A tense end game, 26 May 2008
A swift-moving page turner of a thriller. Set in St Petersburg in March 1914 it is a rich mixture, expertly stirred, of psychoanalysis, of chess games, and of the political scene (the antisemitic Black Hundred, the Okhrana, the oppressed Poles in general and Polish Jews in particular, the Social Revolutionaries, Bolsheviks and Anarchists, the looming war with Germany); of different members of the security services playing different games; of murders; of blackmail; of the love of fathers for daughters who do not confide in them; of a steamy and very explicit sex-scene. The main dénouement, some way from the end, is very ingenious and makes sense of one aspect that had struck me as unlikely until that point. But, typical for this kind of novel, there are more twists and turns in the remaining pages, just to show how inventive the author can be, though they involve more leisurely discussions at moments of intense crisis than one would have thought the characters would have found time for.

The Zugzwang of the title refers to position in chess in which a player is forced to make a move he does not want to make, and of course this is the position in which several of the characters - and even Tsarist Russia - find themselves.


A Complex and Satisfying Thriller, 27 Apr 2008
'Zugzwang', as it tells you on the back of this book, is a position in Chess, where a player must make a move but any move he does make will result in his downfall. It seems a wonder that it's taken this long for somebody to use it a title for a thriller. It was worth the wait.

The novel is set in St Petersburg in 1914, tension is high and revolution in the air. When a journalist is found murdered, pschoanalyst Dr Otto Spethmann finds himself and his young daughter implicated in the crime. There then follows a complex unravelling of plots, counter-plots and double and triple crossings. It's marvellous stuff.

Bennet's writing is excellent, the depictions of revolutionary St Petersburg are so vivid you can almost smell the gunpowder. In addition we are treated to an intriguing Chess game that runs throughout the novel. By the end of the book, just about all of the major characters have had Zugzwang's of their own, which just adds to the tension and excitement. Predictably, there is also some romance between the Doctor and one of his patients but to be honest some of these sections must have come close to winning a 'Bad Sex' award.

Bad Sex aside, Zugzwang is a terrific read with an end that doesn't disappoint. The last paragraphs of this novel are powerful and thought provoking; they should be required reading for those in power, who hope to make the world a safer place. Historical crime and thriller junkies will love it, as will those with a passing interest in chess.

A tense end game, 26 May 2008
A swift-moving page turner of a thriller. Set in St Petersburg in March 1914 it is a rich mixture, expertly stirred, of psychoanalysis, of chess games, and of the political scene (the antisemitic Black Hundred, the Okhrana, the oppressed Poles in general and Polish Jews in particular, the Social Revolutionaries, Bolsheviks and Anarchists, the looming war with Germany); of different members of the security services playing different games; of murders; of blackmail; of the love of fathers for daughters who do not confide in them; of a steamy and very explicit sex-scene. The main dénouement, some way from the end, is very ingenious and makes sense of one aspect that had struck me as unlikely until that point. But, typical for this kind of novel, there are more twists and turns in the remaining pages, just to show how inventive the author can be, though they involve more leisurely discussions at moments of intense crisis than one would have thought the characters would have found time for.

The Zugzwang of the title refers to position in chess in which a player is forced to make a move he does not want to make, and of course this is the position in which several of the characters - and even Tsarist Russia - find themselves.


A Complex and Satisfying Thriller, 27 Apr 2008
'Zugzwang', as it tells you on the back of this book, is a position in Chess, where a player must make a move but any move he does make will result in his downfall. It seems a wonder that it's taken this long for somebody to use it a title for a thriller. It was worth the wait.

The novel is set in St Petersburg in 1914, tension is high and revolution in the air. When a journalist is found murdered, pschoanalyst Dr Otto Spethmann finds himself and his young daughter implicated in the crime. There then follows a complex unravelling of plots, counter-plots and double and triple crossings. It's marvellous stuff.

Bennet's writing is excellent, the depictions of revolutionary St Petersburg are so vivid you can almost smell the gunpowder. In addition we are treated to an intriguing Chess game that runs throughout the novel. By the end of the book, just about all of the major characters have had Zugzwang's of their own, which just adds to the tension and excitement. Predictably, there is also some romance between the Doctor and one of his patients but to be honest some of these sections must have come close to winning a 'Bad Sex' award.

Bad Sex aside, Zugzwang is a terrific read with an end that doesn't disappoint. The last paragraphs of this novel are powerful and thought provoking; they should be required reading for those in power, who hope to make the world a safer place. Historical crime and thriller junkies will love it, as will those with a passing interest in chess.

17th century prose style, 24 Sep 2007
If I could, I'd give this ten stars for the brilliant re-creation of 17th century prose style; I've not read a historical novel which does this better. It moves you inside the period (and the characters) quickly, and gives a real feel for especially this world of hurt the novel depicts. I found, though, the book's simplifying of the moral positions a bit alienating and, in the end, rather flat. The baddies (more Ulster unionist than north-country puritan, methinks) just get nastier and the virtuous Brigge blends into other figures from Catholic martryology. Bennett's a superb writer but here I wished he'd let his characters develop and deepen in unexpected ways, rather than conforming to cliche.

What a wonderful book, 10 Oct 2006
It's a pity that Amazon only give 5 stars for reviewer ratings, as I would have loved to award this 6 out of 5. What an absolutely amazing book which works on so many levels. As a narrative, it's got everything: pace, preciseness, characters coming alive, unexpected turns, and a final denouement which is perhaps a little unexpected. As an allegory for events in the modern world, it's also deeply thought-provoking in respect of sectarian hatred and intolerance, with lessons to be learned and reflected on. As a human tale, it's deeply moving, particularly in regard to John Brigge's love for his wife and child, his human frailty, and his moral goodness. Bennett brings to life the awful squalor in which some people lived in England in the 1630s, and the dreadful brutality of the puritan masters, sanctimonious and overbearing to a man. There's also a mysticism about this book which works its way very subtly into the narrative, particularly in respect of ghostly apparitions and visitations. The ending of the book is truly emotional, and I've read the final two pages over and over, such is the power of the narrative and the pathos it conveys, along with an exposition of Brigge's love for his family. An astonishing book which I loved from cover to cover. Can't recommend it highly enough. Buy it from Amazon today!

'Havoc', 07 May 2006
'Havoc' is Ronan Bennett's term for the effects of theocracy, and specifically the puritan rule that spread across large parts of England before and during the English Revolutions of the 17th century.

Set in an unnamed Northern town in a bleak winter in the early 1630s, the book describes the aftermath of the takeover of power by a coalition of upright burghers from the brutal, semi-feudal control of Lord Savile. The central character - Brigge - is a well-off and kindly farmer, who becomes coroner and a governor of the town, but becomes increasingly disillusioned as his close friend Challoner, the master of the town, falls under the sway of a Taliban-like puritan faction. Calls to build 'a shining city on a hill' herald a legalistic attitude to the law (and specifically, Biblical Mosaic law) and bring in a grim regime where harsh punishments - brandings for fornication, death for adultery, 'Sodomy' or Papism, removal of support for the poor, expulsion of beggars - rule, stoked by a continual fear of the inevitable anti-puritan backlash. In a town where impossible standards are imposed by vindictive law, where mercy is a forgotten quality, and where the original governors are now misusing this legal brutality in machiavellian manoeuvring against each other, no person can feel safe - least of all, the secretly Catholic governor, Brigge.

In Brigge, we have a Graeme Greene style character - a man whose goodness stems from his humanity, and is almost inseparable from his human flaws - contrasted with the hard-hearted self-righteous puritans whose paranoia echoes the characters of the Crucible. And like Miller's great play, this book is satirical. 'A shining city on a hill' was, after all, a favourite phrase of one recent American President, whose successors seem increasingly to sound like Bennett's 17th century puritans.

'Havoc' is a word of warning to all today, in a World where religious fundamentalism is on the rise again.

A brave satire for troubled times, 27 Jun 2005
A hard-hitting satire which sets the travails of a 17th century coroner and his family against the backdrop of an era of political and religious ferment, intrigue, opportunism, betrayal and persecution.

While the method of giving 17th century characters 21st century sensibilities sometimes seems a little contrived, this is a brave attempt to address modern-day prejudice and intolerance. In particular, it can be read as a searing critique of the herd instinct which continues to inform attitudes towards asylum seekers and other disadvantaged minorities today.

Seeking tolerance and justice in dangerous times, 04 Mar 2005
Ronan Bennett skillfully transports readers back to the political and religious turbulence of England in the 1630s. John Brigge is coroner and one of twelve governors of a northern town under the stewardship of his long-term friend Nathaniel Challoner, the Master. However, dangers lurk for the comparatively tolerant and principled coroner, as he spends more time on his farm with his heavily pregnant wife and becomes isolated from the intrigues in the town. Increasingly, the Master takes counsel from hard-liner advisers that brook no activity that deviates from their divinely inspired truth. Moreover, the precariousness of Brigge's position is exacerbated by his failure to hastily condemn an Irish Catholic woman accused of murdering her new-born babe and his challenging of the powerful hard-line Constable for failing to call a witness in the case. Most dangerously of all, although Brigge performs prescribed Protestant activities, the Catholic sympathies of he and his wife come under scrutiny as the masses increasingly express anti-papist sentiments.

Clearly, 'Havoc' can be read as an allegory for our own troubled times. Many readers will empathise strongly with the plight and dilemmas facing the coroner, and wonder what we would do in his shoes. 'Havoc' raises many issues that have interesting parallels today, although regrettably doesn't explore any of them in any great depth.

'Havoc' is particularly well-written with some interesting period language, particularly in the earlier sections of the novel. Bennett's narrative is lively and compelling: whilst fearing the worst, readers hope that Brigge will successively negotiate the dangers. Regrettably, the story flags somewhat in the final straight, settling for a fairly predictable ending with strong religious overtones.

