Helpful Score: 13
The Lymond Chronicles (The Game of Kings is the first in a series of six historical novels) is intelligent, witty, romantic, and filled with mystery much like the hero, Francis Lymond of Crawford. The writing style is dense and the plot labyrinthine but I've read this series more than once and always, always find it a rich tapestry of history, mystery, and romance. The series only gets better after the first book, where Dunnett's writing style and oblique intellectual references lighten up considerably.
An intrigue at sixteen marks Lymond for a traitor and an outlaw in his native Scotland. The novel opens after five long years of bitter exile. Lymond is incredibly intelligent and talented but apparently also quite devilish and nearly soulless. Many fear him, and he trusts no one. As Lymond intrigues and machinates through the political turbulence of 16th century Scotland and searches for the one man who can help him clear his name the question is, is Lymond traitor or patriot? Series listing:
1. The Game of Kings
2. Queens Play
3. The Disorderly Knights
4. The Pawn in Frankincense
5. The Ringed Castle
6. Checkmate
A series I was saddened to see come to an end.
An intrigue at sixteen marks Lymond for a traitor and an outlaw in his native Scotland. The novel opens after five long years of bitter exile. Lymond is incredibly intelligent and talented but apparently also quite devilish and nearly soulless. Many fear him, and he trusts no one. As Lymond intrigues and machinates through the political turbulence of 16th century Scotland and searches for the one man who can help him clear his name the question is, is Lymond traitor or patriot? Series listing:
1. The Game of Kings
2. Queens Play
3. The Disorderly Knights
4. The Pawn in Frankincense
5. The Ringed Castle
6. Checkmate
A series I was saddened to see come to an end.
