Saturday, November 27, 2010

With my typical compulsiveness, I am now obsessed with Francis Crawford of Lymond

I have joined some yahoo groups comprised of similarly obsessed people and have just added this to my review of Pawn in Frankincense over on Goodreads.  Someone at the yahoo Marzipan group lifted it from another blog and did not give a source, but I'm posting it because it says so much better than I what these books have meant to me:

“It’s a good thing she’s dead.” It was my friend Nora on the phone. Not hello, Penelope, this is Nora, how are you? Just “It’s a good thing she’s dead, or I’d kill her.”
 

I’d bugged Nora to read the Lymond Chronicles, raving that it was the most intense reading experience of my life. Now Nora had just finished book four, Pawn in Frankincense. She was crying, she was raging, and she wanted nothing better than to throttle Dorothy Dunnett. I knew how she felt.  Lymond is my favorite sort of hero: the tormented mastermind. He is a poet, musician, mathematical genius, and the greatest military mind of his day. He is witty in at least a dozen languages. He is also so racked by self-loathing that he repeatedly tries to goad otherwise nice people into killing him. He commits appalling acts for reasons that may become clear only hundreds of pages later into the story. Which brings me back to Nora’s phone call. Dunnett inflicts some
cruel sucker punches on her readers. This is embarrassing to admit, but at one point, I screamed “Traitor!,” threw the book across the room, and began wailing in grief. My bewildered husband tried to comfort me, saying “But it’s only a story.” Only a story? For the past six weeks, it had been my life.

Friday, November 26, 2010

I hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving.

I did.  A long ride to Massachusetts and back, a gourmet meal at my daughters, the company of my family and some interesting guests.  And finally to end the day finishing this lovely, lovely book.  What more can you ask?

CheckmateCheckmate by Dorothy Dunnett

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


10 stars



I shall harness thee a chariot
of lapis-lazuli and gold
Come into our dwelling, in the
perfume of the cedars.


This fragment of poetry is laced through the chapters of this book, and for me, it evokes the emotions of longing and and finally, fulfillment to be found in the Lymond Chronicles.

Masterfully woven, filled with tension, hope, despair, grief, violence and love; Checkmate brings the saga of Francis Crawford of Culter, Comte de Sevigny to a close.  Alas, any story following this is bound to be a disappointment, with a few notable exceptions.  Dunnett is without question a master of historical fiction.  She challenges us with her French and literary quotations, her olde English, to join the journeys and adventures of the remarkable Lymond.  I promise you, if you accept the challenge, and wade into the depths of 16th century Europe with Lymond, his brother Richard, his mother Sybilla, his fellow armsmen, his women, and finally his love - you will not be disappointed.  I join the ranks of people who say, 'Oh, I love these books,' and sigh with poignant regret that they are now read.

I will be rereading them, that is without doubt.  From racing through to find out what happens, to stopping to savor the beauty and terror along the way, I find myself even now returning to parts of the book to reread, to recall bits lost and to re-savor the wealth.



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Wednesday, November 24, 2010

The Ringed CastleThe Ringed Castle by Dorothy Dunnett

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


What to say about this book?  Lymond has turned himself into a cold and masterful leader after the trauma of the events of the last book.  Guzel takes him to Russia and he proceeds to become commander in chief of Tsar Ivan's armies when he's sent back to England.  The descriptions of Russia in the frozen north, the shipwreck, his struggles with Ivan and his princes - all are told with Dunnett's masterful writing, filled with terror and suspense.  I shivered from the cold.  I sobbed with the loss.  I hated Lymond while admiring his genius and hoped for him to become human again.  Meanwhile, Philippa, back in England, is growing up.  Beautiful, filled with masterful suspense, the most detailed and realistic shipwreck I've ever read, and heartbreaking as I hoped against hope that Lymond can survive and become human again.



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Saturday, November 20, 2010

I just revised this review but I still don't think it does the book justice

Fugitive Prince (Wars of Light & Shadow #4; Arc 3 - Alliance of Light, #1)Fugitive Prince by Janny Wurts

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


After rereading this book recently, I'm revising my rating to 5 stars.  It does slow down from the pace of the first three, but now that I have the full story of the 3rd Arc, I have to give it 5 stars as every element in this book is essential to the completion of the whole story.


