I was hoping the writing would improve with the second book in this series, but it didn't. Grammar mistakes, grammar and storyline inconsistencies, as well as misspellings made this novel not as enjoyable as it could have been.
The story of the trip to the Welsh borderlands, the little village his father was born and the ensuing mystery was interesting, yet only the final few chapters were really gripping. Eventually I was glad when I reached the last page.
Would not have finished had this not been part of my Litsy-A-to-Z challenge. ( )

This was SO slow, not half as interesting as the first in the series. ( )

All talk is of the End-time...and the dead are rising. At the end of the sunless summer of 1560, black rumour shrouds the death of the one woman who stands between Lord Robert Dudley and marriage to the young Queen Elizabeth. Did Dudley's wife, Amy, die from an accidental fall in a deserted house, or was it a calculated murder?

Even Dr John Dee, astrologer royal, adviser on the Hidden and one of Dudley's oldest friends, is uncertain. Then a rash promise to the Queen sends him to his family's old home on the Welsh Border in pursuit of the Wigmore Shewstone, a crystal credited supernatural properties. With Dee goes Robert Dudley, considered the most hated man in England.

They travel with the entourage of a London judge sent to try a sinister Welsh brigand with a legacy dating back to the Battle of Brynglas, in which close to a thousand Englishmen died at the hands of the Welsh. After the battle, many of the bodies were, according to legend, obscenely mutilated. Now, on the same haunted hill, another dead man has been found, similarly slashed. Devious politics, small-town corruption, twisted religion and a brooding superstition leave John Dee isolated in the land of his father...

Not having read the first in the series I was at a slight disadvantage but thoroughly enjoyed this tale of occult magic,folklore and religious shenanigans in the Welsh borderlands. John Dee is an excellent character; alchemist and astrologer but also a truth seeker, puzzled and enlightened by turns. Nobody does decaying, haunted places with a violent history better than Rickman, as his stand alone novel December [bc:December|1780366|December|Phil Rickman|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1188233306s/1780366.jpg|1779119] showed. Bloody, gruesome and very good fun ( )

In this second book of the acclaimed historical series featuring Dr. John Dee - Queen Elizabeth's personal astrologer, and esteemed expert on matters of the occult - Tudor court intrigue, murder and the practice of the dark arts abound. England during the sixteenth century is rife with talk of the end-times...and the dead are rising. And John Dee must discover if one of his closest friends may have had sufficient motive to commit murder. However, devious politics and small-town corruption; as much as distorted religion and a sense of brooding superstition, leave Dr. Dee and his traveling companions isolated in the land of his father.

At the end of the sunless summer of 1560, dark rumor and base innuendo shrouds the death of the one woman who stands between Lord Robert Dudley and marriage to the young Queen Elizabeth. Did Lord Dudley's wife, Amy, die from an accidental fall in a deserted house, or was it actually an act of calculated murder? Even Dr. John Dee, royal astrologer and adviser on the Hidden, as well as one of Lord Dudley's oldest friends, is uncertain. Then a rash promise to the Queen sends him to his family's old home on the Welsh border on a quest to find the Wigmore Shewstone, a crystal credited with supernatural properties.

Traveling with Dr. Dee is Robert Dudley, perhaps the most hated man in England. They travel with a judge sent from London to try a sinister Welsh brigand with a legacy dating back to the time of the Battle of Bryn Glas. This was a battle in which close to one thousand Englishmen died at the hands of the Welsh. According to legend, after the battle many of the bodies were obscenely mutilated. Now, on this same haunted hill, another dead man has been found, similarly slashed.

In my opinion, this plot was certainly very intriguing; the story was well-written and strongly researched, and I'm pleased to have read it for that reason. This book is very historically accurate, and the age-old enmity between the Welsh and the English is obvious. If you are interested in learning more about Wales, then this is definitely the book to read.

I found that this book was definitely heavy reading - there were just so many characters to keep straight, and so many parts that those characters played in the mystery - that I had trouble remembering everything. This is definitely not a 'two-minute' reading style mystery - it is intricate and involved - and I found that I had to concentrate inordinately hard on it as I read this book. I think I've read some books by this author in the past, although I can't remember which ones. I would give The Heresy of Dr. Dee a B+! In my opinion, while this was certainly not my favorite book, it was still well worth reading. ( )

I've been a Phil Rickman fan for a couple of decades, and the Dr. Dee books (of which there are now two) are not as strong as the Merrily Watkins books or his straight horror novels from the 90's. That said, there is no such thing as a "bad" Rickman book. If you are especially interested in the back-story of Merrily's border country (by which I mean the way-way-back-story--500 years or so), you're likely to love this novel and its predecessor. Rickman really does his research, and everything here is loosely based on recorded fact. The places and people are real and the framing events, at least, are taken from history. Rickman's ability to weave actual historical people and events into a suspenseful and well-crafted supernatural/spiritual thriller is truly impressive. Rickman never disappoints, but for new readers, I would recommend starting with The Wine of Angels or December. ( )