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The House of Niccolò #2
The Spring of the Ram
With the bravura storytelling and pungent authenticity of detail she brought to her acclaimed Lymond Chronicles, Dorothy Dunnett, grande dame of the historical novel, presents The House of Niccolò series. The time is the 15th century, when intrepid merchants became the new knighthood of Europe. Among them, none is bolder or more cunning than Nicholas vander Poele of Bruges, the good-natured dyer's apprentice who schemes and swashbuckles his way to the helm of a mercantile empire.
In 1461, Nicholas is in Florence. Backed by none other than Cosimo de' Medici, he will sail the Black Sea to Trebizond, last outpost of Byzantium, and the last jewel missing from the crown of the Ottoman Empire. But trouble lies ahead. Nicholas's stepdaughter -- at the tender age of thirteen -- has eloped with his rival in trade: a Machiavellian Genoese who races ahead of Nicholas, sowing disaster at every port. And time is of the essence: Trebizond may fall to the Turks at any moment. Crackling with wit, breathtakingly paced, The Spring of the Ram is a pyrotechnic blend of scholarship and narrative shimmering with the scents, sounds, colors, and combustible emotions of the 15th century.
In 1461, Nicholas is in Florence. Backed by none other than Cosimo de' Medici, he will sail the Black Sea to Trebizond, last outpost of Byzantium, and the last jewel missing from the crown of the Ottoman Empire. But trouble lies ahead. Nicholas's stepdaughter -- at the tender age of thirteen -- has eloped with his rival in trade: a Machiavellian Genoese who races ahead of Nicholas, sowing disaster at every port. And time is of the essence: Trebizond may fall to the Turks at any moment. Crackling with wit, breathtakingly paced, The Spring of the Ram is a pyrotechnic blend of scholarship and narrative shimmering with the scents, sounds, colors, and combustible emotions of the 15th century.
496 pages, Paperback
First published October 12, 1987
78 people are currently reading
1159 people want to read
About the author
Dorothy Dunnett
35 books858 followersDorothy Dunnett OBE was a Scottish historical novelist. She is best known for her six-part series about Francis Crawford of Lymond, The Lymond Chronicles, which she followed with the eight-part prequel The House of Niccolò. She also wrote a novel about the real Macbeth called King Hereafter and a series of mystery novels centered on Johnson Johnson, a portrait painter/spy.
Her New York times obituary is here.
Dorothy Dunnett Society: http://dorothydunnett.org
Fansite: http://www.dorothydunnett.co.uk/
Her New York times obituary is here.
Dorothy Dunnett Society: http://dorothydunnett.org
Fansite: http://www.dorothydunnett.co.uk/
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 154 reviews
January 12, 2025
On this re-read, I was constantly struck by echoes forward to the Lymond series:
But this is no mere replaying of Dunnett's set pieces: it's part of a larger pattern that doesn't truly emerge until the end of the eighth book, and one which I'm not completely sure I'm behind, however fascinating I find it.
This starts slowly but builds up inexorably so that I read the final quarter in a feverish rush, having to listen to the audio when I couldn't physically hold a book. With Niccolo now freed from his obligations, he's more than ever a loose cannon in search of a purpose.
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This is the second volume of Dunnett's second great series built around the enigmatic Nicholas, once a dyer's apprentice in Bruges, and now the leader of a trading company setting up business in Trebizond, the last outpost of the Byzantine empire, on behalf of the Medici.
After the domestic beginning of the series (Niccolo Rising) this allows Nicholas, still only 20, to spread his wings and try his skills in a wider world. But he is as dangerous as the sphere which he is entering, and his friends/watchers don't know whether to trust him, cage him, or follow him.
Full of intrigue, ambiguities, plot-lines, marvellous characters and lush writing, Dunnett does this like no-one else. Sophisticated and convoluted plots mean you have to read her books more than once to understand the intricacies of the story, but as any of her fans will say, that's no hardship. She also manages like almost no-one else to wrong-foot the reader so that just when you think you know what's happening and can guess the next event Dunnett pulls out a magnificent and audacious turn in the story that leaves you breathless but which is so logical and right that you can't imagine why you didn't see it coming. The end of this novel is like that, and yet so beautifully written that the the tension between what is happening and the way it's written is just stunning. Get the next volume before you read the end (Race of Scorpions) as you won't be able to wait to see where Nicholas goes next.
But this is no mere replaying of Dunnett's set pieces: it's part of a larger pattern that doesn't truly emerge until the end of the eighth book, and one which I'm not completely sure I'm behind, however fascinating I find it.
This starts slowly but builds up inexorably so that I read the final quarter in a feverish rush, having to listen to the audio when I couldn't physically hold a book. With Niccolo now freed from his obligations, he's more than ever a loose cannon in search of a purpose.
-------------------------------------------
This is the second volume of Dunnett's second great series built around the enigmatic Nicholas, once a dyer's apprentice in Bruges, and now the leader of a trading company setting up business in Trebizond, the last outpost of the Byzantine empire, on behalf of the Medici.
After the domestic beginning of the series (Niccolo Rising) this allows Nicholas, still only 20, to spread his wings and try his skills in a wider world. But he is as dangerous as the sphere which he is entering, and his friends/watchers don't know whether to trust him, cage him, or follow him.
Full of intrigue, ambiguities, plot-lines, marvellous characters and lush writing, Dunnett does this like no-one else. Sophisticated and convoluted plots mean you have to read her books more than once to understand the intricacies of the story, but as any of her fans will say, that's no hardship. She also manages like almost no-one else to wrong-foot the reader so that just when you think you know what's happening and can guess the next event Dunnett pulls out a magnificent and audacious turn in the story that leaves you breathless but which is so logical and right that you can't imagine why you didn't see it coming. The end of this novel is like that, and yet so beautifully written that the the tension between what is happening and the way it's written is just stunning. Get the next volume before you read the end (Race of Scorpions) as you won't be able to wait to see where Nicholas goes next.