A tense end game, 26 May 2008
A swift-moving page turner of a thriller. Set in St Petersburg in March 1914 it is a rich mixture, expertly stirred, of psychoanalysis, of chess games, and of the political scene (the antisemitic Black Hundred, the Okhrana, the oppressed Poles in general and Polish Jews in particular, the Social Revolutionaries, Bolsheviks and Anarchists, the looming war with Germany); of different members of the security services playing different games; of murders; of blackmail; of the love of fathers for daughters who do not confide in them; of a steamy and very explicit sex-scene. The main dénouement, some way from the end, is very ingenious and makes sense of one aspect that had struck me as unlikely until that point. But, typical for this kind of novel, there are more twists and turns in the remaining pages, just to show how inventive the author can be, though they involve more leisurely discussions at moments of intense crisis than one would have thought the characters would have found time for.

The Zugzwang of the title refers to position in chess in which a player is forced to make a move he does not want to make, and of course this is the position in which several of the characters - and even Tsarist Russia - find themselves.


A Complex and Satisfying Thriller, 27 Apr 2008
'Zugzwang', as it tells you on the back of this book, is a position in Chess, where a player must make a move but any move he does make will result in his downfall. It seems a wonder that it's taken this long for somebody to use it a title for a thriller. It was worth the wait.

The novel is set in St Petersburg in 1914, tension is high and revolution in the air. When a journalist is found murdered, pschoanalyst Dr Otto Spethmann finds himself and his young daughter implicated in the crime. There then follows a complex unravelling of plots, counter-plots and double and triple crossings. It's marvellous stuff.

Bennet's writing is excellent, the depictions of revolutionary St Petersburg are so vivid you can almost smell the gunpowder. In addition we are treated to an intriguing Chess game that runs throughout the novel. By the end of the book, just about all of the major characters have had Zugzwang's of their own, which just adds to the tension and excitement. Predictably, there is also some romance between the Doctor and one of his patients but to be honest some of these sections must have come close to winning a 'Bad Sex' award.

Bad Sex aside, Zugzwang is a terrific read with an end that doesn't disappoint. The last paragraphs of this novel are powerful and thought provoking; they should be required reading for those in power, who hope to make the world a safer place. Historical crime and thriller junkies will love it, as will those with a passing interest in chess.

17th century prose style, 24 Sep 2007
If I could, I'd give this ten stars for the brilliant re-creation of 17th century prose style; I've not read a historical novel which does this better. It moves you inside the period (and the characters) quickly, and gives a real feel for especially this world of hurt the novel depicts. I found, though, the book's simplifying of the moral positions a bit alienating and, in the end, rather flat. The baddies (more Ulster unionist than north-country puritan, methinks) just get nastier and the virtuous Brigge blends into other figures from Catholic martryology. Bennett's a superb writer but here I wished he'd let his characters develop and deepen in unexpected ways, rather than conforming to cliche.

What a wonderful book, 10 Oct 2006
It's a pity that Amazon only give 5 stars for reviewer ratings, as I would have loved to award this 6 out of 5. What an absolutely amazing book which works on so many levels. As a narrative, it's got everything: pace, preciseness, characters coming alive, unexpected turns, and a final denouement which is perhaps a little unexpected. As an allegory for events in the modern world, it's also deeply thought-provoking in respect of sectarian hatred and intolerance, with lessons to be learned and reflected on. As a human tale, it's deeply moving, particularly in regard to John Brigge's love for his wife and child, his human frailty, and his moral goodness. Bennett brings to life the awful squalor in which some people lived in England in the 1630s, and the dreadful brutality of the puritan masters, sanctimonious and overbearing to a man. There's also a mysticism about this book which works its way very subtly into the narrative, particularly in respect of ghostly apparitions and visitations. The ending of the book is truly emotional, and I've read the final two pages over and over, such is the power of the narrative and the pathos it conveys, along with an exposition of Brigge's love for his family. An astonishing book which I loved from cover to cover. Can't recommend it highly enough. Buy it from Amazon today!

'Havoc', 07 May 2006
'Havoc' is Ronan Bennett's term for the effects of theocracy, and specifically the puritan rule that spread across large parts of England before and during the English Revolutions of the 17th century.

Set in an unnamed Northern town in a bleak winter in the early 1630s, the book describes the aftermath of the takeover of power by a coalition of upright burghers from the brutal, semi-feudal control of Lord Savile. The central character - Brigge - is a well-off and kindly farmer, who becomes coroner and a governor of the town, but becomes increasingly disillusioned as his close friend Challoner, the master of the town, falls under the sway of a Taliban-like puritan faction. Calls to build 'a shining city on a hill' herald a legalistic attitude to the law (and specifically, Biblical Mosaic law) and bring in a grim regime where harsh punishments - brandings for fornication, death for adultery, 'Sodomy' or Papism, removal of support for the poor, expulsion of beggars - rule, stoked by a continual fear of the inevitable anti-puritan backlash. In a town where impossible standards are imposed by vindictive law, where mercy is a forgotten quality, and where the original governors are now misusing this legal brutality in machiavellian manoeuvring against each other, no person can feel safe - least of all, the secretly Catholic governor, Brigge.

In Brigge, we have a Graeme Greene style character - a man whose goodness stems from his humanity, and is almost inseparable from his human flaws - contrasted with the hard-hearted self-righteous puritans whose paranoia echoes the characters of the Crucible. And like Miller's great play, this book is satirical. 'A shining city on a hill' was, after all, a favourite phrase of one recent American President, whose successors seem increasingly to sound like Bennett's 17th century puritans.

'Havoc' is a word of warning to all today, in a World where religious fundamentalism is on the rise again.

A brave satire for troubled times, 27 Jun 2005
A hard-hitting satire which sets the travails of a 17th century coroner and his family against the backdrop of an era of political and religious ferment, intrigue, opportunism, betrayal and persecution.

While the method of giving 17th century characters 21st century sensibilities sometimes seems a little contrived, this is a brave attempt to address modern-day prejudice and intolerance. In particular, it can be read as a searing critique of the herd instinct which continues to inform attitudes towards asylum seekers and other disadvantaged minorities today.

Seeking tolerance and justice in dangerous times, 04 Mar 2005
Ronan Bennett skillfully transports readers back to the political and religious turbulence of England in the 1630s. John Brigge is coroner and one of twelve governors of a northern town under the stewardship of his long-term friend Nathaniel Challoner, the Master. However, dangers lurk for the comparatively tolerant and principled coroner, as he spends more time on his farm with his heavily pregnant wife and becomes isolated from the intrigues in the town. Increasingly, the Master takes counsel from hard-liner advisers that brook no activity that deviates from their divinely inspired truth. Moreover, the precariousness of Brigge's position is exacerbated by his failure to hastily condemn an Irish Catholic woman accused of murdering her new-born babe and his challenging of the powerful hard-line Constable for failing to call a witness in the case. Most dangerously of all, although Brigge performs prescribed Protestant activities, the Catholic sympathies of he and his wife come under scrutiny as the masses increasingly express anti-papist sentiments.

Clearly, 'Havoc' can be read as an allegory for our own troubled times. Many readers will empathise strongly with the plight and dilemmas facing the coroner, and wonder what we would do in his shoes. 'Havoc' raises many issues that have interesting parallels today, although regrettably doesn't explore any of them in any great depth.

'Havoc' is particularly well-written with some interesting period language, particularly in the earlier sections of the novel. Bennett's narrative is lively and compelling: whilst fearing the worst, readers hope that Brigge will successively negotiate the dangers. Regrettably, the story flags somewhat in the final straight, settling for a fairly predictable ending with strong religious overtones.

17th century prose style, 24 Sep 2007
If I could, I'd give this ten stars for the brilliant re-creation of 17th century prose style; I've not read a historical novel which does this better. It moves you inside the period (and the characters) quickly, and gives a real feel for especially this world of hurt the novel depicts. I found, though, the book's simplifying of the moral positions a bit alienating and, in the end, rather flat. The baddies (more Ulster unionist than north-country puritan, methinks) just get nastier and the virtuous Brigge blends into other figures from Catholic martryology. Bennett's a superb writer but here I wished he'd let his characters develop and deepen in unexpected ways, rather than conforming to cliche.

What a wonderful book, 10 Oct 2006
It's a pity that Amazon only give 5 stars for reviewer ratings, as I would have loved to award this 6 out of 5. What an absolutely amazing book which works on so many levels. As a narrative, it's got everything: pace, preciseness, characters coming alive, unexpected turns, and a final denouement which is perhaps a little unexpected. As an allegory for events in the modern world, it's also deeply thought-provoking in respect of sectarian hatred and intolerance, with lessons to be learned and reflected on. As a human tale, it's deeply moving, particularly in regard to John Brigge's love for his wife and child, his human frailty, and his moral goodness. Bennett brings to life the awful squalor in which some people lived in England in the 1630s, and the dreadful brutality of the puritan masters, sanctimonious and overbearing to a man. There's also a mysticism about this book which works its way very subtly into the narrative, particularly in respect of ghostly apparitions and visitations. The ending of the book is truly emotional, and I've read the final two pages over and over, such is the power of the narrative and the pathos it conveys, along with an exposition of Brigge's love for his family. An astonishing book which I loved from cover to cover. Can't recommend it highly enough. Buy it from Amazon today!

'Havoc', 07 May 2006
'Havoc' is Ronan Bennett's term for the effects of theocracy, and specifically the puritan rule that spread across large parts of England before and during the English Revolutions of the 17th century.

Set in an unnamed Northern town in a bleak winter in the early 1630s, the book describes the aftermath of the takeover of power by a coalition of upright burghers from the brutal, semi-feudal control of Lord Savile. The central character - Brigge - is a well-off and kindly farmer, who becomes coroner and a governor of the town, but becomes increasingly disillusioned as his close friend Challoner, the master of the town, falls under the sway of a Taliban-like puritan faction. Calls to build 'a shining city on a hill' herald a legalistic attitude to the law (and specifically, Biblical Mosaic law) and bring in a grim regime where harsh punishments - brandings for fornication, death for adultery, 'Sodomy' or Papism, removal of support for the poor, expulsion of beggars - rule, stoked by a continual fear of the inevitable anti-puritan backlash. In a town where impossible standards are imposed by vindictive law, where mercy is a forgotten quality, and where the original governors are now misusing this legal brutality in machiavellian manoeuvring against each other, no person can feel safe - least of all, the secretly Catholic governor, Brigge.

