Although I am thoroughly enjoying the Lymond Chronicles so far, this third book in the series struck me as having more difficulties in structure than the previous two (I am a first-time reader, so don't have the luxury of knowing how it all turns out in the end). The first scenes in Scotland, settling back in with Will Scott and Sibylla and the familiar characters there, were great fun. When the action moved to Malta, however, for the first 'act', I felt it was less engaging and more disjointed. Lymond is very much a peripheral character in this section as we are introduced to the Knights of Saint John, their power struggles and their weaknesses, and this part, I'm sorry to say, certainly didn't grab me as much as "Queens' Play" had. When Lymond's own storyline continues in the second half of the book, on returning to Scotland, things settle down a little. We see him growing in stature and responsibility as he uses his military experience and native wit to gather around him a company of men renowned for their excellence. His mission is challenged by the presence of the charismatic Gabriel, a Knight of the Order, whose piety, gentleness and tolerance conceal an intellect as sharp and ambitious as Lymond's own.I was struck by the fact that here, as in "The Game of Kings", we are shown what happens without really understanding it until the end. I missed the sense of being borne along as a gleeful co-conspirator, as had happened in "Queens' Play", and I thought that Dunnett risked a lot by showing us Lymond at his most unpleasant without giving us some insight into his reasoning. There were several points here where I felt a flash of dislike for him. Although to some extent this behaviour was rationalised at the end, it is still a very brave decision to unsettle your readers' estimation of your protagonist. I don't think I mind - Lymond is complex and interesting enough that I don't want him to turn out to be a predictably chivalrous hero - but nevertheless some of his actions (and words) did come as a shock.Part of the reason that the book's pace does feel different from that of its two predecessors must be because its purpose is different. While "The Game of Kings" and "Queens' Play" were practically self-contained, this book sets up the plot which will unfold (I assume) over the next three books, and it also develops a very challenging and dangerous enemy for Lymond. There were still some very moving moments - particularly two departures of characters of whom I'm very fond - even if the descriptive writing never quite reached the heights it found in "Queens' Play". Still, I've been assured that "Pawn in Frankincense" is another stunner, so I shall be moving onto that next, with great anticipation.For further thoughts (and some spoilers), please see my blog, where there are also reviews of the earlier books in the Lymond Chronicles:http://theidlewoman.blogspot.co.uk/20...
This third installment in Dorothy Dunnett's Lymond series is finally completed, and yeah, it took me many days (weeks? over a month) to work my way through to the end of this lengthy and complex historical fiction novel, with more than a few detours along the way (I was easily distracted by other books in the early stages, but that was my fault as much as this book's). But once again, as the story started moving toward its climactic scenes, and events got more and more exciting and gripping, and the pieces started to fall into place and answers to surface, I was totally sucked in.It's the 1560's, and Francis Lymond, who is too talented and observant for his own good, is sent by the King of France to the island of Malta, which is in the control of the religious order of the Knights of Malta. Immediately he's surrounded by political and religious intriguing for power, which takes a break (or does it?) when the island is attacked by a Turkish force. From there the action moves to Tripoli (more battles and intrigue, and a truly nail-biting scene with attempting to defuse a bomb) and then back to Scotland, where Lymond forms a private army and continues his life-or-death battle with an opponent who is subtle beyond belief.The sometimes excessive flowery language and use of random and obscure quotations (more often than not in a foreign language, untranslated of course; Dunnett isn't one for coddling her readers), which was a major issue for me in the first book and somewhat less in the second, has been toned down a lot, making this book much more readable. This is still a challenging read, however, with lots of different personalities to keep track of, political and family conflicts to understand, and layers of complexity and deception to unravel. It challenged my brain, and occasionally frustrated me, but in the end I can only say that this was incredibly awesome.ETA: Huge spoilers in the discussion thread, mostly unmarked. Read at your own risk.
What do You think about The Disorderly Knights (1997)?
hooooo boy and you think that's bad. girl you don't even know what's in store for you. NO CLUE. [and i know i said this already about DK but whatev, cannot WAIT for you to get to PiF. efffffffffffff lymond #4 fucked me up so bad. still reeling four months later.]anyway sobbing i had actually forgotten that line. thank you for bringing the joy of richard "sweatdrop" culter back into my life.
—xebec
Seriously amazing. I loved the first book and liked the second but this one was possibly my favorite. This might have to do with it involving more familiar characters and thus requiring less confusing set up than the previous two. These books are wonderful and really reward close reading. The historical details are amazing. I just finished and immediately put my bookmark in the next book. What really pulls the books, though, are the amazing characters. Lymond is so likably flawed and a fantastic antihero. The whole Crawford family are pretty much the most awesome people to exist. Phillipa is wonderful, Oonagh is one tough cookie and the Scotts continue to be lovable. The fact that the book can be full of so many characters that it makes my brain hurt, and yet they all manage to feel real and well defined is amazing. I think I could literally gush about these books forever but I need to start the fourth one already!
—Morgan
I deducted a star just because (view spoiler)[a lot of the conflict here turned on the supposed chastity or lack thereof of a female character, which always makes me uncomfortable no matter how villainous that character might be or how consistent it might be with the time period the book depicts. (hide spoiler)]
—sarah
