Thrones, Dominations

Rating:
Summary: Good try, but no sequels necessary
Review: Although I have to admire Walsh for attempting to emulate Sayers' style, lack of attention to details made the book not ring true. I thought the spirit of Lord Peter was captured pretty well, but what is lacking is true knowledge of each of the characters, especially Harriet Vane. For example, as an established writer of crime, Harriet would not need Lord Peter to explain the difference between murder and manslaughter -- she would have learned that on her mother's knee, so to speak. If Walsh wanted to explicate this issue, there were plenty of characters lacking expertise through whom she could have made her point. In all, it was enjoyable, but it also made me wish Sayers had written more before switching to religion.

Rating:
Summary: not anywhere near the original, but a decent try
Review: As a long time Dorothy L. Sayers fan who has read her books again and again over the years, I found this attempt by Jill Walsh to carry on the life and times and Lord and Lady Peter Wimsey somewhat disappointing.

It is fun to see the re-appearance of almost every major and minor character from the canon, but the tone and character depiction is but a pale copy of Miss Sayers' penetrating and witty prose.

The plot is moderately interesting and the mystery is not terribly difficult to solve, but Sayers fans are usually more interested in the writing and characterizations. Ms Walsh has brought 90s attitudes to the 30s and has wisely elminated some of Sayers' less attractive views. However, to bring in for a cameo appearance Lord Peter's former mistress, the Viennese opera singer and have her turn out to be a Jewish refugee would give Miss Sayers a heart attack.

In spite of these complaints, all Lord Peter readers still will have a lovely time with this book.

Rating:
Summary: I wish I'd never read this
Review: Disgusting. For anyone who has any respect for Dorothy Sayers' oeuvre, this is a book to stay as far away from as possible. The plot is farfetched. The prose is trashy, clunking, and altogether painful to read. Having polluted my mind with this pathetic and grotesque attempt to complete Sayers' last, unfinished novel, I can only hope the passage of time and rereading of the other Wimsey novels will eventually erase the impact of this one from my mind.

Rating:
Summary: A MUCH Better book than reviewed so far
Review: I'm giving this book five stars not because it's any rival to "Crime and Punishment", but because the critical reviews are so completely off base. Paton Walsh's writing style is in many ways an improvement on Sayers, who too often in her later books allowed her characters to natter on ad nauseam in an annoyingly twee, look-how-learned-I-am fashion. In terms of Wimsey-Vane character development and plotting, "Thrones, Dominations" is head and shoulders above "Have His Carcase" and on a par with "Strong Poison", if not "Gaudy Night" which admittedly stands alone. Paton Walsh also skillfully and entertainingly weaves in pre-WW II British and European politics -- e.g. the death of George V, the fascinating dilemmas posed by Edward VIII, etc. -- which Sayers herself referred to only vaguely, most often as a way to get Lord Peter out of the country and delay the solution of the mystery du jour. One suspects Sayers was bored by the events of the day; Paton Walsh is anything but, and the new dimension adds richness and interest.

Oh yes -- the mystery itself isn't half bad (LOVE that walk through the London sewers!)

Rating:
Summary: A Pale Reunion in an Unmemorable Book
Review: The true measure of any attempt to produce a book "in the style of" a famous author is believeabilty. Thrones, Dominations has none of that. Although this book contains many faint echoes of Dorothy Sayers, it also contains an enormous quantity of Jill Paton Walsh. Walsh makes her heavy-handed touch felt in every element of the book.

The plot, while perhaps resembling a Sayers plot in broad outline, has none of her subtle twists and layered clues. Anyone can read the book and guess the murderer in the first twenty pages, which is especially sad because that is something Sayers talked about, jokingly, in several of her previous novels.

The characters, too, are greatly lacking. Those introduced for the first time in this novel seem one-dimensional; Walsh lacks Sayers' ability to make people come alive. And those that are continued from other novels - and Walsh digs up and drags out virtually *every* character from the previous novels - are shades of themselves. It's like watching Harriet and Peter, plus assorted supporting characters, played by teenagers in a high school play. However, for those truly desperate for a Wimsey fix, this book does serve something of the function of a class reunion - you get to see everyone again, even if they aren't quite like you remembered them.

The style is not nearly as intelligent or quietly elegant as in Busman's Honeymoon, Gaudy Night, or any of the earlier books. Walsh's dialogue, in particular, at times sounds like a parody of Sayers'. Even more unfortunately, Walsh has chosen to make up for several of her lacks - lack of character, dialogue, description, and plot - by introducing a great deal of crystal ball prediction of the future. As we read, we are constantly reminded that this was written by a modern author who did her research; after a while, I found myself suspecting that perhaps she included such repeated, heavy-handed references to events to come to prove that she did her research. Unfortunately, she does not manage to make either the characters or the plot any more intelligent by imbuing them with this totally inappropriate awareness of what is to come.

This is a book to read only if you are a true fan of Sayers. If you love the Wimsey stories, this will be the closest you will ever come to an update on their lives. You will get to attend the Sayers Class Reunion, which has a certain value, and you will be able to comfort yourself with the occasional passage that does ring true to Sayers. Fortunately, since no part of this book is especially memorable, you can read it once for its dubious pleasures and allow it to fade from your mind, leaving only the better memories of Sayers' real works behind.

Rating:
Summary: It's good to see the Wimseys again
Review: When I finished reading the last page of the last Lord Peter story I was sad because there weren't anymore and since Ms Sayers had died there weren't going to be anymore. I was delighted when I discovered that someone had picked up the story. Is Ms Walsh's writing just the same as Ms Sayers? No, of course not, but she does have a good feel for the subject, I enjoyed THRONES, DOMINATIONS greatly.

The story picks up a few months after BUSMAN'S HONEYMOON. Lord Peter and Harriet have returned to their London residence, Harriet is still trying to adjust to her new lifestyle and both are struggling with Peter's family. A murder takes place involving a young couple with which they are acquainted. Peter and Parker solve the crime with the assistance of Harriet and Bunter.

The scenes of the Wimseys' domestic life are wonderful, and well written. Harriet finally standing up to her overbearing sister-in-law is fantastic! There are many delightful journal enteries from the Dowager Duchess as well as scenes with many old friends from previous novels.

The flaws I found were really more in the editing than the writing. Some passages could have been trimmed a bit, perhaps others even eliminated since fans of Lord Peter and Harriet Vane really don't need to be reminded of the back story. More details about the time period, particularly Edward and Mrs Simpson, the rise of Hitler and the changing of societal rules were added in this work than in the original stories but Ms Sayers was writing for a contemporary audience while Ms Walsh's readers are separated from the era by seventy years.