Ο σφετεριστής του βυζαντινού θρόνου

Fools' Guild #2

by Alan Gordon

Δέκατος τρίτος αιώνας. Κωνσταντινούπολη. Αφού κατάφερε να ξεσκεπάσει τα δόλια σχέδια του Μαλβόλιο στο Ορσίνο, ο γελωτοποιός Φέστε, μαζί με τη μαθητευόμενη - και κρυφή σύζυγό του - Βιόλα, τη δούκισσα του Ορσίνο, φτάνουν στη βυζαντινή πρωτεύουσα σε μια νέα αποστολή. Η Συντεχνία των Γελωτοποιών έχει βάσιμες υποψίες ότι κάποιοι σχεδιάζουν να δολοφονήσουν τον αυτοκράτορα. Οι γελωτοποιοί, τους οποίους είχαν ήδη στείλει εκεί, έχουν εξαφανιστεί μυστηριωδώς. Αβεβαιότητα δημιουργεί και μια ανησυχητική φήμη από τη Δύση: οι σταυροφόροι που συγκεντρώνονται στη Βενετία, ορκισμένοι να ελευθερώσουν τους Αγίους Τόπους, ετοιμάζονται να σαλπάρουν για την Κωνσταντινούπολη. Από τις υπαίθριες παραστάσεις στους δρόμους έως τις μεγαλοπρεπείς εκδηλώσεις στον Ιππόδρομο, από τα υπόγεια καπηλειά έως τα βασιλικά ανάκτορα, ανάμεσα σε ευνούχους αυλικούς και διεφθαρμένους αξιωματικούς, ο Φέστε και η Βιόλα προσπαθούν να ανακαλύψουν τους συνωμότες. Αυτό όμως που δεν ξέρουν είναι αν η συνωμοσία στρέφεται εναντίον του νυν αυτοκράτορα και σφετεριστή του θρόνου Αλέξιου ή εναντίον του έκπτωτου και φυλακισμένου από τον Αλέξιο πρώην αυτοκράτορα Ισαάκιου. . .

Genres: Mystery, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical, Historical Mystery, Medieval, Adventure

344 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Alan Gordon is the author of the Fools' Guild mysteries. His short fiction and essays have appeared in Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine, Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine, The Drood Review of Mystery and the Medieval Academy Newsletter. He lives in New York City with his wife, Judy Downer, and son, Robert. By day, he is a lawyer with the Legal Aid Society.

Series:
* Fools' Guild

Reviews

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Make a pact with the Devil, and before you know it you’re working for him.”

The story in “Jester Leaps In” is flimsy with not much to it, but it is a simple and pleasant read. A nice diversion. This text is the second in Alan Gordon’s ‘Medieval Mystery’ series. It follows the adventures of Feste and his new wife Viola (loosely based on Shakespeare’s two characters from “Twelfth Night”) and it has some witty moments. I enjoy the series premise of the Fool’s Guild in medieval times being secret “defenders” of medieval decency. The Guild trains Fools to be the secret behind the scenes good guys and gals of the world. Think special ops with jokes.
“Jester Leaps In” is a mystery set in medieval times and the period is its most distinguishing feature and that works fine. This text is set in Constantinople and Mr. Gordon uses a lot of unnecessarily complicated character names which gets a little confusing and a lot annoying. This is not history, you don’t have to give a bunch of characters 15 letter Byzantine names. Just call them Simon, and Alexandria or something. It will work out.
But the text does have some humor, is fast paced and boast some really nice lines. An example, “The confinement of the body is not nearly as grievous as the confinement of the mind.”
I finished this book about a week ago, and I am already having trouble recalling a lot of it, and that is okay. These are books of the moment- a fun story, decently written. At some point I will probably pick, up book # 3 in the series.
(maybe 2.5 stars)

[Princessjay · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 STARS

An entertaining addition to the series, this time less to do with Shakespeare and more in Byzantine politics.

Feste, now married to Viola, gets sent to Constantinople to discover why all the Fools there had been killed.

Once there, after some shenanigans and information seeking and burrowing into the grace of the emperor, he unravels a plot to kill the deposed emperor. I'm still not sure what's the point of assassinating the prior emperor -- is it to cut off all possibility of a faction trying to revolt using him as figurehead? Meanwhile, Viola is now an apprentice fool, learning all the tricks of the trade, defending self and Feste with great skill, killing multiple people, practicing spycraft, all that.

A feather-light series. Enjoyable, nevertheless.

[Leslie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5*

I had forgotten how much I enjoy these Fools' Guild mysteries! This second one doesn't have a Shakespearean background as do some of the others (such as the first one, Thirteenth Night, which uses the play Twelfth Night as a background), and I missed the humor that provided. However, the thirteenth century Constantinople setting was excellent.

