Queens' Play

The Lymond Chronicles #2

by Dorothy Dunnett

This second book in the legendary Lymond Chronicles follows Francis Crawford of Lymond who has been abruptly called into the service of Mary Queen of Scots.

Though she is only a little girl, the Queen is already the object of malicious intrigues that extend from her native country to the court of France. It is to France that Lymond must travel, exercising his sword hand and his agile wit while also undertaking the most unlikely of masquerades, all to make sure that his charge's royal person stays intact.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Historical, Fiction, Scotland, France, Adventure, Audiobook

544 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1964

About the author

Dorothy 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/

Reviews

[Marquise · Rating 2 out of 5]

Me, after A Game of Kings: “Can I shoot him, preferably with a harquebus, please? Lymond is so insufferable!”
Me, after Queen’s Play: “Can I have him, preferably scantily dressed, please? Lymond is so entertaining!”

That could comprise my whole review of Dunnett’s series in a nutshell, were it not for: a) I am bound to a compromise to review, and b) I’m likely to regret this fangirly statement in a few years, when old and toothless.

Narrator: In the year of the Lord of 2023, she did indeed regret this fangirly statement after a few years, before she became old and toothless, and so she updated her review.

[Nataliya · Rating 4 out of 5]

“For, to be perfectly frank,’ said Lymond, gently reflective, ‘to be perfectly frank, I can’t wait to sink my teeth into the most magnificent, the most scholarly and the most dissolute Court in Europe.”

And oh dear, does our Scottish Renaissance man Francis Crawford of Lymond, he of unmeasurable intellect and irresistible charisma, indeed sink his metaphorical teeth into the resplendently decadent 16th century French court while on an undercover mission to save young Mary Queen of Scots from assassination. Poor French court never stood a chance.

“Lymond’s behaviour, as always, went to the limits of polite usage and then hurtled off into space.”

A big theme of this book is responsibility. The great one that comes with great power, the kind that comes to mind when you think of “You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed.” It’s Lymond who learns that responsibility and sees that even casual actions against others can have significant consequences. He’s that bright shining star who immediately draws people into his orbit and makes them fall under his spell, sometimes tragically so, with quite a few souls bruised by it. Dunnett suggests that knowing this level of effect on others, Lymond is responsible for those attracted to him like a moth to a flame (and we may disagree here a bit — I think people should use their brains even when met with charisma onslaught). Lymond indeed can go through the lives of others like a wrecking ball, and that can be quite frightening in its impact.

“[…] and I am telling you that the error you made came later, when you took no heed of his call. It was too late then, I know it. But he should have been in your mind. He was your man. True for you, you had withdrawn the crutch from his sight, but still it should have been there in your hand, ready for him. For you are a leader—don’t you know it? I don’t, surely, need to tell you?—And that is what leadership means. It means fortifying the fainthearted and giving them the two sides of your tongue while you are at it. It means suffering weak love and schooling it till it matures. It means giving up your privacies, your follies and your leisure. It means you can love nothing and no one too much, or you are no longer a leader, you are the led.”

Lymond learns all that and then some. His perfect composure and youthful bravado take a bit of a bruising here, all while I learn a bit of French on my frequent trips to Google Translate. He remembers the sacrifices others made for him, often with their lives, and that list grows still longer here. And so does his feelings of guilt, with which he is yet to come to terms.

“I’m tired,’ said Lymond,’ of funerals. Show me a project, and I’ll promise you that before it is ended half my so-called friends will have thrown their illusions, their safety and their virtue into the grave. There was Christian Stewart, about whom we need not speak. There was a man called Turkey Mat. And a number of others. I have refused to become a royal informer, my dear, to spare my associates the pains of paying for it.”

—————

Now, Dorothy Dunnett again tried my patience in the first half of the book. This time it wasn’t flowery language or obscure literary references but the excessive drunken revelries led by a certain Irishman Thady Boy Ballagh — and the French court was more than ready to abandon its sophistication in favor of alcoholic manically wild parties. There are good reasons for those excesses, but I was starting to lose my patience. Those damn kids needed to get off my lawn, pronto.

But persevere I did, and I am very happy about that. Because once the drunken crazy antics abate, we are treated to the exquisite conspiracies and political intrigues, cold calculations and far-reaching plans, worthy opponents and formidable foes, and new allies who become favorites (Phelim O’LiamRoe and Margaret Erskine, you are my new friends). The plot becomes complex enough that I gave up trying to figure out the whats and whys and trusted that Dunnett eventually will show us how the threads will form an elaborate tapestry — and she did, and they did. And given the decadence of the French, we also get to see Lymond matched up against elephants, cheetah, and a boar — and while it may sound ridiculous it somehow works, Dunnett-style, combined with dense prose and enough historical and literary references to really reward those patient enough to get through it unscathed.

“Remember, some live all their lives without discovering this truth; that the noblest and most terrible power we possess is the power we have, each of us, over the chance-met, the stranger, the passer-by outside your life and your kin. Speak, she said, as you would write: as if your words were letters of lead, graven there for all time, for which you must take the consequences. *And take the consequences*.”

And so, despite rolling my eyes at drunken antics for half of the book, I got hooked by this elaborate plot dangerous world halfway through, and I’m pretty sure that I will see Lymond through to the end. After all, he seems to be one of the masterminds behind the scenes of the tumultuous 16th century, and I am very curious to find out how many more near-death experiences can he live through, and whether there is *just one single thing* he’s not good at. And to see him ever reach the other side of twenty-five.

Oh yeah, and all those idle idiots at the French court need to get a job, now.

4 stars.

——————
Buddy read with Nastya, Stephen and Jennifer.

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My review of the first book in this series, The Game of Kings, is here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

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Also posted on my blog.

[Tadiana ✩Night Owl☽ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bumped my initial 4-star rating to 5, since this book was still making me think, and shake my head in wonder, several days after I finished reading it.

Francis Crawford of Lymond has been summoned by the Dowager Queen of Scotland, who is temporarily living in France with the 7 year old Mary Queen of Scots, to come to France to protect the young queen from an unknown person who is trying to assassinate her. The Dowager Queen, an experienced and canny old politician, thinks she knows exactly how she wants to use Lymond and what she does and doesn't need or want him to do, but events have a way of proving people in this series wrong in their comfortable assumptions. Decisions tend to come back to bite you in the rear in this series, and the queen is no exception.

Lymond arrives in France in disguise--if you want to be spoiler-free and try to figure out the mystery, be careful about which GR reviews you read since several give away this surprise--and with a bang (a shipwreck which may or may not have been an accident) and he immediately begins turning the French court upside down with his antics while protecting the young Queen Mary. And, not too surprisingly, the unknown assassin turns his or her attention to Lymond to try to kill him off and then take care of Mary later.

Dorothy Dunnett has a way of creating the craziest scenes in this book and making them seem not just reasonable but vividly real: elephants madly rampage through the streets, a cheetah is used to hunt rabbits ... and maybe something more, Lymond and the young French courtiers race across the rooftops of the town of Blois (if you touch the ground or a floor you're disqualified) in a wildly exciting, death-defying race to be the first to assemble the clues to a puzzle. And the puzzle of the plot against Mary unfolds bit by bit, and managed to surprise me at every turn. Given the exhaustive research that Dunnett put into her historical novels, I have no doubt that elephants and cheetahs really did on occasion romp across France in the 16th century.


The rooftops of Blois, France (crammed together nice and tight for an ideal footrace)

Queen's Play, the second book in the LYMOND CHRONICLES series, isn't nearly as difficult to read as the first one, The Game of Kings. The plot is more straightforward and there are far less obscure quotes from books long forgotten by everyone except the author. There is, however, a lot of French language, which Dunnett never bothers translating for you. Google Translate and I became very good friends while I was reading this book, although several of its translations left something to be desired ("By five hundred thousand million cartloads of devils. Dunce you came mustaches").

Lymond himself is a brilliant but flawed hero, growing into his role as a mover and shaker, and as a leader of men. At one point another character tells him:

"But he should have been in your mind. He was your man. True for you, you had withdrawn the crutch from his sight, but still it should have been there in your hand, ready for him. For you are a leader--don't you know it? I don't, surely, need to tell you?--And that is what leadership means. It means fortifying the fainthearted and giving them the two sides of your tongue while you are at it. It means suffering weak love and schooling it till it matures."