In Brigge, we have a Graeme Greene style character - a man whose goodness stems from his humanity, and is almost inseparable from his human flaws - contrasted with the hard-hearted self-righteous puritans whose paranoia echoes the characters of the Crucible. And like Miller's great play, this book is satirical. 'A shining city on a hill' was, after all, a favourite phrase of one recent American President, whose successors seem increasingly to sound like Bennett's 17th century puritans.

'Havoc' is a word of warning to all today, in a World where religious fundamentalism is on the rise again.

A brave satire for troubled times, 27 Jun 2005
A hard-hitting satire which sets the travails of a 17th century coroner and his family against the backdrop of an era of political and religious ferment, intrigue, opportunism, betrayal and persecution.

While the method of giving 17th century characters 21st century sensibilities sometimes seems a little contrived, this is a brave attempt to address modern-day prejudice and intolerance. In particular, it can be read as a searing critique of the herd instinct which continues to inform attitudes towards asylum seekers and other disadvantaged minorities today.

Seeking tolerance and justice in dangerous times, 04 Mar 2005
Ronan Bennett skillfully transports readers back to the political and religious turbulence of England in the 1630s. John Brigge is coroner and one of twelve governors of a northern town under the stewardship of his long-term friend Nathaniel Challoner, the Master. However, dangers lurk for the comparatively tolerant and principled coroner, as he spends more time on his farm with his heavily pregnant wife and becomes isolated from the intrigues in the town. Increasingly, the Master takes counsel from hard-liner advisers that brook no activity that deviates from their divinely inspired truth. Moreover, the precariousness of Brigge's position is exacerbated by his failure to hastily condemn an Irish Catholic woman accused of murdering her new-born babe and his challenging of the powerful hard-line Constable for failing to call a witness in the case. Most dangerously of all, although Brigge performs prescribed Protestant activities, the Catholic sympathies of he and his wife come under scrutiny as the masses increasingly express anti-papist sentiments.

Clearly, 'Havoc' can be read as an allegory for our own troubled times. Many readers will empathise strongly with the plight and dilemmas facing the coroner, and wonder what we would do in his shoes. 'Havoc' raises many issues that have interesting parallels today, although regrettably doesn't explore any of them in any great depth.

'Havoc' is particularly well-written with some interesting period language, particularly in the earlier sections of the novel. Bennett's narrative is lively and compelling: whilst fearing the worst, readers hope that Brigge will successively negotiate the dangers. Regrettably, the story flags somewhat in the final straight, settling for a fairly predictable ending with strong religious overtones.

Ronan Bennett writes screenplays for television and film as well as novels. His third book, The Catastrophist, set in the Belgian Congo during the decolonisation struggles of 1959 to 1960, imprints a cinematic vision on the reader's eye, rendering images of indolent colonials blinded by the African sun to the realities of African decolonisation and the momentum of the Congolese independence movement led by the resolute Patrice Lumumba.

James Gillespie, Irish by origin, arrives in Léopoldsville in the hope of saving his relationship with Inès Sabiani, an Italian journalist increasingly involved in central African nationalist politics. James, "the trained observer", watches dispassionately from the wings, mystified by the politics of commitment to a political cause, but desperate for personal love and commitment from Inès. She, however, is lost to him, but found to the cause of the overthrow of the colonial occupation of the Belgian Congo. The impasse at the heart of their love affair hinges upon the dilemma between the politics of belief and the role of art in society. This is summed up by the fact that while Inès uses her journalistic skills as an instrument of political struggle, James believes writing is the art of disbelief. As In&eobtuse;s remarks: "Politics of that sort demands conviction, fiction demands doubt."

The Catastrophist, justly shortlisted for the 1998 Whitbread Novel Award, is an insightful and patient study of masculine self-delusion that--even better--shows the good sense to keep it's distance from overplaying it's narrative claims to insight into In&eobtuse;s' psychology. In fact, this novel derives much of its psychological realism precisely from its depiction of the pain and confusion of a man who cannot understand why a woman can say "I am still loving you", but not be able to give up her life for him. --Rachel Holmes

A tense end game, 26 May 2008
A swift-moving page turner of a thriller. Set in St Petersburg in March 1914 it is a rich mixture, expertly stirred, of psychoanalysis, of chess games, and of the political scene (the antisemitic Black Hundred, the Okhrana, the oppressed Poles in general and Polish Jews in particular, the Social Revolutionaries, Bolsheviks and Anarchists, the looming war with Germany); of different members of the security services playing different games; of murders; of blackmail; of the love of fathers for daughters who do not confide in them; of a steamy and very explicit sex-scene. The main dénouement, some way from the end, is very ingenious and makes sense of one aspect that had struck me as unlikely until that point. But, typical for this kind of novel, there are more twists and turns in the remaining pages, just to show how inventive the author can be, though they involve more leisurely discussions at moments of intense crisis than one would have thought the characters would have found time for.

The Zugzwang of the title refers to position in chess in which a player is forced to make a move he does not want to make, and of course this is the position in which several of the characters - and even Tsarist Russia - find themselves.


A Complex and Satisfying Thriller, 27 Apr 2008
'Zugzwang', as it tells you on the back of this book, is a position in Chess, where a player must make a move but any move he does make will result in his downfall. It seems a wonder that it's taken this long for somebody to use it a title for a thriller. It was worth the wait.

The novel is set in St Petersburg in 1914, tension is high and revolution in the air. When a journalist is found murdered, pschoanalyst Dr Otto Spethmann finds himself and his young daughter implicated in the crime. There then follows a complex unravelling of plots, counter-plots and double and triple crossings. It's marvellous stuff.

Bennet's writing is excellent, the depictions of revolutionary St Petersburg are so vivid you can almost smell the gunpowder. In addition we are treated to an intriguing Chess game that runs throughout the novel. By the end of the book, just about all of the major characters have had Zugzwang's of their own, which just adds to the tension and excitement. Predictably, there is also some romance between the Doctor and one of his patients but to be honest some of these sections must have come close to winning a 'Bad Sex' award.

Bad Sex aside, Zugzwang is a terrific read with an end that doesn't disappoint. The last paragraphs of this novel are powerful and thought provoking; they should be required reading for those in power, who hope to make the world a safer place. Historical crime and thriller junkies will love it, as will those with a passing interest in chess.

17th century prose style, 24 Sep 2007
If I could, I'd give this ten stars for the brilliant re-creation of 17th century prose style; I've not read a historical novel which does this better. It moves you inside the period (and the characters) quickly, and gives a real feel for especially this world of hurt the novel depicts. I found, though, the book's simplifying of the moral positions a bit alienating and, in the end, rather flat. The baddies (more Ulster unionist than north-country puritan, methinks) just get nastier and the virtuous Brigge blends into other figures from Catholic martryology. Bennett's a superb writer but here I wished he'd let his characters develop and deepen in unexpected ways, rather than conforming to cliche.

What a wonderful book, 10 Oct 2006
It's a pity that Amazon only give 5 stars for reviewer ratings, as I would have loved to award this 6 out of 5. What an absolutely amazing book which works on so many levels. As a narrative, it's got everything: pace, preciseness, characters coming alive, unexpected turns, and a final denouement which is perhaps a little unexpected. As an allegory for events in the modern world, it's also deeply thought-provoking in respect of sectarian hatred and intolerance, with lessons to be learned and reflected on. As a human tale, it's deeply moving, particularly in regard to John Brigge's love for his wife and child, his human frailty, and his moral goodness. Bennett brings to life the awful squalor in which some people lived in England in the 1630s, and the dreadful brutality of the puritan masters, sanctimonious and overbearing to a man. There's also a mysticism about this book which works its way very subtly into the narrative, particularly in respect of ghostly apparitions and visitations. The ending of the book is truly emotional, and I've read the final two pages over and over, such is the power of the narrative and the pathos it conveys, along with an exposition of Brigge's love for his family. An astonishing book which I loved from cover to cover. Can't recommend it highly enough. Buy it from Amazon today!

'Havoc', 07 May 2006
'Havoc' is Ronan Bennett's term for the effects of theocracy, and specifically the puritan rule that spread across large parts of England before and during the English Revolutions of the 17th century.

Set in an unnamed Northern town in a bleak winter in the early 1630s, the book describes the aftermath of the takeover of power by a coalition of upright burghers from the brutal, semi-feudal control of Lord Savile. The central character - Brigge - is a well-off and kindly farmer, who becomes coroner and a governor of the town, but becomes increasingly disillusioned as his close friend Challoner, the master of the town, falls under the sway of a Taliban-like puritan faction. Calls to build 'a shining city on a hill' herald a legalistic attitude to the law (and specifically, Biblical Mosaic law) and bring in a grim regime where harsh punishments - brandings for fornication, death for adultery, 'Sodomy' or Papism, removal of support for the poor, expulsion of beggars - rule, stoked by a continual fear of the inevitable anti-puritan backlash. In a town where impossible standards are imposed by vindictive law, where mercy is a forgotten quality, and where the original governors are now misusing this legal brutality in machiavellian manoeuvring against each other, no person can feel safe - least of all, the secretly Catholic governor, Brigge.

In Brigge, we have a Graeme Greene style character - a man whose goodness stems from his humanity, and is almost inseparable from his human flaws - contrasted with the hard-hearted self-righteous puritans whose paranoia echoes the characters of the Crucible. And like Miller's great play, this book is satirical. 'A shining city on a hill' was, after all, a favourite phrase of one recent American President, whose successors seem increasingly to sound like Bennett's 17th century puritans.

'Havoc' is a word of warning to all today, in a World where religious fundamentalism is on the rise again.

A brave satire for troubled times, 27 Jun 2005
A hard-hitting satire which sets the travails of a 17th century coroner and his family against the backdrop of an era of political and religious ferment, intrigue, opportunism, betrayal and persecution.

While the method of giving 17th century characters 21st century sensibilities sometimes seems a little contrived, this is a brave attempt to address modern-day prejudice and intolerance. In particular, it can be read as a searing critique of the herd instinct which continues to inform attitudes towards asylum seekers and other disadvantaged minorities today.