November 1, 2018
This one's definitely picking up steam from the first one, which suffered a little from Dunnett's tendency to throw you in at the deep end and expect you to swim. With more familiarity with the major players, this book read much easier.
It's fascinating to me how some of the characters / scenes I initially thought were just pale retreads of ones from her other series, but the more fleshed out they become the more I see that they are entirely different people. Niccolo and Lymond are both incredibly gifted polyglots / polymaths, but their approach to things is entirely different. Lymond prefers the direct approach; when Niccolo says he's not going to kill someone, it's almost a red warning flag that he's going to maneuver someone else into doing it for him.
I love seeing Niccolo's company steadily expand and grow as a result of smart business decisions; you wouldn't think a story about a business would be particularly interesting, but Dunnett is a master and definitely makes it work.
Like all her work, this will almost certainly benefit from a reread to pay attention to subtexts and things I missed the first time around. In the meantime, on to the third one!
It's fascinating to me how some of the characters / scenes I initially thought were just pale retreads of ones from her other series, but the more fleshed out they become the more I see that they are entirely different people. Niccolo and Lymond are both incredibly gifted polyglots / polymaths, but their approach to things is entirely different. Lymond prefers the direct approach; when Niccolo says he's not going to kill someone, it's almost a red warning flag that he's going to maneuver someone else into doing it for him.
I love seeing Niccolo's company steadily expand and grow as a result of smart business decisions; you wouldn't think a story about a business would be particularly interesting, but Dunnett is a master and definitely makes it work.
Like all her work, this will almost certainly benefit from a reread to pay attention to subtexts and things I missed the first time around. In the meantime, on to the third one!
May 23, 2021
Not a single moment's respite.
Once again I can't help marvelling at Dorothy Dunnett's ability to create characters that are so true to life in their faults, so very annoying in what they say and do that I felt exasperated.
Catherine is a young and spoilt brat who eloped with a man who bought her a lapdog and promised beautiful earrings. Simon and his family - well, he makes me want to ask him, 'What is your problem?'
The group of six - Nicholas' 'keepers' are wonderfully described, so very different and recognisable.
A woman of small patience, Violante of Naxos had been unimpressed by her initial experience of the officers of the Charetty company. The priest, who should have been a wrestler, was no doubt as inconvenient as the man Diadochos she was forced to take everywhere with her. The doctor had certainly learned no manners from a lifetime of staring at festering feet, and went both hairless and hatless, which she happened to believe was obscene. The man they had made steward was a freed slave, which said all there was to say. Only the master engineer was visibly competent in all but the social arts, in which area she had thought him a boor.
I didn't like the way they are suspicious of Nicholas' every breath, as if he is some kind of omniscient being who is able to bend other people's wills and predict their course of actions indefinitely. I'm having a hard time imagining Nicholas as evil incarnate when there are so many other candidates for the job. Though I do admit he is an amazing schemer.
I guess, my favourite would be Godscalc - he is such a powerful character who doesn't mince his words at all, no matter who he talks to. 'He is the man who saved you from Trebizond.' said her mother's chaplain. 'You will neither speak to him nor will you restrain him in anything that he chooses to do. I told you to stand. Stand. I have something to say to you.' She stood and listened, flushed and shaking with temper at the cruel things he was saying to her: about her disregard for her mother; her self-interest; what he called her childish lust for sensual pleasure. I was ready to give him a standing ovation for voicing what I've been thinking for the better part of the book. God bless Godscalc. God bless all devious priests.
Once again I can't help marvelling at Dorothy Dunnett's ability to create characters that are so true to life in their faults, so very annoying in what they say and do that I felt exasperated.
Catherine is a young and spoilt brat who eloped with a man who bought her a lapdog and promised beautiful earrings. Simon and his family - well, he makes me want to ask him, 'What is your problem?'
The group of six - Nicholas' 'keepers' are wonderfully described, so very different and recognisable.
A woman of small patience, Violante of Naxos had been unimpressed by her initial experience of the officers of the Charetty company. The priest, who should have been a wrestler, was no doubt as inconvenient as the man Diadochos she was forced to take everywhere with her. The doctor had certainly learned no manners from a lifetime of staring at festering feet, and went both hairless and hatless, which she happened to believe was obscene. The man they had made steward was a freed slave, which said all there was to say. Only the master engineer was visibly competent in all but the social arts, in which area she had thought him a boor.
I didn't like the way they are suspicious of Nicholas' every breath, as if he is some kind of omniscient being who is able to bend other people's wills and predict their course of actions indefinitely. I'm having a hard time imagining Nicholas as evil incarnate when there are so many other candidates for the job. Though I do admit he is an amazing schemer.
I guess, my favourite would be Godscalc - he is such a powerful character who doesn't mince his words at all, no matter who he talks to. 'He is the man who saved you from Trebizond.' said her mother's chaplain. 'You will neither speak to him nor will you restrain him in anything that he chooses to do. I told you to stand. Stand. I have something to say to you.' She stood and listened, flushed and shaking with temper at the cruel things he was saying to her: about her disregard for her mother; her self-interest; what he called her childish lust for sensual pleasure. I was ready to give him a standing ovation for voicing what I've been thinking for the better part of the book. God bless Godscalc. God bless all devious priests.
November 18, 2016
One very special trait Dorothy Dunnett, the author, possesses in her writing is when she creates and develops a nefarious character, you the reader, will certainly loathe, detest, despise and wish any number of equally nefarious means to the character's demise. They appear and some receive their just deserves, others, I'm sure, are to remain in these tales of the House of Niccolo Series
.
