by Mike Poulton
First published 2010
England, 1527. Thomas Cromwell, son of a blacksmith, enters the volatile court of Henry VIII as Cardinal Wolsey fails to secure the King's divorce. Henry desperately wants a male heir, but his marriage to Catherine of Aragon stands in the way. Cromwell sets out to deliver what the King craves while pursuing his own reforming agenda through bribery, charm, and manipulation. Years later, Anne Boleyn sits on the throne, her rise orchestrated by Cromwell's machinations. But when Henry's eye turns to Jane Seymour, Cromwell must once again navigate the deadly politics of court. He faces an impossible task: satisfy a mercurial king, protect England's stability, and advance his own ambitions without losing his head. Mike Poulton's adaptation transforms Hilary Mantel's acclaimed novels into theatrical drama, capturing Cromwell's brilliant mind at work in a world where one wrong move means death.
Genres: drama, literary-fiction, historical-fiction, political-thriller
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: court-intrigue, political-machinations, power-struggles
Setting: England
Period: 1527, Tudor Era
288 pages · Kindle Edition · Fourth Estate / Nick Hern Books