Seeking tolerance and justice in dangerous times, 04 Mar 2005
Ronan Bennett skillfully transports readers back to the political and religious turbulence of England in the 1630s. John Brigge is coroner and one of twelve governors of a northern town under the stewardship of his long-term friend Nathaniel Challoner, the Master. However, dangers lurk for the comparatively tolerant and principled coroner, as he spends more time on his farm with his heavily pregnant wife and becomes isolated from the intrigues in the town. Increasingly, the Master takes counsel from hard-liner advisers that brook no activity that deviates from their divinely inspired truth. Moreover, the precariousness of Brigge's position is exacerbated by his failure to hastily condemn an Irish Catholic woman accused of murdering her new-born babe and his challenging of the powerful hard-line Constable for failing to call a witness in the case. Most dangerously of all, although Brigge performs prescribed Protestant activities, the Catholic sympathies of he and his wife come under scrutiny as the masses increasingly express anti-papist sentiments.

Clearly, 'Havoc' can be read as an allegory for our own troubled times. Many readers will empathise strongly with the plight and dilemmas facing the coroner, and wonder what we would do in his shoes. 'Havoc' raises many issues that have interesting parallels today, although regrettably doesn't explore any of them in any great depth.

'Havoc' is particularly well-written with some interesting period language, particularly in the earlier sections of the novel. Bennett's narrative is lively and compelling: whilst fearing the worst, readers hope that Brigge will successively negotiate the dangers. Regrettably, the story flags somewhat in the final straight, settling for a fairly predictable ending with strong religious overtones.

17th century prose style, 24 Sep 2007
If I could, I'd give this ten stars for the brilliant re-creation of 17th century prose style; I've not read a historical novel which does this better. It moves you inside the period (and the characters) quickly, and gives a real feel for especially this world of hurt the novel depicts. I found, though, the book's simplifying of the moral positions a bit alienating and, in the end, rather flat. The baddies (more Ulster unionist than north-country puritan, methinks) just get nastier and the virtuous Brigge blends into other figures from Catholic martryology. Bennett's a superb writer but here I wished he'd let his characters develop and deepen in unexpected ways, rather than conforming to cliche.

What a wonderful book, 10 Oct 2006
It's a pity that Amazon only give 5 stars for reviewer ratings, as I would have loved to award this 6 out of 5. What an absolutely amazing book which works on so many levels. As a narrative, it's got everything: pace, preciseness, characters coming alive, unexpected turns, and a final denouement which is perhaps a little unexpected. As an allegory for events in the modern world, it's also deeply thought-provoking in respect of sectarian hatred and intolerance, with lessons to be learned and reflected on. As a human tale, it's deeply moving, particularly in regard to John Brigge's love for his wife and child, his human frailty, and his moral goodness. Bennett brings to life the awful squalor in which some people lived in England in the 1630s, and the dreadful brutality of the puritan masters, sanctimonious and overbearing to a man. There's also a mysticism about this book which works its way very subtly into the narrative, particularly in respect of ghostly apparitions and visitations. The ending of the book is truly emotional, and I've read the final two pages over and over, such is the power of the narrative and the pathos it conveys, along with an exposition of Brigge's love for his family. An astonishing book which I loved from cover to cover. Can't recommend it highly enough. Buy it from Amazon today!

'Havoc', 07 May 2006
'Havoc' is Ronan Bennett's term for the effects of theocracy, and specifically the puritan rule that spread across large parts of England before and during the English Revolutions of the 17th century.

Set in an unnamed Northern town in a bleak winter in the early 1630s, the book describes the aftermath of the takeover of power by a coalition of upright burghers from the brutal, semi-feudal control of Lord Savile. The central character - Brigge - is a well-off and kindly farmer, who becomes coroner and a governor of the town, but becomes increasingly disillusioned as his close friend Challoner, the master of the town, falls under the sway of a Taliban-like puritan faction. Calls to build 'a shining city on a hill' herald a legalistic attitude to the law (and specifically, Biblical Mosaic law) and bring in a grim regime where harsh punishments - brandings for fornication, death for adultery, 'Sodomy' or Papism, removal of support for the poor, expulsion of beggars - rule, stoked by a continual fear of the inevitable anti-puritan backlash. In a town where impossible standards are imposed by vindictive law, where mercy is a forgotten quality, and where the original governors are now misusing this legal brutality in machiavellian manoeuvring against each other, no person can feel safe - least of all, the secretly Catholic governor, Brigge.

In Brigge, we have a Graeme Greene style character - a man whose goodness stems from his humanity, and is almost inseparable from his human flaws - contrasted with the hard-hearted self-righteous puritans whose paranoia echoes the characters of the Crucible. And like Miller's great play, this book is satirical. 'A shining city on a hill' was, after all, a favourite phrase of one recent American President, whose successors seem increasingly to sound like Bennett's 17th century puritans.

'Havoc' is a word of warning to all today, in a World where religious fundamentalism is on the rise again.

A brave satire for troubled times, 27 Jun 2005
A hard-hitting satire which sets the travails of a 17th century coroner and his family against the backdrop of an era of political and religious ferment, intrigue, opportunism, betrayal and persecution.

While the method of giving 17th century characters 21st century sensibilities sometimes seems a little contrived, this is a brave attempt to address modern-day prejudice and intolerance. In particular, it can be read as a searing critique of the herd instinct which continues to inform attitudes towards asylum seekers and other disadvantaged minorities today.

Seeking tolerance and justice in dangerous times, 04 Mar 2005
Ronan Bennett skillfully transports readers back to the political and religious turbulence of England in the 1630s. John Brigge is coroner and one of twelve governors of a northern town under the stewardship of his long-term friend Nathaniel Challoner, the Master. However, dangers lurk for the comparatively tolerant and principled coroner, as he spends more time on his farm with his heavily pregnant wife and becomes isolated from the intrigues in the town. Increasingly, the Master takes counsel from hard-liner advisers that brook no activity that deviates from their divinely inspired truth. Moreover, the precariousness of Brigge's position is exacerbated by his failure to hastily condemn an Irish Catholic woman accused of murdering her new-born babe and his challenging of the powerful hard-line Constable for failing to call a witness in the case. Most dangerously of all, although Brigge performs prescribed Protestant activities, the Catholic sympathies of he and his wife come under scrutiny as the masses increasingly express anti-papist sentiments.

Clearly, 'Havoc' can be read as an allegory for our own troubled times. Many readers will empathise strongly with the plight and dilemmas facing the coroner, and wonder what we would do in his shoes. 'Havoc' raises many issues that have interesting parallels today, although regrettably doesn't explore any of them in any great depth.

'Havoc' is particularly well-written with some interesting period language, particularly in the earlier sections of the novel. Bennett's narrative is lively and compelling: whilst fearing the worst, readers hope that Brigge will successively negotiate the dangers. Regrettably, the story flags somewhat in the final straight, settling for a fairly predictable ending with strong religious overtones.

"The hottest places in hell are reserved for those who in times of great moral crises maintain their neutrality.", 01 May 2006
On June 30, 1960, the Congo was emancipated from Belgium. African nationalist leader Patrice Emery Lumumba became the first prime minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo when it declared its independence - the long awaited "Depanda" had arrived at last! In October 1958 Lumumba had founded the Congolese National Movement (Mouvement National Congolais; MNC), the first nationwide Congolese political party. Forced out of office during a period of violent political upheaval in September 1960, he was assassinated in January 1961.

During the Congo's turbulent beginning many countries intervened in its political affairs. "They used: fear of communism, economic collapse, civil war, and protection of European citizens living in the Congo to back themselves for intervening." And the expatriate community, living in luxury, sipping sundowners at poolside, did not appreciate their world, their comfortable lives slipping out of their control.

At the time, the Congo was the biggest and richest country in central Africa, one with huge strategic importance - not only to the Belgians, but to the US. Katanga Province, the size of Britain, remains one of the richest areas in all Africa if not the richest. "The mines of the Union Miniere and Forminiere provided the world with eight per cent of its copper, sixty per cent of its uranium, seventy-three per cent of its cobalt, eighty per cent of its industrial diamonds. Katanga has gold, silver, tin, zinc, manganese, columbium, cadmium, tungsten, tantalum: its supplies will never be exhausted." This was the land of Unilever, Brufina, Union Miniere and the Banque Empain, companies which were not about to let their holdings slip away easily.

Into this tumultuous, politically charged setting wanders James Gillespie, a disaffected Irish/English writer, author of a few well received novels and a contributor to various periodicals. He arrives in Léopoldsville with the intent of pursuing a waning relationship with Inés Sabiani, his fiery, radical Italian girlfriend with whom he is deeply in love. Gillespie's arrival in the Congo represents a major emotional commitment for him. Ines is a journalist with her country's communist newspaper L'Unita. She is as passionate about the cause of Independence and about the charismatic leader, Lumumba, as James is indifferent, or as he would say, "objective." And he is a skeptic, a pessimist. Part of the problem between the two lovers is that James is never on anyone's side. He insists, "I see all sides. My craft demands it." He is against intolerance, dogma, illiberalism. But he is for nothing. Inés invests herself emotionally as well as professionally in that which she believes. Her affair with James is doomed before Gillespie sets foot on African soil - just as Patrice Lumumba's government is doomed before he takes office. At one point Inès tells Gillespie that, "Dante wrote that the hottest places in hell are reserved for those who in times of great moral crises maintain their neutrality." She accuses him of being a "catastrofista," a "catastrophist," one who believes "that no problem is small. Nothing can be fixed; it is always the end."

As James becomes caught up in the historical movement, colonial injustice and the chaotic brutality that accompanies it, he is finally forced to take sides...and action.

Although well written, I did have some difficulty with author Ronan Bennett's style. It made for ponderous reading at times. I am fascinated by this period in Africa, especially the politics, and by the character of Patrice Lumumba in particular, so I had personal incentive to persevere. "The Catastrophist" reminds me of Graham Greene's "The Quiet American." Both novels deal with the chaotic end of colonialism, have journalists as protagonists and idealistic, if Machiavellian, CIA operatives fomenting intrigue and even more violence. The colonialists in both novels, the Belgians here, the French in Vietnam in Greene's work, both act paternalistically and condescendingly towards the "natives" and don't really take the independence movements seriously.

