Well-informed, fluid and fascinating

Gerard DeGroot, The Times

Anna Whitelock proves a sure-footed and eloquent guide to James's reign . . . What is striking when one reads this primer is that, exactly four centuries after James's death, Britain finds itself once again playing catch-up, uncertain of its place in the world, and lacking the kind of identity that was forged in the seventeenth century

Paul Lay, Oldie

A majestic, brilliant account of the birth of an empire. Spectacularly good

PETER FRANKOPAN, author of The Silk Roads

With its gripping storytelling combined with historical rigour, The Sun Rising is just the right kind of zesty treatment a neglected period needs. Fresh and fabulous

LUCY WORSLEY

Richly evocative and brilliantly provocative, The Sun Rising transports its readers far from Whitehall in pursuit of James I's vision for a united, global Britain. From the plantations of Ireland and trading posts in Indonesia to the courts of Russia and Japan, Anna Whitelock's compelling narrative looks afresh at James I, and at the idea of Britain that emerged during his reign – and which still resonates today

ALICE HUNT, author of Republic: Britain's Revolutionary Decade, 1649-1660

Stereotypes are out; new ways of defining James and his world are in . . . Whitelock's exploration of how political, cultural and commercial interests interlocked in James's policymaking, so expanding conceptions of state power, is game-changing

JOHN GUY, Literary Review