Shardlake series
The Shardlake series is a series of historical mystery novels by C. J. Sansom set in the reign of Henry VIII in the 16th century.
Contents
Description
The series' main character is the hunchbacked lawyer Matthew Shardlake, who is assisted in his adventures by Mark Poer and then Jack Barak. Shardlake works on commission initially from Thomas Cromwell in Dissolution and Dark Fire, Archbishop Thomas Cranmer in Sovereign and Revelation and Queen Catherine Parr in Heartstone and Lamentation.
Sansom has said that he plans to write further Shardlake novels taking the lawyer into the reign of Elizabeth I.[1]
Novels
| Title | Year | Publisher | ISBN | Awards |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dissolution | 2003 | London:Macmillan | 1-4050-0542-4 | Nominated for the 2003 Crime Writers' Association (CWA) John Creasey Memorial Dagger, for first books by previously unpublished writers. It was also nominated for the CWA Ellis Peters Historical Dagger in the same year.[2] |
| Dark Fire | 2004 | London:Macmillan | 1-4050-0544-0 | Awarded the Crime Writers' Association Ellis Peters Historical Dagger award in 2005.[3] |
| Sovereign | 2006 | London:Macmillan | 0-3304-3608-2 | |
| Revelation | 2008 | London:Macmillan | 0-3304-4710-6 | Shortlisted for the Books Direct Crime Thriller of the Year 2009[4] and the Crime Writers Association Ellis Peters Historical Dagger in 2008.[5] |
| Heartstone | 2010 | London:Mantle | 1-4050-9273-4 | Shortlisted for the 2011 Walter Scott Prize[6] |
| 2014 | London:Mantle | 978-1447260257 |
Adaptations
Television
In 2007 the BBC commissioned an adaptation of Dissolution with Kenneth Branagh set to star as Shardlake.[7] Branagh choose instead to become Kurt Wallander for the BBC series Wallander.[8]
Radio
In 2012 BBC Radio 4 adapted Dissolution into a 10-part radio serial, adapted by Colin MacDonald, with Jason Watkins as Shardlake and Mark Bonnar as Cromwell.[9][10][11] BBC Radio 4 went on to broadcast Dark Fire in 2014 and Sovereign in 2015, also adapted by Colin MacDonald as 10-part serials.
References
- ↑ Shardlake page from C..J. Sansom's Official Site
- ↑ 2003 CWA Dagger Awards
- ↑ CJ Sansom wins with Dark Fire – CWA announcement of the award.
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- ↑ The Guardian: Branagh to play Tudor sleuth
- ↑ So, the new news is that Matthew Shardlake, and the announced BBC filming of Dissolution, will be left lurking back in the 16th century for the moment, while a more comtemporary Swedish detective is brought to BBC screens. Kenneth Branagh will become Kurt Wallander for a BBC series tentatively titled Wallander.
- ↑ BBC Radio 4: Episode Guide: Dissolution
- ↑ Radio Times Episode Guide: Dissolution
- ↑ Radio Listings: Dissolution
External links
- Shardlake page from C..J. Sansom's Official Site
- Dominion A review of Dominion, in Upcoming4.me 12.7.2013
- A wherry across the Thames A review of Dark Fire, by Stella Duffy, in The Guardian, 6.11.2004
- Revelation A review of "Revelation", by Peter Kemp, in The Sunday Times, 27.4.2008