"The Catastrophist was short-listed for the 1998 Whitbread Novel Award.
JANA

A flawed novel...so much the better!, 17 Oct 2005
I picked this up having enjoyed the marvellous 'Havoc in its Third Year' and was not disappointed. This novel has flaws and they are part of what makes its success. Gillespie the narrator is a confused Irishman and follows his love/lust to Africa to conquer her at the same time as decolonisation is taking place in the former Belgian Congo. Gillespie is indifferent to politics, part of his Northern Irish background (it is the 1960s and 'the troubles' are yet to begin) in contrast with Ines's passionate yet naive belief in the politics she encounters. The novel explores passion of various kinds, belief, cynicism, background and family and tries to get to the question about what makes people love and how they love. Why do I call it flawed? Because there are echoes of Brian Moore/Graham Greene here. This novel is flawed in the same way.....you can't get much better than that. I am going to read the other Bennett novels I can get my hands on - he is definitely one to watch!

Superb, 06 Jan 2001
This is a truly superb novel. It has everything and it does it all well. It is a beautifully written thriller with a number of interesting themes. It paints a rich picture of life and the political situation in the Congo at the time. I was disappointed when I finished it.

Unfair criticism, 22 Dec 2000
...the book is about a apathetic, stranger's trip to Africa in the middle of upheaval. If the book lacks nuances of African culture it is because it is about an alien looking disinterestedly into this radically, different world. The book may be dense but is a cracking read that not only entertains but also makes you consider the selfishness behind caring, intelligent people's actions when lust, trust or situation cloud their judgement. It's well worth a pick up. I haven't recommended it to one person who hasn't thanked me for it.

Politics and passion in the Congo...., 16 Oct 2000
Set in Belgian Congo in the 60s, as it moves from being a colony to an independent state. The narrator is Gillespie, an Irish journalist and writer. He is there because Ines, his Italian lover has gone out, also as a journalist, but with a clear agenda to support the political struggle. He is not convinced by the revolutionaries and what he sees as Ines' naivety, but h finds himself involved and protecting the revolutionary leaders , turning against his American friend Stipe, who is clearly there to influence the right result for the US - he is presumably CIA.

The book mixes a story of thwarted powerful passion and of political struggle - the break from oppression to uncertain freedom. There are obvious if unforced parallels with Ireland. The book is strong but I was slightly disappointed. I think I thought it would be exceptional, which it isn't. It is good enough, but there is nothing really new here.

A tense end game, 26 May 2008
A swift-moving page turner of a thriller. Set in St Petersburg in March 1914 it is a rich mixture, expertly stirred, of psychoanalysis, of chess games, and of the political scene (the antisemitic Black Hundred, the Okhrana, the oppressed Poles in general and Polish Jews in particular, the Social Revolutionaries, Bolsheviks and Anarchists, the looming war with Germany); of different members of the security services playing different games; of murders; of blackmail; of the love of fathers for daughters who do not confide in them; of a steamy and very explicit sex-scene. The main dénouement, some way from the end, is very ingenious and makes sense of one aspect that had struck me as unlikely until that point. But, typical for this kind of novel, there are more twists and turns in the remaining pages, just to show how inventive the author can be, though they involve more leisurely discussions at moments of intense crisis than one would have thought the characters would have found time for.

The Zugzwang of the title refers to position in chess in which a player is forced to make a move he does not want to make, and of course this is the position in which several of the characters - and even Tsarist Russia - find themselves.


A Complex and Satisfying Thriller, 27 Apr 2008
'Zugzwang', as it tells you on the back of this book, is a position in Chess, where a player must make a move but any move he does make will result in his downfall. It seems a wonder that it's taken this long for somebody to use it a title for a thriller. It was worth the wait.

The novel is set in St Petersburg in 1914, tension is high and revolution in the air. When a journalist is found murdered, pschoanalyst Dr Otto Spethmann finds himself and his young daughter implicated in the crime. There then follows a complex unravelling of plots, counter-plots and double and triple crossings. It's marvellous stuff.

Bennet's writing is excellent, the depictions of revolutionary St Petersburg are so vivid you can almost smell the gunpowder. In addition we are treated to an intriguing Chess game that runs throughout the novel. By the end of the book, just about all of the major characters have had Zugzwang's of their own, which just adds to the tension and excitement. Predictably, there is also some romance between the Doctor and one of his patients but to be honest some of these sections must have come close to winning a 'Bad Sex' award.

Bad Sex aside, Zugzwang is a terrific read with an end that doesn't disappoint. The last paragraphs of this novel are powerful and thought provoking; they should be required reading for those in power, who hope to make the world a safer place. Historical crime and thriller junkies will love it, as will those with a passing interest in chess.

17th century prose style, 24 Sep 2007
If I could, I'd give this ten stars for the brilliant re-creation of 17th century prose style; I've not read a historical novel which does this better. It moves you inside the period (and the characters) quickly, and gives a real feel for especially this world of hurt the novel depicts. I found, though, the book's simplifying of the moral positions a bit alienating and, in the end, rather flat. The baddies (more Ulster unionist than north-country puritan, methinks) just get nastier and the virtuous Brigge blends into other figures from Catholic martryology. Bennett's a superb writer but here I wished he'd let his characters develop and deepen in unexpected ways, rather than conforming to cliche.

What a wonderful book, 10 Oct 2006
It's a pity that Amazon only give 5 stars for reviewer ratings, as I would have loved to award this 6 out of 5. What an absolutely amazing book which works on so many levels. As a narrative, it's got everything: pace, preciseness, characters coming alive, unexpected turns, and a final denouement which is perhaps a little unexpected. As an allegory for events in the modern world, it's also deeply thought-provoking in respect of sectarian hatred and intolerance, with lessons to be learned and reflected on. As a human tale, it's deeply moving, particularly in regard to John Brigge's love for his wife and child, his human frailty, and his moral goodness. Bennett brings to life the awful squalor in which some people lived in England in the 1630s, and the dreadful brutality of the puritan masters, sanctimonious and overbearing to a man. There's also a mysticism about this book which works its way very subtly into the narrative, particularly in respect of ghostly apparitions and visitations. The ending of the book is truly emotional, and I've read the final two pages over and over, such is the power of the narrative and the pathos it conveys, along with an exposition of Brigge's love for his family. An astonishing book which I loved from cover to cover. Can't recommend it highly enough. Buy it from Amazon today!

'Havoc', 07 May 2006
'Havoc' is Ronan Bennett's term for the effects of theocracy, and specifically the puritan rule that spread across large parts of England before and during the English Revolutions of the 17th century.

Set in an unnamed Northern town in a bleak winter in the early 1630s, the book describes the aftermath of the takeover of power by a coalition of upright burghers from the brutal, semi-feudal control of Lord Savile. The central character - Brigge - is a well-off and kindly farmer, who becomes coroner and a governor of the town, but becomes increasingly disillusioned as his close friend Challoner, the master of the town, falls under the sway of a Taliban-like puritan faction. Calls to build 'a shining city on a hill' herald a legalistic attitude to the law (and specifically, Biblical Mosaic law) and bring in a grim regime where harsh punishments - brandings for fornication, death for adultery, 'Sodomy' or Papism, removal of support for the poor, expulsion of beggars - rule, stoked by a continual fear of the inevitable anti-puritan backlash. In a town where impossible standards are imposed by vindictive law, where mercy is a forgotten quality, and where the original governors are now misusing this legal brutality in machiavellian manoeuvring against each other, no person can feel safe - least of all, the secretly Catholic governor, Brigge.

In Brigge, we have a Graeme Greene style character - a man whose goodness stems from his humanity, and is almost inseparable from his human flaws - contrasted with the hard-hearted self-righteous puritans whose paranoia echoes the characters of the Crucible. And like Miller's great play, this book is satirical. 'A shining city on a hill' was, after all, a favourite phrase of one recent American President, whose successors seem increasingly to sound like Bennett's 17th century puritans.

'Havoc' is a word of warning to all today, in a World where religious fundamentalism is on the rise again.

A brave satire for troubled times, 27 Jun 2005
A hard-hitting satire which sets the travails of a 17th century coroner and his family against the backdrop of an era of political and religious ferment, intrigue, opportunism, betrayal and persecution.

While the method of giving 17th century characters 21st century sensibilities sometimes seems a little contrived, this is a brave attempt to address modern-day prejudice and intolerance. In particular, it can be read as a searing critique of the herd instinct which continues to inform attitudes towards asylum seekers and other disadvantaged minorities today.

Seeking tolerance and justice in dangerous times, 04 Mar 2005
Ronan Bennett skillfully transports readers back to the political and religious turbulence of England in the 1630s. John Brigge is coroner and one of twelve governors of a northern town under the stewardship of his long-term friend Nathaniel Challoner, the Master. However, dangers lurk for the comparatively tolerant and principled coroner, as he spends more time on his farm with his heavily pregnant wife and becomes isolated from the intrigues in the town. Increasingly, the Master takes counsel from hard-liner advisers that brook no activity that deviates from their divinely inspired truth. Moreover, the precariousness of Brigge's position is exacerbated by his failure to hastily condemn an Irish Catholic woman accused of murdering her new-born babe and his challenging of the powerful hard-line Constable for failing to call a witness in the case. Most dangerously of all, although Brigge performs prescribed Protestant activities, the Catholic sympathies of he and his wife come under scrutiny as the masses increasingly express anti-papist sentiments.

Clearly, 'Havoc' can be read as an allegory for our own troubled times. Many readers will empathise strongly with the plight and dilemmas facing the coroner, and wonder what we would do in his shoes. 'Havoc' raises many issues that have interesting parallels today, although regrettably doesn't explore any of them in any great depth.

'Havoc' is particularly well-written with some interesting period language, particularly in the earlier sections of the novel. Bennett's narrative is lively and compelling: whilst fearing the worst, readers hope that Brigge will successively negotiate the dangers. Regrettably, the story flags somewhat in the final straight, settling for a fairly predictable ending with strong religious overtones.

