Really enjoyed this book! I didn’t think I would but it kept me interested and I would recommend it to others. Thank you netgalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a review.

The Act of Oblivion was an agreement that the actions of the leaders of the English Commonwealth would be forgotten in the interests of peace in a restored monarchy under King Charles II. The only exception were the men who signed the death warrant for the king's father, Charles I. This novel follows the hunt for the regicides and their attempts to escape their pursuers.

It's a great story. The novel focuses mainly on two of the fugitives. Colonel Edward Whalley and his son-in-law, Colonel William Goffe, who escape across the sea and live a fugitive life in America. These men really lived and the story of their adventures over many years broadly follows the accepted historical record. This is both a strength and weakness of the narrative as there are long periods of time when there is enforced inactivity for the two, as they had to remain hidden in a cellar for a number of years. On the other hand, there are also periods of intense drama. Their main hunter is a fictional character, Richard Naylor, who has personal reasons for his animosity. Harris admits he did not exist but argues that there must have been someone very like him given the unrelenting hostility of the chase.

What did I like about this book? Almost everything! I found the author's portrayal of the strict Christian beliefs of the two protagonists especially refreshing, recognising the strength of their faith in the context of the times and their own adversity. I really enjoyed the clever ending, even if it was the author's own invention. It was as likely and as satisfying as could be. A novel I would recommend.

A stunning read.

Excellently paced, thrilling, exciting. A tremendous book. It brought a period of British history to vivid life.

Excellent

At first glance, the aftermath of the British Civil War feels like a strange setting for a Robert Harris novel. But considering the high political tension and hardline ideological divisions, it suddenly becomes an obvious imaginative destination for a former political journalist. The spins of fortune across that period were truly wild. Princes became paupers and then were made princes once again. But Harris focuses instead on the men who were suddenly propelled into high governance and then thrown back out again upon the return of the monarchy. The Act of Oblivion refers to the law set up after the Restoration granting pardon to those who had rebelled against Charles I save for those who had involvement in his execution. These so-called 'regicides' were to be hunted down and brought to justice. Among the names on the list is Cromwell's cousin Colonel Edward Whalley and his son-in-law Colonel William Goffe. Fearing for their lives, they set out for America but the manhunt follows them across the ocean.

The novel switches between the viewpoints of both prey and hunter. Upon arrival, Ned Whalley and Will Goffe expect at first to be able to live some semblance of normal life but it quickly becomes clear that they have retained their fugitive status. Meanwhile back in London, the fictional Richard Nayler is obsessed with the notion of catching the pair, nursing thoughts of a personal revenge. In and among, we catch glimpses of a third perspective, that of Frances Goffe, daughter to Ned and wife to Will. While the men chase each other, she has to care for the elderly and raise the children. Life does not stop while the politicians squabble.

Harris is not solely concerned with the circumstances of Whalley and Goffe's flight however, choosing to chart the events of the Civil war, execution of Charles I and the Commonwealth through various flashbacks. Spending years in enforced idleness, Ned Whalley writes down an account of his life in an attempt to both make sense of his circumstances but also to explain himself to his daughter Frances. Despite my pretensions as a History Nerd™, I had known very little about this period. Reading up about the background, I was surprised how far Harris has done his research. Aside from Nayler, he has stayed as close to the facts as possible, even consulting a very obscure doctoral thesis from the 1970s about the life and fate of the Goffe family. It is incredible to think of the lives that these people led and yet how little trace of them has been left behind.

Harris does well to engage the reader's sympathies with the characters on both sides of the divide, no mean feat given that they were all religious extremists. Indeed, Whalley and Goffe are heroic figures within the various Puritan settlements that they pass through. To Protestant New England, the death of Charles I was right and just. For this reason, there are many who are willing to offer shelter even at grave personal risk. As Royalist pursuit catches up with them, we see by the colonists' resentment against regal authority how the seeds are already sown which will one day grow into insurrection. It is a century away but the fracture is present.

It is fascinating to observe how both sides believe that their side is the one that has been ordained by God. Richard Nayler was present at the king's execution and retains a handkerchief stained with the regal blood. William Goffe's zealotry leaves him increasingly embittered that their chosen flight has prevented him from martyring himself for their cause, bringing him into conflict with his father-in-law who has doubts creeping in. Contrary to what the cover suggests, this is not a tale of breakneck pursuit. The manhunt lasts nearly two decades. Goffe and Whalley spend years at a time in a cellar, only sneaking out for brief periods at night. On another occasion, they live in a cave for over a year. When finally their local allies come to tell them that the coast is once again clear, the two men are wearing rags and furs from the animals they have killed to eat.