This book has some great insights into life and human nature.

I want to see how Lymond grows and changes and see what adventures and hardships he experiences along the way. And shoot, I really want to watch a race across the rooftops now--or, preferably, have Francis Crawford of Lymond chase me across a rooftop.



I'm not normally much of a historical fiction reader (unless, you know, there's either a major fantasy or romance component), so huge thanks to Sherwood, Misfit and Marquise for the promptings to read this series and the determination to stick with it when things got rough for a while!

[Melindam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm sticking with my 4 stars on re-read (the first).

First half is 3 stars only - found myself prodigiously bored with the forever-ongoing descriptions of the deprived depravities, debauched debaucheries and nefarious nefariousness in the French Court of Henry II and Catherine de Medici.
IMO, Dunnett really went overboard with authorial self-indulgence on this particular stretch. Not that I begrudge this to her. Renaissance Europe is as much her playground as Francis Crawford's and they are Masters of their Realm. I may appreciate it some more, when I reread the book again in the not so very near future. I'm leaving the drawbridge of the Dunnett Castle open. 🥰

Second half: 5 stars, but not enough to make me sway on the overall 4-star rating.

After re-reading, loving and appreciating Book 1 so much more than the first time round, I expected this to happen for this book as well, so naturally I was a wee bit disappointed with myself.
The fate of some characters left me unmoved, if not uncaring (yes, who'd have thought I could be such a jaded, pitiless creature!!) and overall this made me less involved with the story as well, I guess.

Still, I have to repeat that Dunnett is in its own category, and this 4-star rating is strictly in comparison with her other books, not with Historical Fiction novels in general.

10 stars for the beloved Dunnetteers Group with their insights, their expereince and their indulgence in answering my questions and willingness for discussing all the points I raised. It made the experience so much more layered and interesting. I'm also rather satisfied with myself on detecting and appreaciating nuances that completely eluded me the first time I wrestled with this book, so IT WAS ALL WORTH IT IN THE END. 🥰

-----------------
Original Review:

Phewww, wrestled this beautiful beast of a book down to the ground. :) It is merciless in its intensity, erudition and discernment. It does not concede any leisure of reading, it demands your full attention.

Dunnett -again- pushed herself to write the most impossible hurdles for Lymond and see if they can jump them together. It is both fascinating and horrifying to watch how she builds up Lymond (or lets him build up himself) then shatters him and then starts the process again. Like heating, hammering, reheating the iron again and again.

As shatteringly good as The Game of Kings was, I need to have my wits about me to try and write something akin to a review.

As an aside, my book tells me that it was written bw 1961-62 in Edinburgh and the Isle of Skye. Aren't those magnificent places for such a book to be created!!!

Narrator David Monteath is just great.

[Algernon · Rating 5 out of 5]

new word I've learned from this book:
An ollave of the highest grade is professor, singer, poet, all in the one. His songs and tales are of battles and voyages, of tragedies and adventures, of cattle raids and preyings, of forays, hostings, courtships and elopements, hidings and destructions, sieges and feasts and slaughters; and you'd rather listen to a man killing a pig than hear half of them through.

After the epic struggle to clear his name in Scotland, you would think Francis Lymond deserves some rest, but he has come to the attention of the high and mighty, and they have plans on how to use him. Mary of Guise, the Queen Mother of Scotland doesn't like a free agent of Lymond's calibre roaming the home country, and she plots to bring him under her thumb to France, where she and her seven year old daughter Mary Queen of Scots have taken refuge from English attacks at the court of young Henry II. It will be difficult to describe the plot without giving up spoilers. Even mentioning names would point out who made it through from one book to the next (a word of warning: Dunnet outplays even George R R Martin when it comes to offing main players she has built over hundreds of pages and made the reader care deeply about).

Queens Play has a very complex plot, but at its most basic level it is a spy story, with one man attempting to infiltrate a foreign government at the highest level in order to save the life of an innocent. The man is out on a limb, as his sponsors deny any knowledge or support of his activities. The only resources at his disposal are his wits and his courage, a fast tongue and a talent for mischief.

Disguised as Thady Boy Ballagh, ollave to Phelim O'Liam Roe, an Irish prince coming to the court to ask for French support against the British invading his beloved Eire, Lymond is supposed to keep a low profile, but his journey will become a long list of deadly incidents as he tries to unmask the shadow puppetmasters who would destroy an alliance between France and Scotland ( Lymond will be drowned at sea, trampled by berserk elephants, stabbed, burned, poisoned, thrown from heights, hunted with panthers and wild boars, mauled by wild horses, and so on. Dunnett is ruthless in applying the old technique of putting her hero under pressure in order to show us what he is made of. But the physical tortures are nothing compared with the emotional turmoil Lymond, and the reader, will go through by the end of the book. ). The list of possible suspects is extensive: his old nemesis, Margaret Lennox is still plotting for the English side; his own ally, Mary de Guise - the Queen Mother, might be willing to throw him to the lions for confronting her, Catherine de Medicis is still young, but she is already hungry for power and she sees the de Guise family as a threat; the Scots themselves don't like to be ruled from a foreign shore and might be willing to sabotage the planned marriage between Mary and the French Dauphin; the Irish are also in the thick of it, believing the French would be more ready to support their cause if they abandon the Scots.

In the first book, Dunnet used a character as a straight man to balance Francis wildness, as an apprentice and follower of the charismatic leader. The place of Will Smith is split here between two characters: Phelim O'Liam Roe, his nominal patron and reluctant admirer, and Robin Stewart, a member of the Royal Guard of Scottish Archers and designated minder for the Irish party at the court. Before the musketeers and the Swiss hallebardiers, the role of bodyguards to the French King was taken by Scot archers. Since I mentioned musketeers, many of the names at the French court were familiar from the novels of Alexandre Dumas, with the one main difference for me being in the setting of the adventure earlier in the timeline, just as Henri II took over from his father and replaced the Old Guard of courtiers with a very young entourage. The youth of the Court is important, as it will justify the readiness and the rowdiness with which they adopted Francis Lymond in his Thady Boy impersonation.

Failing to maintain a low profile, Thaddy Boy sets up to make a big impression, and becomes the master of ceremony and instigator of the wildest parties and pranks as the King is making his annual pilgrimage from Paris to the castles on the valley of the Loire, letting his subjects see him and pay homage to the throne, and spreading the expenses of the court among as many of them as possible. The adventures culminate in one of the most memorable scenes I've read in a historical epic so far ( It was a night Robin Stewart would recall all his life. ) as Francis leads the young courtiers on a drunken night chase across the rooftops of Blois. Among his many talents that make his fit the role of ollave as a glove, Lymond is a master of poetry and music, an aspect of his personality that tends to get overlooked in the middle of his political machinations and athletic hijinks, but it is probably the artist that is the truer image of his identity, an aspect that the world around him seems hell bent on crushing to pieces. Some of his friends see beyond appearances, and fall under his spell, equally fascinated and horrified by the lengths he is ready to go:

When a man draws the blood out of his heart and the marrow out of his bones to make an art, there's little sense in bemoaning the frayed suit or the poor table or the angular manners. 'Tis the liberty of mind , and annulment of convention and a fine carefree richness of excesses itself sets the soul whirling and soaring.

Whirling and soaring is the reader too, as he follows the intricate dance where a misstep would mean death not only for Francis, but also for the people he cares about. In a pattern that was introduced in the first book and will be repeated at least in the next two volumes (I've just finished reading the fourth), the writer uses analogies with the game of chess while the endgame is presented in the form of a trial. Lymond takes the role of the accused and must defend his actions. The reader is called to make the difficult moral judgements and to reach a verdict: Is Lymond justified in using the people around him as pawns in order to win the game? Were the sacrifices and the deceptions worthy of the final prize? Lymond is the hero of the series, but as his story develops, he still has lessons to learn about what this entails. Lessons written in blood!

And that is what leadership means. It means fortifying the fainthearted and giving them the two sides of your tongue while you are at it. It means suffering weak love and schooling it till it matures. It means giving up your privacies, your follies and your leisure. It means you can love nothing and no one too much, or you are no longer a leader, you are led.

Perhaps this quote above explains why, in contrast with most of the other historical romances out there, the lead character is still not tied down to a steady love interest and we are kept guessing who will he eventually end up with? Again, I give no names, as it would spoil the fun of the quest for a bride for our hero.

