The Game of Kings

Attention: Please ignore the word romance in the description. I would argue that classification.I spent years trying to get anyone I knew to read this book just so I could talk about it with someone other than myself. I've even given it as a gift half a dozen times or so. Useless. They all whine it’s too hard to follow with the classical references, obscure poetry, and French quotes. I say the story stands on its own without the reader being as well-read as dear Dorothy. Or you could look it [...]

“I despised men who accepted their fate. I shaped mine twenty times and had it broken twenty times in my hands.”Bold words from a bold man. Francis Crawford of Lymond has been accused of the most nefarious things: deceit, treachery, rape, drunkenness, murder,and just so he will for sure hangeason. He has the same problem as Prince Harry of Wales does today. He is the spare son, the second son. The one that will have to make his own way while the grand Crawford estate goes to his older brothe [...]

Re-read 2017"There was an Ewe had three lambs, and one of them was black. What of it? Sheep are commonly white: does that make white unassailable, any more than the pure light of the sun before the prism? How may a breed freshen except under mutation? How improve its whiteness except by admitting a rogue cobalt to its candid meadows?"I do not normally re-read novels, because if I read it once I get the point, and there is no reason to return to it. I only decided to re-readPride and Prejudiceeve [...]

In the hands of a less-skilled writer, this could have been a real page-turnerThe Game of Kings has all the ingredients to make it an irresistible read: a romantic, handsome, complex hero, an exciting historical setting and era, family drama and politics, well-researched details and vivid descriptions, intrigue and mystery.But like the hero, Lymond, the novel itself is in turns brilliant and frustrating. Scotland, 1547. Diplomacy having failed, England has used force to bring Scotland into an al [...]

If you ever feel like you need a seriously mentally challenging book, I have the solution right here.Game of Kings, first published in 1961, is an intricate, well-plotted tale of the conflict between England and Scotland in 1547, when Mary Queen of Scots is a very young child, and the machinations of the various players in that conflict, especially Francis Crawford, called Lymond. Lymond is a young man, exiled from Scotland for treason, who has now snuck back into the country and is busy making [...]

This book, and how I feeeeeel about this book. They demand flights of eloquence and rhetorical brilliance that I just don’t have right now. Or probably ever, if I’m honest, not for this.It’s only the second time I’ve read this cover-to-cover. But pieces of this book are graven into me. Particular turns of phrase from scenes I’ve read over again – “I despised men who accepted their fate. I shaped mine twenty times and had it broken twenty times in my hands.” And more fundamental t [...]

Six stars out of five for Dorothy Dunnett. She's in class of her own when it comes to historical fiction and, while I continue to enjoy the epics told by Bernard Cornwell or Patrick O'Brian (the ones I'm currently in the middle of), I have to admit that in a celebrity deathmatch they would come second place to the Lymond / Niccolo series. Fans of the author tend towards unbridled enthusiasm (witness the 4,42 median rating here on - the highest I've come across so far, and the international conv [...]

In order to clarify the situation with regard to said novel, let me first rehash what the two sides of the discussion have been saying : Side 'What the fuck is this' : It's obscure. Every time Lymond opens his mouth, I want to smack his face and make him eat his weird ancient references. Side 'This book is brilliant' : Well if you were less lazy, now. That's classics for you, lads. You have to work a little to discover the gem. Me : *chokes* Now let's deconstruct something together, okay? No 'cl [...]

A massive BR with Alex, Amanda and great people in fab group for reading Dorothy Dunnett books :) *Sigh* IDK what happened for sure. "The Game of Kings" has all I need for the historical treat, interesting historical spices, naughty and evil main character, some action, peculiar writing. Hmm long as I read Riyria Revelations alongside - it was ok, but when I ended up with Lymond and Lord Idiot (Dragon Actually) only, I felt that it was going to be a downfall for my reads. After finishing Rise of [...]

I’ve never liked those books—and TV shows—in which the writers felt that the readers need to have it all spelt out for them for a variety of reasons, mainly the assumption that they will miss it otherwise…And then I found Dorothy Dunnett and met the other extreme of the “dumbing it down for the masses” spectrum. That I didn’t like it either is evident, but my issue isn’t that she employs language that most of humanity won’t get. It’s what it does to the narrative.I won’t in [...]