Back in London, Nayler cuts deals and curries favour where he needs to in order to keep the hunt alive. The other regicides are tracked, tricked and traduced to their deaths. In general, my historical interests tend to centre more around the Wars of the Roses and it is striking how the level of violence is similar but the process is not the same. By the time of the Civil War, the government needed to feign a judicial procedure around regime change by murder. The King had to stand trial even if he would not cooperate. Those who signed the warrant for his death had to stand trial even if there could only ever be one verdict. But it was not so very different to how Richard III was killed on the field at Bosworth or how Henry VI was murdered in unknown circumstances. In the game of thrones, you win or you die.

However, as well as referring to the law which made them outlaws, the title also describes the third option that Whalley and Goffe have taken. Not victory, not death, instead they pass into oblivion. Days, weeks, months, years pass and they have little to show for their time. Their lives. They hear occasional faint tidings from their abandoned families but are powerless to help or render assistance. Any news that does come their way is always months out of date. It makes for a strange kind of thriller, this novel about two men required to remain so long in lethargy. It is a mark of Harris' calibre as a writer that he is able to maintain the tension.

This is historical fiction of the very highest quality. Even the dialogue manages to seem both authentic and believable. Harris has done a masterful job at making these long dead people from this long ago seem alive to the reader. It is one of those books that makes you incredibly curious to find out more. Harris grants his characters a dignity while also quietly making the point of just how futile the whole struggle was for all sides. Hunter and hunted meet but neither can truly claim the victory. I hope that the shades of Whalley and Goffe have found the peace they never seem to have reached in life. I think about those two men in their unmarked grave in Massachusetts and feel somehow glad for them that their story has been retold.

Acts of Oblivion by Robert Harris is an utterly enthralling tale of obsession and retribution, and the incredible power of human endurance. Set immediately after the English Civil War in 1660, it follows one man’s obsessive determination to bring two regicide colonels to justice. Nayler has personal reasons for tracking Whalley and Goffe down, and he will quite literally go to the ends of the earth to achieve his goal. I was hooked from page one, the writing was so immediate and immersive, and I learned an incredible amount of history.

Reads like a thriller but convinces as ever with apparent historical accuracy. Harris takes you to his era and makes you believe that he is telling the story as it unfolds not simply conveying the story he tells.

Following the restoration of the monarchy in 1660, Charles II wants revenge on the men who were responsible for the murder of his father, Charles I. Many of the men who signed the warrant for the King’s execution have already died in the normal course of things, or have been rounded up and imprisoned, to be executed in their turn. But several are still on the run, hiding out in England or in Protestant countries on the continent. And two, Ned Whalley and Will Goffe, have made it all the way to the New World, to hide out in the Puritan settlements there. Richard Nayler is the man appointed to hunt them down, a man whose loyalty to the new King is matched by a personal grievance he holds against Cromwell’s men.

If the true story on which a historical fiction is based isn’t terribly exciting, an author has two choices – make stuff up to boost the interest level, or stick broadly with the known facts, and rely on good descriptive writing about the setting and characterisation to make up for the lack of action. Harris has opted for the latter, and I rather wish he’d gone for the former. The story sounds as if it will be far more interesting than it turns out. The runaways spend years in America, moving from town to town, always in hiding. Nayler spends years failing to find them. The book is quite long! And then there’s an abrupt ending.

I fear I eventually tired of it all, though I stuck it out to around the 60% mark before skimming speedily through the rest. I had no sympathy for either hunter or hunted, and no real interest in reading hundreds of pages about the lives of religious fanatics and the Puritans of England and America. (Sorry if any Puritans are reading this – strict religious observance may be great for the soul but it does not make for exciting fiction!) I have often wondered whether I’d have been a Cavalier or a Roundhead. The Kings were horrible tyrants who persecuted people on the grounds of religion. Cromwell was a horrible tyrant who persecuted people on the grounds of religion. They all thought God had chosen them, and only them, to rule the world. I can’t get up much enthusiasm for either side, and in the end usually opt for the Cavaliers on the grounds that they have nicer clothes and better hair-dos. And if I ever get to Heaven (an unlikely scenario) I’ll be very disappointed if I find that any of them on either side really have been turned into saints.

The stuff about the new settlements in America was the most interesting part for me, although Harris dragged it out for far too long. He assumes people will know the basic history of Cromwell and the Restoration, and puts no political element into the plot. I felt that more concentration on the Restoration and less on these two runaways would have given scope for more interest. There’s only so much you can say about two men hiding in a barn, or a cellar, or an attic, or even the wilderness.

A disappointing one for me, then, though most people seem to be loving it, so as usual it clearly comes down to subjective taste.