Dorothy Dunnett makes no concessions for lazy or inattentive readers. Her cast of characters is huge, her plots intricate, her style is dense and encyclopedic. The speech of the actors is liberally sprayed with classical references and period trivia: it takes some effort to get used to it, but there are pearls rewarding the patient reader who is willing to re-read a more difficult passage and to check out some of the more obscure references. Here's a few of these pearls that I've bookmarked:

Her soul was fanned with peacocks' tails and nourished with stardust. (about Jenny Fleming)

Meet me at the fall of night, on the far side of the north wind. (from Oonagh O'Dwyer)

To the devil with your pearldrops and your parroty manners. A filled mind and an apt wit will earn you all the respect any man has the means to deserve. (about Robin Stewart's arrivisme)

Lack of genius never held anyone back. Only time wasted on resentment and daydreaming can do that. (about succes in life)

I gave the highest marks for the opening volume of the Lymond Chronicles. I could do no less for the second episode, and I actually jumped right into the next one, unable to tear myself away from the tortured soul of Dorothy Dunnett's tragic hero, eager to find out what further peril she has in store for him.

[edit for spelling 2022]

[nastya · Rating 5 out of 5]

First reread, January 2022: This book is a lot, there's plot for three books. And I loved it all. I would even say that this is the instalment were Lymond finally starts his journey. Almost the whole book he moves around the world and people, using them how he sees fit, and then discarding them, not caring for consequences. It's time to grow up. And he doesn't know it yet, but he'll pay dearly. Unfortunately, other people will too.

He was afraid of his power; he had had to learn to live with its effects. Three people had suffered by his presence in France, and she had done nothing to help them or him, for the strength to sustain this burden was the very backbone of leadership, and he had to acquire it.

“I want your help,” O’LiamRoe had said to that face, “to trim a bowelless devil named Francis Crawford until there’s a human place on his soul to put the mark of grace on.”

Original review

For, to be perfectly frank,” said Lymond, gently reflective, “to be perfectly frank, I can’t wait to sink my teeth into the most magnificent, the most scholarly and the most dissolute Court in Europe, which so lightly slid out The O’LiamRoe, Chief of the Name, on his kneecaps and whiskers.”

Magnificent!
Lymond's adventures continue in France. Someone wants little Queen Mary dead. Her mother asks him to help protect her. A lot happens.
I thought this instalment was even better than the first book. Plot is intricate and tighter, action is unparalleled, drama is high and this time it hit me in the feels every time.
And this must be the best action I've ever read with high stakes and emotions. The hunting scene with cheetah, the midnight parkour, I was almost crying at the match with a boar.
Characters are all superb and so many of them are lovable, even baddies.
And also we get more insight into our puppet-master's inner life and I crave more.

Considering Lymond, flat now on the bed in wordless communion with the ceiling, Richard spoke. “My dear, you are only a boy. You have all your life still before you.” On the tortoise-shell bed, his brother did not move. But there was no irony for once in his voice when he answered. “Oh, yes, I know. The popular question is, For what?”

This book is incredible, have I said it already? Should I slow down because there's only 4 books left? Nah...

There is one thing that you Scots and this kindle of latter-day Romans have got that the angry lads back home with the hatchets will miss sorely if they break out against England. And that’s Royalty to lead you: the divine vessel of kings that cannot err. Bring on the Vice-Gerent of God, and you’ve enlisted a nation. Bring on Sean O’Grady from Cork, and you’ve merely got Cork.”
****
“We’re become a nation of uncles. All Europe is a cradle of naked emperors lulled by a jackboot; Warwick and Somerset in England; Arran and de Guises in Scotland; the last of the Geraldines with us.
****
Lack of genius never held anyone back,” said Lymond. “Only time wasted on resentment and daydreaming can do that.
****
Lymond’s voice sardonically deferred. “You don’t need to excel at anything in order to teach.”

[Jaya · Rating 5 out of 5]

c'est vraiment magnifique


P.S: Lymond was his usual spectacular self (one expects no less from him) but the star of the show was Phelim O'LiamRoe 💖

[Nathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I said on twitter that I am smart enough to read Dunnett, but just barely. She layers intrigue and action with some beautiful language but I was often forced to go back and reread several pages because i missed something vital; she doesn't hold your hand and warn you when something major is coming up.

I still can't help but seeing Lymond as a historical Bugs Bunny with more at stake. He is in and out of every situation, changes personas like hats, and is good at everything. More importantly, he never REALLY seems to be in trouble and through two books I never doubt his eventual victory. Perhaps more depth will come of his character though the seven book series.

Great series so far. Historical Fiction is rarely my thing but I will continue working through Dunnett's.

[Kate Sherrod · Rating 5 out of 5]

Second reading June 2016 via audio book, as with TGoK made me love it even more!

original review:

I still think Francis Crawford of Lymond, the Master of Culter, is basically Lord Flashheart from Blackadder in subtler guise. But now, now he actually seems even more over the top than that.

In Queens' Play, the second of the six Lymond Chronicles, Lymond is amuck in France at the behest of the Scottish Dowager Queen Mother, Mary de Guise, whose seven-year-old daughter Mary, Queen of Scots, is being raised at the French court alongside her intended husband, the Dauphin, supposedly to keep her safe from the hated English. The little girl turns out to sorely need a guy like Lymond in her corner, because someone is making some truly outlandish attempts on her life. Elephants and cheetahs are used as would-be murder weapons, to give you some idea.

Ah, but good thing there is Lymond, the most accomplished and capable hero, maybe ever. I kid because I love, but really, there appears to be nothing this guy can't do. He is simply the best at everything, be it dialogue so subtle I'm not even sure he really knows what's going on (I sure never felt like I did, and I supposedly had the third person omniscient narrator on my side), as we already knew from The Game of Kings; fighting and sword play, ditto; disguise, ditto; but also it turns out he can juggle better than a professional entertainer, play all the musical instruments to a similar standard, sing like an angel... seriously, even given that his milieu is Life Before TV and all, who in the world ever had the time and energy to get that good at absolutely everything? I mean, the dude even competes brilliantly at what amounts to Renaissance parkour.

All this, and he spends most of the novel drunk out of his mind, too.

Lymond, in short, is the guy everybody wants on his or her side but whom nobody can be sure actually is, even when they're pretty sure he's said he would be. As in the previous novel, he spends a lot of his time concealing his identity from everyone, including the reader, who often thinks she knows which of the novel's other characters he's impersonating in a given scene but who turns out, often, to be wrong. It makes for maddening reading, but then, this is a great part of the fun, with Lymond, whose mystique Dunnett most carefully maintains by making sure his is the only point of view we never get to share, to whose thoughts we are never privy. Instead, entire, sometimes lengthy, scenes come from the perspective of a throwaway character like, say, a nobleman's wife whose dinner is incommoded, whose superficial impressions of Lymond's appearance and behavior are all we get to work with -- even as Dunnett adds an extra layer of opacity to it all by summarizing dialogue as obliquely as possible. We are often told of, for instance, someone using a unique and colorful phrase, but I guess we are supposed to work out which phrase all on our own? Based on our great erudition regarding all matters lexical, continental and Renaissance?

Sigh.

But amid all the bafflement, there is again some astonishingly good action writing. Swordplay, hunting, horse racing through a tower, the aforementioned Renaissance parkour, all have an immediacy and a breakneck pace that few writers could equal, in any age. It's as though Umberto Eco were writing a script for Tony Scott, or something. And yes, these scenes are well-placed, as if to wake up the reader who is getting a little weary of all the subtlety and archaic wit.

But speaking of wit, or at least of its cousin, humor, tne thing that I missed this time around, though, was the entertaining array of supporting characters from the first novel. No Jonathan Crouch types here; everybody is in deadly and often dull earnest, and while the figure of Prince O'Liamroe seems to have been intended as a bit of comic relief in that vein, he's just not as fun. And no counterpart for Sybella or Lady Agnes appears at all. This may be the fault of the setting and the higher stakes, but I missed this element dreadfully, and no amount of cheetah coursing really made up for the lack.

I'm still in for the rest of the Lymond Chronicles, though. I just need some time to rest ze brain a little, from this one.

