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Sun Bride Gillian Bradshaw 9780727866417 Books

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Sun Bride Gillian Bradshaw 9780727866417 Books

I have ALWAYS loved Gillian Bradshaw: it's a shame that I had to wait and find this as a discard from a library. It should have been made available like all of her other books, here in the USA. She does her best when she creates her settings in the ancient/forgotten world. I've been reading her since *The Hawk of May* in the early/mid 1980s --- and would highly recommend her to anyone curious to explore the past.


Tags : Sun's Bride [Gillian Bradshaw] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. <DIV>Spring, 266 BC. When Isokrates, helmsman of the Rhodian warship Atalanta, encounters a pirate vessel off the Lycian coast,Gillian Bradshaw,Sun's Bride,Severn House Publishers,0727866419,AMERICAN HISTORICAL FICTION,FICTION Fantasy Historical,Fantasy,Fantasy - Historical,Fiction,Fiction - Fantasy,Fiction-Historical,GENERAL,General Adult,United States

Sun Bride Gillian Bradshaw 9780727866417 Books Reviews

The Sun's Bride Gillian Bradshaw writes great historical fiction. My favorite book of hers so far is "The Sand-Reckoner," about Archimedes, but "The Sun's Bride" is also a fabulous read. I don't know anybody since Mary Renault who comes up with such interesting characters and plots set in ancient Greece.
Isokrates is helmsman of the Rhodian warship Atalanta, which encounters pirates off the Lycian coast during a training voyage. When they rescue a beautiful musician, Dionysia, who proves to be the ex-mistress of King Antiochos of the Seleucid Empire, Isokrates, his master Aristomachos, Dionysia, and the city of Rhodes are plunged into a world of intrigue and warfare between the three Hellenistic empires.

It's reasonably entertaining, and I liked the naval bits, but like most of her more recent work (with the possible exception of _Dark North_), it's simply not up to earlier novels like _The Beacon at Alexandria_ or _The Sand-Reckoner_. For one thing, it's quite short and doesn't give enough room to go into anything in-depth; the characters are engaging but don't linger in my mind, and the plot is overly simple, when there should have been lots of room for more complexity. It's a shame, because she's chosen an interesting time period not often written about in historical fiction, but I really wish she'd give herself more scope.
Having read most of the author's books (although not all of them), I tend to disagree with the statements made by some other reviewers (on the US site, I think) about books being not as good since the author has changed publisher or about this one being not among the best. To a large extent, different reviewers have different personal opinions and preferences. I found that this one was one of Gillian Bradshaw's best, mainly because of its originality in several respects.

The period chosen - the middle of the third century BC (BC 246) during the time of the Hellenistic Kingdoms - is certainly an original one, and this remains so, even after Christian Cameron has started writing his novels on Alexander and his Successors. The particular context, the second Syrian War, opposing the Seleucid King to Ptolemy, the Egyptian one, is mostly unknown by the so-called "general readers" and its specifics remain the preserve of a handful of specialist scholars and lovers of the Hellenistic Age. The trigger of these Syrian Wars between the two rival kingdoms, which were renewed at each generation until Rome put an end to them, was control of so-called Coele Syria, where the caravans arriving from the East, but also from Yemen, would arrive. It was also a strategic buffer zone for each Kingdom. Whichever of them controlled them was that much closer to the other Kingdom's capital (Antioch and Alexandria) and that much more able to threaten it and march on it if (or rather when) the next round of warfare started.

This book is set as the second Syrian War is just about to start, with the tensions building up as two of the superpowers (The Lagides of Egypt and the Seleucids of Syria and Asia) are just about to clash. The third power and Kingdom, Macedonia, which also dominates Greece and Thrace, is watching closely and, as was usual in armed clashes between Hellenistic Kings, wondering about which side would it be more advantageous to back. Caught between the juggernauts about to go to war were all the smaller Greek city states, including the maritime democracy of Rhodes. Rhodes lived essentially thanks to its extensive maritime trade. For Rhodes, keeping shipping safe and ensuring that the seas were free from piracy was absolutely essential, and such a war could be disastrous to it, especially if it lasted and might be forced to take sides. This is something that is clearly shown in the book.

Then we have the hero. He is eminently sympathetic, partly because this author's heroes often are and partly because he comes from a relatively modest background. He is no superhero and displays no overconfidence, although, as a ship's helmsman in the Rhodian fleet, he is as skilful as it goes. Once again, the author's magic has come into play, with Isokrates appearing so human, with his qualities and limitations, as to appear and feel realistic and "real". I won't bother going through the whole cast of characters and will limit myself to stating that while some may be better than others, none are "cardboard characters.

Then we have the ships, the naval scenes, and the naval battles in particular. Here again, the book is rather superb and the author has clearly done her homework and well-researched the topic. In particular, the particular type of ship used by the Rhodian to "search and destroy" pirates (the triemiola) is perfectly well described, with its advantages over other ship types, including lighter ones used by pirates and heavier "ships of the line", used by the navies of the Hellenistic Kingdoms.

The only piece which was not exactly original was the romance. Even this was nice, however, with the book ending relatively well and without any need for overabundant sex, gore and violence that some authors feel absolutely oblioged to come up in regular and large doses.

I could go one, and on, at the risking of being an complete bore and spoiling the story. This would be perfectly unnecessary as it should be already quite clear that, for me, this is a five star book.
I am a huge fan of Gillian Bradshaw's historical fiction, and always enjoy her books, but I have to say that the titles she has published since she moved publishers to Severn House have not been as solid as some of her earlier novels. One of the problems is that they are shorter than some of her earlier books, and the stories just don't develop enough. On the other hand, her characters are as engaging as ever, and there is no writer to match her for evocation of a far off time and place (here, the ancient maritime power of Rhodes).

Four stars really is a little bit high for this particular book, but I would still recommend it as a more than reasonable piece of historical fiction.
I love all of Gillian Bradshaw's historical fiction. Her characters are always very human and compelling. I read her books in one sitting and The Sun's Bride was no exception! Despite having no knowledge of maritime maneuvers, I was able to comprehend and envision the battles on sea and all the characters that created this amazing story. My favorite is still Beacon of Alexandria and The Sand-Reckoner, but I was definitely not disappointed with this book.
I love Bradshaw's historical novels for their intelligence. You feel like you have learned something about a period along with enjoying a story. The historical aspects never feel unrealistic or superficial. While not one of my favourites of the author (I am a dedicated fan), still a good read and I have re-read it since I first bought it always a good sign, don't you think??
I have ALWAYS loved Gillian Bradshaw it's a shame that I had to wait and find this as a discard from a library. It should have been made available like all of her other books, here in the USA. She does her best when she creates her settings in the ancient/forgotten world. I've been reading her since *The Hawk of May* in the early/mid 1980s --- and would highly recommend her to anyone curious to explore the past.