A tale of historical fact mixed with an imagining of what may have happened, well told as ever by Robert Harris.
Two of the regicides - Edward Whalley and William Goffe - escaped to New England - to avoid incarceration and death. Their lives were hard as they had to stay hidden for many years among Puritan groups who were sympathisers - but there were always people willing to give them up for money - so there was no freedom.
This tale imagines a member of Charles II's court making it his life's work to track them down.
This story covers their possible life as fugitives but also talks of The Plague, The Great Fire, war with the Dutch, briefly of life in the court of Charles II. Very interesting, if a little long.
Many thanks to Netgalley/Robert Harris/Random House UK for a digital copy of this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

In 1649, with England under control of Oliver Cromwell, King Charles I was executed in front of baying mobs in London. His death warrant had been signed by a group of 59 Cromwell loyalists, who became known as the regicides when the monarchy was restored in 1660. The race was on to hunt them down and prosecute them for treason. The penalty: an excruciating and very public death.
The novel follows the fortunes of two of the signatories, William Goffe, Cromwell’s cousin, and his son-in-law Edward Whalley, who leave their families behind and flee to America. They seek refuge in the colonies, run by Puritans who are no friends of the monarchy back in the home country.
Despite this Goffe and Whalley have a hard time of it and their bond is pushed to the limit as the years pass and freedom remains beyond their grasp.
In hot pursuit of the traitors is Richard Nayler, the fictional secretary to regicide committee of the Privy Council. The thrilling cat-and-mouse chase forms the backdrop to this meticulously researched novel. And when Nayler arrives on US shores to pursue his quarry the breathless manhunt that ensues is gripping, heart-in-the-mouth stuff. Robert Harris fans will not be disappointed.

REVIEW PUBLISHED IN YOU MAGAZINE, SOUTH AFRICA'S LARGEST WEEKLY MAGAZINE

Robert Harris writes brilliant novels. The writing can sometimes be corny, but the mix of plot, in-depth research, and clever characterisation never cease to amaze and delight. Well worth a read.

I was a bit hesitant about reading this as I found the the last Robert Harris novel I read, Conclave, disappointing. Act of Oblivion, however, is in a different class.

The story tells of two regicides responsible for the death of King Charles I who run away to the USA after Oliver Cromwell dies. It's a fascinating insight into the days after the Civil War. Well written and researched, he pulls no punches and describes brutal times in realistic detail.

A story that is perhaps little known, of the hunt for the killers of Charles I. Written by a master storyteller who weaves the narrative between New England and Old England. As always, the author brings to life the individuals in the story and takes us right into their lives. An epic of several decades, with enough back story (cleverly told) to inform and entertain. Excellent book!

Act of Oblivion by Robert Harris

It is 1660 and the restoration of King Charles II leads to one of the greatest manhunts in history – the pursuit of the Regicides. All those who signed the death warrant of Charles I and took part in his execution in 1649 had a price on their head. Even those who had died peacefully in their beds were exhumed and strung up. And any foolish enough to come forward on the promise of an amnesty and forgiveness paid the ultimate price for their misplaced trust. Edward Whalley and his son-in-law William Goffe led forces under Cromwell and flourished. Now they have run almost as far as they can – to New England and the safe houses of republican Boston. But, when regicide hunter Richard Naylor picks up their scent, nowhere is safe, because nothing will stop this man who has his own personal reasons for vengeance. The past can not be forgiven.

Over the years, Robert Harris has become one of my very favourite authors. His novels are incredibly varied and he has a genius for finding mystery and thrills in the most unexpected places, even in the selection of a new pope in Conclave. What an amazing novel that is. He is also the author of my favourite historical novels, Pompeii, and those other fantastic Roman novels about Cicero. He can also turn history on its head, as we saw with The Second Sleep, or go straight to the heart of the matter in real historical events, as in Munich. Now we go back to the 17th century and the repercussions of the execution of a King. Such an act is of such magnitude that it must tear the world apart and only justice can heal the wound. Richard Naylor, the fictional character of the novel, is almost inhuman in his determination, neither good nor evil, but resolute and damaged to his core.

Act of Oblivion follows both stories, that of the hunter and that of the hunted, on both sides of the Atlantic. I found both stories equally fascinating and the detail of London and Boston, so completely different, as well as other developing settlements in New England, completely absorbing. There is such a sense of new and old, forward and backward. But this is a Robert Harris novel and so nothing is straightforward and it’s not long before the waters are muddied.

There is something truly epic in the efforts of Whalley and Goffe to escape capture, as well as in the stoic endurance suffered by Whalley’s daughter and Goffe’s wife, in her love and the strength that it feeds. On one level, it is a thoroughly exciting adventure, with something of the Wild West about it as Whalley and Goffe hide in the most unlikely places, just a breath away from capture. There are also political discussions – the execution of the King is an act that requires justification to all, including those who did the deed. London and Boston are worlds away from one another and yet, as Harris shows, a cause can be no more noble than the men who fight for it. Adding to the intrigue are the reminiscences of Whalley and Goffe of the extraordinary man who made them, leading to their destruction – Oliver Cromwell.

