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AN ANTIC DISPOSITION
by Alan Gordon
St Martin's Minotaur, January 2004
304 pages
$24.95
ISBN: 0312300964


Buy in the UK | Buy in Canada

Denmark in the 12th century was divided between three men claiming to be king. A fourth man, Orvendil, was lord of Slesvig and aspired to the throne as well. Into this quagmire of espionage and chicanery, the Fools' Guild sends Terence of York to try to restrain Orvendil. Orvendil's two-year-old son, Amleth, calls him Yorick.

The story is being told by Father Gerald, the Chief Fool, many years later. The Guild has relocated to the Black Forest, chased from the Dolomites by Pope Innocent III, Each evening after the work and studies are finished one of the fools tells a tale. The story of all that was rotten in the state of Denmark is told by Gerald who was jester to Voldemar and chief of Terence.

Shakespeare did not quite get it right, although he had the main points of the story. It was, if anything, far more devastating and frightening than even Shakespeare knew. There is love and treachery and lust for power. The women are pawns and men's loyalties are always for sale. Yorick does his best to preserve peace and order and to protect young Amleth, but that could never be enough.

I truly love this concept of a Fools' Guild secret from all and sworn to keep the world as safe as possible during the medieval period. The original book in the series, THIRTEENTH NIGHT, begins where Shakespeare's play Twelfth Night ends.

The next three follow the story of Theophilos, the fool in Twelfth Night, and Claudia as they travel on Guild work. In this one, obviously Gordon has returned to a Shakespeare play to provide the framework and I thought it worked very well. We know Shakespeare got his information from many sources, some of whom may not have had the story exactly right. (What he did with the story, of course, is something else entirely and one of the greatest tragedies ever created.) But Gordon reworks the story to show what a major role the Fools' Guild played in the disaster in Denmark.

I have to say I miss the character of Theophilos who has only a secondary role in this story. But Terence makes up for his absence and provides us with a credible and sympathetic character to enjoy. The other characters are well-defined and intriguing also. Orvendil, whose ambition was just not great enough, was killed by his brother Fengi who then wed his wife Gerutha. The spy master Gorm had a tragic marriage but fathered Alfhild, the lovely young girl with whom Amleth falls in love, and Lother, Amleth's great friend. Even the friend Amleth makes in Paris, Horatio, is believable and realistic.

The setting of these stories, in the late 12th and early 13th centuries, is wonderful. Of course we do not know if the actual events are true (although they certainly could be) but the backdrop of the story, the feudal politics, the world of faith with the Viking past just beneath the surface, the intrigues and conspiracies all seem very believable.

I could easily suspend my disbelief and feel that I was in a world that existed once and had been recreated for my enjoyment (and yours). I believe this is an accurate reflection of the political situation of the times. Everyone was plotting to overthrow everyone else; everyone was spying on everyone else; and loyalty could be purchased and lost for very little.

As I say, I enjoyed this book very much, perhaps more than any of the series since THIRTEENTH NIGHT. I hope there will be many more to come and that Gordon returns to Shakespearean themes from time to time.

Reviewed by Sally Fellows, February 2004

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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)


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