[Brooke (Books are my Favorite!!) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book 2 of the Lymond Chronicles is just as exciting as the first! Lymond's adventures take him to France where he must save the future Queen. He is always at the center of trouble, proving his worth. He has proven himself to be the devil of swoon. If Mr. Darcy became a Scottish Renaissance James Bond who also speaks French. There is also a cheetah chase scene so so fun! I love Miss Dunnett's lyrical writing style as if the Scottish brogue was dancing off the pages.

[Misfit · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is two years since the close of The Game of Kings and someone is planning the murder of young Mary Queen of Scots, and Mary of Guise summons Francis Crawford of Lymond to France to stop the murderous plot. Francis comes in disguise as a member of the entourage of a Prince of Ireland, and the game is on. Thady Boy Ballagh nee' Lymond charms the decadent French court with his wit, sarcasm and music as Dunnett slowly unpeels the layers of her tale with plot twists and surprise turns around every corner. No one is what they appears to be at first glance, even Francis. Is Thady Boy really a drunken sot or is someone trying to poison him? Someone is trying to kill O'LiamRoe but is it because they think he is Lymond in disguise? Does the young Archer Robin Stewart who befriends Thady Boy have another motive than friendship?

While the book is slow at times, this story unfolds amidst the decadence of the French Court, it's hard drinking, partying courtiers, scheming noblemen, a race atop the roofs and steeples of Paris (brilliant!!), and ending in a nail biting finish as the plot to murder Mary comes full circle and Francis' efforts to save Mary include some members of the King's menagerie -- a couple of elephants, a roaring lion and even the chimpanzees get in the act.

Throughout, Francis Crawford is a fascinating hero, and is as suave, debonair, flawed and fascinating as only a 16th Century version of James Bond could be. This is a complicated tale, and one that a reader has to pay close attention to, if you let your mind wander you may have to back track occasionally as I did. However, if you enjoy a complicated, action packed, surprise around every corner type of novel ala Dumas, you will probably find this series to be right up your alley. Five stars and now on to book #3 The Disorderly Knights.

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

This second book of the Lymond Saga opens in 1550, two years after the events described in ‘The Game of Kings’.

Mary of Guise, queen dowager and regent of Scotland is planning a journey to France; to visit her eight-year-old daughter Mary, Queen of Scots, who is being brought up at Henri II’s court as the affianced bride of the Dauphin. She knows that the fate of Scotland is tied up with the fate of its young queen, and her she has been given reason to believe that her child is in danger.

She is right to be concerned.

She knows that there are some very unscrupulous people in and around the French Court and that the English and the Irish in particular would seize any chance to break the alliance between France and Scotland. Queen Mary of England is struggling to contain the Protestant movement and keep her land as a strong Catholic power, and she knows that the alliance will make that more difficult to achieve. The Irish want to end of the English occupation of their country, they need France to help them and they are ready to use any means necessary ….

Francis Crawford of Lymond, newly restored to favour, is the man that the queen dowager wants to accompany her to France, and to uncover any plots against the little Queen. Her advisers counsel against that, they warn her that he would not agree, that he was not biddable, that he would too recognizable to the French; but she is quite certain that he is the best man for the job and she agrees to his terms – that he may carry out the job as he sees fit.

Given such a charge, most men would travel discreetly, live quietly, and observe the court from the sidelines; but that is not Lymond’s way. He sets about winning a place at the very centre of the court, hiding in plain sight, and putting himself in a position influence people and events – and to reveal the machinations of all of the interested parties. It was intriguing to watch as Lymond stepped into and between fraught political alliances and schemes, knowing that any one of them could pose a threat to Queen Mary’s life – and that the slightest misstep could herald the end of his own life.

I found the difference in scale and perspective interesting when I compared this book with ‘The Game of Kings.’ On one hand this book was concerned with greater matters – affairs of state and the future of countries rather than one man’s future – but on the other hand it felt smaller and more enclosed, in the confines of the court rather than moving freely and at will.

That gave a different perspective on Lymond, a different view of his many accomplishments, his skill at managing people and situations, his resourcefulness and the resources he had to draw upon …. but because he was playing a role for most of this book I can’t say that I understand too much more at the end than I did at the beginning, or that I am at all sure where the performance ends and the person behind it begins.

That plot is complex, multi-stranded, and so cleverly constructed. I couldn’t say that I had a good grasp of what was going on, but I was captivated by wonderfully rich and detailed writing; by a wealth of scenes that had different tones and different tempos but were all quite perfectly painted; and the set pieces were dazzling. There’s a near disaster at sea, a stampede of elephants, a wrestling match and – best of all – a moonlit roof-top race that I could quite happily re-read and re-live time and time again.

The court of Henry II was so well evoked; and I loved the cinematic sweep as well as perfectly framed close-ups. There is such a wealth of detail that makes up the bigger picture, I’m sure that I missed things, that a second read will reveal more, but this book lived and breathed and I know that I have to read on, to find out what happens next and understand where this series of books is going.

I was unsettled at first by the loss of so many characters from the first book who I thought would be of continuing importance, and I am not sure that this book – caught up with one particular quest – moved things forward too much and that means that I have to say that I couldn’t love this book as much as I loved ‘The Game of Kings.’

I’m sure that it has a purpose – I think saw seeds being sown – I think I met characters who will move forward, beyond this story- and it might be that I will appreciate it more when I see its place in the series as a whole.

And I think I need to stop writing and go back to reading ….

[Jennifer]

DNF ~p. 100, not in the mood for Lymond and his shenanigans at present. May return later, but for now it needs to go back to the library.

[Giki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Frustrating, absorbing and intensely emotional, I can't stop thinking about this book

Lymond is back, this time in France, hanging out in disguise in the most extravagant and decadent court in 16 c Europe, trying to protect the young Mary queen of scots. The story starts with a bang, there are many twists and turns and Dorothy Dunnett had me wrong footed right form the start. Fans of the main character may be a little disappointed with the first half of the book as Lymond is deep in disguise and not quite himself. It is a little lighter than 'a game of kings' on the 'what the hell is he talking about' factor for that very reason. There is plenty of adventure though as his alter ego lurches from one madcap set piece escapade to another in fine style, his true motivations often not fully understood until much later in the book. The writing is fantastic, thrilling and complex, well worth reading out loud, the lynx hunt was one stand out episode for me. This is a book to read slowly, to think about, keep your focus and it will reward you. The authentic historical detail is fantastic.
The plot unravels slowly, as does the still mysterious main character, you never quite know where you are with Lymond. I found this an intensely emotional book, triumph and tragedy go hand in hand.

I can't wait to dive into the next book, I feel I should give myself a bit of a rest first.

“For you are a leader—don’t you know it? I don’t, surely, need to tell you?—And that is what leadership means. It means fortifying the fainthearted and giving them the two sides of your tongue while you are at it. It means suffering weak love and schooling it till it matures. It means giving up your privacies, your follies and your leisure. It means you can love nothing and no one too much, or you are no longer a leader, you are the led.”

[Renee M · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't need to swallow this whole... It was a reread, for Pete's sake. I could have taken my time and savored every delicious, brilliant word. But there's a point in every book of this series where I feel like I'm strapped to the saddle of a runaway horse, hurtling helplessly toward the conclusion, with no chance of stopping or slowing until I've arrived, breathless, bleary-eyed, and shaking, at the last page. This series is like nothing else I've ever read (which is saying something). Thank God. Because I'd never sleep again. I want to say Queens' Play is my favorite in the series, but I remember how great the next book is, so I might find that I think that each is my favorite as I finish them. What a ride!

[X · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Fate and Francis Crawford, in wary collaboration”

Oh, that? That’s the sound of my scream echoing off the walls of my apartment.

Reading this book is like watching a magic trick. Every time you blink, a hero is a villain is a fool and back around again. Please tell me someone has written their magnum opus on the Lymond-O’LiamRoe-Stewart lo(ve)yalty triangle!

And speaking of shapes, I was going back through my highlights and found this line, early on: “O’LiamRoe was delighted. ‘Dhia! It’s like being cuckolded.’” ……

Much later I highlighted “Within the boy’s frame and the armoured violence of her soul” - a line which is SO fascinating given who this is about, and what happens just beforehand - and what’s yet to come. (Quoth Lymond, again: “‘La guerre a ses douceurs, l’hymen a ses alarmes.’” And cf., from an earlier scene with an earlier woman: “‘Some love for a living,’ said Lymond. ‘And some kill.’” And yet again, from a later scene with a later woman: “‘Better to be whipped than humoured; better to be crushed than cherished…It was a woman told me that.’”)

