Hello and welcome to The Cozy Book Blog by Diane-Lyn. I am thrilled to be today’s stop on the book tour for the new release, The King’s Anatomist: The Journey of Andreas Vesalius, by Ron Blumenfeld. Enjoy reading about this great new novel, and an excerpt is included below! Many thanks to Amy Bruno at HFVBT for the invite! Thanks for visiting and enjoy the tour!
Best, Diane-Lyn
THE KING’S ANATOMIST: THE JOURNEY OF ANDREAS VESALIUS BY RON BLUMENFELD
Publication Date: October 12, 2021
History Through Fiction LLC
Genre: Historical Fiction
A revolutionary anatomist, a memory-laden journey, and a shocking discovery.
In 1565 Brussels, the reclusive mathematician Jan van den Bossche receives shattering news that his lifelong friend, the renowned and controversial anatomist Andreas Vesalius, has died on the Greek island of Zante returning from a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Jan decides to journey to his friend’s grave to offer his last goodbye.
Jan’s sentimental and arduous journey to Greece with his assistant Marcus is marked by shared memories, recalled letters, and inner dialogues with Andreas, all devices to shed light on Andreas’ development as a scientist, physician, and anatomist. But the journey also gradually uncovers a dark side of Andreas even as Jan yearns for the widow of Vesalius, Anne.
When Jan and Marcus finally arrive on Zante, the story takes a major twist as a disturbing mystery unfolds. Jan and Marcus are forced to take a drastic and risky measure that leads to a shocking discovery. On his return home, Jan learns that Andreas was an unknowing pawn in a standoff between King Philip of Spain, his employer, and Venice. When he arrives home in Brussels, he must finally reckon with his feelings for Anne.
A debut novel by Ron Blumenfeld, The King’s Anatomist is a fascinating medical history blended eloquently with meaningful relationships and a riveting mystery. Set within a pivotal time in European history, the story carries readers through some of the most important medical discoveries while engaging them in a deeply personal story of growing older and confronting relationships. A fictional masterpiece with real and relevant historical sources, The King’s Anatomist is as enlightening as it is enjoyable.
Excerpt:
The grave surface was now laid bare, the dirt moist and dark thanks to Tritonius’ regular
watering. We began to dig, Marcus taking the end nearest the headstone, I taking the foot.
Marcus worked with the steady rhythm of the laborers I used to watch in the streets of Brussels.
Taking care not to disturb the stone, he piled dirt along the lengthwise edges of the hole so it
could be easily swept back in.
Marcus tossed two shovelfuls of dirt for every one of mine. I strained to keep pace, trying
to clear my mind of everything but the feel of the shovel handle, the chunking sound of the
shovel piercing the earth, the weight of the dirt as I hefted it up—but my mind insisted on
bringing up images of those nights long past when Andreas and his students dug like excited
dogs for a freshly-buried cadaver, and how I winced as they struggled to lift it out of the grave,
head and limbs flailing, and into a cart.
As I dug, it occurred to me that I had never used a shovel—what could there be to it? But
within minutes I was breathing heavily and my lower back was stabbed with pain each time I
lifted a shovelful of dirt. Marcus glanced over and saw my problem.
“Slide your lower hand further down the handle.”
Of course—a simple matter of lever and fulcrum, a principle any laborer applied to their
work without a second thought. I dug with more skill, but soon blisters formed on my hands.
After a time we had to step into the deepening hole to continue digging, working back to
back with shortened strokes. Dirt started to slide back into the hole, so I had to heave the dirt
farther up the mound to keep it out.
You preferred taking bodies from graveyards known for shallow graves, and with good
reason. How ironic that I would never agree to dig while you were alive.
The moonlight served us well until we were chest-high in the hole. “Marcus,” I
whispered, between heavy breaths, “we will . . . need the lantern . . . can’t see much now.” The
next stab of my shovel blade met resistance. As I lifted the blade, I saw, even in the darkened
hole, that I had unearthed dirty cloth.
“Marcus, come look.”
He made his way to my end and squatted down. Gently brushing away dirt with his
hands, he found an edge and followed it about two feet toward the gravestone.
“We won’t be needing to open a coffin,” he said. “This looks to be a shroud, and I’ve
found the same at the head. The rest of our work should be by hand. When we’ve done as much
as we can without the lantern, I’ll light it, and we’ll bring it down here.”
He reached up to the edge of the hole and produced a jug of water. I drank slowly, only
able to swallow small amounts between labored breaths.
“Ready?” he asked, after taking a drink himself.
My heart pounding, I nodded.
Marcus returned to the head end and brushed away dirt with his hands. Numbly, I did the
same at my end, tense, aching, and breathing hard. Bit by bit we uncovered a form, unmistakably
human, wrapped in a stained shroud of similar make as the bed-sheets at the inn. The shroud’s
top fold overlaid the body in its length. The remaining work to expose the corpse would be quick
and quiet with no coffin to unseal, but the amount of decomposition would be greater.
With difficulty I straightened up and took stock of the moment: I was shoulder-deep in a
grave behind a church on a Greek island, astride a shrouded corpse that could be Andreas.
I must be dreaming. Do I want this to be you?
There were four possible outcomes: the first, now eliminated, that the grave would be
empty; the second, that we would find Andreas in the shroud; the third, that we would find
someone else; or the fourth and by far the worst, that the corpse could not be identified one way
or another.
