[.ca] The Disorderly Knights (Lymond Chronicles, Book 3) (ISBN 0718141261)

Not Overrated:
...Any understanding of what the experience of existing in these times requires imagination and conjecture. Ms Dunnett has enriched her novels with an incredible amount of research and detail. One example of this would be the constant quoting of song and literature from the period. Now I admit that some of the characters and the situations are larger than life, but I don't count that against her. There are no cheap tricks here. Dunnett is incredibly adept at leading you down a primrose path, expecting cliche, then toying with your expectations. When I read this book and the next in the series, I experienced feelings I haven't had since I was very young. I don't know what else to say. I think this is the best adventure story I've ever encountered in any medium, though I haven't read everything. There is much in these books to thrill and sustain repeated readings... These novels are certainly different from O'brien's.

Book #3 in The Lymond Chronicles and what a nail biting finish!:
Francis Crawford of Lymond is sent by the French King to the Island of Malta where the Knights Hospitallers are threatened by an invasion from the Turks. While there Francis is caught up in the politics of the Knights, in particular one Graham Malett who the reader will discover is not at all what he and his convent raised sister are what they appear to be on the surface. As Dunnett slowly peels back the layers of her story, the reader is taken from Malta to embattled Tripoli and then back again to Scotland as Francis intrigues to discover Graham's hidden agendas. To say much more would give away the whole plot, but be prepared for some memorable moments that will stick with you for long after the book is finished. The scene with the sheep (LOL), the nail biting suspense in Tripoli as they try to defuse the flame before Tripoli is blown to bits and of course the final climax during the sword fight between Lymond and his greatest enemy. 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. Dunnett is also very subtle (sometimes too much so!) and you do have to wait until the very end when all is revealed during a heart stopping sword fight in an Edinburgh cathedral, and a big surprise for Francis that will have you scrambling for the next book in the series, A Pawn in Frankincense. Five stars.

Astounding fiction:
This third book in the series book pits Francis Crawford of Lymond against an adversary worthy of his steel - Graham Reid Malett, a gorgeous, gifted, lying, scheming, corrupt and captivating giant of a man possessed (in more ways than one) of the adoration of almost everyone who meets him, not to mention the most beautiful sister in the world. Can Francis survive the encounter? Like all good writers, Mrs.Dunnett respects her villain too much to make him easy meat, and the conflict between these two gives the book real tension and pace. The Somerville women and the enigmatic Sibylla develop in unexpected and interesting ways, Lymond's male companions reveal why he rates them high or low, and the author gives us not just a rattling good yarn but a great cast of characters and a quick tour of the philosophy and politics of the time into the bargain. The book would be worth reading just for Lymond and Malett, but it offers much more. And it couldn't be filmed, because the actors who could step into these two pairs of shoes simply don't exist. I leave the debate over whether Dorothy Dunnett is a 'great' writer or merely a 'good' one to others. She's a hugely enjoyable writer, and I'd rather spend the time enjoying than making needless comparisons. This is a well plotted, well paced, well structured book with characters you won't forget in a hurry. Just read it.

As Much Fun As You Can Have Reading:
The Disorderly Knights, 3rd in the Lymond Chronicles, must be one of the most thrilling adventure stories ever written. From the initial Borderland skirmishes to the intrigue on Malta, from the cryptic dueling at St. Mary's to the Edinburgh climax, the thunderbolt narrative never ceases to twist, turn, and surprise. Lymond himself seems almost to transcend the existing literature -- a genuinely original romantic hero. I'd argue that Lymond Chronicles are actually underrated, as no one I know seems to have heard of them. Having at this point read the first three, its hard to think of anything with which to compare them. The dazzling, larger than life characters, the gleaming wit and razor-sharp dialogue, the breathless action and labyrinthian plotting all combine to create nearly perfect novels: rollercoaster, thinking person's adventure tales. If the first volume has the advantage of surprise and the second is distinguished by its French Court setting and intrigue, I'd make the (arguable) argument that this third is even better, having the advantage of a more serpentine plot, genuinely shocking final quarter revelations, and a villain of spectacular stature. If you love to read, dig into these masterpieces at earliest opportunity -- but start with the first, Game of Kings. They're confusing enough as it is...

Another wonderful Lymond installment.:
The Disorderly Knights is a wonderful addition to Dorothy Dunnett's Lymond Chronicles. These books are truly wondrous creations on many levels. The scenes are beautifully wrought. I just spent some time in Spain (both the Canary Islands and the mainland). While I wasn't wasn't in Malta or Tripoli (the setting for major portions of this novel), I can say that Dunnett captures impeccably the atmosphere of southern Europe and the islands near it. My next trip to Europe will include a sidetrip to Malta. The plot is labyrinthine in the good sense: complex, but ultimately satisfying. The characters are people you want to get to know better. Lymond is perhaps the most complicated and enigmatic character I've run into in fiction. I hope by the end of the sixth novel, I can say that I understand him to some degree. In the meantime, trying to determine what makes him tick is a major part of the satisfaction of these great novels. The action sequences are simply brilliant. The last set piece in the cathedral in Edinburgh is as good as it gets. What I don't understand is why "Masterpiece Theatre" hasn't figured out a way to dramatize the Lymond chronicles. Finally, I have a quibble with the reader who says that Dunnett's work is overrated. He compares them to Patrick O'Brian's series and makes the point that Dunnett's don't measure up as great historical fiction. I love both series, but in very different ways. But even if one were to conclude that O'Brian is the superior (which I don't), Dunnett's work stands so far above everyone else, it's a crime to give her work anything less than five stars. These books are worthy of being read and re-read.