More Swashbuckling 16th Century action
If you have read GAME OF KINGS, the 1st volume of Dorothy Dunnett's 6-volume-Lymond Chronicles (LC), then you will have already met Will Scott - his harsh training under Francis Crawford shapes a fine, formidable young warrior of whom Wat Buccleugh, (Will's father) becomes extremely proud. This, the 3rd volume, opens then on the day of Will's wedding - and a Scots raid on the English, at a time when the war between the two nations is in its 8th year.
From Scotland to Malta, we follow Lymond's travels to seek Oonagh O'Dwyer (first encountered in Volume 2, Queen's Play). Ostensibly however, he agrees to be drawn into the struggles of the the Order of the Knights of St John who are not only factionalised within but are also facing challenges by the Ottoman Empire. The ensuing action assumes not only physical and intellectual - but also weighty spiritual / moral dimensions - even once Lymond returns to Scotland to train his officers and men in St Mary's, his mercenary outfit.
As with every other volume in Lady Dunnett's LC, the action, particularly the battles are described in extremely fine detail as are the settings and physical descriptions. Such is the depth of these that one is constantly reminded that Dorothy Dunnett was a sculptor and painter. Both come through in her superb writing, the standard of which is rarely, if ever, encountered in fiction of the 21st century. However, for this reader, Dunnett's characterisation and dialogue are, of course, the elements which draw one back to re-read these novels time and again. As a person whose ancestries are not of Europe, I feel that Lady Dunett's writing was "ahead of her time" - in that people, whether they are European or not, are not stereotyped into narrow, extremely prejudiced contexts. To me, their motivations and responses, whether ultimately good or evil, are shown to be very human.
I first encountered the LC twenty odd years ago and started with this particularly novel. At first, I could not "get into" the book and was extremely confused by who was whom and what was happening - and I stopped reading two or three times - before deciding to persevere once and for all. I am glad I continued. I am aware of many other Dunnett readers having had similar experiences, as none of the books are an "easy" holiday - "day at the beach" read.
With every book, on first reading, the reader has to work hard at understanding what's happening, who's plotting against whom, and who is pulling the strings of the counter-plots - but if you work at this, you will be infinitely rewarded by a life-long appreciation of Lady Dunnett's legacy. This legacy in my opinion is not confined to wonder and fascination with her characters and hero but also to life-long lessons which may be applied in one's own personal philosophy - particularly regarding the meaning of faith, grace and unwavering honesty with oneself.