Marcus touched my arm. “We have only a few hours until sunrise.”
I calmed myself; it was now only a matter of unfolding the shroud.
“Right. You take the feet. I need to see the face.”
“I’ll light the lantern now,” Marcus said. I shuffled up to the head as he vaulted to the
surface to get the lantern. It held two candles. From his pocket he produced a flint, a steel, and
dry tinder wrapped in a cloth. He laid the tinder on his lap in the center of the cloth and put the
wick of one candle next to the tinder. With a few deft strokes of the flint against the steel, sparks
flew and ignited the tinder, which in turn lit the wick. With that candle he lit the other one.
Eerie light filled the grave. Handing the lantern to me, he said, “You’ll need only one
hand to move the shroud.”
I straddled the corpse, facing Marcus at the feet. With the lantern in my right hand, I took
hold of the corner of the shroud with my left. It would open right to left.
“Ready, Marcus—on the count of three . . .”
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Praise
“A historical novel with a twist. An old friend of the most famous of all anatomists, Andreas Vesalius, sets out to solve the mystery of his death on a Greek island. What he finds involves a tangle of acquaintances going back to their Brussels childhood and earlier dissections. This lively story combines fine historical detail with a sensitive feel for past personalities.” – VIVIAN NUTTON, HON FRCP, EMERITUS PROFESSOR OF THE HISTORY OF MEDICINE, UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON
“In his imaginatively woven historical mystery, Ron Blumenfeld explores the life of the pioneering anatomist Andreas Vesalius amidst the turbulence of 16th-century Europe. Readers will enjoy a finely-tuned story infused with doses of Renaissance anatomy and art that highlight the groundbreaking achievements of Andreas Vesalius in these two linked disciplines. Blumenfeld’s erudite adventure leaves the reader with tantalizing speculations.” – PHILIP ELIASOPH, PHD, PROFESSOR OF ART HISTORY & VISUAL CULTURE, FAIRFIELD UNIVERSITY, FAIRFIELD, CONNECTICUT
“With The King’s Anatomist, Ron Blumenfeld has successfully crafted a story from disparate elements. Descriptions of Renaissance sciences, emerging European cities, and the pre-industrial countryside are intertwined with love gained and lost and the mystery of the death of Andreas Vesalius, the father of modern anatomy. The result is a plot of rich tapestry that leaves the reader panting for the next page, the next vignette along a journey from Brussels to the Greek Island of Zante and along another journey; that from childhood friendship to the grave. As with much fine literature, I was sorry to reach the last page.” – MAYNARD PAUL MAIDMAN, PROFESSOR EMERITUS OF HISTORY, YORK UNIVERSITY, CANADA
‘Centered on the mysterious death of the great anatomist Andreas Vesalius, this enjoyable tale is anchored by scholarly literature. The device of a first-person account by an observant but hesitant “best friend” allows for vivid recreation of the many remarkable moments in the anatomist’s life. Relying solidly on social and political history, it convincingly evokes the atmosphere of sixteenth-century Europe. The surprising but plausible ending will surely encourage readers to learn more.” – JACALYN DUFFIN, MD, PHD, PROFESSOR EMERITA, HANNAH CHAIR OF THE HISTORY OF MEDICINE, QUEEN’S UNIVERSITY, CANADA
About the Author
Ron Blumenfeld is a retired pediatrician and health care executive. Ron grew up in the Bronx, New York in the shadow of Yankee Stadium and studied at City College of New York before receiving his MD degree from the SUNY Downstate Health Sciences Center. After completing his pediatrics residency at the University of Arizona, he and his family settled in Connecticut, but Tucson remains their second home. Upon retirement, he became a columnist for his town’s newspaper, a pleasure he surrendered to concentrate on his debut novel, The King’s Anatomist (October 12, 2021). Ron’s love of books springs from his childhood years spent in an antiquarian book store in Manhattan, where his mother was the only employee. He enjoys a variety of outdoor sports and hiking. He and his wife Selina currently reside in Connecticut and are fortunate to have their son Daniel and granddaughter Gracelynn nearby.
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Blog Tour Schedule
Tuesday, October 12
Review at Pursuing Stacie
Guest Post at Novels Alive
Wednesday, October 13
Excerpt at What Is That Book About
Thursday, October 14
Review at Booking with Janelle
Review at With a Book in Our Hands
Friday, October 15
Excerpt at Historical Fiction with Spirit
Monday, October 18
Review at Novels Alive
Review at Rajiv’s Reviews
Tuesday, October 19
Review at Across the Sky in Stars
Wednesday, October 20
Review at Bibliostatic
Friday, October 22
Excerpt at I’m Into Books
Monday, October 25
Review at Up Past My Bedtime
Tuesday, October 26
Excerpt at Reading is My Remedy
Thursday, October 28
Guest Post at The Writing Desk
Sunday, October 31
Excerpt at The Cozy Book Blog
Wednesday, November 3
Interview at Jathan & Heather
Friday, November 5
Review at Coffee and Ink
Review at Bookoholiccafe
Giveaway
Enter to win a paperback copy of The King’s Anatomist by Ron Blumenfeld.
The giveaway is open to the US only and ends on November 5th. You must be 18 or older to enter.
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