|
[ Home ]
[ About | Reviews | Search | Submit ]
Swabia, 1204 AD. The Fool's Guild has regrouped in the Black Hills after escaping persecution by a Church that had decided that mockery is akin to blasphemy. One evening Father Gerald tells a story that Theophilos hates, a story of when Father Gerald was the chief Fool of Jutland (Denmark) and Theophilos was very young. The story Father Gerald tells took place in South Jutland in 1157 AD. It was a time of struggle for the throne of Jutland. Many people were ambitious; so many that even the hard work of the Fools could not win a complete peace. It was a time and place where ambition trumped filial and marital ties, where brother was willing to kill brother, and wife was willing to kill husband in the hope of gaining the throne. The similarities between this story and Shakespeare's HAMLET are obvious from the moment young Amleth calls the Fool Yorick. So much so that it was difficult to finish the story. I thought that I knew how it ended; and I didn't think I could bear it. If you are in the same position, take heart! Gordon has a few tricks up his sleeve and the ending will not be as horrible as you expect. This is one of the best medieval history-mystery series around. I am so glad that the publisher is continuing it. (If you get a chance, drop a note to St. Martin's Press.) The series is an interesting combination of history and literature. I was tempted to use the term fantasy rather than literature, but it would be inaccurate. The series is not fantastical, except in the description of the work of the Fool's Guild, and that is strongly rooted in literature. You see Fools working behind the scenes in plays from Shakespeare to Moliere! The first book, THIRTEENTH NIGHT, is based not so much in the world of Elizabeth I as in the world of Shakespeare -- it traces the eventual outcomes of the events in Shakespeare's TWELFTH NIGHT. AN ANTIC DISPOSITION is an alternate telling of the events of Shakespeare's HAMLET. I think of these two entries in the series as being based on literary (rather than literal) history, although Gordon includes an interesting note on Shakespeare's historical sources for the story of Hamlet at the end of AN ANTIC DISPOSITION. Enjoy these two books as alternative Shakespeare. The middle books (and the short stories) are based more on literal history (the events of the Crusades). If this particular title is not your cuppa; then try a different title by this author, such as A DEATH IN THE VENETIAN QUARTER.
Reviewed by Jill Long, February 2004
This book has more than one review. Click here to show all.
[ Top ]
QUICK SEARCH:
Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
[ About | Reviews | Search | Submit ]
[ Home ]
| 