As I have finished book two of the eight in this saga, I will refrain from any other reviews other than to let whoever is interested know that I'm moving on, or if something of note I think is worth penning, I will.
Onto book three, Race of Scorpions
.
Thank you once again, my Goodreads Italian friend, for recommending this compilation. :))
.As I have finished book two of the eight in this saga, I will refrain from any other reviews other than to let whoever is interested know that I'm moving on, or if something of note I think is worth penning, I will.
Onto book three, Race of Scorpions
.Thank you once again, my Goodreads Italian friend, for recommending this compilation. :))
August 14, 2017
Listening to this book is a very different proposition than reading it. While I might be tempted to skip the exposition while reading, the narration means the full book is presented. This is a reread, but it's been more than four years since I last read the series. So I remembered the gist of the story and wasn't listening as much for plot. As a result, while listening I was much more aware of Dunnett's word choice, and found myself paying more attention to the detail.
I'm still amazed at how Dunnett brings in history in a way that feels lived in. While of course it's not totally logical that Niccolo would meet with so many historical figures, the interactions and references to other key people make sense, and feel like the conversations leaders would have.
And Niccolo's response at the end...sigh. Such a true reaction from a puzzle maker watching the puzzle come apart. On to book 3!
I'm still amazed at how Dunnett brings in history in a way that feels lived in. While of course it's not totally logical that Niccolo would meet with so many historical figures, the interactions and references to other key people make sense, and feel like the conversations leaders would have.
And Niccolo's response at the end...sigh. Such a true reaction from a puzzle maker watching the puzzle come apart. On to book 3!
October 15, 2011
Well, I love this book! It makes me want to visit the Black Sea. And yes, I'm reading it AGAIN, for the 3rd time(10.2011). It just keeps getting better. I love how this time I remember who is behind Doria trying to ruin Nicholas and the rest of the Charetty Company. I love how Dunnett writes from the perspective of the many different main characters. My favorite is seeing how they are all so worried of what Nicholas will do next and whether he is dangerous. The first book is a tough read but if you can get through it and on to this one you won't want to stop all the way through to the end of the 8th book. I will continue to read these books until the end of time.
May 16, 2019
Not to be picked up as a light, easy to read, historical fiction!
The plotting in this is full of twists and turns, which take concentration to follow. The complexities of politics and trade that Dorothy Dunnett has put into these books is mind-boggling and every detail that comes up needs to be remembered for its implications later on. I think the first time I read this I was tempted to skim to the trade details which was a big mistake.
Thoroughly worth reading and I'm looking forward to discovering where Niccolo goes from here.
The plotting in this is full of twists and turns, which take concentration to follow. The complexities of politics and trade that Dorothy Dunnett has put into these books is mind-boggling and every detail that comes up needs to be remembered for its implications later on. I think the first time I read this I was tempted to skim to the trade details which was a big mistake.
Thoroughly worth reading and I'm looking forward to discovering where Niccolo goes from here.
July 18, 2013
Loved it. Learned a lot. Nicholas fascinates me. Gotta go, the next in the series is calling me....
3rd reread of this series: Even better! So interesting.
3rd reread of this series: Even better! So interesting.
May 6, 2019
My experience with this novel was like basically every other Dunnett novel I have read. That is I start to read it and get hopelessly bogged down in the details and all of the other setup work that she does. I plod along day after day after week after month unless something clicks. Usually about 1/2 to 2/3rds of the way through the book and there is a tipping point in the narrative and then I just consume the book until the very, very satisfying end. However, it does take me a while to get there each time.
This novel is a continuation of the story of the young dyer's apprentice Nicholas from Bruges who takes his merchantile company from Belgium to Italy and then to what would be today Turkey to the last remnant of the Byzantine Empire to set up a trade contract with the Empire there. In the mix is a rival Italian merchant who competes with him, tries to sabotage him and kill him. Needless to say Nicholas wins out in the end - but in a way that sets up the conflict for the next book as it ends with his wife and head of the company dead and Nicholas on the outs with her two daughters.
This novel is a continuation of the story of the young dyer's apprentice Nicholas from Bruges who takes his merchantile company from Belgium to Italy and then to what would be today Turkey to the last remnant of the Byzantine Empire to set up a trade contract with the Empire there. In the mix is a rival Italian merchant who competes with him, tries to sabotage him and kill him. Needless to say Nicholas wins out in the end - but in a way that sets up the conflict for the next book as it ends with his wife and head of the company dead and Nicholas on the outs with her two daughters.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 4, 2008
Read 11/10/07-2/3/08
The Spring of the Ram is the second book of The House of Niccolo. In this volume, Nicholas De Fleury sheds the last vestige of his dyer’s apprentice persona, Claes, to
become the leader of the Charetty trading company. And what a fascinating journey it is !
From Florence to Constantinople to the Black Sea and the dying empire of Trebizond, Nicholas and his company outwit devious friends and enemies, in a glorious, complicated
series of plots and mishaps and triumphs. Densely, beautifully detailed descriptions ofthe Renaissance world of trade and politics and exotic places combined with a vivid, complex cast of characters meld to produce historical fiction at it’s finest. And in Nicholas De Fleury, Dunnett breathed into life another one of her brilliant, complicated, break your heart heroes. This is my second read through this novel and if anything I appreciated it more this time – highly, highly recommended.
Number : 8
Publication : 1987
Genre : Historical Fiction
Rating : 10
Where From : my shelves
Reason : DDANZ group read
The Spring of the Ram is the second book of The House of Niccolo. In this volume, Nicholas De Fleury sheds the last vestige of his dyer’s apprentice persona, Claes, to
become the leader of the Charetty trading company. And what a fascinating journey it is !
