This is a historical fiction about the Tudor era
It's all about people grappling for power all around Henry VIII.
At the center is Thomas Cromwell and his rise from the son of a blacksmith to the king's most trusted and loyal (as loyal as can be in the court) advisor. Another big theme is a constant religious battling and political scheming. Henry VIII is a powerful king who wants everything to go his way, and his way often goes against what's possible in a religious context. (Marrying his crush Anne Boleyn at the expanse of his actual wife Katherine (very long story)) Back to Cromwell, the man is known to be a villain throughout history, but in this book he is rather sympathetic, funny and VERY smart. He's a caring family man and loyal beyond measure. And this is the strength of this book, it's true that it's very heavy in history, but every character is humanized in depth, whether the good or bad in them.
This was incredibly good, incredibly challenging, and it's going to be so hard to read historical fiction after this excellent literary piece of art!!

P.S: I already know a fair amount of facts about Henry VIII, his court and his marriages, but the details in this book were still dizzying.