3.5 ⭐️rounded up

The second I saw the title and the synopsis, I was hooked. I’m a fan of history, would love to know more about the Tudor Age and don’t mind a bit of macabre, so figured that this is a book for me.

For the most part I was right - I enjoyed the background provided and the picture painted, but I felt like it was a bit of an unpolished version rather than final manuscript.

With the book being historical in nature, I expected way more sources, and I felt like putting all notes at the end of the book made it so much harder to read - especially since my copy did not have the hyperlinks. I also felt like the amount of mentions in earlier chapters on things that would be covered later was a bit excessive. For some of the chapter it also felt like lists and lists of different deceased, and I’d personally like to know more about individual cases rather than getting a litany of names.

I did find the writing to be light, despite the rather morbid topic of the book, and I felt like it was just the right amount of humorous without crossing the line.

I would definitely recommend the book to my history-macabre-loving-friends, but would warn them about the issues I got.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the Advanced Reader Copy. All views and opinions are my own.

Strange Ways to Die in the Tudor Ages is an engaging and darkly fascinating dive into the realities of mortality during one of England’s most dramatic periods. The book captures the shocking, tragic, and sometimes almost unbelievable ways people lost their lives in Tudor society, from accidents and illnesses to punishments and social customs that feel unimaginable today.

What makes this work stand out is the balance between grisly detail and thoughtful historical context. It never feels sensationalized. Instead, it situates each account within the culture, politics, and religious beliefs of the time, which helps modern readers understand why these events unfolded as they did. The writing style is accessible and conversational, which makes the heavy subject matter easier to process without losing its impact.

I especially appreciated how the authors highlighted both the ordinary and extraordinary ways people died. This variety makes the book compelling not just for Tudor enthusiasts but also for readers who enjoy history with a true crime edge.

There were a few sections where I wished for even deeper analysis, but overall it was a strong, informative, and memorable read.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

ARC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

As might be expected from the title, this is a quirky book. Very well researched, really well written and the subject is covered with some humour which is never inappropriate. I love oddities; the peculiarities in life, people etc so this ticked all the boxes for me. It’s broken into various sections covering accidents, religion, food etc as general overviews for particular ways to meet your maker, it’s predominantly set in the uk, but there are references to cases in Europe and wider but it’s the detail of the death that’s interesting rather than the country. There is some black humour involved and whilst understanding the tragedy of the unexpected, I found it difficult not to see the funny side so this was both informed and entertaining. I enjoyed it and I’ve learned a lot.
My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for a review copy.

A look at the strange ways people met their demise in the Tudor age (roughly the 16th century with a bit of overlap), which includes death by bovine or "suddenly, cow", blundering into cesspits whilst stumbling around in the dark, or shooting arrows through the walls of houses & being surprised when you actually hit someone.

This is a bit of strange one as although it mainly concentrates on deaths on home soil, there are some from overseas sporadically included which seemed incongruous with the topic seeing as the Tudors ruled England (plus odd bits of France at some points).. I would also say that many of the methods of death were not so much strange as tragic & downright disturbing, but also expected in the cases of judicial hangings/beheadings etc.

It wasn't until the second half of the book that we actually got some strange deaths including the abovementioned "suddenly, cow", & the slightly ironic tone seemed more in keeping than with the early half. It was well-researched & informative but strayed from the topic a little too much.

My thanks to NetGalley & publishers, Pen & Sword, for the opportunity to read an ARC.

How am I most likely to die?
I looked it up. Most of major causes are illness related such as dementia, cancer, and heart disease. Of the preventable causes, top of the charts are life-style related disease, drugs, suicide, and air pollution. But go back to Tudor times and in this fascinating book “Strange Ways to Die in the Tudor Ages” we learn there were much more imaginative ways to meet your maker.
The book is divided into categories of related methods, such as Animal Accidents, Ruthless Religion, Weaponry Woes and Food Fatalities. Whilst it may be odd to say, I laughed out loud whilst reading a book about death, it is the truth – it was the poor chap who arrow got stuck in his bow and he looked down the sharp end of the arrow to see what had happened (and yes, you guessed it, he shot himself) that did it for me.
This very readable book outlines the follies and foolishness in a respectful way but with an injection of humour. Oh, and the fatalities aren’t limited to the UK, but take in Europe and the wider world.
As for the strange deaths, several stuck in the mind for me. Ponds seem a surprisingly dangerous place, with people slipping or falling and then drowning. And you’d think people would have more sense that to ride a horse with a naked blade strapped to their side. All of which makes the torture of witches, religious persecution, and poisoning seem rather humdrum.
An ideal read for lovers of historical trivia, Tudor times, or with a quirky sense of humour.

Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for a honest review. I promise my review is 100% accurate to me.

The title really explains it all. I was intrigued and was left satisfied. The stories are well written with, but of humour interjected here and there

Overall, the book was interesting, and you can clearly see that a lot of effort was put into it.
For me, the title is a bit misleading, as not all of the deaths were strange, nor were they only in England (that is not specified, but when you hear "Tudor ages" you are obviously going to think about England). For me, it could have also done with fewer mass information deaths (like the plague, the Inquisition, or even parts of the witch unalivings) and gone more with not-so-famous and more interesting deaths. I like how they are divided into different categories, so it is easy to follow and also reads quite easily. In general, I would recommend it, especially as a past-time read.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the ARC copy

This is a somewhat lighthearted look at a somewhat darkhearted subject. I, like others that have reviewed this book, have mixed feelings about it. It reads more like a podcast due to its modern cultural references, breaking the fourth wall, and the constant attempt of humor (sometimes it's funny but just not necessary). Some of the examples are already widely known such as Henry VIII's wives, Spanish Inquisition, etc. However, if you're looking for a somewhat good summary of some interesting lesser known tales you will find some here. If the authors had perhaps focused more on the weirdest deaths over a larger period of time then I think this would have been better. Thanks to Netgalley, authors and publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

‘Sometimes all a person needed to do in the sixteenth century to fall victim to misfortune was to simply go for a walk and fate would find them.’

An entertaining read!

Filled with many stories of people’s finally moments in life that ended in some unusual ways.

A must for history readers.

‘Suddenly, a sack of flour fell from high above her, landing on her face and chest.’

This book feels very much a product of it’s time, which is to say it’s a very modern writing style full of quips and a few wink-wink-nudge-nudges at the reader while chatting amiably about historical and horrible deaths. Personally, I found the tone a bit off putting as it does feel as though the book half expects there to be a soundtrack ploying Yakety Sax behind some of these deaths. But, as the authors are at pains to explain, these deaths happened to real people, not some random figure. Their names are listed, research was done, so why go to such an effort to try to make it funny?

As for the content of the book, it’s solid. While there are some historical assumptions made, there is an effort to place all of these deaths into some context. However, the book doesn’t go into any real detail. It’s mostly surface level trivia with only a few moments of anything deeper.

Personally, I like the trivia-esque approach. It’s one that works for me. But the tone … well, that really didn’t. However, other readers might enjoy it. If so, I’m glad for them; I just regret that the voice the authors chose to use for this book kept me from enjoying it more.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the ARC.

The first part of this book was brilliant,really interesting and engaging and the way tudor royalty and ordinary people from the time came to meet their feet was odd,extraordinary and down right weird.
The second part of this book went off the rails a bit. Firstly there were areas of religion,japanese people and the Spanish armada( whilst i know the armada happened during tudor times it felt out of place given the books title).

At the beginning of each chapter the first letter of each word would not be joined to the first word but randomly esle where on the page which was off putting.

I did learn a great deal and overall found it interesting. Worth a read.
Thanks netgalley for allowing me to read this book.

Fascinating look at the various and sundry ways to perish from the Tudor era. They were not necessarily all that odd, in actuality. This is dense and could have done with some figures or illustrations.

This book should have been titled, 'Strange, Tragic, and Horrific Ways to Die in the Tudor Ages'. When I started reading this book, I knew there would be some macabre storylines. I mean the title and description of the book was a dead giveaway. And honestly, I think I could stomach the horrible ways people died in the past if it weren't for the constant jokes made by the author. Explaining how someone passed is one thing, constantly making jokes about how they died or summarizing their death with a little quip is a bit much. After a while, I got the feeling they only wrote this book so they could mock the deceased. They were a bit more respectful when talking about those who endured suffering in Japan. I will give them credit as I did learn some new things, but given their writing style and lack of compassion, I'm not sure how accurate some of this information is.