[Tim Hicks · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one's hard to rate for me, because I think I'd already read all the others.
But I felt only a little confusion about who's who and where we are in time.

Every book in this series is a painless history lesson. This time it's Constantinople c.1200 AD.
You just have to accept the premise that this world is our own except that it is really easy for a fool to get access to people of power. The plot requires that, so I guess it's OK.

This one does seem to assume that you remember the first book at least enough to understand the important political role of the Guild.

Feste/Theo/whatever can get annoying sometimes, and I think the author knows it. Somewhere in each book he always has a scene in which, say, Feste juggles two running chainsaws, a large water balloon, a pikestaff and two anvils, while tied upside down to the arm of a large ticking metronome and improvising sonnets with each verse in a different language. But the secondary characters are usually very good.

This one moves along briskly, and might be the best of the lot in terms of plot misdirection. I will say no more.

[Christopher Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable sequel to the Thirteenth Night, in which Feste marries Viola (the girl from 12th Night). This time, still recovering from the wound in the previous story, Feste is sent to Constantinople to deal with the slaughter of the guild members who worked there.

This story delves deeply into Byzantine politics (which became a word meaning ridiculously complicated) and the status of the Emperor and Empress, and the former Emperor, now blinded and imprisoned.

The history in this book is rich and full, and the humor is in fine form here, along with some very interesting marital interactions between Feste and Viola. A quite entertaining, informative, and fun book with a tight mystery, if not an entirely unpredictable one.

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

The second book in the Fools Guild mystery series follows Theophilias, also known as Feste, on a trip to Constantinople.

It's as well-written as the first, with a slightly more tight plot and some excellent scenes/word-play. The idea of a conspiratorial group attempting to shape history for the better under the innocuous guise of medieval entertainers is also one that hooked me quite strongly in these books, and the two main characters are imminently likable.

[Greg · Rating 4 out of 5]

I expected more humor and it loses a star for that reason. I admire the research and his depiction of Constantinople. Not an easily solved mystery but but it never got me involved in the mystery aspect, either. I consider it more in the action-adventure genre; rather than, historical fiction or mystery. I had a similar idea so, I praise the jester guild concept. It just need more jest and more edge.

[Jeannine · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent historical mystery series focusing on jesters from the Jesters Guild keeping tabs on those in power, and in this case, investigating the deaths of jesters in Constantinople. Fast moving, seamless history, great sense of humor - I was surprised and gratified. Looking forward to reading more in the series.

[penelopewanders]

This required less mental gymnastics (trying to remember the ins and outs of the plot and characters of Twelfth Night), so it was pure entertainment. I enjoyed reading about these foolish endeavours, and seeing Claudius shine was very gratifying. Apparently I'm at the end of this bookcrossing ray, so these two books might stay in this holiday house to delight some other visitors for a while.

[Valerie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ingenious premise, but there's some hetero bullshit in here that makes it an annoying read. Straight dudes aren't allowed to write slutty women characters or storylines about female jealousy, it's very irritating. They're also not allowed to do crossdressing plots, they just don't get how to do them correctly; leave these for the queer folks. Still, a fun read. I want to go to Istanbul now.

[David Farrar · Rating 5 out of 5]

For lovers of Shakespeare’s wit

Feste and Viola from Twelfth night live on in Gordon’s series. There’s plenty of mystery and farce as well as a highly probable mystery based on the real history of Byzantium. A real treat.

[Nance Roepke · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5. This book is something of a guilty pleasure. The premise is outlandish, the relationship between the jester and his love is ridiculous and what is accomplished is implausible. And it is all a lot of fun, much more than I expected.

[Christoph Weber · Rating 4 out of 5]

That was fun.

Gordon doesn't use too much fake medieval vocabulary, so you can easily read and understand everything. The descriptions of places are kept few and short, which also helps stay in a reading flow.

The mystery is fine, the setting and the characters fun (as fools should be).

[jean kennedy-hubler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Added more fools to love

This story held my attention at every moment. Well developed story line. Can't get better. More new chracters to love. Great suspence.

[Mira · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely adore this series. The hardcover versions are so beautiful they are worth tracking down and paying good money for. Looking forward to the next.

[Bob · Rating 3 out of 5]

A continuing drama. Quite enjoyable.

[Red Claire · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely beautiful novel. Solidly fixed in historical fact, a gripping mystery very much based in darkly compassionate characterisation.

I genuinely think the Bard would be rather pleased by it.

[Karma vLux · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite series!! Perfect spin on Shakespeare and historical fiction with a great mystery always and a wonderful idea of the jesters being the real heroes!

[Sandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not (yet) a favorite series but the setting is excellent and the characters interesting.

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoy the premise of these books... based on meager clues of history, Gordon weaves a very plausible tapestry where a jester's guild train together, not only in the witty & physicality of being a jester, skills of weaponry and self defense, but also in observing, cultivating contacts, and interpreting political movements with the goal of indirectly influencing the outcome, as only an invisible court jester might do... hmmmm... and then Gordon explores two very different historical sites and intrigues to develop his stories...

Feste & Viola have married in secret... Feste's leg is healing... Feste is mentoring Viola as his apprentice to become a jester... when the call comes to send him to Constantinople to find out what happened to 6 of thier guild that are missing... Viola dresses as a man (Claudius) for their 2 month long trip to protect her on a potential dangerous trip...

The Emperor & Empress of Constantinople, though married, live somewhat separate lives, and the Emperor is perhaps going over the edge... The each had their own fool (jester), and both disappeared... The Emperor deposed his brother as emperor, blinded his brother, and he is jailed someplace out of the city of Constantinople.

They investigate the homes & friends of the missing fools, and they make contacts in the city, with guards, innkeeper/bartender, priest/mafia underground, 2 other fools they find (one of the missing is alive, though had almost been murdered - and she was an exlover of
Feste - leads to a few awkward moments with Viola), and the other fool withdrew from the guild, but he was the one that set in motion the deaths of the fools because in the Hippodrome's underfloor areas he overheard 2 people discussing the murder of the emperor, which he told to the other fools, who were getting together to discuss what they should or should not do.... They work their act in the streets and for the imperial guard and are invited to entertain in the Hippodrome, where they catch the eye of the emperor... and then are invited to entertain him each afternoon...

Viola in a gentle, yet firm & direct manner has her way with Feste, when he tries to protect her by excluding her... Midway in their time, they have a disagreement and the next morning she is gone... and he then finds her in the palace, 'reincarnated' as a female jester, and employed by the empress... and Feste is true to her... the night after she left without a word, and fearing she had just had enough of the danger and returned home, his exlover comes to his bed naked... and he firmly tells her no, that he is married and faithful... and when they meet up again, with a bit of self deprecation, he assures her that one of the tests of apprentices is that they get upset enough with the arrogant, bossy ways of their mentor and they strike out on their own...

so they solve the mystery... the palace guards want to orchestrate the return of the old emperor's son to the throne... a claim he can make after his father dies... so it the old emperor that is the target... so when the old emperor is moved back into the city so that the guard can kill him, Feste manipulates things so that he is entertaining the blind emperor and a few fellow supporters and they stop the head guard from killing the emperor, with the knife that Feste had snuck in...

and the story ends with them liking the city and wanting to stay, Viola telling Feste that she is pregnant, and the observation of the Venetian fleet coming into the Constantinople bay - the crusades...

[Bethany T · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great book in the Fools' Guild mystery series. I really enjoyed this one. The mystery was a bit overly complicated at times and then the secret scheme was resolved quite abruptly, but it was still enjoyable. This author does his research, and I was amused by his Author's Note at the end of the book in which he mentions what was considered humorous in 13th century Europe (such as the use of the Greek words for "salt" and "others" as homophones).

I found that the first book in this series really delved into religion at times, but this one pondered the complicated workings of the Byzantine Empire and Constantinople. It was so interesting, especially for someone like myself who finds that period of history fascinating and bonkers.

This one introduced Feste (also known as Theo) as teaching Viola, a newly appointed apprentice jester for the Fools' Guild and Feste's new wife, as they try to discover why all the fools based in Constantinople have suddenly gone missing. I was a bit disappointed that this one didn't have much connection to the works of Shakespeare beyond Feste and Viola. I'm hoping some of the next books may have more of those Shakespearean links.

This was one of the my favorite parts, a confrontation between a preacher actually a fellow fool, Zintziphitzes and Feste:

I stared at him, at the finger still pointing at me at the end of his long arm, and could think of nothing better to do but stick out my tongue in reply.
"I apologize, Fool," he cried. "Mark ye, my brethrens, here is a Holy Fool indeed, for he speaks only in tongues.

Verdict
Loved it. Will be looking forward to the next in the series if my library has it.

So, who would enjoy this book?
As with the first in this series, anyone who loves fictional medieval mysteries will really enjoy this. It's a fun read. And because this one doesn't reference Shakespeare's work like the first one, a reader doesn't need to have any knowledge of those works to understand certain details.

Others in series
Book 1: Thirteenth Night ★★★★☆

[Steve Z · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5*. I quite liked this and do like this series which I’ll continue.

In this one, the actual mystery component was just OK but I liked the vibe of the city in decline and Feste's sketchy lodgings. I was uncomfortable with the narrator’s patronizing language to his wife. The dialogue is anachronistic.