While the reader can sympathise with and admire Whalley and Goffe for what they must endure, there is also cause for deep loathing. Likewise, Naylor also deserves pity and understanding. He is not a monster of his own making. I loved how caught up I became in these lives. Some of what happens here has passed into American folklore. There are some incredible moments! This is a novel every bit as exciting as you would want from a cat and mouse hunt to the death. It is also brilliantly written by an author who knows exactly where to focus, whatever the period of history, whoever the people involved. Outstanding.

I read this ARC for an honest review
All thoughts and opinions are mine

I love Robert Harris and was thrilled to be able to read this
Absolutely loved it
Was completely engrossed from page 1

Robert Harris’ Act of Oblivion imagines the hunt for the people who put their name to Charles I’s death warrant in the time of the Restoration. It gives a real sense of the time (in England and also the recently colonised New England), the religious differences, the brutality of the justice system and the hardships. There is a long stretch in the second half of the novel where the pace flags a little, but it kept me engaged to the end.

A masterpiece of historical fiction set in the Retsoration era.

Charles II is back on the throne and has promised revenge on those who signed his father's death warrant - the regicides. But Charles is not the only one out for retribution and his enforcer will go to the ends of the earth to seek it - well, to America anyway. Richard Nayler has his own personal reasons fro hunting Edward Whalley and William Goffe.

Robert Harris weaves a mesmerising tale of both the hunter and the hunted, evoking sympathy in the reader for both sides of the fight. Whalley and Goffe are protected and helped by the puritans of America, but Nayler has many ingenious ways of gaining intelligence - and will not stop at using any and all means open to him to hunt down his quarry.

As the book goes on, one does wonder what Whalley and Goffe achieved by evading justice - though they lived, they were hounded and hunted to the very edges of the known world, never able to rest, hiding in attics and cellars for months and years at a time.

The fear of discovery and arrest is constant.

The Stuart and Restoration era are woefully under-represented in modern literature, let us hope that Act of Oblivion will spark more interest in this fascinating period of British history.

Act of Oblivion is a tense, action-packed thriller showing Robert Harris at his story-telling best. I cannot recommend it highly enough.

This book immediately attracted me as the jacket design recalled the brilliant Second Sleep. Robert Harris can be relied upon for first-class historical fiction and this tale of the pursuit of the regicides who signed the order to execute Charles I is no exception. A particular appeal was the scope of the chase, from London across the Atlantic to the wild landscapes of newly settled America.
The pursuer, Naylor, is a fanatic whose life is devoted to catching the regicides, though forced to bear the cognitive dissonance of recognising the restored King to be a depraved wastrel. Such is his obsession that he cannot allow himself to abandon the chase.
The escapees are a particularly sympathetic pair, having abandoned their families and liberty to live in hiding with what prove often to be unattractive or self-seeking Puritan hosts. Over time Ned loses his zealous faith whilst writing about Cromwell and his disastrous parliament. A theme develops - that time opens our eyes to the truth. The visceral reality of the pair's isolation and hardship on the run forces Ned question his former fanaticism. To be honest, this moment of epiphany, with the difficulties it opens between the two men, was the highpoint of the novel for me. If the best historical fiction reflects our own time, here we saw the consequences of blind fanaticism in sterile beliefs and self-imposed blindness.
Yet the author chooses to let Ned's son-in-law, Will, carry the ending. In a sequence of exciting but highly compressed chapters, we learn more about those who were left behind in London and the threads are drawn together. The ending was not entirely satisfactory for me, being rather too quickly done and implausible. Nevertheless, this is a book that explores a powerful and overlooked period in history with immaculate research and clarity of storytelling.

As other reviewers have mentioned I was a fan of Harris’ earlier books and decided to give this a go despite knowing very little of the historical background. It took me a while to get into but then I was gripped. An epic tale.

Act of Oblivion by Robert Harris was a bit of a departure for me from my usual reading. I’ve read a few of his books years ago and always enjoyed them so I figured why not.

This novel tells of a time in history I knew hardly anything about: the hunt for the regicides of King Charles I. Ned and William, close confidantes of Oliver Cromwell, are two of the last remaining signatories who put their names to the king’s death warrant, and Richard Nayler has made it his life mission to hunt down every last one of them.

This was a story of epic scope, across England and from there to the American colonies and back — we’re talking the 1600s here. It was insightful, suspenseful and really gave life to the story. I particularly enjoyed the insight into the life and motivations (and contradictions) of the Puritan communities.

If historical fiction is your juice, you’ll enjoy this one. My one beef: the absence of women… I know history from that time is male-dominated but I’d have loved to have read about more women, other than William’s long-suffering wife.

I really enjoyed this account of a little know (at least to me) era of history. The writing is both engaging and robust, with a mix of action, character-driven plot, and description. Highly recommended.