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Historical fiction

Lucille Turner

“Books are a uniquely
portable magic”
–  Stephen King

Winner of the Hislibris award 2012 for historical fiction

Gioconda

Historical Fiction

A solitary child, Leonardo’s only intimate is Lisa Gherardini, the girl who spies on him in his workshop. Spurned by his tutor, he is sent by his despairing father to Florence as an apprentice. But success requires sacrifice and conformity, and Leonardo’s gift is more of a heresy than a vision. Forced to leave Florence, he places himself at the mercy of the power-thirsty Duke of Milan… ​

From the glittering court of the Medici to the mortuaries of Milan, Gioconda vividly imagines Leonardo’s lonely struggle to convince others of his vision of the world.

2017 WINNER OF BRONZE AWARD FOR BEST EUROPEAN FICTION, INDEPENDENT PUBLISHER BOOK AWARDS

The Sultan, the Vampyr and the Soothsayer

Historical Fiction

When Vlad Dracula is taken hostage with his brother by the Ottoman Sultan and his guards, even the palace soothsayer, the shrewd teller of fortunes, is unprepared for what he learns…

An epic tale of two fathers and their sons; a compelling story of prophecy and intrigue at the fifteenth century palace of the Ottomans and a fictional exploration of the myth of the vampire.

The Financial Times

“Turner brilliantly captures the political instability of 15th-century Florence and the religious dogma & social conventions…”

The Historical Novel Society

“With a multifaceted narrative, diverse characters, and stunning historical detail, this book is completely absorbing.”

Easy Living

“Lucille offers a fresh & intimate perspective on da Vinci’s life …From the first page she draws the reader in with such a natural easy style…”

England and France, Old Friends or New Enemies?

Recent fishing disputes over the access of French fishermen to British waters for their seafood have heated up relations on both sides of the Channel. Ever since Brexit, the relationship between France and England has been tense, with the idea of England ‘having its...

MONARCHY AND POWER – THE RIGHT TO RULE BRITANNIA

Over the past two hundred years most monarchies in the western world have died out, some violently, as in France and Russia, others more peaceably as in the case of Spain. Those that still remain – ancient dynasties such as the Danish Royal Family – keep a relatively...

The War on Covid

The Coronavirus pandemic we are currently experiencing has been described by politicians as a war, as if the virus was out to kill as many of us as possible, but this is a little misleading. Viruses do not have agendas, and wars are a uniquely Homo Sapiens pursuit;...

Myths and Their Monsters – Lord of the Rings

There are myths and there are mythmakers. Mythmakers do not really create new myths; they create new stories based around the enduring elements of existing, usually ancient mythologies. The reason myths endure is because people need them, in the same way that they...

Reviews on Other Books

How to be Animal, by Melanie Challenger

I’m really enjoying this book – will have the review done in another week or two…looks like being a ‘must read’.

A Tall History of Sugar, by Curdella Forbes

A Tall History of Sugar transports you to warm, colourful Jamaica, both in content and in style.
Read the full Book review.

Tragedy, The Greeks, and Us

A thought provoking, academic book about all that we have taken from
Ancient Greek culture.

Our Fathers by Rebecca Wait

You can’t really read Our Fathers by Rebecca Wait & come away unscathed. 

“Turner brilliantly captures the political instability of 15th-century Florence and the religious dogma and social conventions that have a claustrophobic effect on Leonardo’s unruly genius and dangerously unorthodox ideas. A lush, evocative and remarkably accomplished debut novel.” – For Gioconda

– Financial Times