WHAT a masterpiece. I can’t believe these books have just been sitting out there my entire life and I’m just discovering them now. (I can’t believe Game of Thrones became a huge hit adaptation when Game of Kings was right. there. Tell me something more cinematic than this series! The first book was packed with fun heists, with a dramatic courtroom finish; this book was brutal action sequences in dramatic, baroque locations all the way down… not to mention the elephant! Plus - “sweat spilled in the soft cup of his throat”?? I read this line and my eyes bugged out from my head Warner Bros. style.)

My real dilemma now is whether to check out book #3 on Libby, or hold off and give some of my other books a fighting chance….. just kidding I’ve already checked it out and downloaded it. ;)

Some fun non sequiturs:

“Tom Erskine thought briefly that it would be pleasant to fall ill, to be unable to ride, to become deaf.”

“a person who spoke many languages and left them broken-hinged and crumbled like clams, solely attacked for the meat.”

“His heart gave a single loud beat that drove it straight into his stomach, and he felt his whole comfortable interior recoil, leaving his exposed skin naked and cold.”

“‘We are a million people lightsome from birth to death as the froth of the sea, and leaving no more behind us.’”

“‘live the past, murder the future’”

“‘Many a starving man will come to you, seeing you starving and able to laugh. You appear pleasant, as drowning leaves in a pond.’”

The chapter intros were more random this time around, but incredible: “There are three banquets: godly banquets, human banquets, and demon feasts.” And “There are three periods at which the world dies: the period of a plague, of a general war, of the dissolution of verbal contracts.”

And please note I’ve excluded a number of additional quotes from this list due to spoilers - if you want to read the good stuff, you have to read the book! Get to it!

[Mona · Rating 4 out of 5]

SECOND LYMOND BOOK: ANOTHER DIFFICULT, BUT FASCINATING READ

Although the prose in Queens' Play was easier to read than the prose (not easy, just easier) in the first book in this series, The Game of Kings, it still took me twice as long to read as the first book.

POOR REFERENCE MATERIAL COMPARED TO FIRST BOOK

This was because I didn't have the excellent reference material I used for the first book, and so I had to stop and research stuff online on nearly every page. (An American reader cannot read Dorothy Dunnett without copious research, as her prose is full of Scots dialect, French and Latin poetry, Irish Gaelic speech, historical details, etc. etc.) The reference book I did use, The Dorothy Dunnett Companion was nearly useless, although it occasionally had some relevant information. (Click here to see my review of Companion).

Here's my review of the first book, The Game of Kings, which lists the references I for that book).

I’M OFFICIALLY A DOROTHY DUNNETT FAN

This book did drag in sections. But overall it was a very worthwhile read. I'm committed to reading the entire series (and maybe I should be committed, because it's not easy reading). But Dorothy Dunnett does have a small but fanatical following, and I'm now part of that group.

P.S. Thank you to my Goodreads friend Nataliya for introducing me to this series via her excellent reviews.

THE MULTI-FACETED LYMOND

Anyway, the book continues the story of the brilliant Renaissance man Francis Crawford of Lymond, sixteenth century Scottish nobleman, spy, security guard, criminal, leader, musician, poet, song writer, patriot, actor, gallant, seducer, swordsman, warrior, athlete, sailor, horseman, intellectual, polymath, polyglot, transgresser, aesthete, legal genius, showman, comedian, troublemaker, charismatic and handsome man, dashing gentleman, etc., etc.

FUN AND GAMES IN FRANCE

This time he goes to Scottish ally France in disguise as an entirely different person (which he can pull off with the aid of hair dye, make up, and his nonpareil acting skills). I won't say who he is because it'll spoil the fun. Let's just say the antics of said person are extremely humorous and entertaining. And they create both fun and chaos in the French court.

Dunnett depicts the French court in all its opulent and decadent glory in great detail.

DANGER AND BETRAYAL IN FRANCE

But there is also a darker and more tragic element to the story. Lymond is determined to avoid putting his friends in danger (part of the reason for the disguise), as he always seems to do.

However, there is a huge amount of backstabbing, betrayal, and people throwing their allies and friends under busses. I'm too cynical to find this surprising as I've observed that's frequently what human beings do when it suits their purposes. But it's kind of sad at times.

COMPLEX, FASCINATING, AND VIVID CHARACTERS

Dunnett is a gifted writer. Her characters are full of complexity. She highlights the mixed bag that is most humans. Lymond himself is a complicated personality. He can be high handed, arrogant, tyrannical, and cold. But he is also brave and loyal to a fault. He is obviously brilliant.

The secondary characters are equally complicated and fascinating. These include various politicians, aristocrats, royalty, soldiers, archers, guards, attendants, schemers, and servants of the French, Irish, Scottish, and English regimes; Mary, the "baby Queen" of Scotland and her mother, the Queen Dowager, Mary of Guise, both of whom are residing in France during the time the book takes place; animal handlers (yes, the French king had his own menagerie, including elephants); an eccentric French printer and artists; entertainers, jugglers, the French king's fool; Irish dissidents and a peculiar but perceptive Irish prince, etc. etc.

WONDERFUL AND UNIQUE PROSE

Dunnett is a gifted prose stylist. She's also quite funny at times. The writing is more beautiful in this book than in the first one. Here's an example of Dunnett's humor and her inimitable writing style (Abernaci is the guy in charge of the French king's animals):

By then, the noise was prodigious. The explosion had rocked the menagerie, already distraught with scampering men. Among the loose animals, the Keeper’s sick camel, a lady of brittle temper, had bobbed her tassels and sunk her yellow teeth three times into unguarded flesh; the dwarf ass brayed itself hoarse and the lion cubs, dear to Abernaci’s heart, had shambled off, humping their fat, sandy rumps, to feast among the spilled milk in the wrecked kitchens.

GOOD AUDIO NARRATION

Scotsman David Monteath continues to read the series quite well. (I did notice he made many more errors narrating this book than he did in the first one. Oh well, maybe he was stressed or tired when he read this). Even so, he's still the ideal audio narrator for these books.

[Danica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full disclosure. I ignored a total of 17 phone calls while reading this book, 6 of them from friends and 11 from my boyfriend, who is still sulking. I stayed up until 4 in the morning for two nights in a row to finish. I literally unplugged and carried the laptop with me into the bathroom (I had an ebook version) so that I could continue, reading unabated, while flossing and brushing my teeth. A third of the way through, I ordered books four and five from Amazon.com, an unprecedented show of confidence in an author whose works I could just as easily obtain from a library. Halfway through, I was certain that this series had the potential to surpass even GRRM's ASoIaF for the dubious honor of being my Favoritest Series Ever of All-Time (!!!).

Now that I'm done with it, I still think it has that potential. But if it does, it won't be because of Queens' Play.

You know, the first half was fabulous. I know fandom opinion, apparently, is pretty polarized over Lymond. Myself, I like him, but it gets deathly boring to watch him laying waste to his enemies and flaunting his godlike omnipotence all over what is otherwise a pretty good story.

But when he goes to pieces. God. I love that shit. It's almost pornographic. Dunnett can have me eating out of her hand by poisoning Lymond and raining abuse down on him through O'LiamRoe and having her protag inflict, on his own person, self-flagellation so intense that being horribly and violently maimed wouldn't even begin to touch the depths of the harm that Lymond wishes on himself. Lymond spiraling out of control: really interesting. But fully recovered and beautiful and possessed of all of his faculties, Lymond is boring, boring, boring. Hence the downgrade from five stars for the first half to three for the second. There is no uncertainty. You know that in a death match between Lymond and a flame-spouting megalith with eyes that shoot razors and arms that double as A-bomb launchers, Lymond will -- preposterously, impossibly -- win. It's why the end of Game of Kings felt so hard-hitting, for me, and why I shot straight up, quivering and at attention, whenever Richard made an appearance in book 2. Richard is one of the few, if not the only, character(s) among Lymond's friends whose will is more inexorable than his brother's. He will beat the shit out of Lymond and grind his face in sulphurous magma if he thinks it will make him see sense. Everyone else, well. They're too gaga for the guy to care.