From Florence to Constantinople to the Black Sea and the dying empire of Trebizond, Nicholas and his company outwit devious friends and enemies, in a glorious, complicated
series of plots and mishaps and triumphs. Densely, beautifully detailed descriptions ofthe Renaissance world of trade and politics and exotic places combined with a vivid, complex cast of characters meld to produce historical fiction at it’s finest. And in Nicholas De Fleury, Dunnett breathed into life another one of her brilliant, complicated, break your heart heroes. This is my second read through this novel and if anything I appreciated it more this time – highly, highly recommended.
Number : 8
Publication : 1987
Genre : Historical Fiction
Rating : 10
Where From : my shelves
Reason : DDANZ group read
August 27, 2012
http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/1976169.html[return][return]Niccolò, the Flemish apprentice-turned-magnate of the first book, is sent on a mission of cut-throat mercantile competition to Trebizond, the only surviving point of the Byzantine Empire; but the year is 1461, and Trebizond's time is also running out. There's some very skeevy (though not at all explicit) underage sex in this book, though our hero nobly stands aside from it; there's also a lot of appropriately byzantine political conspiracy, with tendrils reaching from Georgia to Scotland in a beautifully drawn pattern of entanglement. It's all very lush and convincing, and just as I was wondering if Niccolò would ever actually lose any of the conflicts he gets involved with, I was blindsided by one of the several twists at the end. Good stuff.
August 6, 2020
Another fantastic historical fiction book from Dunnett. I loved the focus on trading and the rivalries. The places were exotic and the lush details and description really transported me there. The complexity remains as high as ever, and the characters just as fascinating.
February 18, 2021
Between 4 and 4.5 stars
March 18, 2024
Catherine de Charetty is one of Dunnett's most intriguing and layered female characters yet. I loved every second I spent with her, I loved how idiotic she could be and I loved when her inner strength and intelligence came out.
I was also intrigued by Trebizond as a setting, and wished we had gotten to see more of it. What we did see was kind of more shallow and superficial than what we usually get with Dunnett, but I feel like that fits well with Nicholas's position: he wouldn't be privy to or interested in the power games of these particular people, nor would he have the chance to get to know them in a more intimate fashion. But I, personally, was curious to get to know them better!
Doria was another highlight - the medieval polo game was awesome (there's nothing that hits harder for me than when an enemy dies after a moment of glorious collaboration with the protagonist - Robin Stewart I will always remember you), his relationship with Catherine was so weird and intriguing (I laughed when she hit him while he was wounded because he wouldn't have sex with her) and I felt genuinely bad when he died.
I did feel that some parts were rather predictable, though, especially since this is my 8th Dunnett book - Violante is another femme fatale in the vein of Güzel and didn't offer much else in terms of personality, we got another plotline about the protagonist being cagey and not trusting his friends, and it's also been blatantly obvious that Marian would die as soon as Claes married her. When she left on a trip and we suddenly stopped seeing her POV mid-book I knew that she was done for - their chemistry was not strong enough to survive 8 books and having them split up would have been too painful and complicated. I also have the feeling that he and Catherine are endgame because THEY have tons of chemistry and it's the kind of quasi-incest vibe that Dunnett likes - let's see if I'm right or if I'm just projecting because it's another case of rebellious teenaged girl fails to grasp the situation properly while railing against her quasi-father figure that she's kinda attracted to herself, like Philippa.
I was also intrigued by Trebizond as a setting, and wished we had gotten to see more of it. What we did see was kind of more shallow and superficial than what we usually get with Dunnett, but I feel like that fits well with Nicholas's position: he wouldn't be privy to or interested in the power games of these particular people, nor would he have the chance to get to know them in a more intimate fashion. But I, personally, was curious to get to know them better!
Doria was another highlight - the medieval polo game was awesome (there's nothing that hits harder for me than when an enemy dies after a moment of glorious collaboration with the protagonist - Robin Stewart I will always remember you), his relationship with Catherine was so weird and intriguing (I laughed when she hit him while he was wounded because he wouldn't have sex with her) and I felt genuinely bad when he died.
I did feel that some parts were rather predictable, though, especially since this is my 8th Dunnett book - Violante is another femme fatale in the vein of Güzel and didn't offer much else in terms of personality, we got another plotline about the protagonist being cagey and not trusting his friends, and it's also been blatantly obvious that Marian would die as soon as Claes married her. When she left on a trip and we suddenly stopped seeing her POV mid-book I knew that she was done for - their chemistry was not strong enough to survive 8 books and having them split up would have been too painful and complicated. I also have the feeling that he and Catherine are endgame because THEY have tons of chemistry and it's the kind of quasi-incest vibe that Dunnett likes - let's see if I'm right or if I'm just projecting because it's another case of rebellious teenaged girl fails to grasp the situation properly while railing against her quasi-father figure that she's kinda attracted to herself, like Philippa.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 23, 2015
96% of the book was a bit boring. Some things were predictable and the whole story was permeated with this nauseating miasma that had carried over from the ending of the first book. I speak of the sex between Nicholas and Marian Charetty. A disgusting scene where she comes to Nicholas while the ground over her dead son hasn't even settled, while her grief stricken daughters are crying in the same house, Marian, their mother, moans and cries as Nicholas brings her aging body to orgasm. It was like a nasty wound and Dorothy Dunnett left it opened so that she could poke at it delicately and touchingly in the second book. The brilliant writer that she is, she made me gag!!! Up until nearly the very end, the book was just OK with its moments of nausea when Nicholas thinks about Marian and vice versa. I completely lost interest in Nicholas and instead found myself enjoying reading about little Catherine Charetty and all the side characters. The only joy I took from the book was how much Catherine hurt her mother. Before you moralize ask yourself what would you do if your mother slept with a man you had crush on? How would you feel living in the 15th century and the said man, a mere apprentice at your parent's company, a bastard born child to your mother's sister, starts to have sex with your mother? You may think that pedophilia, necrophilia, gang rape are worse, sure but they are condemned by every sane person, this union was sanctioned despite its incestuous nature and I imagined some readers even said. "Good for you Marian." UGH!!!! But never mind all that because then the ending comes and Dorothy Dunnet does not disappoint. Once more, I am not sure what to think about Nicholas :)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 5, 2011
I love Niccolo. And I love Dorothy Dunnett. History has always been a favorite area of study and I am learning (again, as I am re-reading this series) what life was like in 15th C. Europe and environs. Our study of culture in this book was mainly focused on Trebizond, a Byzantine holdout on the Black Sea. The court was extremely decadent and the Emperor was a power-mad, self-loving idiot. Fascinating stuff.
Again, Dunnett has researched this world so well, my mind's eye was able to imagine it in all its detail. Her plotting is intricate and her characters are a rogue's gallery of all parts of society.
Niccolo/Nicholas/Claes is a mystery in book one. We see him through the eyes of all the other characters, who have their own biases and don't understand him at all. At the end of book one, we have some pretty confused ideas about him.
Here in book 2, we are allowed a closer look into Niccolo's character. We allowed a peek into his own thoughts and get a glimpse at his really fine character. There are many who still misunderstand him, and we see how they view him, too.
The history is very well-researched and put into the book without being heavy handed. You learn about that world without it feeling like a badly-taught history lecture. I appreciate that.
Niccolo is cementing his friendships in this novel, and building a 'family' that he truly never had. He uses his brilliance in languages, mathematics, management, and people-reading to survive a very dangerous situation and make money at the same time.
I am moving into book 3, and am so thrilled that there is so much more to explore.
Again, Dunnett has researched this world so well, my mind's eye was able to imagine it in all its detail. Her plotting is intricate and her characters are a rogue's gallery of all parts of society.
Niccolo/Nicholas/Claes is a mystery in book one. We see him through the eyes of all the other characters, who have their own biases and don't understand him at all. At the end of book one, we have some pretty confused ideas about him.
Here in book 2, we are allowed a closer look into Niccolo's character. We allowed a peek into his own thoughts and get a glimpse at his really fine character. There are many who still misunderstand him, and we see how they view him, too.
The history is very well-researched and put into the book without being heavy handed. You learn about that world without it feeling like a badly-taught history lecture. I appreciate that.
Niccolo is cementing his friendships in this novel, and building a 'family' that he truly never had. He uses his brilliance in languages, mathematics, management, and people-reading to survive a very dangerous situation and make money at the same time.
I am moving into book 3, and am so thrilled that there is so much more to explore.
December 31, 2015
This is the second book in the series. I have read the House of Niccolo Series of eight books, and I have found her characters to be deep and rich. They are not without flaws and make mistakes and suffer from the consequences. They are, most of them “bigger than life” in the sense they are so intelligent, learn languages and foresee events and plan for all the possibilities. She visits several settings in each book, each with it’s own set of characters, and great attention to detail in describing what it is like to live there everyday. She often has a grand event, for example Carnival in Venice that she describes vividly. She takes time to give rich details of the time period, her settings, and the backgrounds for her plots. Her impeccable research is second to none.
But that's not the only reason I love her work so much. What she does best is tell a great story. Her stories are full of action, adventure, daring successes and devastating setbacks set against the backdrop of the late 1500’s, when the Middle Ages were flowing into the Renaissance. New discoveries, strong trade amongst a wide variety of countries from the Mediterranean to Iceland and Scotland give the characters great opportunities to make and loose fortunes. She draws you into the book and then keeps you there like a river with a strong current that sweeps you along over rocks and rapids as well as thundering waterfalls of action and emotion. Dorothy Dunnett books stand the test of time, because great writing and story telling will never go out of style.
But that's not the only reason I love her work so much. What she does best is tell a great story. Her stories are full of action, adventure, daring successes and devastating setbacks set against the backdrop of the late 1500’s, when the Middle Ages were flowing into the Renaissance. New discoveries, strong trade amongst a wide variety of countries from the Mediterranean to Iceland and Scotland give the characters great opportunities to make and loose fortunes. She draws you into the book and then keeps you there like a river with a strong current that sweeps you along over rocks and rapids as well as thundering waterfalls of action and emotion. Dorothy Dunnett books stand the test of time, because great writing and story telling will never go out of style.
July 27, 2025
I'm awe-struck by the complex web of political and trade alliances that Dunnett is able to integrate into her stories. That web can sometimes feel difficult to follow in the first third of the book, but it always comes together very clearly for me over the course of the novel, in the correct time. These read very much like mystery/thrillers in that sense, trying to parse the motivations of anyone and everyone including our young protagonist, with a greater sense of dramatic irony the more that you already have knowledge of the history.
In The Spring of the Ram, Niccolò is embarking on a voyage to Trebizond to set up a trading station, backed by the Medici of Florence, in the year 1461, with the Ottoman threat looming. In business competition with him, is his Genoese foil, Pagano Doria.
The major themes that stood out to me were trust and leadership. Niccolò's inner circle are very distrustful of him, due to the events of the first book, and Niccolò is likewise loathe to trust them with information they should probably rightfully be looped in on. As ever, Dunnett weaves together historical forces, a masterful understanding of human nature, and melodrama into a well-plotted puzzle.
In The Spring of the Ram, Niccolò is embarking on a voyage to Trebizond to set up a trading station, backed by the Medici of Florence, in the year 1461, with the Ottoman threat looming. In business competition with him, is his Genoese foil, Pagano Doria.
The major themes that stood out to me were trust and leadership. Niccolò's inner circle are very distrustful of him, due to the events of the first book, and Niccolò is likewise loathe to trust them with information they should probably rightfully be looped in on. As ever, Dunnett weaves together historical forces, a masterful understanding of human nature, and melodrama into a well-plotted puzzle.
