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The Heretic's Apprentice
By Ellis Peters
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5/5
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About this ebook
Charges of heresy and murder are complicated by the contents of a mysterious treasure chest
In the summer of 1143, William of Lythwood arrives at the Benedictine Abbey of St. Peter and St. Paul, but it is not a joyous occasion—he’s come back from his pilgrimage in a coffin. William’s body is accompanied by his young attendant Elave, whose mission is to secure a burial place for his master on the abbey grounds, despite William’s having once been reprimanded for heretical views.
An already difficult task is complicated when Elave drunkenly expresses his own heretical opinions, and capital charges are filed. When a violent death follows, Sheriff Hugh Beringar taps his friend Brother Cadfael for help. The mystery that unfolds grows deeper thanks to a mysterious and marvelous treasure chest in Elave’s care.
In the summer of 1143, William of Lythwood arrives at the Benedictine Abbey of St. Peter and St. Paul, but it is not a joyous occasion—he’s come back from his pilgrimage in a coffin. William’s body is accompanied by his young attendant Elave, whose mission is to secure a burial place for his master on the abbey grounds, despite William’s having once been reprimanded for heretical views.
An already difficult task is complicated when Elave drunkenly expresses his own heretical opinions, and capital charges are filed. When a violent death follows, Sheriff Hugh Beringar taps his friend Brother Cadfael for help. The mystery that unfolds grows deeper thanks to a mysterious and marvelous treasure chest in Elave’s care.
Author
Ellis Peters
Ellis Peters (the pen name of Edith Pargeter, 1913–1995) is a writer beloved of millions of readers worldwide and has been widely adapted for radio and television, including her Brother Cadfael crime novels, which were made into a series starring Derek Jacobi. She has been the recipient of the Cartier Diamond Dagger, Edgar Award for Best Novel, Agatha Award for Best Novel, and was awarded an OBE for her services to literature in 1994.
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Reviews for The Heretic's Apprentice
Rating: 4.3076923076923075 out of 5 stars
4.5/5
13 ratings9 reviews
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5After watching the Brother Cadfael series on Netflix, I checked out a few of the books from my local library, and became an instant Ellis Peters fan. What beautiful writing! Her sentence structures release meaning with perfect timing; the rhythm of their details produces real feeling. I don't care if I can guess the solution to the mystery; these are worth reading just for the pleasure of reading.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A young pilgrim arrives in the town bearing a box containing the dowry for the young man's master's daughter. No one looks in the box to see what it contains to await the arrival of the master of the house. The young pilgrim is soon charged with heresy and when his accuser is found murdered, is also charged with that crime. Brother Cadfeal has to use his wits to unravel the charges and help the young man claim his bride.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Substance: As with all of the later books in the series, the mystery is fairly given, the young people are charming, and the romance is sweet. Notable mostly for clear (and sympathetic) statements about the "heretical" view of the doctrines of original sin, infant baptism, and the trinity (depressing, unfair, and inherently confusing). Features the Patripassion heresy, which follows most logically the "truth" of consubstantiation.NOTES: p. 163: why twelfth-century heretic hunters hated each other.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I would venture that this is the most theological of Ellis Peter's Brother Cadfael series as we learn of some early disputations on the thorny issues of predestination vs free will, the fate of unbaptized babies, the nature of the trinity and the doctrine of grace vs good works as a means of salvation. We have Elave, a young man from the town of Shrewsbury who is back home from accompanying his now dead master on a pilgrimage to Palestine. During this seven year adventure, the master shares with his young companion his thoughts on these contentious issues many of which were at odds with orthodox Catholic doctrine. Elave, with more spunk than wisdom, gives vent to his theological doubts and ends up in custody to be tried as a heretic. The murder of a family member further complicates his case but brings Brother Cadfael from the Abbey with his array of detection skills into the picture. Cadfael, along with the competent sheriff of the shire, Hugh Beringer, untangles the unhappy basis for heretical accusations and murder. The rigidity of the writings of St. Augustine and early church doctrine divides theologian and lay alike into two camps. Cadfael's position represents the more moderate view, "Nor could he accept that the number of those predestined to salvation was fixed, limited and immutable, as Augustine proclaimed, nor indeed that the fate of any man was sealed and hopeless from his birth, or why not throw away all regard for others and rob and murder and lay waste, and indulge every anarchic appetite in this world, having nothing beyond to look forward to?" The other side professed that Catholic doctrine must not give an inch and be vigorously defended to keep the church from sure fragmentation. All of this anguished wrangling transpires within the rhythm of medieval life in town and Abbey so well described by an author who is a master of character development and medieval culture. A gentle love story threads its way through the violence and bitterness to give the expected and welcome mellow ending.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The usual formula, but always a delight. I am nearing the end of this series...sadly.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5As i read these I want to be able to be transported away to the period and feel the depth and richness that it has to offer. Here Peters has done so. We get from the Heretic's Apprentice a great deal of the church, both it's politics and workings and the philosophy that was prevalent at the time.The mystery of course is paramount and the outcome, a happy ending is clear as Peters seems to unite some couple in love in each of these stories, but what is not clear as has been so these last few books is the culprit. Not only do we find a story that takes a complex turn as it delves into heresy, a very real proposition of the time, but we find a mystery having a complex twist to it also.This twist is the redemption of so many of the previous adventures. Though there is no herbology involved, Cadfael the investigator, the man who is always near the center to momentous events once again helps solve the mystery and brings about our happy ending. Here is a mystery worthwhile.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I have read this before, but I intend to read all of the Cadfael books repeatedly, they are excellent, and my memory doesn't seem to retain who the bad guy/gal is, so the mystery is always fresh.This story deals with the subject of heresy in the 1100s, England. An issue that was beginning to heat up. I enjoy the characters thoughts as they work through the issues at stake. Of course, the mystery adds suspense and excitement.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The cover calls this a medieval whodunnit, and that's what it is - a delightful blend of historical setting, believable characters and a mystery to solve.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A young man brings his former master to the Abbey for burial, after a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. He soon finds himself in trouble, for having views that don't follow the Catholic party line. When a member of his master's household is found murdered, he is also held accountable for that.
Book preview
The Heretic's Apprentice - Ellis Peters
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