Speaking of the Richard-Lymond dynamic (notice my choice of ASCII character): I don't know if this will continue to hold throughout the series, but Lymond's proclamation that "his world is among men" and that he loves women but will never wed himself to one gets at something, some essential truth, I think, about slash fandom. (And yes, I just included the phrases "essential truth" and "slash fandom", unironically, in the same sentence.) Clashes of will and festering tensions and full-out brawling fistfights are never more exciting than when the participating parties are striking from level ground. There is uncertainty. Who will live? Who will die? The infuriating but thrilling feeling of not knowing impels the reader to invest more of him or herself in the outcomes of the story than they otherwise would. Slash is one way of working this dynamic.

That is all to say that I hope Lymond meets his match in the upcoming books, romantically or situationally. If that match is a man, I can believe it. If it is a set of circumstances caused by inexorable forces, social, political, religious, or a combination thereof in nature, I can also believe it, even though Lymond spends most of the first two books pulling off improbably brilliant escapes from just such predicaments. But if it is a woman, and the readers are meant to believe that here is Lymond's soulmate and all bow down before this beautiful shining romance, I don't think I can.

Female leads in this series are strong-willed, shrewd, and fierce. Dunnett goes to great lengths to show that women in the 16th century, despite their subordinate status to men, nevertheless can be great schemers, puppeteers, decision-makers, and harbingers of change. But still, but still. Not only are women denied equality by the norms of the time; the main character sets much too high a standard. By virtue of his face-melting wit, his unshakable code of honor, his shattering good looks which can unhook brassieres at fifty paces, etc, etc, he is the ultimate object of attention, the person everyone hungers for. His pull over people is compounded by his superior abilities of romantic seduction. Anyone he deigns to sleep with suffers shivering paroxysms of ecstasy and succumbs instantly to his power. Hell, he doesn't even have to sleep with them to accomplish that. As Lymond himself says, in a self-referential jab that Dunnett surely realizes echoes a potential readerly objection: "Hero worship....It's the only oozing emotion I seem able to inspire." In relation to the story, e.g. how Lymond uses people and tosses them aside, with devastating consequences for those people and himself, this is an interesting issue. But in relation to finding Lymond a partner? Relationship dynamic wise, how can there be any interesting narrative tension in that? This is my personal complaint, but I can't believe that a heroine could be concocted out of the depths of even Dunnett's brilliant noggin to compete, on equal footing, with her protagonist. Lymond is matchless. Anyone else pales in comparison. It's why the series is called what it is.

Cue the grim feeling that the inevitable heteronormative romance between Lymond and an as-yet unintroduced heroine (of unrivaled beauty and unsurpassed wit, etc, etc) will bore me to tears.

(I have this muddle-brained theory -- doubtlessly reiterated at length, and more eloquently, over at websites like Smart Bitches Trashy Books -- that romance novels* exert an allure over their readers through a couple of central tropes. Bad Boy Tamed by the Love of a Good Woman is one of them**. Bad Boy Saved From Self-Loathing and Alcohol-Fueled Self-Destruction by the Love of a Good Woman, a closely related variation, is another. Hence, Francis Crawford of Lymond, beautiful, wicked, intelligent, tortured: an instant hit.)

Anyway. That was a helluva way to make my point, which, in order of importance, goes something like: (a) IF LYMOND/UNNAMED FEMALE = MARITAL BLISS AND BABIES I will possibly vomit, for the above mentioned reasons, and (b) Lymond+some guy, maybe his brother, maybe Jerott Blyth, maybe a series villain, makes for much more interesting reading. It doesn't have to be slash. No, really. I just want tension and conflict and fisticuffs. Delicious, delicious fisticuffs.

Some specific thoughts about the book itself. Here is a massive SPOILER ALERT.










+ I found the Thady Boy scenario brilliant. While initially difficult to believe, it becomes clearer and clearer that Dunnett intends that freaky disassociative shock of watching Lymond-in-disguise get fat and slovenly and flounder feebly in a pool of his own vomit. It's disgusting! It's tragic! It's a sign of his self-loathing; feel sorry for him, my lambs! Expertly done, that -- the feeling of an alien character slowly resolving himself, bit by bit, into a recognizable personnage. What convinced me: Lymond's self-hatred, burning as brightly as ever. A big part of the reason why I found the first half of the book so pulse-slamming.
+ Oonagh O'Dwyer: She is totally strong and pitiless and driven, but for some reason I have no strong opinions about her. Erm. I did feel vaguely sorry for her predicament? What happens to her? Is that ever resolved? Also: overly florid sex scene is overly florid.
+ Robin Stewart is pathetic and repulsive and sad. In this, Dunnett succeeds. The rooftop chase scene is, clearly, a work of genius -- not only for its successful evocation of the heart-hammering excitement felt by Robin Stewart, but also for the small, pure moments of grace and courage exhibited by that character and Thady Boy on their climb up the tower. I felt fewer feelings for O'LiamRoe, even though I could tell I was supposed to be moved by his character arc. Blah blah blah.
+ The homoerotic subtext is all but plainly stated in this book. During his stint as Thady Boy, Lymond was clearly dilly-dallying with whatshisface, d'Enghien; hence the innumerable references to d'Enghien blushing at Lymond's attentions, his jealousy when Lymond partners with Stewart for the rooftop chase, the allusion to Lymond's "lords and lovers", a locked-out O'LiamRoe hearing voices in his and Lymond's room, a girl one time, a man another, Lymond stroking Richard's chin (...) and responding to Richard's remark that d'Enghien was watching them with a tittering giggle and a mocking "He's jealous!". Uh. Yeah. I'm just putting that out there as proof that I'm not, you know, hallucinating the gay bits of this series into existence.
+ Hmm, what else. Oh yeah: *FLAILS FOR THE NEXT ONE*


/END SPOILERS

To round it all up. I have book three on me, and book four is due to arrive at my doorstep on Tuesday. However, I am currently exerting massive amounts of willpower to keep myself from starting the Disorderly Knights because if I do I will most certainly die of sleep deprivation.

...

Oh, fuck it. *props herself up in bed, opens DK*

*not to say that the Lymond Chronicles are primarily romance novels; clearly they are not. but I wouldn't be surprised to find that the readership for this series is predominantly female, even if an esteemed dude like Neal Stephenson cites Dunnett as one of his literary guiding lights.
** see: Stephanie Meyer; Georgette Heyer's Alastair duology; Jane Eyre; Jane Austen; Wuthering Heights; every novel that L.J. Smith has ever written

[Rhosyo MT · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'll put this series on hold for now. It seems like the Mc’s suffering-arc isn't even starting here. And I’m prophesying I’ll hate certain character (from Kel’s comments)... so, maybe in some future time I’ll continue? or not... 🤷🏽‍♀️😑😔

*****

After more than two years of reading this I wanted to try and order my thoughts about why I don’t think I’ll continue reading this.

I’m a romance addict, I see romance anywhere! I like it that way and I’ll continue enjoying my fiction that way, being it romance or not.

Reading book one of Lymond’s adventures I was shipping HARD for Lymond and his young protege Will. The book gave VERY strong vibes, to me, that those two should be together... obviously that wasn’t the case and I was ok with that... mostly... not really 😞.

Spoilers for this book ahead, Caution!
*
*
*

In this book, the second one... Lymond has a kind-of-not-very-clear-secret-thing with another man (was his name Robin?, I can’t remember).
The dialogs between these two were virulent, deep, REAL... that man, whose name I don’t remember, was a very troubled soul, SO interesting!...
on a final, climactic scene between these two, “Forgotten Name” is very clear of his feelings toward Lymond, I remember he even said something like “lets run together, to hell with everyone using us and just be happy”, and ok, there were many problems to that plan; but I hated how Lymond responded, so cold, so unmoving, so “Queen and Country first” 🙄.... in the end he wouldn’t go with him.... and that man ends up killing himself bc of some treason he was part of? (I don’t remember much at all it seems, it all made me so sad I blocked it out of my mind😂).

I hated that the only gay man out in the open ended up being bad AND dying.