17th century prose style, 24 Sep 2007
If I could, I'd give this ten stars for the brilliant re-creation of 17th century prose style; I've not read a historical novel which does this better. It moves you inside the period (and the characters) quickly, and gives a real feel for especially this world of hurt the novel depicts. I found, though, the book's simplifying of the moral positions a bit alienating and, in the end, rather flat. The baddies (more Ulster unionist than north-country puritan, methinks) just get nastier and the virtuous Brigge blends into other figures from Catholic martryology. Bennett's a superb writer but here I wished he'd let his characters develop and deepen in unexpected ways, rather than conforming to cliche.

What a wonderful book, 10 Oct 2006
It's a pity that Amazon only give 5 stars for reviewer ratings, as I would have loved to award this 6 out of 5. What an absolutely amazing book which works on so many levels. As a narrative, it's got everything: pace, preciseness, characters coming alive, unexpected turns, and a final denouement which is perhaps a little unexpected. As an allegory for events in the modern world, it's also deeply thought-provoking in respect of sectarian hatred and intolerance, with lessons to be learned and reflected on. As a human tale, it's deeply moving, particularly in regard to John Brigge's love for his wife and child, his human frailty, and his moral goodness. Bennett brings to life the awful squalor in which some people lived in England in the 1630s, and the dreadful brutality of the puritan masters, sanctimonious and overbearing to a man. There's also a mysticism about this book which works its way very subtly into the narrative, particularly in respect of ghostly apparitions and visitations. The ending of the book is truly emotional, and I've read the final two pages over and over, such is the power of the narrative and the pathos it conveys, along with an exposition of Brigge's love for his family. An astonishing book which I loved from cover to cover. Can't recommend it highly enough. Buy it from Amazon today!

'Havoc', 07 May 2006
'Havoc' is Ronan Bennett's term for the effects of theocracy, and specifically the puritan rule that spread across large parts of England before and during the English Revolutions of the 17th century.

Set in an unnamed Northern town in a bleak winter in the early 1630s, the book describes the aftermath of the takeover of power by a coalition of upright burghers from the brutal, semi-feudal control of Lord Savile. The central character - Brigge - is a well-off and kindly farmer, who becomes coroner and a governor of the town, but becomes increasingly disillusioned as his close friend Challoner, the master of the town, falls under the sway of a Taliban-like puritan faction. Calls to build 'a shining city on a hill' herald a legalistic attitude to the law (and specifically, Biblical Mosaic law) and bring in a grim regime where harsh punishments - brandings for fornication, death for adultery, 'Sodomy' or Papism, removal of support for the poor, expulsion of beggars - rule, stoked by a continual fear of the inevitable anti-puritan backlash. In a town where impossible standards are imposed by vindictive law, where mercy is a forgotten quality, and where the original governors are now misusing this legal brutality in machiavellian manoeuvring against each other, no person can feel safe - least of all, the secretly Catholic governor, Brigge.

In Brigge, we have a Graeme Greene style character - a man whose goodness stems from his humanity, and is almost inseparable from his human flaws - contrasted with the hard-hearted self-righteous puritans whose paranoia echoes the characters of the Crucible. And like Miller's great play, this book is satirical. 'A shining city on a hill' was, after all, a favourite phrase of one recent American President, whose successors seem increasingly to sound like Bennett's 17th century puritans.

'Havoc' is a word of warning to all today, in a World where religious fundamentalism is on the rise again.

A brave satire for troubled times, 27 Jun 2005
A hard-hitting satire which sets the travails of a 17th century coroner and his family against the backdrop of an era of political and religious ferment, intrigue, opportunism, betrayal and persecution.

While the method of giving 17th century characters 21st century sensibilities sometimes seems a little contrived, this is a brave attempt to address modern-day prejudice and intolerance. In particular, it can be read as a searing critique of the herd instinct which continues to inform attitudes towards asylum seekers and other disadvantaged minorities today.

Seeking tolerance and justice in dangerous times, 04 Mar 2005
Ronan Bennett skillfully transports readers back to the political and religious turbulence of England in the 1630s. John Brigge is coroner and one of twelve governors of a northern town under the stewardship of his long-term friend Nathaniel Challoner, the Master. However, dangers lurk for the comparatively tolerant and principled coroner, as he spends more time on his farm with his heavily pregnant wife and becomes isolated from the intrigues in the town. Increasingly, the Master takes counsel from hard-liner advisers that brook no activity that deviates from their divinely inspired truth. Moreover, the precariousness of Brigge's position is exacerbated by his failure to hastily condemn an Irish Catholic woman accused of murdering her new-born babe and his challenging of the powerful hard-line Constable for failing to call a witness in the case. Most dangerously of all, although Brigge performs prescribed Protestant activities, the Catholic sympathies of he and his wife come under scrutiny as the masses increasingly express anti-papist sentiments.

Clearly, 'Havoc' can be read as an allegory for our own troubled times. Many readers will empathise strongly with the plight and dilemmas facing the coroner, and wonder what we would do in his shoes. 'Havoc' raises many issues that have interesting parallels today, although regrettably doesn't explore any of them in any great depth.

'Havoc' is particularly well-written with some interesting period language, particularly in the earlier sections of the novel. Bennett's narrative is lively and compelling: whilst fearing the worst, readers hope that Brigge will successively negotiate the dangers. Regrettably, the story flags somewhat in the final straight, settling for a fairly predictable ending with strong religious overtones.

"The hottest places in hell are reserved for those who in times of great moral crises maintain their neutrality.", 01 May 2006
On June 30, 1960, the Congo was emancipated from Belgium. African nationalist leader Patrice Emery Lumumba became the first prime minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo when it declared its independence - the long awaited "Depanda" had arrived at last! In October 1958 Lumumba had founded the Congolese National Movement (Mouvement National Congolais; MNC), the first nationwide Congolese political party. Forced out of office during a period of violent political upheaval in September 1960, he was assassinated in January 1961.

During the Congo's turbulent beginning many countries intervened in its political affairs. "They used: fear of communism, economic collapse, civil war, and protection of European citizens living in the Congo to back themselves for intervening." And the expatriate community, living in luxury, sipping sundowners at poolside, did not appreciate their world, their comfortable lives slipping out of their control.

At the time, the Congo was the biggest and richest country in central Africa, one with huge strategic importance - not only to the Belgians, but to the US. Katanga Province, the size of Britain, remains one of the richest areas in all Africa if not the richest. "The mines of the Union Miniere and Forminiere provided the world with eight per cent of its copper, sixty per cent of its uranium, seventy-three per cent of its cobalt, eighty per cent of its industrial diamonds. Katanga has gold, silver, tin, zinc, manganese, columbium, cadmium, tungsten, tantalum: its supplies will never be exhausted." This was the land of Unilever, Brufina, Union Miniere and the Banque Empain, companies which were not about to let their holdings slip away easily.

Into this tumultuous, politically charged setting wanders James Gillespie, a disaffected Irish/English writer, author of a few well received novels and a contributor to various periodicals. He arrives in Léopoldsville with the intent of pursuing a waning relationship with Inés Sabiani, his fiery, radical Italian girlfriend with whom he is deeply in love. Gillespie's arrival in the Congo represents a major emotional commitment for him. Ines is a journalist with her country's communist newspaper L'Unita. She is as passionate about the cause of Independence and about the charismatic leader, Lumumba, as James is indifferent, or as he would say, "objective." And he is a skeptic, a pessimist. Part of the problem between the two lovers is that James is never on anyone's side. He insists, "I see all sides. My craft demands it." He is against intolerance, dogma, illiberalism. But he is for nothing. Inés invests herself emotionally as well as professionally in that which she believes. Her affair with James is doomed before Gillespie sets foot on African soil - just as Patrice Lumumba's government is doomed before he takes office. At one point Inès tells Gillespie that, "Dante wrote that the hottest places in hell are reserved for those who in times of great moral crises maintain their neutrality." She accuses him of being a "catastrofista," a "catastrophist," one who believes "that no problem is small. Nothing can be fixed; it is always the end."

As James becomes caught up in the historical movement, colonial injustice and the chaotic brutality that accompanies it, he is finally forced to take sides...and action.

Although well written, I did have some difficulty with author Ronan Bennett's style. It made for ponderous reading at times. I am fascinated by this period in Africa, especially the politics, and by the character of Patrice Lumumba in particular, so I had personal incentive to persevere. "The Catastrophist" reminds me of Graham Greene's "The Quiet American." Both novels deal with the chaotic end of colonialism, have journalists as protagonists and idealistic, if Machiavellian, CIA operatives fomenting intrigue and even more violence. The colonialists in both novels, the Belgians here, the French in Vietnam in Greene's work, both act paternalistically and condescendingly towards the "natives" and don't really take the independence movements seriously.

"The Catastrophist was short-listed for the 1998 Whitbread Novel Award.
JANA

A flawed novel...so much the better!, 17 Oct 2005
I picked this up having enjoyed the marvellous 'Havoc in its Third Year' and was not disappointed. This novel has flaws and they are part of what makes its success. Gillespie the narrator is a confused Irishman and follows his love/lust to Africa to conquer her at the same time as decolonisation is taking place in the former Belgian Congo. Gillespie is indifferent to politics, part of his Northern Irish background (it is the 1960s and 'the troubles' are yet to begin) in contrast with Ines's passionate yet naive belief in the politics she encounters. The novel explores passion of various kinds, belief, cynicism, background and family and tries to get to the question about what makes people love and how they love. Why do I call it flawed? Because there are echoes of Brian Moore/Graham Greene here. This novel is flawed in the same way.....you can't get much better than that. I am going to read the other Bennett novels I can get my hands on - he is definitely one to watch!

Superb, 06 Jan 2001
This is a truly superb novel. It has everything and it does it all well. It is a beautifully written thriller with a number of interesting themes. It paints a rich picture of life and the political situation in the Congo at the time. I was disappointed when I finished it.

Unfair criticism, 22 Dec 2000
...the book is about a apathetic, stranger's trip to Africa in the middle of upheaval. If the book lacks nuances of African culture it is because it is about an alien looking disinterestedly into this radically, different world. The book may be dense but is a cracking read that not only entertains but also makes you consider the selfishness behind caring, intelligent people's actions when lust, trust or situation cloud their judgement. It's well worth a pick up. I haven't recommended it to one person who hasn't thanked me for it.