My best effort at a response to this great read is to cheat and direct you to the fine reviews of Algernon and Jeffry Keeten. They covers so well its themes of betrayal and loss, love and loyalty, its stimulating mix of humor and adventure, and richness in characters and language.As a brief orientation, we are treated to the capers, conflicts, and liaisons of a mysterious outlaw in Scotland in the 1540’s, a time when the British and French are competing to eventually take over Scotland by sett [...]

Ever love a series of books so much that it is hard to describe just why you love them?I love Lymond. He is my all-time favorite hero. He’s a 16th century polyglot scholar, soldier-for-hire, poet, musician, nobleman, and treasonous outlaw. He’s trying to clear his name (as a traitor to Scotland – his homeland), and yet his methods are so convoluted and often counter-productive that everything he does is a muddle. He is fascinating.I love the language that Dunnett uses to make Lymond and th [...]

Listen. I'm not going to say much here and I'm going to refer the other books in the series to this review. This is my all time favorite series of books (it goes with the Niccolo series) and I don't think anything will ever even come close to topping it. It's historical fiction at its best--accurate, well drawn, witty, intelligent, perfectly researched, and intricately designed. If you have ever wanted to live in a different time period, this is as close as you're going to get. These are not bea [...]

Francis Crawford of Lymond, 16C's James Bond? What fun! Its 1547, Henry VIII is dead and his young son Edward VII sits on the throne, as does a very young Mary sit on the throne of Scotland. Negotiations were made and broken to betroth young Mary to Edward and cement the two countries - or will the Scots marry her off to the dauphin of France instead? Francis Crawford of Lymond, a disgraced nobleman accused of treason sneaks back into Scotland and thus the game begins (to clear his name? is he w [...]

Wow.I hadn't done that in a while. Staying up all night with a book is a pleasure when you have the morning to sleep in, not when your alarm rings before you've read the last page and you still haven't gone to bed. Last time I stayed up with a book - to the last page of a book - was in March, with (who'd have guessed?) Captive Prince: Volume One and Captive Prince: Volume Two.June is a busy month I should not be spending reading fiction, which is one reason I was keeping a moderate pace with thi [...]

Why fans of the Captive Prince should read Game of Kings.On numerous occasions, the author of the Captive Prince has cited Dorothy Dunnett as a major influence on her work. In particular, Pacat has modeled her character Laurent on the hero of this book, Francis Crawford of Lymond. For me, (for Damen), and I think for many fans, Laurent is the center of our attention. He captivates us, and though told through Damen’s perspective, the story truly revolves around him. The similarities between Lym [...]

Ok, I don't say this lightly but if one can make it through these books it will change your life. I won't try to explain a series of 6 books with this review. It is an amazing historical fiction set during the 14th-15th century. What I can say is the effect it had on me.The build up and release with the sixth book broke my heart. I am not a cryier. I don't cry very much, and if a movie or book brings a tear to my eye I consider it pretty moving. When I finished the last book, I lost it. I mean c [...]

Star Trek, deleted scene #674: McCoy: "He's dead, Jim."Kirk: "Hey, what's that stuck in his belly?"McCoy: "The Game of Kings: The Lymond Chronicles, Book 1. Poor bastard. He must've eaten the damn thing to end his suffering."Kirk: "You're not gonna like what I brought along to read."McCoy: "What is it with you?"Seriously, though -- this book is boring, choppy, overwritten, wooden, & self-congratulatory. The flood of high ratings has me baffled. DNF & good riddance.[Edit: Shout-out to Rob [...]

Back in the late 1950's (the book was published in 1961!!!!) Dorothy Dunnett confided to her husband that she could find nothing to read. Said husband suggested that she write a book that she herself would like to read. (Because that's what husband do - haha!)But, THANK YOU - THANK YOU!!!! Sir Alastair Dunnett, because without your suggestion there might never have been written The Game of Kings; the first book in a series of 6 books jointly referred to as the Lymond Chronicles. In my opinion TH [...]

I knew absolutely nothing about the period of history this book is set in, the 1540s in Scotland, when I first started and I was quite lost even when I was enjoying myself reading it very much. The wit! The intrigue! The utter perfectness of Lymond! (Though sometimes I felt like strangling him.) I'll admit to struggling with this book at the start. It's not an easy book to get into, I guess, with all the literary references (in many languages!) and the history and language in general. This book [...]

Do you have a book – or a series of books – that you keep in a box marked ‘ I want to read, it, I know I’ll love it, but I have to wait for the perfect moment’ ?I did – I still do.And I say that because Dorothy Dunnett’s books used to live in that box, but they don’t live there any more.I began to collect those books when they were out of print in this country; because I have always loved historical novels, and because the author of these historical novels was so lauded. I have c [...]

I have to confess that at the very beginning of this novel, I was less than impressed. The true nature of the conflict and the motivations of the characters were well-hidden, and the reader was left somewhat puzzled as to where this story was going. This confusion was complicated by the multiple names/titles each individual had. At times the same character would be referred to by his given name, by his family name, by the name of his manor, or by his title. After this slow start, however, the re [...]

Re-read 8/3/08. Historical novel set in 16th century Scotland and England (later books in the series range farther afield). Francis Crawford of Lymond returns to Scotland in despite a charge of treason hanging over his head and sets up a band of outlaws that causes havoc for forces on both sides of the English-Scottish war. The first 100 pages or so are a bit slow, though things get much better after that. Like Lymond himself, the book is witty, complex, and occasionally hilariously caught up in [...]

3.5 stars, and, yes, I wish that I could justify more.I wanted to love this book. With the rest of the series already sitting on my shelf in the assumption that I would love it, imagine my surprise when I had to force myself to keep reading after the first 50 pages. If it hadn't come so highly recommended or if people hadn't continuously encouraged me to hang on, it would have found it's way to the DNF pile.If you are adventurous enough to begin this book, you will be encouraged with comments fr [...]

I haven't quite finished, but feel the need to write some thoughts down. Will finish later. At first, I didn't quite know what to make of this book. It's written in a sort of antique English brogue with frequent French and old English spellings that are hard to read. I have mostly skimmed the parts I don't understand, being basically lazy, but when something was necessary for me to understand what was being said, I used Google, the ubiquitous explainer without which I could not live. I frequentl [...]

Some hae meat and canna eat,And some wad eat that wanna,But we hae meat and we can eat,And sae the Lord be thankit.I submitted with as much tranquility as I could muster, to the superfluous Dowagers, the sarcastic sires, the cowed servitors, to see if out of the dark and disastrous muddle, a fragment of pattern would assert itself. I realized over and over again that a thrawness in the vitals of the body politic would either kill this story, or save it. Through it all, I gave a hoot of derisive [...]

Have you read the reviews for this book? It is almost universally loved. So I'm taking a different approach. Five reasons NOT to read The Game Of Kings:1) The author is clearly looking for intelligent readers who are willing to invest a little sweat for the big payoff. If you don't like to work for your entertainment, DON'T READ THIS. If you don't mind a little elbow grease, however, you will be well rewarded for your effort. Note: Even if you arm yourself with a decent dictionary (like the one [...]

THE GAME OF KINGS (Historical Novel – non-mystery) – ExDorothy Dunnett – 1st of seriesIn 1547 Francis Crawford of Lymond returns to his native Scotland, which is threatened by an English invasion and the bloody rivalries of its nobles. Accused of treason, hunted by friend and enemy alike, he leads a company of outlaws in a desperate race to redeem his reputation, even at the cost of his life.***This is a superb series filled with action, intrigue, humor, tragedy, war, romance and, yes, a b [...]

Complex, confounding, mesmerising.The story opens with a man returning to his homeland from exile. He is a disgraced aristocrat with a terrible reputation, an outlaw, a traitor, “the devil incarnate”. Other than that we know little about him. We have no idea what he is done or what is motivation might be but he quickly sets about causing havoc. Breaking into noble homes in broad daylight, intimidating the occupants and stealing their valuables, even callously attacking his own mother in her [...]

I'm no slacker in understanding when it comes to books with much political warfare and maneuvering with fierce battles but this book was hard to follow at times. Trying to keep up with the border lords on either side of the Scotland/England border with all of their double-dealing (some for mere survival due to proximity to said border and other more malicious/mercenary purposes) was confusing at best. Add to that the fact that I am not fluent in French, Spanish and Latin, not conversant in ancie [...]