I hated that Lymond’s bisexuality was so poorly explained, I remember that right after one of his most passionate dialogs with that other male character, Lymond ends up sleeping with a secondary female character, like trying to erase the queer things of the story, IDK. And that woman was a total bitch! Why make the hero sleep with that kind of person if it’s not the typical message of “I’m a guy and she’s hot”?🤮

And then I started to investigate about the real love interest of the series.... and it ended being a Girl nearly 20y younger than Lymond..... that was so typical that managed to lost what small interest I could have on the story 🙈 (and I also found out that girl will be a little too insufferable towards L)

*
*
*

I repeat, it is mainly a me problem, as romance for me is so important.
Lymond is that kind of character that stays with the reader years after ending his stories..... I still think of him. But in my head he fell for Will and they had their HEA. And Forgotten Name ends up with some smart ruthless pirate and is happy and has a lovely long life.
The end.

(edit)
ps: May23.... Mayyybe some day I'll continue with the series, as I keep thinking about it all... 😗

[Phee · Rating 4 out of 5]

So I actually enjoyed this much more the second time around. The first time I read it I was very much thrown off by how different it is to book 1. In Game of Kings, Lymond is very much living up to his reputation as rouge, thieving, whoring, killing, arson and causing as much trouble as he can with his band of thugs. Spouting off poetic nonsense ever other line, mostly in a foreign language and generally being a little shit. It’s so fun but also really complex. These aren’t easy reads to say the least.
Now in this book he’s basically infiltrated the French court. It’s very serious and political and is quite jarring to come from book one. Not to say that this one isn’t a romp of it’s own, it is, just in a different way.

For the first chunk of the book Lymond is in disguise. Both times I read it I knew which character he was straight away. I won’t spoil it just in case people don’t know, but it was pretty clear to me both times. Either way this book is very politics heavy and I will not spoil the details here. You’ll have to read the book to find out how shit goes down. Because my god does shit go down. Lymond without his troupe is even more chaos. To give you a small aperitif, rampaging elephants, a cheetah on a hunt, Lymond and the courtiers basically playing the floor is lava across the rooftops of Blois, equal parts a race and gathering clues to complete a puzzle. Not to mention the multiple assassination attempts. The whole thing was thrilling even though I’ve read it before.

The main thing that I loved in this book was the character growth for Lymond. He’s learning and maturing. We see many new sides to him and I think if you maybe didn’t like him in book one you’ll find him much more palatable in this one. He’s not spouting the quotations all the time, mainly because of the role he is playing I think.
He has baggage now, because of the losses he suffered in book one and the journey he had to go on to get to this stage he now understands the sort of collateral damage his antics can cause. While he will still take major risks he doesn’t want to put his friends lives at stake. So he ends putting himself in twice as much danger. He will go to extraordinary lengths to get the results he wants.
Lymond’s acting skills were on full display here. He literally had the whole court believing that he is a different person. He stays in character even when ridiculously drunk, and I mean ridiculously drunk. We saw in book one that Lymond can really hold his liquor and still function incredibly well. He takes that talent to new heights here. My god.
We see a much more human side to him too. We see him wounded, injured, exhausted, hopelessly ill at one point. The legend is human after all.
Also can we just appreciate how cute he is with the child queen Mary. Like given his intelligence you’d think he would despise children. But he’s really amazing with her, and at one point he had to ignore her and afterwards he felt guilty! I really don’t see how you could read these books and not fall in love with Francis Crawford.

When I last read this series I got about a quarter of the way through book 3 then stopped. I definitely think I’ll get further time but I am going to take a short break before continuing because these books take a lot of brain power.

[giada · Rating 5 out of 5]

She wanted Crawford of Lymond.

This is how the book starts, and as Camilla loves to remind us whenever we start a new book with the book club, a good novel will establish its load bearing themes in the first page, better yet in the first few sentences — we talked extensively about what Lymond’s role would be in light of this first statement in Queens’ Play, and what this idea of wanting and possession would mean for the book and his place in it. In light of the way he behaves in the French court, I’d say that the predictions we put forwards were pretty accurate.

Queens' Play explores the masks Lymond cloaks himself under and the extremes to which he stretches his identity, and we see this much more closely than in The Game of Kings . It might be that in the first book Dunnett chose to keep him hidden from the reader, and in each book we peel off one more layer, until hopefully we will finally see his fulcrum by the end of the series.

In this instalment he appears much less sure of himself, dealing with the aftermath of his Scottish campaign (I’m trying not to spoil what happens in the first book because YOU NEED TO READ IT) and we see all this taking place in the place where instability reigns, a royal court — the French court at that, with all its lustre and dissolution.

As far as personal enjoyment goes, I think I liked the first novel more (and I immensely missed the guide to the book, I think knowing all the references to his quotes and mythology and old medieval and renaissance knowledge adds to the charm of these books) but I am glad we got to meet new characters that I hope will pop up in the later books.

[Stephen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Queens' Play, in which young Francis Crawford of Lymond continues in a much more visible manner the dramatic self-flagellation which was mostly hidden in the first book, The Game of Kings, is a highly satisfying book. Dorothy Dunnett, through her tortured too-brilliant Lymond, leaves gilded bread crumbs for us to follow through a labyrinthine plot.

Part of the fun of reading Lymond is being as amazed at his language as everyone but his mother is in the book. I do not recommend reading this for the first time with a reading guide. You should be slightly mystified by Lymond, I think.

[LeahBethany · Rating 5 out of 5]

There were so many things I didn't understand in Queen's Play (some of those things I did understand by the end of the novel… sort of) but even feeling in the dark some (most) of the time, I thoroughly enjoyed the second book in the Lymond Chronicles. Dorothy Dunnett's writing is full of humor, surprise, obscure words, foreign languages, and depth; and she keeps you on the edge of your seat during the action sequences.

[Rebekah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lymond’s behaviour, as always, went to the limits of polite usage and then hurtled off into space.

It is 2 years after the events of the Game of Kings, the 1st in the Lymond Chronicles. Francis Crawford of Lymond has returned to the bosom of his family. His reputation throughout Europe has not only been restored but his talents are held in such high esteem that he is called upon by Mary of Guise, the Dowager Queen of Scotland to come to France with her to protect her daughter, the 7 year old “High and Mighty” Mary, Queen of Scots from rumored danger of assassination.

Notoriously, at some time, every faction in the kingdom had tried to buy Lymond’s services. Nor was the bidding restricted to Scotland, or to statesmen, or to men. Europe, whenever he wished, could provide him— and probably did— with either a workshop or a playground.

He agrees to do so, but on his own terms, making clear that his loyalty is not to the powerful Queen Mother, but to Scotland. He will not be her beholden acolyte and in turn, she will not, can not, intercede if he gets into trouble. And thus we are off to the decadent and dissolute French Court of Henry II of France which Lymond will infiltrate in order to stay close to the threatened little Queen and to discover who is behind the assassination attempts. For indeed, we learn the child’s life is in grave danger. As his disguise he creates a character so eccentric and unlikely that no one will suspect his true identity but will allow him to use the talents and skills that Francis Crawford of Lymond is well known to have mastered. As the fat, perpetually drunk, and slovenly attendant to an unimportant-by-choice Irish Chieftain, he seduces the court:

Each in its nest of gauze and gilt thread, of tissue and taffeta, swathed in silver and satin, in velvet and white fur sugared with diamonds, each face painted, each brow plucked, hair hidden by sparkling hair of raw silk, the well- born of France sat in waxlight and flowers like half a hundred candied sweets in a basket. Last at the last table, soggy gristle next the sugar plums, sat Thady Boy Ballagh.

At levée and reception, at ball and after sport, during meals and after supper parties, Thady was expected as a matter of course. His playing had become as fashionable as a drug. He made music in public and in private for them all: …and already they thought nothing and less than nothing of how he looked. Then, that goal reached, he hardened his long fingers in their entrails of icing and sugar and started to twist.

The plot is complex as are the many characters who people this book. As in G of K, Dunnett expertly fills in the blanks of history with her fictional story ostensibly going on behind the scenes. For example, The main villain was a real person with significant connections to powerful people, but little is known about his actual life or what he may or may not have been up to. Those about whom much is known stay authentic to what history knows about their characters and actions. Dunnett's research and knowledge is nothing less than amazing.