July 22, 2013
Personally I don't like the author (and particularly this series) very much but acknowledge that she was a very good genre writer. I wanted to know how the lead sidesteps the minefields. I could imagine the historical setting of the book. While I didn't have problems following the allusions, I didn't feel like they added emotional pathos. Sure, they deepened the story by making it more historically accurate. However, I didn't feel emotionally connected to the characters. To me they seemed like the characters of a particularly twisted morality play. I don't see myself going back to this series again.
March 24, 2016
Oh, I just don't know. This is my fourth Dunnett book and maybe my last. I totally get why people love them, and I admire the level of historical detail and the intricacy of the plots, but... I just can't get on board with the utter perfection of Dunnett's heroes, Lymond and Niccolo. Do they have to be amazingly good at everything? And were there really so many extraordinarily evil noblemen in past centuries, spending years and fortunes trying in vain to rid the world of these paragons? It's all just a bit much.
August 22, 2017
Another chewy outing for Claes / Nicholas; a complicated plot set in and around Trebizond and the last desperate outpost of Byzantium. But as ever Nicholas is beguiling, the setting is interesting and the plot is hooking and complex. I don't think anyone writes novels that are this complex anymore, it requires attention to get the best from it but it repays the effort; brings the late medieval world to life.
June 14, 2015
Seriously give this book to the showrunners of Game of Thrones--I've found their next series.
March 10, 2018
Masterfully crafted! Everything I said about the first novel applies equally if not more so to this second novel in the series. In part because I creep my way through these so slowly and in part because of the way they're written, the books do feel like one large story. It's very hard to review them independently. For those who are a fan of the Lymond Chronicles and feared giving your heart to another Dunnett protagonist, worry not: Nicholas is a precursor to Lymond but is wildly different, and I didn't find any difficulty in loving and hating them both, as one does with Dunnett protagonists.
April 10, 2023
3.5 stars rounded up. Dunnett's writing is still fantastic in this one but the plot didnt keep me quite as engaged. Also I hated reading Catherine's storyline. The Simon kidnapping Nicholas and throwing him on a boat count is now at 3 (i'm pretty sure), the man needs a new move.
February 3, 2019
The inevitable happened and I'm upset enough to dock a star.
September 24, 2022
Love learning about all the history. Although I'll forget it as soon as I close the book. The great Niccolo story continues...
March 11, 2016
La primavera dell'ariete, in originale "Niccolò Rising", è un romanzo della scrittrice scozzese Dorothy Dunnett, edito nel 1986. E' il primo romanzo della serie di Niccolò, che consta di otto libri.
La Serie di Niccolò è una serie di otto romanzi storici di Dorothy Dunnett ambientati a metà del XV secolo, in pieno Rinascimento europeo. Il protagonista della serie è Nicholas de Fleury (Niccolò, Nicholas van der Poele, o Claes), un ragazzo di nascita povera ed incerta, che arriverà alla ricchezza grazie alle sue abilità nei mercati bancari europei e ad intrighi politici internazionali. Le ambientazioni di questa serie sono molto affascinanti e si estendono molto geograficamente per portare il lettore ad ammirare gli importanti centri urbani di Bruges, Venezia, Firenze, Ginevra e la Lega anseatica, la Borgogna, le Fiandre, la Polonia, l'Islanda; la penisola iberica e di Madera, le città del Mar Nero di Trebisonda e Caffa, la Persia e le isole mediterranee di Cipro e Rodi, l'Egitto e la penisola del Sinai, per finire con l'Africa occidentale e la città di Timbuktu.
Gli otto volumi della saga sono parte di ciò che l'autrice ha visto come un grande lavoro di quattordici volumi, che comprende i sei romanzi delle "Cronache di Laymond". Quest'ultima è stata scritta prima della serie di Niccolò, ma avviene cronologicamente più tardi, raccontando la storia dei discendenti dei personaggi della prima serie, nel secolo successivo. Ci sono differenze significative nella approccio narrativo e lo stile di scrittura tra le serie, che riflette in parte il diverso cammino personale presa dal personaggio centrale in ciascun libro.
Il personaggio di Niccolò, o Claes, è un apprendista di diciotto anni sempre allegro, nativo di Dyer, di sfortunata nascita, è stato accolto da parenti di sua madre dopo la sua morte; ben presto diventa evidente che Claes, è un eclettico e poliglotta, e si sta trasformando in un grande leader e giocatore di grandi giochi. Ama creare e risolvere i puzzle di ogni genere, è bravissimo con la matematica, e si applica a imparare tutto il possibile (lingue, ingegneria, comabttimenti, costumi di corte, filosofia), sia per scopi pratici che per il bene di apprendimento. Da apprendista, salirà la scala gerarchica a commerciante, poi banchiere, maestro di guerra, e infine consigliere di re. Nicholas ritiene di essere il figlio legittimo del bel Simon de St. Pol di Kilmirren, un signore scozzese, campione di giostre medievali e commerciante. Simon nega, sostenendo che Claes è un bastardo nato dalla sua prima moglie. Il desiderio di Nicholas per l'accettazione del riconoscimento paterno guideranno gran parte della serie.
