{"title":"Steven Veerapen","description":"\u003cp\u003eSteven Veerapen's works traverse the realms of \u003cem\u003eCrime \u0026amp; Thriller\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eHistorical Fiction\u003c\/em\u003e, weaving suspenseful narratives with rich historical contexts. His novels, such as \u003cem\u003eOf Blood Descended\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eOf Judgement Fallen\u003c\/em\u003e, explore the darker facets of human nature amid vivid settings, offering readers gripping plots grounded in history.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBeyond fiction, Veerapen delves into \u003cem\u003eBiography \u0026amp; Memoir\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eHistory \u0026amp; Military\u003c\/em\u003e, blending meticulous research with storytelling to illuminate the lives and events that shaped the past. His writing invites readers to reflect on the complexities of justice, power, and identity throughout history.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"the-wisest-fool-by-steven-veerapen-9781780278735","title":"The Wisest Fool","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Wisest Fool\u003c\/em\u003e by Steven Veerapen delves into the life of James VI and I, the first monarch to reign over Scotland, England, and Ireland, who has long endured a mixed reputation. To many, he is simply the homosexual King, the inveterate witch-roaster, the smelly sovereign who never washed, the colourless man behind the authorised Bible bearing his name, or the drooling fool whose speech could barely be understood. For too long, he has paled in comparison to his more celebrated Tudor and Stuart forebears.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBut who was he really? To what extent have myth, anecdote, and rumour obscured him?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn this new and ground-breaking biography, James's story is laid bare and a welter of scurrilous, outrageous assumptions penned by his political opponents are put to rest. What emerges is a portrait of Elizabeth I's successor as his contemporaries knew him: a gregarious, idealistic man obsessed with the idea of family, whose personal and political goals could never match up to reality. With reference to letters, libels, and state papers, it casts fresh light on the personal, domestic, international, and sexual politics of this misunderstood sovereign.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA real page-turner for lovers of history\u003c\/strong\u003e - Philippa Gregory\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Hachette Aotearoa New Zealand","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46846716477676,"sku":"9781780278735","price":44.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/23573763482821.jpg?v=1758919269"},{"product_id":"the-wisest-fool-by-steven-veerapen-9781780278162","title":"The Wisest Fool","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Wisest Fool\u003c\/em\u003e by Steven Veerapen explores the life of James VI and I, the first monarch to reign over Scotland, England, and Ireland. Historically, James has endured a mixed reputation. He is often remembered as the homosexual king, the inveterate witch-roaster, the smelly sovereign who never washed, the colourless figure behind the authorised Bible bearing his name, or the drooling fool whose speech could barely be understood. For too long, he has been overshadowed by his more celebrated Tudor and Stuart forebears.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBut who was he really? To what extent have myth, anecdote, and rumour obscured him?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis new and ground-breaking biography unveils James's story, dispelling the scurrilous and outrageous assumptions penned by his political opponents. What emerges is a portrait of Elizabeth I's successor as his contemporaries knew him: a gregarious, idealistic man obsessed with the idea of family, whose personal and political goals could never match up to reality.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eReferring to letters, libels, and state papers, the book casts fresh light on the personal, domestic, international, and sexual politics of this misunderstood sovereign.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e'A real page-turner for lovers of history' - Philippa Gregory\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Hachette Aotearoa New Zealand","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46998809936108,"sku":"9781780278162","price":57.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/23568033482821.jpg?v=1763231744"},{"product_id":"of-blood-descended-by-steven-veerapen-9781846976131","title":"Of Blood Descended","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSummer, 1522. In a wave of pomp, Henry VIII's court welcomes the Imperial emperor, Charles V. Anthony Blanke, the son of the king's late 'black trumpet', John Blanke, is called to Hampton Court by his former employer, Cardinal Wolsey. The cardinal is preparing a gift for King Henry: a masque of King Arthur and the Black Knight. Anthony is to take centre stage.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe festive mood, however, quickly sours. Wolsey's historian, charged with proving the king's descent from King Arthur, is found murdered, his body posed in a gruesome tableau. A reluctant Anthony is charged with investigating the affair. His mission takes him on the path trod by the historian, through ancient monastic libraries and the back streets of London.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eOn a journey that takes him from Hampton Court to Windsor and Winchester, and which sees him lock horns with secretive monks, historian Polydore Vergil, and a new face at court, Anne Boleyn, he must discover the murderer, secure the great masque, and avoid King Henry's wrath.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eBeautifully written...a unique tale told in a unique voice\u003c\/em\u003e - S.G. Maclean\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Hachette Aotearoa New Zealand","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47072636797164,"sku":"9781846976131","price":27.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/16488763482845.jpg?v=1765121924"},{"product_id":"of-judgement-fallen-by-steven-veerapen-9781846976292","title":"Of Judgement Fallen","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSpring, 1523. Henry VIII readies England for war with France. The King's chief minister, Cardinal Wolsey, prepares to open Parliament at Blackfriars. The eyes of the country turn towards London. But all is not well in Wolsey's household. A visiting critic of the Cardinal is found brutally slain whilst awaiting an audience at Richmond Palace. He will not be the last to die.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAnthony Blanke, trumpeter and groom, is once again called upon to unmask a murderer. Joining forces with Sir Thomas More, he is forced to confront the unpopularity of his master's rule. As the bodies of the Cardinal's enemies mount up around him, Anthony finds himself under suspicion. Journeying through the opulence of More's home, the magnificence of Wolsey's York Place, and the dank dungeons of London's gaols, he must discover whether the murderer of the Cardinal's critics is friend or foe.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWith time running out before Parliament sits, Anthony must clear his name and catch the killer before the King's justice falls blindly upon him.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eImmerse yourself in the gripping tale of intrigue and danger in \u003cem\u003eOf Judgement Fallen\u003c\/em\u003e by Steven Veerapen.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Hachette Aotearoa New Zealand","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47383951409388,"sku":"9781846976292","price":22.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/16490373482845.jpg?v=1773390214"},{"product_id":"witches-by-steven-veerapen-9781780279527","title":"Witches","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eWitches\u003c\/em\u003e — whether broomstick-riding spell-casters or Wiccan earth-worshippers — have been culturally relevant for centuries. For centuries, too, belief in the potency of witchcraft has been debated, accused witches have been hunted and punished, and film and TV productions have brought the witch and the witch-hunter to big and small screens.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBut where did our perception of witches — good and bad — come from? What motivated wide-scale panics about witchcraft during certain periods? How were alleged witches identified, accused, and variously tortured and punished?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eSteven Veerapen traces witches, witchcraft, and witch-hunters from the explosion of mass trials under King James VI and I in the late sixteenth century to the death of the witch-hunting phenomenon in the early eighteenth century. Based on documents and the latest historical research, he explores what motivated widespread belief in demonic witchcraft throughout Britain as well as in continental Europe, what caused mass panics about alleged witches, and what led, ultimately, to the relegation of the witch — and the witch-hunter — to the realm of fantasy and the fringes of society.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Hachette Aotearoa New Zealand","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47773231874284,"sku":"9781780279527","price":44.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9781780279527-witches.jpg?v=1782186162"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.pro\/collections\/steven-veerapen.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}