As in the previous books, the plot is intricate and compelling.  The battle continues with Lysaer wanting to wage war and Arithon fleeing to try and avoid more killing, which tears him to pieces.  Each book adds more layers to the overall picture of the world of Athera, the ancient Paravians who have disappeared, the mystery of where they went and why humans are on this world at all.  It reminds me of one of those pictures with many layers of sheer paper with the objects colored in that keep building complexity upon complexity until the image is very rich and powerful.


One intense and emotional scene consists of the sorcerers confronting Lysaer and giving him alternate choices of action.

One of the important things that emerges more completely in this book is that since their empathic connection while healing the fisherman in Merior, Elaira and Arithon are able to maintain an empathic connection with one another and are able to be aware of how the other one is feeling by reaching out empathetically.  The love that develops in this way is quite powerful, even though they are not able to be together because of Elaira's oath to the Koriani for celibacy and obedience.




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Friday, November 19, 2010

Pawn in FrankincensePawn in Frankincense by Dorothy Dunnett

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Holy smokin' story!  I nearly had a heart attack several times and if I hadn't been at work, I would've sobbed my eyeballs out.

And of course, now I can't stop, so planned November reads??? Bye-bye!  This series is absolutely wonderful. 

Why are people surprised that Lymond loves?  Of course he does -- so intensely he just can't show it.

I can't say anything at all without it being a spoiler...Lymond takes a gift to Sultan Suleiman in Istanbul from the King of France chasing his bastard son before the baby is murdered by the totally evil Graham Mallett. As always we see him through everyone's eyes but his.  New characters and old, ever fascinating and richly drawn.  Incredible detail of the riches and cruelties of the Islamic countries of that time.  The looting of Hagia Sophia, the maze of the Seraglio where the harem is kept, the polishing of Phillippa - his old friend's daughter from previous books.  All of it fine, beautiful, terrifying, and achingly sad.



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The Disorderly Knights (The Lymond Chronicles, #3)The Disorderly Knights by Dorothy Dunnett

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Oh my god!  What a book!  There's only one problem!  Now I've gotta read Pawn in Frankincense!  And I'm already dreading it all being over!



Dunnett spins a wonderful, intricate, suspenseful plot.  Sometimes she makes me laugh, sometimes she makes me look up words, but always she entertains me.  What rewards a little work can bring.  :)



This series has made me fall in love with the characters over time.  The depth of character building is phenomenal.  The plotting is sine qua non.  The world building is impeccable.  What else can I say?  Just read them.  It's worth it. 



The The Dorothy Dunnett Companion is very helpful to those of us who can't just identify quotes and French off the top of our heads.



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Saturday, November 13, 2010

Bah Humbug!

The Pillars of the EarthThe Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett

My rating: 1 of 5 stars


I read good reviews of this book.  I loved Eye of the Needle.  It is 40 hours long and I figured it would be 40 hours of good entertainment.  Not.



I found the characterizations thin, annoying, and implausible.  The historical research was abysmal - seemed to be restricted to what anyone visiting a European cathedral can read about cathedral structure.  The writing is pedantic at best.



I believe in cutting my losses early, so I gave up after 12 hours and started Dunnett's The Disorderly Knights.



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Thursday, November 11, 2010

Another fine addition to the Vorkosigan Saga

CryoBurn (Vorkosigan Saga, #14)CryoBurn by Lois McMaster Bujold

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


As someone said, it was like visiting with old friends.  Very funny, touching, Miles and his wild antics have matured a little.  Having to do with cryogenics as the title implies.  Miles, of course, was revived from a cryo-sleep years before.

I knew something sad was coming at the end from reading other reviews so was braced for it, but still, it was out of the blue and brought tears to my eyes.  ;(  ;(  ;(

Another fine addition to the Vorkosigan Saga.



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Monday, November 8, 2010

From The Huffington Post

DNC member:  White House couldn't sell cocaine to Charlie Sheen!






