I was intrigued by the cover of this Renaissance-set fantasy, but unfortunately it didn't live up to expectations. Split between 'reality' and 'fantasy', it follows the daydreams of the poet Ludovico Ariosto, who seeks to escape his mundane life through fantasies of being a great paladin among the peoples of the New World. The concept was fun, but unfortunately the book never quite gets its momentum going, and I was disappointed to find that Ariosto's 'reality' has been rewritten as a Renaissance alternative universe in which all the famous people conveniently still existed. I would much rather have had the contrast between historical fiction and fantasy which the blurb implies. Maybe my disappointment comes from mistaken expectations; but even beyond that it didn't particularly grab me as a piece of writing.For a full review, please see my blog:http://theidlewoman.blogspot.co.uk/20...