La trama in sintesi (anche se è molto complessa) di questo primo libro: il romanzo è ambientato in gran parte a Trebisonda, ultimo avamposto restante dell'Impero Bizantino, sul Mar Nero, nel 1461. Con il sostegno occidentale David di Trebisonda chiede al sultano degli Ottomani prematuramente la remissione del tributo pagato dal suo predecessore. Ancora peggio, fa queste richieste attraverso gli inviati di Uzun Hassan, che fa anche le richieste più arroganti per conto del loro padrone. Il Sultano Mehmed risponde nell'estate del 1461: invia una flotta sotto il suo ammiraglio Kassim Pasha lungo la costa del Mar Nero dell'Anatolia verso Trebisonda, mentre lui guida un esercito da Bursa verso est. Dopo un assedio di un mese, la città - e con essa l'impero - cade. Nel frattempo Niccolò, l'apprendista tintore di Bruges, è ora a capo di una fiorente impresa commerciale. Potrebbe essere l'uomo che i Medici, signori di Firenze, cercano per estendere i propri domini commerciali oltre il Bosforo. Ma per mettersi in affari con i Turchi ci vogliono coraggio, abilità e incoscienza, soprattutto se nella sfida sono coinvolti gli interessi economici delle case regnanti di tutta Europa.
I libri della saga di Niccolò, uno più bello dell'altro, per chi ama i libri storici questo ciclo dovrebbe essere un must da avere senza ma e senza se. L'autrice è bravissima nel descrivere vita, luoghi, personaggi, trame complesse nel rinascimento dove colloca tutti i suoi personaggi. La scrittura è opulenta di descrizioni, sembra quasi pennellare un affresco storico che più lo osservi e impari a conoscerlo più vieni trascinato dentro di esso. I personaggi sono complessi, ambigui e si muovono perfettamente nell'insieme del libro. Conoscerete anche voi Claes, umile apprendista, diventare mercante, mercenario, avventuriero... meraviglioso.
Appassionante. La prima parola che mi viene in mente quando penso a questa serie di libri stupendi. Iniziata la lettura non riuscirete a staccarvi facilmente, consigliato a tutti ma specialmente a chi ama le ambientazioni storiche.
Uno straordinario affresco storico.
La Serie di Niccolò è una serie di otto romanzi storici di Dorothy Dunnett ambientati a metà del XV secolo, in pieno Rinascimento europeo. Il protagonista della serie è Nicholas de Fleury (Niccolò, Nicholas van der Poele, o Claes), un ragazzo di nascita povera ed incerta, che arriverà alla ricchezza grazie alle sue abilità nei mercati bancari europei e ad intrighi politici internazionali. Le ambientazioni di questa serie sono molto affascinanti e si estendono molto geograficamente per portare il lettore ad ammirare gli importanti centri urbani di Bruges, Venezia, Firenze, Ginevra e la Lega anseatica, la Borgogna, le Fiandre, la Polonia, l'Islanda; la penisola iberica e di Madera, le città del Mar Nero di Trebisonda e Caffa, la Persia e le isole mediterranee di Cipro e Rodi, l'Egitto e la penisola del Sinai, per finire con l'Africa occidentale e la città di Timbuktu.
Gli otto volumi della saga sono parte di ciò che l'autrice ha visto come un grande lavoro di quattordici volumi, che comprende i sei romanzi delle "Cronache di Laymond". Quest'ultima è stata scritta prima della serie di Niccolò, ma avviene cronologicamente più tardi, raccontando la storia dei discendenti dei personaggi della prima serie, nel secolo successivo. Ci sono differenze significative nella approccio narrativo e lo stile di scrittura tra le serie, che riflette in parte il diverso cammino personale presa dal personaggio centrale in ciascun libro.
Il personaggio di Niccolò, o Claes, è un apprendista di diciotto anni sempre allegro, nativo di Dyer, di sfortunata nascita, è stato accolto da parenti di sua madre dopo la sua morte; ben presto diventa evidente che Claes, è un eclettico e poliglotta, e si sta trasformando in un grande leader e giocatore di grandi giochi. Ama creare e risolvere i puzzle di ogni genere, è bravissimo con la matematica, e si applica a imparare tutto il possibile (lingue, ingegneria, comabttimenti, costumi di corte, filosofia), sia per scopi pratici che per il bene di apprendimento. Da apprendista, salirà la scala gerarchica a commerciante, poi banchiere, maestro di guerra, e infine consigliere di re. Nicholas ritiene di essere il figlio legittimo del bel Simon de St. Pol di Kilmirren, un signore scozzese, campione di giostre medievali e commerciante. Simon nega, sostenendo che Claes è un bastardo nato dalla sua prima moglie. Il desiderio di Nicholas per l'accettazione del riconoscimento paterno guideranno gran parte della serie.
La trama in sintesi (anche se è molto complessa) di questo primo libro: il romanzo è ambientato in gran parte a Trebisonda, ultimo avamposto restante dell'Impero Bizantino, sul Mar Nero, nel 1461. Con il sostegno occidentale David di Trebisonda chiede al sultano degli Ottomani prematuramente la remissione del tributo pagato dal suo predecessore. Ancora peggio, fa queste richieste attraverso gli inviati di Uzun Hassan, che fa anche le richieste più arroganti per conto del loro padrone. Il Sultano Mehmed risponde nell'estate del 1461: invia una flotta sotto il suo ammiraglio Kassim Pasha lungo la costa del Mar Nero dell'Anatolia verso Trebisonda, mentre lui guida un esercito da Bursa verso est. Dopo un assedio di un mese, la città - e con essa l'impero - cade. Nel frattempo Niccolò, l'apprendista tintore di Bruges, è ora a capo di una fiorente impresa commerciale. Potrebbe essere l'uomo che i Medici, signori di Firenze, cercano per estendere i propri domini commerciali oltre il Bosforo. Ma per mettersi in affari con i Turchi ci vogliono coraggio, abilità e incoscienza, soprattutto se nella sfida sono coinvolti gli interessi economici delle case regnanti di tutta Europa.
