This is the fourth book in the House of Niccolo. Having left Cyprus, Nicholas embarks on an expedition to Africa, his two aims being trade and exploration. In the late 15th century, this journey is arduous and risky. Nicholas and his companions (on odd mix of people from his present and his past,a s well as some new faces) endure extreme hardships and experience exotic wonders. Their trip culminates in their arrival at Timbuktu, a great Muslim center of trade and learning. The story finishes with the return to Europe, which brings with it both great triumph and great upheaval.I was incredibly fascinated by the exploration and exotic marvels around which the plot revolved. Again, I really enjoyed reading a historical novel that visited less well-traveled areas of the world and dealt with less familiar pieces of history. I'd had no idea that Islamic culture had penetrated so far into Africa at that period, and I had previously been unaware of what pre-colonial Africa may have been like. I also liked the slight departure this book made from the previous volumes. Except for at the beginning and end, Nicholas is less involved in political machination, and more involved in adventure and discovery, both the worldly kind and the personal kind. The ending is also more of a cliff-hanger than those of the previous books.I am starting to realize a few things about the overall structure and conception of the series, too. First of all, I think that the series, although continuous, can possibly be subdivided into pairs. Each pair delineates a stage of Nicholas' life and career. The first two, if I recall correctly, are about Nicholas establishing himself as a capable, independent adult. This second pair that I have just finished seem to be about adventure, exploration, and discovery of many kinds. Secondly, the books in the series, which the exception of the first, make reference to constellations. The first book, however, does align with the astrological theme, as it could be viewed as evoking the rise of a a star in the sky. I think this may tie into the fact that Nicholas' greatest personal and professional strength is his ability to make accurate predictions of what will happen and how the people around him will react to various situations, all from close, insightful observation. This of course, is much like astrology as it was practised in the late middle ages and renaissance.
Loved it, devoured it, being an expat at heart the places, the history, the curtain drawn back, how Niccoló Loppe/Lopez/Umar and assorted companions took it, and the continuing intrigue and besting the treacherous enemy--all delicious and rich and detailed and hard to put down. Was happy it was only #4.....Until -- SPOILER ALERT: The Ending: though shocked, I wasn't nearly as horrified as I was at the ending of Gone Girl, its twin. Gelis is a twisted piece of evil, and her Rosemary's Baby surprise shocks the naïve like me, and yet there was a thematic rightness about it all since the whole series is about dealing with self-serving treachery and why not a treacherous woman. Besides, I never really got to like her. Then, Gelis abandons her changeling so easily that all we can hope for is that Niccoló becomes the child's Bel. What I really don't like is how Gelis spoils Unicorn Hunt. That story sinks into dull, repetitive, boring pettiness, dragged there by Gelis. Niccoló, at a loss to live his desert-redemption, just impotently spins his wheels in the wake of his unseen new son. Alas.
What do You think about Scales Of Gold (1999)?
This feels like the turning point of the 'House of Niccolo' series, much as Checkmate was in the 'Lymond Chronicles.' There's the long, slow build-up of character development throughout the book—for all that much of it takes place in West Africa, in places where Europeans would so rarely have ventured in the fifteenth century, or even in the present day, there is relatively little description of the environment in which Nicholas and his group find themselves. It's much more introverted, about the ways in which going there changes them. (In a way, yes, which does ping a little on the enigmatic-black-folks-mystically-empowering-the-white-people scale).A leisurely, engaging, if unsurprising read—until, of course, you get to the last ten pages or so, when in classic Dunnett style your eyebrows are made to rise higher and higher until you squeak "What?!" very loudly. Not as bad as Checkmate, of course—what ever could be?—but still. What.
—Siria
Dorothy Dunnett never fails to take my breath away with her historical fiction. In this, the fourth book of the House of Niccolo series, our hero travels to Portugal, Madeira, and Timbuktu. He is accompanied by his friend (who is also his conscience), Father Godscalc. Godscalc is on a mission to find the Kingdom of the famous Prester John in Ethiopia.Tagging along (and not entirely welcome) are his young cousin, Diniz Vasquez, and his ex's sister, Gelis van Borselen. Diniz now idolizes Nicholas (after hating and fearing him in the prior book) and Gelis is out to get revenge for the death of her sister. Both cause him no small amount of trouble, but help keep the adventure and excitement up in this book.The descriptions of 15th Century Timbuktu and the society of the scholars there are wonderful. Nicholas is shocked to find that his friend, Loppe (his slave name)/Umar (his real name), was an important scholar/citizen of this fabled city. We see much of the culture there through Loppe/Umar's eyes. As always, there is money to be made in trade for Nicholas, but the life lessons he learns are the most important. We see Nicholas maturing (he's now 26) and conquering the dark parts of his nature. I hate each of these books to end because I feel I am living these times, along with Nicholas and his band of brothers who are his real family. Life is incredibly full but incredibly brutal. I am moving on to Book Five, The Unicorn Hunt, set in Edinburgh, Scotland. I can't wait to see what Nicholas will make of that.
—Diane
Found the first 350 pages stretched on for way too long, but, from there, the rest of the book was really interesting. The insights into the characters and the setting were back to Dunnett's form and I couldn't put it down. I just think it's a shame that those first 350 pages weren't edited down to around a hundred. If I could rate the book in halves, I'd give one star to the first and five stars to the second.One word to the wise, don't get to the end of this book without having book five, Unicorn Hunt, on hand. Trust me.
—Miko
