The French Executioner

Rating:
Summary: Not too good
Review: I would lie if I confirmed much value to this book, but I would also lie if I said I didn't like it. It's a fun book - a page turner. It keeps you going.

It takes place with the execution of Anne Boleyn, where she requests her executioner to bury her six-fingered hand for her, because it could be used as a weapon, after he kills her. Unfortunately, the hand is taken away from the Executioner, Jean Rimbaud, by Archbishop of Siena. He goes through many adventures which at the time can get very wearsome, because after all there is no substance to the book except the confusingly-worded fighting scenes. It took me a while to get used to Humphrey's language in the fights.

Nontheless, it is obvious much search went into this piece and The French Executioner is much better and more interesting than its sequel, The Blood Ties. But at the times, Humphreys' language can bother you because his style is not chiseled nicely. It sounds too dry he does not have a smooth way to revealing evidence. Sometimes he forces things too obviously and awkwardly. He should learn on how to make things flow nicely.

In conclusion, this was not supposed to be some highly intellectualy analysis of Anne Boleyn and the era, but another bad attempt to cover up a movie script proposal. All I can say is that this book can never be made into one movie (maybe a LotR trilogy or a mini series) because the plot is too lenghty and complicated and climaxes are not put in the right places.

Rating:
Summary: An original historical mystery but difficult to read
Review: It is the intention of C.C. Humphreys to write more of an adventure novel filled with "swashbuckling and derring-do" rather than a true historical novel. There is, nonetheless, much research that went into this epic work. However, the sheer size of the book weighs down the excessively lengthy plot.
In 1536, Anne Boleyn, wife of Henry VIII, is to be beheaded. The King brings over from France a renowned executioner to do the job properly. Jean Rombard is the executioner. Anne, just prior to the execution asks one favor of Jean-- that her hand (the one with six fingers) is buried at a sacred crossroad in France. Jean agrees but an eyewitness, Archbishop Giancarlo Ciba, sees him cut off the hand and arranges that Jean be robbed and left for dead. Jean, remembering his oath to Anne, is determined to get back the hand and bury it at the sacred location. The rest of the book concerns his quest to fulfill that promise.
C.C. Humphreys admirably attempts to write a novel reminiscent of THE THREE MUSKETEERS. However, in spite of his attempt to concentrate more on the entertaining side of the story, he seems to get bogged down in the historical detail. There are many parts of the book that will remain with the reader long after the book is closed-- such as the humanity and tragedy of Anne Boleyn's execution or the scenes aboard a warship in which the main characters are slaves relegated to rowing. The plot is multifaceted and quite complex. Yet, the story does not move smoothly enough through the many pages. The end result is a book that is overall difficult to read yet filled with impressively written episodes. It is, nonetheless, an original work.