Rather than go through the plot and try to touch on all the fascinating characters we meet and get to know, I’ll just mention two characters that stood out for me.
The first is the “wholly spoiled, wholly self-centred, ruthless, neurotic, worldly- wise” character of the French Court itself. It was fascinating and unpredictable. In one of the attempts on Queen Mary’s life, her beloved pet rabbit, Susannah, is stolen and let loose amongst the other prey to be sport to the hunting Cheetahs. As predicted, the little girl escapes her minders and rushes to rescue her pet. In the resulting maelstrom of confusion, panic, and violence, A brave and noble Irish wolfhound, (as well as poor little Susannah) meet heartbreaking ends. The French court, once the little queen is off stage and safe, cheers the Cheetah. They care for nothing but the thrills and excitement provided by bloodlust.
Yet, taken individually, many are funny and insightful. Thankfully, because no group of people can perpetually be that dissolute and depraved (can they?). They prove to be capable of change, much to my surprise. Later in the story, a race down from a tower results in the death of many horses and men. Thady boy is framed and blamed for the tragedy and he escapes from the court he once dominated with his talents, wit, and pursuit of pleasure.

“What had been vulgarly clever, in the light of bare exhumation looked bleakly coarse; what had been vivid looked vulgar; what had been witty looked common; what had been forthright looked outrageous.
A sense of acute spiritual discomfort hung over the flower of France, the aftermath of its brilliant flare of indulgence. If Thady Boy had come back— a Thady Boy even absolved from the treachery imputed to him— they would have had him beaten from the room by their valets.”

The other character that I became fascinated with was Phelim O’LiamRoe, who, as Thady Boy’s supposed master, provides him with his cover. At first he was kind of a silly non-entity. Intelligent, humorous, cheerful, but having no ambition or purpose to his life at all. He was kind of a bore.

In terms of followers, O’LiamRoe was one of the mightiest chieftains in English-occupied Ireland, except that it had never yet occurred to him to lead them anywhere.

But he starts to change at the death of his noble Luadhus, his dog who threw himself between the deadly cheetah and the little queen. He starts to think and question his life. Meanwhile, he falls deeper in love with a beautiful and fiery Irish revolutionary who holds him in contempt until he proves his mettle with an act of bravery. He convinces her to give him the name of the man who can prove the guilt of the powerful mastermind of the assassination attempts. He will save Mary and also save Lymond from execution.
But first they must part.

Her hands lay cold in his. Searching her empty face he said, ‘We shall meet?’ ‘At the fall of night, on the far side of the north wind,’ she said.’ ‘Love me.’ ‘All my days,’ said Phelim O’LiamRoe, Prince of Barrow, dropping into the tongue of his land. ‘Dear stranger, dear mate of my soul: all my days.’ And walking quiet and blind, he let slip her two hands and left.

To the rescue!:

Dark in the misty June morning, Châteaubriant was still. Dim through the painted shutters, the hoof beats of a single horse burst, applauding the cobbles, and were gone.

Before the book ends O’LiamRoe will not only be instrumental in saving Francis from death, but in setting his life on a different more mature and thoughtful path. Thanks partially to him, Francis will become the great leader of men he was destined to be.

Dorothy Dunnett is a wonderful writer. Her prose is beautiful, evocative, and clever. But still, I had my problems with some of the details of the book as much as I admired and enjoyed it.

It seemed pretty impossible that Lymond’s disguise as Thady Boy held up so long and with so many. Keeping his blond roots covered under black dye, his pale skin constantly having to be stained, his slender nimble body disguised under thick padding, all the while bedding God knows how many men and women in the French Court? With a fake stomach? And what about Lymond’s slender delicate fingers which are referred to regularly? That doesn’t track with Thady’s fat pudgy body.

The recuperative powers of two of the characters who were on death’s door one minute and engaging in physical heroics the next reminded me of a Roadrunner cartoon.

Too much knowledge is withheld from the reader and too much important action happens off stage. I found this to be true of Game of Kings as well. When did Lymond figure out who the master villain was and how? Once it is finally revealed to the reader, he claims he already knew who it was. Then why was it so important to send O’LiamRoe to the Tower of London to get his name from his hitman, Robin Stewart? Lymond was released from prison just in time to save the queen. It seemed very easily done without much justification. Some obscure sculptor knew a guy who knew a guy who said so? The bad guy might be guilty, so Lymond must be freed-and immediately? How did they get let in to see the Constable again with Robin Stewart’s undelivered letter? One minute we leave him locked up, and the next he’s free and racing to save the little Queen from being blown to kingdom come with her retinue.

Some things do not bear too much looking into and no doubt a careful reread will set me straight. . But sometimes, even in great books, you just have to roll with it, and revel in the brilliance, not the WTFuckery. Everyone says Dunnett historical research and authenticity is unimpeachable. Sometimes I found some of the fiction parts a little far-fetched. But maybe that’s OK. As Lymond says in Game of Kings,

“Versatility is one of the few human traits which are universally intolerable. You may be good at Greek and good at painting and be popular. You may be good at Greek and good at sport, and be wildly popular. But try all three and you’re a mountebank. Nothing arouses suspicion quicker than genuine, all-round proficiency.”

**4 1/2 stars**
https://rebekahsreadingsandwatchings....

[Trin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reread. This was my least favorite of the series on my first go-round, and I would be happy for that to stay the same this time. Lymond is, in this book, not at his best -- very intentionally on Dunnett's part, but it leads to some of his most blundersome plans, and a narrative that I find labyrinthine in a manner that's less delightful and more confusing than Dunnett's usual. Also I find all the court antics incredibly tiresome. Eat the rich.

Nevertheless! There are still so many scenes that just wreck me: Margaret Erskine finding Lymond when he's ill, Richard's return (Richard -- Richard! -- is such a breath of fresh air in this book), O'LiamRoe's whole arc and in particular his scene with Lymond at Robin Stewart's cabin, every time Lymond interacts with the child-queen Mary (Dunnett's almost gilding the lily making Lymond all that he is and also good with children), and poor doomed Robin's tragic gay love for Our Francis. For me, this is a book full of sections that are a struggle, and sections that sing; oh hey, that's kind of like Lymond's entire life.

Considering Lymond, flat now on the bed in wordless communion with the ceiling, Richard spoke. 'My dear, you are only a boy. You have all your life still before you.'

On the tortoise-shell bed, his brother did not move. But there was no irony for once in his voice when he answered. 'Oh, yes, I know. The popular question is, For what?'

Oh, Lymond.

[Calypso · Rating 5 out of 5]

readathon17: A book that takes place before 1800

[Emmy B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This did not feel like a 5 star read all the time I was reading it but the way it comes together in the end makes it all worth it for me.

[Jamie Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

In which Crawford travels incognito to France in order to discover who is trying to assassinate the young Mary Queen of Scots, now a feisty 7-yr-old who’s being raised at the French court along with her prospective bridegroom, the French Dauphin.

Crawford is a man of frankly unbelievable talents, but he’s fun to watch. He juggles, sings, and plays all the instruments; he speaks all the languages and knows all the poems; he rides and fights and hunts and swims and climbs; he can handle panicked elephants, stalking cheetahs and enraged boars. He is unfazed by either Mary of Guise or Henri of France.

The writing is gorgeous, if occasionally incomprehensible. Here’s Dorothy Dunnett’s idea of a sex scene:

His hands searched her, touching her passions one by one and shaping with his musician’s fingers the growing, thunderous chord. The darkness shook, like the bursting crust of the earth, fissured red with the wildfire within. Under a discipline she could not bear to contemplate, he drew together in her and united in a single, raging anthem, all the craving strands of her sleepless years. With all the life in her between his two palms, he slid wide his hands and quickly lifting her, swaying, like warm wine in too tender a lapping, took and laid her on the dark bed where, crudely, she had always meant to surrender.

It’s also very funny in places.

Crawford, in his Irish persona, when asked if he has strong religious views: “I have strong views on nothing at all, a mhic, save women and drink, and maybe money. I can content me barefoot or bareheaded, and keep Lent or Ramadan, such little weedy views on religion do I have.”

And when the mysterious mahout, the Head Keeper of the King of France’s elephants, wonders, after the near-disaster during the procession into Rouen, how Crawford uncovered his secret Scottish origins: “‘Well, God,’ he said. ‘In the water, you were roaring your head off at a bloody bull elephant called Hughie.’”

[Melanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The joy to read a book by someone who is clever and witty. Yes, the fact that the main characters address each other often in Renaissance quotes, refer to Greek and Latin and that large passages are in untranslated French do not deter me from this book. I also have to look up words which does not happen to me normally. The books bewitch me like hardly any other. Firmly living in the 16th century now.

[Sandra Crow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great way to learn history!