Historical Dramas and The “Incest is Easy” Myth – From the Borgias to Bring Up the Bodies {0}

the-borgias-cesare-lucrezia-Showtime has decided to axe historical drama, The Borgias, one season shy of its originally planned four season run. Plans for a movie length finale have also been scrapped. The final episode of Season Three will serve as the series finale, which aired last night.

Deadline reports the original plans for Neil Jordan’s two hour finale

“I wanted a totally biblical ending, for the pope to burn in hell,” he said. That is how he wrote the proposed two-hour finale, with the pope dying and no one willing to hear his confession. When they finally find a confessor and the pope starts to repent his sins, the confessor interrupts him, saying, “I’m sorry, it’s too late, you’re already dead and burning in hell.” “This satisfies all moral feelings about the pope,” Jordan said.

Penguin’s Science Fiction – A Brief Trip Through Time {0}

Philip K. Dick's Time out of Joint

Philip K. Dick’s Time out of Joint. Cover illustration by Peter Tybus

From the iconic orange and white covers to the amazing modern art and superb children’s illustrators, Penguin Books has always been the leader in cover art. There is even a Penguin Collector’s Society, their aim to conserve and preserve vintage Penguin books.

The first Penguin paperbacks appeared in the summer of 1935 and included works by Ernest Hemingway, André Maurois and Agatha Christie. They were colour coded (orange for fiction, blue for biography, green for crime) and cost just sixpence, the same price as a packet of cigarettes. The way the public thought about books changed forever – the paperback revolution had begun.

Stormbringers by Philippa Gregory {4}

Stormbringers_Philippa_Gregory

Stormbringers by Philippa Gregory. RRP $16.99. Published by Simon & Schuster

Luca Vero is a member of the secret Order of Darkness, tasked with searching out and reporting signs of the end of the world. Breaking his journey in Piccolo, he finds a place filled with superstitious fears: of the unknown, of the forces of the sea and sky, of strangers. With him are his loyal friend and servant, Frieze, and his clerk, Brother Peter, as well as the Lady Isolde and her mysterious servant-companion Ishraq. The five of them are followed into the town by a huge children’s crusade, led by a self-proclaimed saint. Its young leader promises that the sea will part before them, and allow them to walk dry-shod all the way to Jerusalem. Luca and Lady Isolde are swept up in the growing excitement; but something dangerous is brewing far out to sea…

The Complete Uncle by J.P Martin and Quentin Blake Coming Soon! {2}

Set-Of-Uncle-Books

The Kickstarter campaign started by Marcus Gipps to fund The Complete Uncle Omnibus by J.P Martin and Quentin Blake smashed it’s target of £7000, with 540 backers raising £29,177.

UncleSo who is Uncle? Uncle is an elephant. He is immensely rich, and he’s a B.A. He dresses well, generally in a purple dressing gown, and often rides about on a traction engine, which he prefers to a car. read more

Richard III and The Cousins War Series by Philippa Gregory {0}

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The White Queen by Philippa Gregory. RRP $19.99. Published by Simon & Schuster

Richard III looks to remain firmly in the spotlight this year. York and Leicester are still at battle over the rights to his recently-discovered remains, the history books are being reprinted thick and fast, and the BBC has adapted Philippa Gregory’s The White Queen into a ten-part television series.

Ricardians can breathe easy, however, Philippa Gregory is one of the few historical novelists who doesn’t depict Richard III as the traditional Shakespearean tyrant we are so familiar with.