Sparrowhawk V: Revolution [Hardcover]

Edward Cline (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 6, 2005

Following the passage of the Stamp Act of 1765, Hugh Kenrick attends the Stamp Act Congress in New York while Jack Frake forms a local chapter of the Sons of Liberty. After they foil a plan to smuggle the stamps into the colony, Dogmael Jones debates repeal with his allies in British Parliament, earning himself more enemies. Through these vividly drawn characters and events, Sparrowhawk V: Revolution continues the story of resistance to the Stamp Act, the true beginning of the American Revolution.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

In addition to the Sparrowhawk series, Edward Cline is the author of First Prize, a detective novel, and Whisper the Guns, a suspense novel. He lives in Yorktown, Virginia.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: MacAdam/Cage; First Printing edition (December 6, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1596921544
• ISBN-13: 978-1596921542
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,425,253 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Edward Cline (1946 -) was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. After graduating from high school (in which he learned nothing of value) and a stint in the Air Force, he pursued his ambition to become a novelist. His first detective novel, First Prize, was published in 1988 by Mysterious Press/Warner Books, and his first suspense novel, Whisper the Guns, was published in 1992 by The Atlantean Press. First Prize was republished in 2009 by Perfect Crime. The Sparrowhawk series of novels set in England and Virginia in the pre-Revolutionary period has garnered some critical acclaim (but not yet from the literary establishment) and universal appreciation from the reading public, including parents, teachers, students, scholars, and adult readers who believe that American history has been abandoned or is misrepresented by a government-dominated educational establishment. He writes regularly for such political and cultural blog sites as Rule of Reason and The Dougout. He is dedicated to Objectivism, or Ayn Rand's philosophy of reason in all matters.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Beginning of the End, December 26, 2005

By 

Tom Glass (Houston, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sparrowhawk V: Revolution (Hardcover)

This fifth of the six volume series that is already a timeless classic for the ages, leaves the reader eager for more. This volume takes the characters from the historic Virginia Resolves opposing the Stamp act described in Volume 4 through the heroic resistance to the Stamp Act by the Sons of Liberty and the British political intriques leading to the expedient repeal of the Stamp Act and simultaneous bullheaded passage of the Declaratory Act.

This series, and this volume in particular, does a wonderful job of detailing the incredible obstacles to, and the glorious achievement of the American Revolution.

The beauty of this Sparrowhawk volume and, indeed the entire series, is the illustration of how ideas have consequences and the power of principles in predicting reality and guiding heroic men's actions.

This volume shows the evolution of thought on the part of the colonists from formulation of arguments designed to specifically attack the Stamp Act to a deeper realization of the requirement that the protection of liberty in America will require complete separation from Britain. By showing that the repeal of the Stamp Act was purely a pragmatic gesture on the part of the British, and contrasting it with the Declaratory Act's declaration of absolute power over the lives of Americans, Cline clearly shows why the Stamp Act battle is a short lived victory, and simply the "beginning of the end" of the domination of the British over America.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Historical Fiction at its Best, December 25, 2005

By 

Grant W. Jones (Big Island of Hawaii, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sparrowhawk V: Revolution (Hardcover)

The fifth volume of Edward Cline's Sparrowhawk series in now available. I received my copy last week. It is a handsome hardback and a rare treat for me, since I live on a paperback or used book budget.

Revolution picks up right were Book IV: Empire left off, with the debates surrounding the repeal of the Stamp Act. The novel's action takes place in Virginia and London. In Virginia the patriots are working to keep the hated stamps from entering the colony, even if that means using force against British colonial authority. The patriots also have to keep an watch on local "moderates" who will sell out Virginian liberty for peace and quiet.

For most of those in the British Parliament, liberty is not an issue. The primary concern is the cost in both trade and of military force of enforcing the Act. The rare exception is the circle of MPs revolving around the Baron Kenrick. Kenrick's son Hugh is also a patriot leader in Virginia. While Hugh is leading the local Sons of Liberty, Dogmael Jones is the only MP who will uphold colonial liberty in Parliament.

Cline's portrayal of the debate in Parliament is based on a wealth of research. It is also, to my knowledge, the only example of the 18th century Parliament being presented in fiction. As Cline makes clear the shortsighted ministers, with the Declaratory Act, are only putting off the reckoning for a short time.

In the next, and last, installment of the Sparrowhawk epic Book VI: War Cline will have to resolve the potential differences between his two main protagonists, Hugh Kenrick and Jack Frake, and tie together the various sub-plots.

I'm eagerly awaiting the last volume of this masterful series of historical novels that honors the architects of our liberty.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lazy Readers Need Not Apply, January 7, 2006

By 

Kostya_2000 - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sparrowhawk V: Revolution (Hardcover)

If you're someone who prefers light, purely escapist reading that doesn't require much active thought on your part, this is definitely not the book for you. I'm not saying it isn't a moving, tension-filled story, because it most definitely is (though thank goodness it's not "moving" in the sticky, maudlin sense that's so prevalent today, where authors drop anvils of loss, despair, and pity on your head). It's only that Cline doesn't cater to intellectual laziness.

This is a book of astonishing historical richness, built on an uncompromising philosophical foundation. The dialogue is written with nuanced, historical phrasing and a deep lexicon that require care and attention. I freely admit that several times I had to re-read passages for some subtlety or detail or witty allusion. And every single time I was rewarded for doing so--rewarded by a chuckle or increased comprehension of an historical point (internal vs. external taxation anyone?). "Sparrowhawk: Revolution," is one of those rare novels that you finish feeling that your time was well spent, that you were entertained and educated at the same time, and that you simply must read again.

My only problem now is an enormous anticipation for the final book of the series. Two weeks after finishing "Revolution" and I'm still thinking about the clues that Cline left us and asking questions, many of which have to do with the reappearance of Reverdy. Is she what she seems? Or is she more concerned with living up to her husband's expectations than with having high expectations of herself and living up to them? Is she a woman of the mind--enough to keep from languishing after public gaiety? And when her husband is called on to make difficult choices, what role will she play in those decisions? These questions and many more about what the war will bring to the Kenrick family, to John Proudfoot, to Jack and Etain, to Danvers and his ilk...my mind is whirling with them.

P.S. Let me add my appreciation to that of the other reviewers for the book's cover art...it's beautiful.