Politics and passion in the Congo...., 16 Oct 2000
Set in Belgian Congo in the 60s, as it moves from being a colony to an independent state. The narrator is Gillespie, an Irish journalist and writer. He is there because Ines, his Italian lover has gone out, also as a journalist, but with a clear agenda to support the political struggle. He is not convinced by the revolutionaries and what he sees as Ines' naivety, but h finds himself involved and protecting the revolutionary leaders , turning against his American friend Stipe, who is clearly there to influence the right result for the US - he is presumably CIA.

The book mixes a story of thwarted powerful passion and of political struggle - the break from oppression to uncertain freedom. There are obvious if unforced parallels with Ireland. The book is strong but I was slightly disappointed. I think I thought it would be exceptional, which it isn't. It is good enough, but there is nothing really new here.

"When things reach this pitch we are all in zugzwang", 25 Sep 2008
With a rich mixture of classical Hollywood thrillers, Jacques Feydor's 'knight without armour', Hitchcock's wronged man on the run escapades, Eric Ambler and nods to the psychological depth of Graham greene's finest, Bennett hits literary gold again.
Anyone who knows Bennett's biog can see perhaps a little personal investment in Zugzwang (Bennett was a Republican activist in Northern Ireland) as it deals with the much maligned Bolshevik cause in pre World War One Russia.
The plot is a fast paced thriller of a man caught out of his depth in a situation he has no understanding of (think Cary Grant's Roger Thornhill in North by Northwest) and read in this sense it's hugely enjoyable and a truly unputdownable page turner. Though on another level the book is a literary portrayal of a society on the brink of collapse with corruption rife, demonized terrorists, mass poverty and a complacent middle class. Sound familiar?
Bennett manages the heady feat of giving us a literary, political fable dressed up in the clothes of a pulp thriller.

Good Atmosphere, Weak Plotting, 07 Dec 2007
Contemporary thrillers aren't generally my cup of tea, but I am prone to picking up historical ones if the setting is interesting or premise is unusual. Here, the setting of St. Petersburg, Russia circa 1914 was all I needed to dive in -- the winds of war gust about, and Tsar Nicholas II sits uneasily in his palace, his country beset by revolutionary terrorists. Amidst this tumult we meet psychoanalyst Otto Spethmann, a middle-class Jewish doctor concerned primarily with his practice, the welfare of his teenage daughter, and an ongoing game of chess with his composer/playboy friend.

However, before you can repeat the apocryphal line, "You may not be interested in the revolution, but the revolution is interested in you!" -- Spethmann is caught up in a very tangled web of intrigue involving Moscow policemen, the Tsar's secret police, Bolshevik cells, Polish terrorists, anti-Jewish aristocrats, chess masterminds, and the sexy daughter of a powerful man. Naturally of these many characters are not quite what they seem, and Spethmann's innocence is methodically stripped away by all the factions at play. The title is a German term for a chess scenario "in which a player is reduced to a state of utter helplessness. He is obliged to move, but his every move only makes his position worse." This is meant to highlight Spethmann's predicament, -- as well as that of the Tsarist government.

The story suffers slightly in two aspects. First is the running chess game between Spethmann and his best friend, which is illustrated with pictures of the state of play. As the story progresses, the tension between them grows, and the game takes on increasing symbolism. Unfortunately, Spethmann's interior discussion of the strategy is lost unless you understand the notation used for chess moves, and one's reading experience can't help but suffer. Secondly, the plot relies on too many characters having professional or personal connections to Spethmann -- there are just too many coincidences to swallow. So while the book does a nice job capturing the highly uncertain atmosphere of the time, as well as the ethical dilemmas faced by those like the good doctor -- the convoluted plot is just far too over-the-top to sink one's teeth into.

a book you will find hard to put down, 07 Dec 2007
This is the first ronan bennett book i have read, and it certainly wont be the last. I loved this book and his clever style of writing. The story keeps you intrigued from the start. Its a super read. You wont be able to put the book down.

"Cruelty and violent death were not just part of St. Petersburg life...but were the essence of a city stalked by revolution.", 05 Dec 2007
Set in St. Petersburg in 1914, when revolution looms but chess tournaments play on, this exciting intellectual thriller traces the various forces contending for influence and power, in the city--the municipal police, factory workers, students, the secret police, Bolsheviks, Polish terrorists, and czarists, among others, with the newspapers and their editors wishing to report the truth but wary of choosing the wrong side in the ultimate battle. Despite the turbulent conditions, the city's lovers seek happiness, though they must often endure the same sorts of powerful reversals as political rivals. A chess game, which plays throughout the novel, is a metaphor for the moves and countermoves among the contenders for power the city and among the lovers searching here for love. Most appropriately, both politics and love reach a state of "zugzwang," that state in which one player is reduced to helplessness, obliged to move, with each move making the situation worse.

Dr. Otto Spethmann, a St. Petersburg psychoanalyst, stays out of the turmoil of politics, counseling two particularly fascinating patients. Avrom Chilowicz Rosental, a contender for the Grandmaster of Chess Award in the upcoming tournament, is a shy, sad Pole on the verge of a breakdown, virtually unable to communicate except on the chess board. Anna Petrovna Ziatdinov, a famed beauty tormented by memories, is the daughter of a rich industrialist suspected of funding the Black Hundreds and their attacks on Jews. Despite this "ordinary" life, Spethmann is drawn into an increasing spiral of violence.

A young man, found bludgeoned to death, carries Spethmann's card, and Rosental's file is stolen from his office. Spethmann and his daughter are arrested and interrogated, and the police, secret police, and anti-czarist extremists all pursue him for unknown reasons. Spethmann's friends may or may not be true friends, and his growing fondness for Anna, his patient, presages violence on the part of her husband and father. The connection of the pathologically shy Rosental to all the machinations remains a mystery throughout the increasingly violent action.

Bennett is a master of creating and using settings to showcase characters acting under extreme stress, and this novel is no exception. Though the action follows the thriller style, with a rapid narrative and fast-moving complications, the real focus is on the characters, not the plot. Spethman is an honest man trying to live his live in a most dishonest atmosphere, and the confusion he expresses as his life spins out of control draws in the reader who empathizes with his predicaments. As "zugzwang" is reached politically in St. Petersburg, Spethman also finds his familial and social ties reaching "zugzwang," a bleak outcome on all counts. Exciting, emotionally involving, historically realistic, and masterfully written, the novel appeals both to the heart and to the intellect. Mary Whipple


An intelligent and well-written political thriller, 28 Nov 2007
"Zugzwang: chess term derived from the German, Zug (move) and Zwang (compulsion, obligation). It is used to describe a position in which a player is reduced to state of utter helplessness. He is obliged to move, but every move only makes his position even worse."

This thriller is set in a pre-revolutionary St. Petersburg inhabited with anarchists, Bolsheviks, secret police and double agents. Dr. Otto Spethmann, a psychoanalyst, is visited by the police who demand to know his relationship with a dead man, Yastrebov. Spethmann has no knowledge of him but from then on a whole series of dramatic events unfold - murders, kidnappings, threats and assassination plots. There is a whole range of great characters: Rozental, the chess genius on the verge of a complete breakdown, Kopelzon, an acclaimed musician who is vain and hypocritical, Lychev, the intelligent and complex policeman and Anna, the damaged beauty with whom Otto falls in love. Otto's daughter is also a surprisingly modern young woman - headstrong and liberated.

The plot is convoluted with lots of twists and turns involving revolutionary and counter-revolutionary plots - all great fun but infused with political and ethical dilemmas. Can the murder of one man be excused if it eventually means the lives of others can be improved? Can terrorism be justified?

The whole book is infused with a chess game between Spethmann and Kopelzon, complete with diagrams and moves. Even readers (like me)who don't follow chess could enjoy this battle which is also reflected in the plot.

On the surface it appeared that Spethmann was the character who was obliged to move but in doing so only made his position worse but in fact Zugzwang was the position that Tsarist Russia found herself in - whatever was tried, things could only get worse.

Highly recommended, an intelligent and well-written political thriller.

And did I spot a mention of Djugashvili? Wasn't that Stalin's real name?

A tense end game, 26 May 2008
A swift-moving page turner of a thriller. Set in St Petersburg in March 1914 it is a rich mixture, expertly stirred, of psychoanalysis, of chess games, and of the political scene (the antisemitic Black Hundred, the Okhrana, the oppressed Poles in general and Polish Jews in particular, the Social Revolutionaries, Bolsheviks and Anarchists, the looming war with Germany); of different members of the security services playing different games; of murders; of blackmail; of the love of fathers for daughters who do not confide in them; of a steamy and very explicit sex-scene. The main dénouement, some way from the end, is very ingenious and makes sense of one aspect that had struck me as unlikely until that point. But, typical for this kind of novel, there are more twists and turns in the remaining pages, just to show how inventive the author can be, though they involve more leisurely discussions at moments of intense crisis than one would have thought the characters would have found time for.

The Zugzwang of the title refers to position in chess in which a player is forced to make a move he does not want to make, and of course this is the position in which several of the characters - and even Tsarist Russia - find themselves.


A Complex and Satisfying Thriller, 27 Apr 2008
'Zugzwang', as it tells you on the back of this book, is a position in Chess, where a player must make a move but any move he does make will result in his downfall. It seems a wonder that it's taken this long for somebody to use it a title for a thriller. It was worth the wait.

The novel is set in St Petersburg in 1914, tension is high and revolution in the air. When a journalist is found murdered, pschoanalyst Dr Otto Spethmann finds himself and his young daughter implicated in the crime. There then follows a complex unravelling of plots, counter-plots and double and triple crossings. It's marvellous stuff.

Bennet's writing is excellent, the depictions of revolutionary St Petersburg are so vivid you can almost smell the gunpowder. In addition we are treated to an intriguing Chess game that runs throughout the novel. By the end of the book, just about all of the major characters have had Zugzwang's of their own, which just adds to the tension and excitement. Predictably, there is also some romance between the Doctor and one of his patients but to be honest some of these sections must have come close to winning a 'Bad Sex' award.

Bad Sex aside, Zugzwang is a terrific read with an end that doesn't disappoint. The last paragraphs of this novel are powerful and thought provoking; they should be required reading for those in power, who hope to make the world a safer place. Historical crime and thriller junkies will love it, as will those with a passing interest in chess.

17th century prose style, 24 Sep 2007
If I could, I'd give this ten stars for the brilliant re-creation of 17th century prose style; I've not read a historical novel which does this better. It moves you inside the period (and the characters) quickly, and gives a real feel for especially this world of hurt the novel depicts. I found, though, the book's simplifying of the moral positions a bit alienating and, in the end, rather flat. The baddies (more Ulster unionist than north-country puritan, methinks) just get nastier and the virtuous Brigge blends into other figures from Catholic martryology. Bennett's a superb writer but here I wished he'd let his characters develop and deepen in unexpected ways, rather than conforming to cliche.

What a wonderful book, 10 Oct 2006
It's a pity that Amazon only give 5 stars for reviewer ratings, as I would have loved to award this 6 out of 5. What an absolutely amazing book which works on so many levels. As a narrative, it's got everything: pace, preciseness, characters coming alive, unexpected turns, and a final denouement which is perhaps a little unexpected. As an allegory for events in the modern world, it's also deeply thought-provoking in respect of sectarian hatred and intolerance, with lessons to be learned and reflected on. As a human tale, it's deeply moving, particularly in regard to John Brigge's love for his wife and child, his human frailty, and his moral goodness. Bennett brings to life the awful squalor in which some people lived in England in the 1630s, and the dreadful brutality of the puritan masters, sanctimonious and overbearing to a man. There's also a mysticism about this book which works its way very subtly into the narrative, particularly in respect of ghostly apparitions and visitations. The ending of the book is truly emotional, and I've read the final two pages over and over, such is the power of the narrative and the pathos it conveys, along with an exposition of Brigge's love for his family. An astonishing book which I loved from cover to cover. Can't recommend it highly enough. Buy it from Amazon today!

'Havoc', 07 May 2006
'Havoc' is Ronan Bennett's term for the effects of theocracy, and specifically the puritan rule that spread across large parts of England before and during the English Revolutions of the 17th century.

Set in an unnamed Northern town in a bleak winter in the early 1630s, the book describes the aftermath of the takeover of power by a coalition of upright burghers from the brutal, semi-feudal control of Lord Savile. The central character - Brigge - is a well-off and kindly farmer, who becomes coroner and a governor of the town, but becomes increasingly disillusioned as his close friend Challoner, the master of the town, falls under the sway of a Taliban-like puritan faction. Calls to build 'a shining city on a hill' herald a legalistic attitude to the law (and specifically, Biblical Mosaic law) and bring in a grim regime where harsh punishments - brandings for fornication, death for adultery, 'Sodomy' or Papism, removal of support for the poor, expulsion of beggars - rule, stoked by a continual fear of the inevitable anti-puritan backlash. In a town where impossible standards are imposed by vindictive law, where mercy is a forgotten quality, and where the original governors are now misusing this legal brutality in machiavellian manoeuvring against each other, no person can feel safe - least of all, the secretly Catholic governor, Brigge.

In Brigge, we have a Graeme Greene style character - a man whose goodness stems from his humanity, and is almost inseparable from his human flaws - contrasted with the hard-hearted self-righteous puritans whose paranoia echoes the characters of the Crucible. And like Miller's great play, this book is satirical. 'A shining city on a hill' was, after all, a favourite phrase of one recent American President, whose successors seem increasingly to sound like Bennett's 17th century puritans.

'Havoc' is a word of warning to all today, in a World where religious fundamentalism is on the rise again.

A brave satire for troubled times, 27 Jun 2005
A hard-hitting satire which sets the travails of a 17th century coroner and his family against the backdrop of an era of political and religious ferment, intrigue, opportunism, betrayal and persecution.

While the method of giving 17th century characters 21st century sensibilities sometimes seems a little contrived, this is a brave attempt to address modern-day prejudice and intolerance. In particular, it can be read as a searing critique of the herd instinct which continues to inform attitudes towards asylum seekers and other disadvantaged minorities today.

Seeking tolerance and justice in dangerous times, 04 Mar 2005
Ronan Bennett skillfully transports readers back to the political and religious turbulence of England in the 1630s. John Brigge is coroner and one of twelve governors of a northern town under the stewardship of his long-term friend Nathaniel Challoner, the Master. However, dangers lurk for the comparatively tolerant and principled coroner, as he spends more time on his farm with his heavily pregnant wife and becomes isolated from the intrigues in the town. Increasingly, the Master takes counsel from hard-liner advisers that brook no activity that deviates from their divinely inspired truth. Moreover, the precariousness of Brigge's position is exacerbated by his failure to hastily condemn an Irish Catholic woman accused of murdering her new-born babe and his challenging of the powerful hard-line Constable for failing to call a witness in the case. Most dangerously of all, although Brigge performs prescribed Protestant activities, the Catholic sympathies of he and his wife come under scrutiny as the masses increasingly express anti-papist sentiments.

Clearly, 'Havoc' can be read as an allegory for our own troubled times. Many readers will empathise strongly with the plight and dilemmas facing the coroner, and wonder what we would do in his shoes. 'Havoc' raises many issues that have interesting parallels today, although regrettably doesn't explore any of them in any great depth.

'Havoc' is particularly well-written with some interesting period language, particularly in the earlier sections of the novel. Bennett's narrative is lively and compelling: whilst fearing the worst, readers hope that Brigge will successively negotiate the dangers. Regrettably, the story flags somewhat in the final straight, settling for a fairly predictable ending with strong religious overtones.

17th century prose style, 24 Sep 2007
If I could, I'd give this ten stars for the brilliant re-creation of 17th century prose style; I've not read a historical novel which does this better. It moves you inside the period (and the characters) quickly, and gives a real feel for especially this world of hurt the novel depicts. I found, though, the book's simplifying of the moral positions a bit alienating and, in the end, rather flat. The baddies (more Ulster unionist than north-country puritan, methinks) just get nastier and the virtuous Brigge blends into other figures from Catholic martryology. Bennett's a superb writer but here I wished he'd let his characters develop and deepen in unexpected ways, rather than conforming to cliche.

What a wonderful book, 10 Oct 2006
It's a pity that Amazon only give 5 stars for reviewer ratings, as I would have loved to award this 6 out of 5. What an absolutely amazing book which works on so many levels. As a narrative, it's got everything: pace, preciseness, characters coming alive, unexpected turns, and a final denouement which is perhaps a little unexpected. As an allegory for events in the modern world, it's also deeply thought-provoking in respect of sectarian hatred and intolerance, with lessons to be learned and reflected on. As a human tale, it's deeply moving, particularly in regard to John Brigge's love for his wife and child, his human frailty, and his moral goodness. Bennett brings to life the awful squalor in which some people lived in England in the 1630s, and the dreadful brutality of the puritan masters, sanctimonious and overbearing to a man. There's also a mysticism about this book which works its way very subtly into the narrative, particularly in respect of ghostly apparitions and visitations. The ending of the book is truly emotional, and I've read the final two pages over and over, such is the power of the narrative and the pathos it conveys, along with an exposition of Brigge's love for his family. An astonishing book which I loved from cover to cover. Can't recommend it highly enough. Buy it from Amazon today!

'Havoc', 07 May 2006
'Havoc' is Ronan Bennett's term for the effects of theocracy, and specifically the puritan rule that spread across large parts of England before and during the English Revolutions of the 17th century.

Set in an unnamed Northern town in a bleak winter in the early 1630s, the book describes the aftermath of the takeover of power by a coalition of upright burghers from the brutal, semi-feudal control of Lord Savile. The central character - Brigge - is a well-off and kindly farmer, who becomes coroner and a governor of the town, but becomes increasingly disillusioned as his close friend Challoner, the master of the town, falls under the sway of a Taliban-like puritan faction. Calls to build 'a shining city on a hill' herald a legalistic attitude to the law (and specifically, Biblical Mosaic law) and bring in a grim regime where harsh punishments - brandings for fornication, death for adultery, 'Sodomy' or Papism, removal of support for the poor, expulsion of beggars - rule, stoked by a continual fear of the inevitable anti-puritan backlash. In a town where impossible standards are imposed by vindictive law, where mercy is a forgotten quality, and where the original governors are now misusing this legal brutality in machiavellian manoeuvring against each other, no person can feel safe - least of all, the secretly Catholic governor, Brigge.

In Brigge, we have a Graeme Greene style character - a man whose goodness stems from his humanity, and is almost inseparable from his human flaws - contrasted with the hard-hearted self-righteous puritans whose paranoia echoes the characters of the Crucible. And like Miller's great play, this book is satirical. 'A shining city on a hill' was, after all, a favourite phrase of one recent American President, whose successors seem increasingly to sound like Bennett's 17th century puritans.

'Havoc' is a word of warning to all today, in a World where religious fundamentalism is on the rise again.

A brave satire for troubled times, 27 Jun 2005
A hard-hitting satire which sets the travails of a 17th century coroner and his family against the backdrop of an era of political and religious ferment, intrigue, opportunism, betrayal and persecution.

While the method of giving 17th century characters 21st century sensibilities sometimes seems a little contrived, this is a brave attempt to address modern-day prejudice and intolerance. In particular, it can be read as a searing critique of the herd instinct which continues to inform attitudes towards asylum seekers and other disadvantaged minorities today.

Seeking tolerance and justice in dangerous times, 04 Mar 2005
Ronan Bennett skillfully transports readers back to the political and religious turbulence of England in the 1630s. John Brigge is coroner and one of twelve governors of a northern town under the stewardship of his long-term friend Nathaniel Challoner, the Master. However, dangers lurk for the comparatively tolerant and principled coroner, as he spends more time on his farm with his heavily pregnant wife and becomes isolated from the intrigues in the town. Increasingly, the Master takes counsel from hard-liner advisers that brook no activity that deviates from their divinely inspired truth. Moreover, the precariousness of Brigge's position is exacerbated by his failure to hastily condemn an Irish Catholic woman accused of murdering her new-born babe and his challenging of the powerful hard-line Constable for failing to call a witn