While this isn’t my favourite of Strathern’s books, he will forever be the writer I recommend to anyone interested in topics of this time period. He tells a captivating tale, weaving a magnificent and complicated tapestry.

Strathern reminds us that the Borgias weren’t all as corrupt, incestual and cruel as the mythology forces us to believe. He introduces us not just to Rodrigo, Cesare and Lucrezia Borgia, but some of the most important historical figures of the Renaissance whose stories tie in with the Borgias, including Machiavelli and da Vinci.

Enthralling, that’s what this book is, and worth every second you put into it.