Who was the real architect of the Gunpowder Plot? Who was the first
person to wear a Guy Fawkes mask? Why was Shakespeare's Dark Lady dark?
These and many other questions are answered in Graham Holderness's new
novel, which combines historical fiction, psychological mystery and
supernatural thriller in a highly original and imaginative re-telling of
the Gunpowder Plot. It is 1604. The Gunpowder Plotters are tunnelling
under the palace of Westminster, and confront an immovable obstacle. Guy
Fawkes travels to Europe to fetch help, and brings back more than he
bargained for. Who is the mysterious Dark Lady? Who is the man in the
mask? Why is London over-run by a plague of vampires, and who is going
to defeat them? From a Westminster vault to a Transylvanian mine, from
the crypt of Lambeth Palace to the under-stage of the Globe theatre,
Black and Deep Desires takes the reader on a tour of historical,
psychological and mythical underworlds, delving deep into some of
history's unexplored corridors, into the secret thoughts of Catholic
terrorists, and into the dark wellsprings of Shakespeare's poetry. In
Black and Deep Desires Graham Holderness combines the expertise of an
internationally-recognised Shakespeare scholar, the narrative flair of
his 2001 novel The Prince of Denmark, and the poetic sensibility that
won his verse collection Craeft a Poetry Book Society award.
