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The Fires of Europe

Phyllis Harrison
iUniverse (2010)
ISBN 9780595443499
Reviewed by Charline Ratcliff for RebeccasReads (03/10)


I have to say “The Fires of Europe” initially drew my attention because of the title as well as the book’s cover. However, I was unsure whether I actually wanted to read it until I perused the back and the words “Huguenots” and “Catholicism” jumped out at me. My family traces some of its lineage back to France until, being Huguenots, they opted to move to the Netherlands rather than face religious persecution from the Roman Catholic Church. Needless to say there is some family history for me within this book and it instantly became a “must read.”

In reading it I was not disappointed either and once I picked the book up I was unable to set it down. The author, Phyllis Harrison, is a very descriptive writer but does not overload one with so much information as to make the book read like a textbook. He seamlessly combined 16th century history, religious intrigue, plots, hidden agendas, and the story of a young man from a wealthy and well respected family who unfortunately managed to get himself caught up in the middle of all this quite by accident.

Gilles Montroville is a pampered young man living in France in the year 1640. We first meet him in Rouen where he is bored and rather upset at being required to learn the intricacies of his father’s shipping business. He would much rather be wandering the docks seeking out new and exciting adventures. If he cannot do that then he would even settle for listening to tales of interesting exploits from seasoned sailors instead of being chained to a desk in a stuffy office learning boring skills like accounting. We follow his life, which is actually that of his parents choosing, until suddenly, and without warning, everything changes and he is thrown into a world that he has never experienced before.

In summary, I found “The Fires of Europe” to be a captivating read and a well written story. I definitely recommend it to readers of all ages. Harrison covers the history and religious upheavals of the time with believability and his writing style makes it an easy and enjoyable read.