The Triumphant Beast

de Marjorie Bowen

The story of Giordano Bruno is a glorious pageant of crowded history, swift, dramatic and ending in terrible tragedy. His ceaseless quest for recognition amongst the cynical and weary post-Renaissance princelings and prelates ended with his death by burning on the Campo Fiorito in Rome after an inspiring and tumultuous life of action on the threshold of a new and exciting era, which he did so much to inspire. The story unfolds in the glittering courts of Europe, the stately homes of Tudor England, and throughout the gorgeous panoply of the palaces of the Popes. It takes in its panoramic sweep many famous historical figures including the legendary Elizabeth I, the brave and dashing Sir Philip Sidney, the brilliant Galileo and the horse- and stable-loving Hapsburg Emperor Rudolf. Marjorie Bowen's *The Viper of Milan* established her as the most colourful and forceful writer of historical novels of her time. She follows the same theme in this superb late 16th century human story of love, hatred, treachery, greed, lust and ruthless ambition. Here is a magnificent and passionate novel brooding over disaster, and shattering in its dramatic impact.