatics like myself. Following the little-known true story of a boy raised first as a humble country squire before discovering he might well be the secret heir to Richard IIIs throne, it should be a ripping adventure. Booklist (starred review)

"This razor-sharp historical is on par with Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall." Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Author Bio

JO HARKINs first speculative fiction novel, Tell Me an Ending, was released in March 2022 in the United States and May 2022 in the UK. She lives in Berkshire, UK.