I libri della saga di Niccolò, uno più bello dell'altro, per chi ama i libri storici questo ciclo dovrebbe essere un must da avere senza ma e senza se. L'autrice è bravissima nel descrivere vita, luoghi, personaggi, trame complesse nel rinascimento dove colloca tutti i suoi personaggi. La scrittura è opulenta di descrizioni, sembra quasi pennellare un affresco storico che più lo osservi e impari a conoscerlo più vieni trascinato dentro di esso. I personaggi sono complessi, ambigui e si muovono perfettamente nell'insieme del libro. Conoscerete anche voi Claes, umile apprendista, diventare mercante, mercenario, avventuriero... meraviglioso.
Appassionante. La prima parola che mi viene in mente quando penso a questa serie di libri stupendi. Iniziata la lettura non riuscirete a staccarvi facilmente, consigliato a tutti ma specialmente a chi ama le ambientazioni storiche.
Uno straordinario affresco storico.
March 18, 2025
I enjoyed this more than the first, given that now you know most of the characters and their personalities and all. Gross grooming plotline. Well researched and vivid, and with fun Georgian cameos given the proximity of Georgia to Trebizond, which is where this is mostly centered. Also Cosimo il Vecchio is here, which is especially fun for me.
September 14, 2016
The second of Dorothy Dunnett's House of Niccolo books takes her hero (now definitely Nicholas, rather than Claes, and leader rather than apprentice) on a trading mission to Trebizond in 1461. Having looked up Trebizond when I read The Towers of Trebizond, I knew from the start that this wasn't likely to be an entirely uneventful trip, as indeed it wasn't, featuring Dunnett's trademark twisting plots; sequences that had me turning the pages, unable to put the book down until I found out how Nicholas and his comrades would get out of the latest tight spot; and other sequences where her hero's dazzling audacity pulls off feats that are simultaneously amazing and hilarious. I think I must be getting used to Dunnett, though, as while I couldn't have begun to guess at how most of the plot twists would unravel, there is one unwelcome final turn I saw coming a long way off.
Having started to unravel the enigma that is Nicholas in the first book, this one gave a bit more insight into his own thought processes. Certainly more than we ever get of Lymond, though I do love the way the Lymond Chronicles pretty much never show scenes from Lymond's point of view; saying that, I'm not sure how trustworthy Nicholas is as a viewpoint character. Several supporting characters also return and are further developed, and I felt that the cast of this series were really starting to come alive. Also, it reminded me how much I love Dunnett's women, who manage to be tough and independent while never feeling as though they are modern characters dressed up in historical costumes.
I'm definitely warming to the series after being a bit lukewarm on the first book, and look forward to moving on to the next one soon.
Having started to unravel the enigma that is Nicholas in the first book, this one gave a bit more insight into his own thought processes. Certainly more than we ever get of Lymond, though I do love the way the Lymond Chronicles pretty much never show scenes from Lymond's point of view; saying that, I'm not sure how trustworthy Nicholas is as a viewpoint character. Several supporting characters also return and are further developed, and I felt that the cast of this series were really starting to come alive. Also, it reminded me how much I love Dunnett's women, who manage to be tough and independent while never feeling as though they are modern characters dressed up in historical costumes.
I'm definitely warming to the series after being a bit lukewarm on the first book, and look forward to moving on to the next one soon.
January 18, 2025
“You still think it’s a game?” Tobie said.
“I still think everything he does is a game,” Godscalc said. “Including murder.”
Book 1 was a meandering story with various loose plot threads that are connected by revealing Nicholas’s grand scheme at the very end. This one felt very different.
Nicholas’s cleverness is visible from the first few pages. Everyone knows that from book 1, so the book has various little schemes in succession instead of one big one.
We all know he has plans hidden in other plans hidden in a big plan, like little babushka dolls, so the surprise effect of book 1 has gone. Instead, there’s a certain kind of curiosity and excitement in seeing the babushka dolls open as the book progresses.
It also made the plot more cohesive.
From the start, it is clear what the story is going to be. Nicholas is off to Trebizond to trade for his company and the Medici. His rival has charmed/tricked the thirteen year old daughter of Nicholas’s boss into marrying him and has his own ship.
They try to outsmart each other at every turn during the sea voyage, which takes up the first half of the book. Then, in the second half, they fight over the trade that is available, and the way home.
The fact that the reader knows Trebizond and the emperor won’t make it gives the book a race-against-the-clock type of suspense.
Again, I enjoyed reading about all Nicholas’s tricks, so I’m moving on to book 3. I am really curious what he will do after taking the heavily significant loss at the end of book 2, because the many third person perspectives reveal little to nothing about Nicholas's real thoughts.
“I still think everything he does is a game,” Godscalc said. “Including murder.”
Book 1 was a meandering story with various loose plot threads that are connected by revealing Nicholas’s grand scheme at the very end. This one felt very different.
Nicholas’s cleverness is visible from the first few pages. Everyone knows that from book 1, so the book has various little schemes in succession instead of one big one.
We all know he has plans hidden in other plans hidden in a big plan, like little babushka dolls, so the surprise effect of book 1 has gone. Instead, there’s a certain kind of curiosity and excitement in seeing the babushka dolls open as the book progresses.
It also made the plot more cohesive.
From the start, it is clear what the story is going to be. Nicholas is off to Trebizond to trade for his company and the Medici. His rival has charmed/tricked the thirteen year old daughter of Nicholas’s boss into marrying him and has his own ship.
They try to outsmart each other at every turn during the sea voyage, which takes up the first half of the book. Then, in the second half, they fight over the trade that is available, and the way home.
The fact that the reader knows Trebizond and the emperor won’t make it gives the book a race-against-the-clock type of suspense.
Again, I enjoyed reading about all Nicholas’s tricks, so I’m moving on to book 3. I am really curious what he will do after taking the heavily significant loss at the end of book 2, because the many third person perspectives reveal little to nothing about Nicholas's real thoughts.
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