In The King's Achievement by Robert Hugh Benson, Book II continues to explore the profound consequences of the Reformation in Tudor England. The story intensifies as religious conflict deepens, with the ruins of once-sacred monasteries symbolizing the destruction of tradition and the suppression of Catholicism. Family divisions widen as characters wrestle with faith versus loyalty, torn between their commitment to the Church and their ties to a state rapidly embracing Protestant reform. Themes of sacrifice and martyrdom emerge as individuals face spiritual perseverance against political betrayal and ecclesiastical corruption. Power struggles take center stage, with some seeking personal redemption while others fall prey to the allure of authority. Amid this turbulent landscape, loss and grief touch many, but moral integrity remains a key focus as characters transform in their resistance to reform. Benson skillfully weaves a tale of faith, redemption, and the cost of spiritual survival during a time of upheaval.
Robert Hugh Benson was an English Catholic priest and author who lived from 18 November 1871 to 19 October 1914. He began his ministry as an Anglican priest before being welcomed and ordained in the Catholic Church in 1903. He also wrote a lot of fiction, including Come Rack! Come to Rope! and the well-known dystopian novel Lord of the World. His works include current fiction, children's stories, plays, apologetics, devotional writings, and historical, horror, and science fiction. In parallel with rising through the ranks to serve as a Chamberlain to Pope Pius X in 1911 and earning the title of Monsignor before passing away a few years later, he continued his writing career. Benson, the younger brother of E. F., A. C., and Margaret Benson, was the youngest child of Edward White Benson, the Archbishop of Canterbury, and his wife, Mary. Robert Hugh Benson attended Eton College for his education before attending Trinity College in Cambridge from 1890 to 1893 to study classics and religion. Benson's father, who was the Archbishop of Canterbury at the time, gave him his ordination as a priest in the Church of England in 1895.
