Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Nemesis:
Of course England’s greatest enemy is a Frenchman.
Quick synopsis:
The life of medieval French King Philip II aka Philip Augustus.
Fact for Non-History People:
During his reign, Philip doubled the size of the French royal domain.
Fact for History Nerds:
He was the first to order the streets of Paris to be paved.
My Take on Nemesis:
Nemesis by Catherine Hanley is one of those books that satiated a certain thirst but also left me with a feeling that some things were missing. Nemesis looks at the life of Philip Augustus, King of France, and how he battled (almost literally) through a slew of Plantagenet kings. As far as dealing with the interplay of Philip and Henry II and his sons, the book is very readable and moves at a very brisk pace.
The counterpoint to that is the reader is left feeling like a bit too much is glossed over. For instance, Hanley certainly mentions the amazing amount of antisemitism Philip unleashed during his reign. However, because this is not related to his battles with the Plantagenets, it is not much more than a quick aside. As a reader, I felt very much like I was told a tremendous amount about Philip but did not get to know him. These were the aspects that left me wanting much more in a bad way.
That said, Hanley has done wonderful research and as a book which zips by and clearly tells a story, it is a good one. I really enjoyed Hanley’s previous book, 1217, and those who enjoyed that one will be happy here as well.
(This book was provided as an advance reader copy by NetGalley and Osprey Publishing.)
Verdict:
A good read. Buy it here!
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