Wolf Hall meets Demon Copperhead in a sharply ambitious, brilliantly imagined and hugely entertaining story of intrigue, deceit, revenge and ambition
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Kill the pretender. Do not let it be known that there was a pretender to kill.
The year is 1480 and England is in peril. The much-despised Richard III is not long for the throne, and the man who will become Henry VII stands poised to snatch the crown for himself. But for twelve-year-old John Collan, living in a remote village with his widowed father, these matters seem far away.
But history has other plans for John.
Stolen from his family, exiled – first to Oxford, then to Burgundy, and then Ireland – and apprenticed to a series of unscrupulous political operators, he finds himself groomed for power; not as John Collan, but as Edward Plantagenet, 17th Earl of Warwick – and rightful heir to the throne.
Far from home at the Irish court, preparing for a war that will see him become king or die trying, John has just his wits – and the slippery counsel of his host’s daughter, the unconventional Joan – to navigate the choppy waters ahead.
Seething with revenge and machination, sparkling with wit and humanity, and roaring with adventure and bravado, The Pretender is the captivating true story of a young man tossed into the chaos of history as it happens.
‘A vivid, transporting feat of imagination’ Maggie Shipstead
‘Witty, poignant, wildly engaging, and with a huge heart – I loved it’ Sarah Waters
‘Brilliantly buoyant, clever, funny, original, vivid, witty’ Joanna Quinn
‘The Pretender has everything: history richly drawn, amazing characterisation, humour, wit, vigour and bravery’ Emma Stonex
‘I found myself laughing out loud at the sheer brilliance of Harkin’s sentences’ Victoria MacKenzie
‘Wickedly funny… A work of genius, a wellspring of laughter and sorrow, a feat of time travel, and a feast of language’ Karen Russell
‘Raw, beautiful and true … I loved it’ Leah Redmond Chang
‘An absolute thumper … Funny and filthy and brave and brilliant’ Marianne Levy
‘Superb, exhilarating and heartbreaking’ Linda Porter
‘I couldn’t put it down’ Tracy Borman
Format: Paperback
Pages: 464
Imprint: Bloomsbury Circus
Publication date: 29/04/2025
The Pretender
by Jo Harkin
Review by Bel
I devoured this brilliant historical fiction! The language is gorgeous - particularly when profane - and the characters leap off the page reeking of history! I was instantly transported to the 1400s.
With all the passions and maneuverings one expects from court and the great houses, and perhaps the most Machiavellian 14-year-old girl I've ever read. She's magnificent and made me laugh out loud. Despite the sad subject, there's lots of humour in here, alongside the quiet tragedy of those crushed on the wheel of history.
For fans of Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall.
