The Assassination of Orange by Joseph Brassey
The Assassination of Orange is another short (only two hours in audio) “sidequest” in the FOREWORLD universe shared by Neal Stephenson, Greg Bear, Mark Teppo, and others. Like the other sidequest I read, The Assassination of Orange is strictly historical fiction — there are no supernatural elements. It stands alone, so you don’t need to have read any of the other FOREWORLD stories.
This story, as the title foreshadows, is about the assassination of Prince William of Orange (aka William the Silent) who was targeted by Spain because he led the Dutch revolt which sparked the Eighty Years’ War. Sir Roger Williams of England was sent to protect Prince William, but failed. The assassination is particularly interesting for a couple of reasons — one is the method of murder (kinda new for the time period) and the other is the punishment received by the assassin (really horrifying).
I haven’t read anything by Joseph Brassey before, but I was pleased with this story. It’s action-packed, succinct, and dramatic. I listened to the audiobook version narrated by Michael Page. I’d recommend this version, but pay attention to the price and keep in mind that it’s only a couple of hours long.
The Foreworld — This is a collaboration between Neal Stephenson, Erik Bear, Greg Bear, Joseph Brassey, E.D. deBirmingham, Cooper Moo, and Mark Teppo. Publisher: The first novel to be released in The Foreworld Saga, The Mongoliad: Book One, is an epic-within-an-epic, taking place in 13th century. In it, a small band of warriors and mystics raise their swords to save Europe from a bloodthirsty Mongol invasion. Inspired by their leader (an elder of an order of warrior monks), they embark on a perilous journey and uncover the history of hidden knowledge and conflict among powerful secret societies that had been shaping world events for millennia. But the saga reaches the modern world via a circuitous route. In the late 19th century, Sir Richard F. Burton, an expert on exotic languages and historical swordsmanship, is approached by a mysterious group of English martial arts aficionados about translating a collection of long-lost manuscripts. Burton dies before his work is finished, and his efforts were thought lost until recently rediscovered by a team of amateur archaeologists in the ruins of a mansion in Trieste, Italy. From this collection of arcana, the incredible tale of The Mongoliad was recreated. Full of high adventure, unforgettable characters, and unflinching battle scenes, The Mongoliad ignites a dangerous quest where willpower and blades are tested and the scope of world-building is redefined.
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Oh, this sounds interesting!