DissolutionDissolution
Score Modern
What it's about
Amid the religious and political turmoil of Henry VIII's reign, hunchbacked lawyer Matthew Shardlake is sent to a monastery to investigate the murder of a royal commissioner, and uncovers the darker side of the strife.
Why it's worth reading
It's on the Guardian's list of 1,000 novels everyone must read. It's C. J. Sansom's first novel.
You'll love it if you liked
Wolf Hall
The Name of the Rose
The Pillars of the EarthGood to know
It's the first Shardlake mystery.
By the numbers
- Readers45 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics30 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller18 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #394 of the 623 mysteries and thrillers we rank
- #1134 of the 1,647 modern books we rank
- #2157 of the 3,056 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
Gripping
If you like this, read next
The Luminaries
The Underground Railroad
World Without End
Fall of Giants
The Water Dancer
A Column of FireExplore the best-of lists
All 47 best-of lists →
Mysteries and thrillersTop 25 · 623 ranked
Modern booksTop 25 · 1,647 ranked
Books of the 2000sTop 25 · 514 ranked
Fantasy booksTop 25 · 504 ranked
Literary novelsTop 25 · 325 ranked
Pulitzer Prize-winning novelsTop 25 · 63 ranked
Memoirs and biographiesTop 25 · 290 ranked
Science fiction booksTop 25 · 333 rankedQuick answers
Is Dissolution worth reading?
Yes. It's on the Guardian's list of 1,000 novels everyone must read. It ranks #2,157 of the 3,056 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 63.6 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is Dissolution about?
Amid the religious and political turmoil of Henry VIII's reign, hunchbacked lawyer Matthew Shardlake is sent to a monastery to investigate the murder of a royal commissioner, and uncovers the darker side of the strife.
How long does it take to read Dissolution?
About 11 hours (455 pages), or about 3 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after Dissolution?
If you liked it, try Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel, The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco or The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett.