The Mark of the Salamander by Justin Newland - Historical Fiction and Magical Realism
Book Details:
Book Description:
Nelan Michaels is a young Flemish man fleeing religious persecution in the Spanish Netherlands. Settling in Mortlake outside London, he studies under Queen Elizabeth’s court astrologer, conjuring a bright future – until he’s wrongly accused of murder. Forced into the life of a fugitive, Nelan hides in London, before he is dramatically pressed into the crew of the Golden Hind. Thrust into a strange new world on board Francis Drake’s vessel, Nelan sails the seas on a voyage to discover discovery itself. Encountering mutiny, ancient tribes and hordes of treasure, Nelan must explore and master his own mystical powers – including the Mark of the Salamander, the mysterious spirit of fire.
THE MARK OF THE SALAMANDER is the first in The Island of Angels series: a two-book saga that tells the epic story and secret history of England’s coming of age during the Elizabethan era.
Guest Post by Justin Newland
The
idea for the protagonist of the novels came to me when I was researching Sir
Fransis Drake’s The Golden Hind, and read the list of crew members. One of them was Nelan, a Flemish immigrant (NB
The region of Flanders sits between Northern France and the Netherlands). I
used that nugget of information as a starting point and filled out the
backstory, which involved Nelan and his father settling in Mortlake, near
London, England.
In the 1570’s, Dr John Dee lived in Mortlake, and
this was one of the reasons I wanted Nelan to settle there, in order to
introduce the good Doctor to the readers. As well as Nelan’s neighbour, Dr John
Dee also became his mentor.
A real life historical personage, Dr John Dee is shown in this picture applying his conjuring skills. You can see how he has enraptured the whole of the Queen Elizabeth’s court. Also, in his visionary work, The Limits of Empire, he provided the incitement to the people of England to sail the Seven Seas and build an Empire.
As
the court astrologer, he also advised the Queen on various matters, including
the date of her coronation. The Queen was keenly aware that the date should
harmonise with the astrological influences at play, because basically, she
needed all the help she could get to have a successful reign and secure England’s
future against the threat of the might of Spain. Dr Dee advised her to select the 15th
January, a date which sits within the astrological purview of the sea-goat,
Capricorn.
At a time, Elizabeth’s England was at war with
Spain, the most powerful nation in Europe at the time. The constant threat of
invasion hung like a sword of Damocles over court and country. Intrigue and
conspiracy were legion. Spies and intelligencers scoured the country for
traitors.
This didn’t stop Elizabeth and her courtiers from
enjoying themselves. In fact, you could argue that it was even more important
for them to do so in order to manage the stresses and strains of managing the
country at such a difficult time. One way this happened was through the media
and song, dance and music. The Queen herself was a consummate dancer, and
expected her courtiers to be the same. One can imagine the entire court shaking
off the anxieties of Spanish incursion with a night of virginal, flute and
tabor. Dances were imported from France, Italy and Spain, and included the
Galliard and the Paval.
Here's a picture of the famous La Volta, which means the turn or the turning. In it, the man lifts the lady with one hand placed – controversially both for then, and now – at the base of her corset, and spins her around. One wonders if the hidden purpose of this dance was to discharge unwanted sexual and emotional energies in the body?
Another famous personage who features in the novel
is Sir Francis Drake. Much has been written of his exploits on the Spanish
main, and whether the son of a Devon preacher was a buccaneer or a pirate – or
both. Drake was a renowned naval commander, so much as o that his enemies believed
that he had supernatural assistance.
Mariners were inveterately superstitious. And Spanish
mariners whispered tales that Drake had a magic mirror. Through it, he could
come to know the position of all the ships on the sea! This probably
contributed to the famous story about Drake was playing bowls on Plymouth Hoe on
20th July 1588 while they waited for news of the invading Spanish Armada.
When the news of the first sighting of the Armada was brought to him, he is reputed to have said that he had plenty of time to finish the game before taking on the Spanish. The regular explanation is that he knew that the wind and tide conditions in Plymouth Sound prevented the English Fleet from putting to sea immediately from Plymouth. I prefer the idea that he did indeed possess a magical mirror aka supernatural abilities. Through them, he knew that Spanish ships were located a long way away, and so still had time to finish his game of bowls, which of itself contains interesting esoteric elements.
Astrologers and dances, conjurers and scholars, supernatural
abilities and spying, these are some the mores of the time which add fantastic
colour to the Elizabethan palette and are explored in my novel, The Mark of the
Salamander, and the
sequel, The
Midnight of Eights.
Justin Newland
8th October 2023
Images:
Dr Dee performing before
Elizabeth’s court
The dance La Volta
Sir Francis Drake playing bowls on Plymouth
Hoe
Buy the Book:
Meet the Author:
JUSTIN NEWLAND’s novels represent an innovative blend of genres from historical adventure to supernatural thriller and magical realism. His stories explore the themes of war and religion, and speculate on the human’s spiritual place in the universe.Undeterred by the award of a Doctorate in Mathematics from Imperial College, London, he conceived his debut novel, The Genes of Isis (Matador, 2018), an epic fantasy set under Ancient Egyptian skies.
The historical thriller, The Old Dragon’s Head (Matador, 2018), is set in Ming Dynasty China in the shadows of the Great Wall.
The Coronation (Matador, 2019) was another historical adventure and speculates on the genesis of the most important event in the modern world – the Industrial Revolution.
The Abdication (Matador, 2021) is a mystery thriller in which a young woman confronts her faith in a higher purpose and what it means to abdicate that faith.
The Mark of the Salamander (Book Guild, 2023) is the first in a two-book series, The Island of Angels. Set in the Elizabethan era, it’s an epic tale of England’s coming of age.
His work in progress is the second in the series, The Midnight of Eights, the charting of the uncanny coincidences that led to the repulse of the Spanish Armada.
Author, speaker and broadcaster, Justin appears on LitFest panels, gives talks to historical associations and libraries and enjoys giving radio interviews and making podcasts. Born three days before the end of 1953, he lives with his partner in plain sight of the Mendip Hills in Somerset, England.
This looks like an exciting novel. Thanks for hosting this giveaway.
ReplyDelete