This was such an interesting book. To slightly bend the quote from Beetlejuice the Musical (if you’re familiar), ‘Though full disclosure this is a book about death’. Slightly macabre in its topic, the writers managed a perfect balance between being respective, light hearted and with hints of humour whilst being informative.

You learn a lot about the Tudor period whilst venturing into the myriad of ways one could loose a life as a Tudor - from death by animal, crime and punishment, religion, plagues, cures (or at least the attempts at cures) and more, the book covers plenty.

It starts with a well summarised ‘catch up with the Tudor era’ from start to finish - the king who started it and the queen who ended it. Throughout you learn the flavour of the times and what you could experience if you were to be unlucky (or lucky enough depending on your outlook) to find yourself there.

It was an effortless book to read and the final few chapters too were the perfect way to close the book (miraculous survivals as a palate cleanser to all the deaths that have so far been covered).
Also ‘suddenly cow’ has become one of my new favourite expressions in life.

Very interesting book and provided enough humor to keep it from being a heavy read. Wouldn’t include in classroom library but would include in personal one.

Despite the potentially morbid and macabre subject matter, I found it to be a truly great read. I particularly appreciated the authors' tongue-in-cheek attitude and witty comments, which effectively balanced the darker and more gruesome descriptions of certain events. It was also a fairly quick read, and I really enjoyed its unique approach.

Unfortunately, this short exposé into peculiar ways to die during the sixteenth century just was not for me. Chock-full of easily google-able history with truly fascinating historical tid-bits occasionally, this book is more suited for those readers that would consider themselves history casuals over history enthusiasts. Utilizing "Tudor Era" feels like a grab at a specific type of reader, when in reality the title should stick to 16th century (the tudor era is a specific time period for England and cannot be used for time periods of say France or Japan). The research done for this book is quite questionable and leads me to wonder if any peer-review was done. There are several claims made that many reputable historians would not agree with- for instance Henry VIII calling Anne of Cleaves a horse. Not only are the references provided sub-par, but the incessant quips and attempts at humor just lead to an overall mediocre reading experience.
I did learn a few things, to give this book some redemption. The chapter about religion was a really great chapter. However, everything else surrounding it left me craving more depth. More information into the culture and daily life in Tudor England could have gone a long way into providing necessary background to give further support and clarity for some of the deaths described. I have no clue why being a "scold" was a punishable offense and this book, with actual research and effort, could have provided that answer.
Ultimately, this fell short of being truly informative but was an entertaining read. This book needs to pull back on the humor a bit, as well as the constant reference to previous or upcoming chapters, and use more references to actual vetted historical texts and research.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This book was a brilliantly informative read. It is both interesting and entertaining. I like the fact the author threw in a few humorous anecdotes along the way it worked for the flow.
A very fascinating book I always enjoy a book that has me doing more research afterwards. I didnt think the modern culture references were needed but thats just a matter of opinion. Overall a fantastically informative book.

📚I was able to read an advanced copy of title thanks to NetGalley, Emily Bush & Carrie Ingram-Gettins and Pen & Sword Publishers📚
📚All reviews and opinions are entirely my own📚

I’ve read several similar books published by the same publisher, and I do find them all interesting. It is always interesting to learn about history, and how people lived – or died in this case. An easy read. I did like it was not solely focused on the British Isles, and also included strange causes of death in other parts of the world during the same time period.

I would, however, tone down the “quirky” popular culture references as they did nothing to the text. That could have been left out.

Imagine being asleep in your bed in Hereford one minute, and then dragged to your death by a bear in the next. Just one of the many animal - related deaths in this curious compendium of strange ways to die. The bear in question belonged to a David Northe. It managed to break free of its chains and climb through a window in Agnes Owens's house.

Animal and bird incidents aside, there's an interesting section about crime and punishment in Tudor times. Those sent to the stocks, or pillory, had additional punishment heaped on them by people throwing things, jeering and slapping them. Swearing and blasphemy was punished by public humiliation and sometimes a branding, with a B being branded on the chest of a blasphemer.

The deaths of the two beheaded wives of Henry VIII are also covered plus those of many of the senior people at his court who were out of favour. Not all beheadings were carried out well. Margaret Pole, who was 67, managed to escape from the block when her executioner missed. It took 11 strikes to defeat this doughty old lady, 67 being considered very old in Tudor times.

A fascinating book.