Finished this last night:

Queens' Play (The Lymond Chronicles, #2)Queens' Play by Dorothy Dunnett

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I feel fairly inarticulate and incompetent to review a Dorothy Dunnett book except to say that they are complex, difficult reading, rich, fantastic, funny, sad, lovable and thoroughly worth the effort.

An example of her rich and original prose:  It had been a sharp night; but now the early sun, glaring cross grained through the branches, laid fresh black contours, thinly prowling, over the people below.

And a blurb from a book jacket: "Her hero, the enigmatic Lymond, [is] Byron crossed with Lawrence of Arabia... He moves in an aura of intrigue, hidden menace and sheer physical daring."
                                        ---Times Literary Supplement (London)

How could I improve on that?  He's also utterly handsome, blonde, artistic, thoroughly accomplished, brilliant (much more so than I), and a gentleman.

Her books are romance literature in the original sense - a style of heroic prose and verse narrative current in Europe from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance.  Although there is a love story in this one, it is not the kind of 'romance' that is lately popularized.  Far from it, thank God.  Although I can enjoy a cheesy romance novel at times, a steady diet of them has turned me into a voracious reader of novels with some meat, some deeper meaning, some difficulty, and that make me think.

In this episode of Lymond's career, he learns a bitter lesson about what his ability to influence and inspire people can do when he is careless of their vulnerability and weakness.



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Saturday, November 6, 2010

The third installment of The Cycle of Fire by Janny Wurts

Shadowfane (The Cycle of Fire, #3)Shadowfane by Janny Wurts

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Demons or aliens, star ships with the technology to create sorcerers, plenty of psychological drama reins in the last installment of The Cycle of Fire.

For those who find Janny Wurts 'too difficult' will find this trilogy fairly easy going, but with some sophisticated psychological twists.  This element in Wurts' writing is what draws me to her books.  As in her later work, layers are uncovered gradually to reveal depth and the unexpected.

Dreamweaver, Firelord, and Stormwarden fight heroically to save mankind from the destruction desired by alien races (or demons) in revenge for being taken from their home planets.

I do think a fourth book would be lovely.  There is plenty of meat here for more.

A great listen!



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In other news, I think my refrigerator is sick.  The top half of the freezer is no longer freezing and I found the source of that awful smell I've been searching high and low for.  Also, I'm starting to wonder if I'm coming down with something, as I am achey and very tired.

I just finished this one, too.  Very good, but the narrator a little too flat.

A Thousand Splendid SunsA Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Afghanistan from the woman's point of view, lovely, sad, hopeful.  The only surprise here is the mercy of some Taliban.  The friendship and love between Mariam and Laila is very moving.  Hosseini does a great job of getting inside their heads.  At times I felt sorry for Rashaad, a pitiful and brutal man in a society with no room for healing of old wounds and for recognition of the sacred feminine.



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Thursday, November 4, 2010

The election sucked

But it wasn't as bad as it could've been.  And I'm not sure how a bunch of Republicans could be worse than the Democrats in Congress the last two years.  They're all idiots.  Connecticut of course went Democratic and I almost didn't vote, but dragged myself to the polls after work Tuesday.  So I did my civic duty.

Got my new iPhone last night and have been busy setting it up.  It's Tres Cool.  A little trouble reading some websites, like Goodreads.

We have a new Democratic governor, Malloy.  Don't know a thing about him.  Hopefully CT will continue to be liberal with its social programs.

Well, gotta go to work.

Monday, November 1, 2010

Stayed up most of the night reading this one.

Flowers from the StormFlowers from the Storm by Laura Kinsale

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Well, this was just delightful.  I promised myself a romance after I finished Anathem and this was it.  A typical historical romance between the rake and the prig, but with many original twists and turns.  I can't say too much or it will spoil it.  The writing is very good, the plot tight, and there was some pretty funny snarky humor.  The romance is great.  Loved the characters, the side characters, the setting.

Oh and it's a page turner.  Or else it's just my compulsive behavior at work, but I had to read to the end and stayed up most of the night to do it.  :D

Lovely, just lovely.



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