But this is a light, fun, and quick to read series and I appreciate that it’s not all in one setting. We get to travel Europe vicariously through the narrator and in this instance I learned a fair bit about Constantinople before it was sacked by the Venetians.

[LJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

JESTER LEAPS IN (Hist Mys-Theophilos-Europe-1202) – G+
Gordon, Alan – 2nd in series
St. Martin’s Minotaur, 2000, US Hardcover – ISBN: 0312241178

First sentence: The sun rose through the gap in the eastern ridge where the river cuts through.

Theophilos / Feste is a member of the Fool’s Guild, recovering from a wound and newly married to Viola/Claudius, now apprentice to Feste. He receives word of his newest mission. He and Viola are to go to Constantinople. A new crusade is being launched from Venice to Constantinople, which is in the midst of a power struggle among bothers for the Byzantine throne. Of more immediate concern is that all the Guild’s agents in Constantinople have disappeared.

13th Century Constantinople is not a history with which I am familiar. For me, that made this book somewhat challenging. There were characters and incidents to whom I couldn’t relate. There was very little character development, and an assumption that the reader had read the previous book, was a weakness.

What does work is the two protagonists and the relationship between them. Those characters are wonderful, particularly Viola who is a Duchess and has given up her life to be with Feste. Gordon’s powers of description add so much to the story, both in the sense of place and time he creates in brining us to Constantinople of the period and in his descriptions of the performances of Feste and Claudius. Those things, along with the humor off-set by the threat and some violence, did make this an enjoyable read. This is a series with which I shall continue.

[Tripleguess · Rating 3 out of 5]

An entertaining read. I had a little trouble believing that Theo could miss something so obvious as blood/no blood on the floor, or that Thalia was so competent yet so incompetent, or that seven very capable jesters (eight if you count Mr. Z) could be eliminated without apparent casualties on the other side, or that Theo could state that he didn't trust Thalia and then thoughtlessly hand her vital information (and no, it wasn't part of a clever plan, he just talked without thinking)... just little things that didn't seem to quite add up.

It was neat to see 12th century Constantinople. Again, this series seems to treat the "higher-ups" as so many chess pieces and they have about that much personality; I could make a list and keep track of them that way, but it's not worth the bother.

It was certainly worth checking out from the library.

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

People think of the 13th century as a time when people were just beginning the process of becoming "human". They think of stories of jesters as people who were silly ignorant fools. This story will change your thinking. Theophilus is a jester and upstanding member of the Fool's Guild in the early 1200's. He is sent to Constantinople when six jesters suddenly disappear. He takes along his new bride, Viola, who is disguised as a male to keep her safe. They find a modern city and soon catch the eye of the emperor who hires Theo as his own Fool. This story leads us into the dark parts of the city and to palace intrigue. It is an excellent story and I will definitely read more of this series. Very good!

[Lindsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've found a new favorite medieval mystery series (previously held by the Catherine LeVendeur series). I loved the witty banter between Theophilos and Viola as they navigated the corrupt Byzantine court in Constantinople in their roles as fools to the Emperor. The descriptions of Constantinople and the court added to the atmosphere of decadence and intrigue. Viola/Claudia is a strong, resourceful and gutsy character that I loved almost immediately. I will certainly be looking for the other books in this series.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

I believe this is the second book in the series (from the sequence of events - I could be more diligent and look it up, but hey...). Mysteries set in medieval Constantinople should naturally have a certain Byzantine quality to them, and this is no exception. Good historical details, good intrigue, and quite satisfying. I will be sad when I finish reading this series, which should be soon at the rate I'm zipping through these.

[Jenrush · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting book, set in Medieval Constantinople, a crossroads for crusaders, merchants and traders from all over Europe and Asia. Very interesting and believable concept of a secret society of Jesters whose mission it is to exert influence upon the powerful courts they reside in. Who else but a Jester could appear out of no where without any credentials and immediately have the emperor's ear? Series of books. Will read more.

[Dayna Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

The second book in A Fools' Guild Mystery series. Six fools have gone missing in Constantinople and Theo and his wife must travel to the fabled city and find out what has happened to them. This series is packed with traitors, spies, assassins, and thoroughly enjoyable ploy twists and humor. Mystery lovers will not be able to put this down. This is a Reader's Corner highly recommended series. It is full of fun and surprises.

[Sbuchler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Genre: Medieval Mystery

Enjoyable mystery set in 12th century Byzantium. The main character is a fool by trade and so the story swings though both the upper echelons of society and the seamy underside of society. Some of the character's back-stories seemed a bit fantastical to me, but their interactions were compelling :-) Mostly, a fun romp.