The Venetian Heretic by Christian Cameron

Timy reviews The Venetian Heretic, a historical fiction novel by Christian Cameron.

Possible fit for The Sound of Madness Reading Challenge 2025 prompts:

Joker prompt that goes with anything: Freed from Desire

Venice is alive with the magic and bustle of Carnevale.

A city of mysterious masks and gorgeous palaces, of riches, patricians, intellectuals and artists. And amidst it all, something new is being magnificent voices are soaring above the spires, astonishing costumes are being crafted, and audiences are being transported, for the first time, by the power of the Opera.

And beneath it espionage, organised crime, and murder.

Swordsman Richard Hughes has arrived on the banks of the Grand Canal looking for a simpler life, only to be plunged – alongside Phillip de Chambray, a remarkable woman unable to show her true self – into the thick of the murkiest, most dangerous European politics, at a moment when someone is trying to destroy the opera, and Venice itself.

Rich with authentic detail, this is the story of a complex world not so different from our own, and Christian Cameron, the modern master of historical fiction, brings real history to life in a way no other author can.

“I confess that I was transported – almost perfectly the opposite of the emotion I had felt when I was suddenly in the mines under the fortress of Candia. Here, the sound was like elation and joy made audible. I stood there, in a fourth level box, and suddenly understood the power of this new kind of performance. It was… immediate, in a way that other theatre was not. The music had power. Or rather, Anna Renzi had power.”

A bit of housekeeping before I get to the actual review. The Venetian Heretic is the first book I’ve read from Christian Cameron, despite knowing him for a few years now. There are various reasons for this, one of which is that reading (and possibly reviewing) a book by a person I admire can be a very slippery slope. Especially with my tendency to write reviews on the critical side. Another reason is that I know his work tends to be focused on military themes, which is not my cup of tea, as neither is epic fantasy or sci-fi… So I didn’t want my first book from him to be something I thought I might not like. Even if I never reviewed it or told anyone I’ve read it. I would know. And it would make me feel bad. And I don’t like feeling bad, thank you very much. The Venetian Heretic, on the other hand, sounded like something I would absolutely pick up without knowing anything about the author. Historical Fiction? Check. Mystery? Check. Set in Venice? Great, I’m really into the Cesare Aldo series by D. V. Bishop (which is set in Florence, and a bit over 100 years earlier, but still), and hey, this could tide me over while I’m waiting for the next book. Fun fact, the 5th Cesare Aldo book was mostly set in Venice, so this was just that kind of year, I guess, lol. I even visited Florence for my birthday! But I digress, as Richard Hughes likes to do, so let’s move on.

It took me quite a while to read this book, but not because I didn’t enjoy it; it’s just a mix of being occupied with other things and a slight reading slump – excellent timing, thanks for nothing, brain, as usual. That, and despite liking the story, I was never fully invested in it to a point where I couldn’t wait to pick up the book again. That said, I read the last 150 pages within two days. I was thinking a lot about the whys as I was reading the last 50ish pages. Was it the writing? Sure, Cameron’s writing style in this book is a bit more wordy than I’d prefer myself, but that wasn’t it. Was it the setting? I mean, Venice is Venice, so no. Although, to be honest, I was expecting something different in a way. But we’ll come back to this.

How about the mystery then? Mystery is a hard genre to write in. The Venetian Heretic’s main plot starts with a kidnapping case that turns into a political nightmare for all involved, including several murder cases, assassination attempts, and attacks against opera houses. I think the mystery plotline worked well enough, and I enjoyed all the political intrigue that came with it, involving the Ten governing Venice, the libertini (free thinkers, basically, some of whom have very real political ambitions), and the Catholic Church represented by the Venetian office of the Inquisition. This is a delicious setting for some good stuff. So, not quite this then. Which brings us to the characters.

Richard Hughes, or Riccardo Uze, as the Venetians call him, is an Englishman, a heretic at that, as he is a Protestant, who gives fencing classes. He used to serve as a galley slave until he was saved by a Venetian patrician who became his patron. He is the narrator of the story, as he finds himself right in the middle of these political forces, sort of by chance. He is by no means an investigator, most of the time he doesn’t even know what he is doing, which I guess could be amusing in a way, but I’m not sure The Venetian Heretic was written with amusement in mind, per se. I know there is a whole subgenre within the Mystery genre with amateur sleuths solving murder cases and whatnot, but I always preferred to have an MC with actual knowledge about how these things are done, rather than bumbling around with no clue and more intelligent side characters solving a lot of the puzzles for them. Then again, everyone has to start somewhere. Even so, a few times I was not sure how he actually got to some conclusions, such as Filippo’s identity.

Personal preferences aside, my main issue with Hughes was that I never found a connection with him on a personal or emotional level. Especially since The Venetian Heretic is written in first person. I was kind of lacking emotions in general, or rather, the showing of emotions, as we are told how he feels in certain situations, but he never shows them. We never really get to know him as a person – and sure, we do get some of his characteristics, but not much on a personal level. Honestly, I’m not even sure if I liked him or not. Nor any of the characters, really. Nothing wrong with them, it’s just something was missing for me, that’s hard to explain. Like I, as a reader, was kept at a distance at all times, and I just couldn’t quite get close to them. Which, let me tell you, is frustrating as fuck.

However, it has to be said that Cameron’s strength lies in bringing history to life through a clearly extensive research that went into The Venetian Heretic. His love for the whole process shines through the pages, starting with the places, the settings, to the people, and the details such as the clothing and, of course, the weapons. 17th-century Venice comes to life, and I enjoyed being immersed in that world. Mind you, I have a thing for history myself, so there you go. But, as I mentioned somewhere at the beginning of this review/essay, I think I was expecting something else from the plot. I’m not sure why, but I envisioned that the setting would be focused more on the opera itself than it actually was. I mean, I thought it would involve the daily life of a troupe, with intrigue, murder, and all the fun stuff, and in a way it did. Hughes is eventually asked to keep one of the opera buildings safe so they could rehearse an upcoming piece that’s in the middle of all the political mess. And yes, Hughes does interact with some opera singers, and the opera itself, and it does get its spotlight within the story, but I wanted a deep dive, I think. It’s true that there were quite a few plotlines that needed to merge seamlessly, which did happen, but again, I just had a feeling of missing something. I know I’m being super vague, but I can’t really explain it well. Maybe it’s just that I really wanted to love this book, and I didn’t, and I’m just disappointed in myself.

I probably could go on talking about this book in more detail, but I think this review has already gotten too long. The Venetian Heretic transports the reader into a tumultuous period in Venice’s history, full of intrigue, crime, culture, and war. And the fairly wide cast of characters have to deal with a lot of them, often at once. Will I be back for more? With the introduction of a character from one of my favorite books of my childhood at the very end, you can bet I will.

If you like your historical fiction with a dash of mystery, then you can’t go wrong with The Venetian Heretic. Come and find out which side you want to serve – the state, the church, or the libertini? The choice is yours. But choose wisely.