Prophecy, By SJ Parris
Zounds! An Elizabethan feast – with a surfeit of ham
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Giordano Bruno is an Elizabethan secret agent and a seeker after occult knowledge charged with the task of infiltrating a ring of Catholic conspirators, as well as investigating the murder of a lady-in-waiting.
SJ Parris has done her homework and the mise en scène is convincingly rendered, but the plot is slow and the characters creak terribly, uttering information-laden explanatory speeches peppered with self-conscious Tudorisms ("Christ's blood!" etc). Their eyes flash, flicker and blaze, they avert their gaze, and gesticulate like a troupe of ham actors. Also, Parris might take the trouble to look up "laconic" in a dictionary and find out what it means.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments