Rating: 
Summary: Break out your dictionary
Review: Is Dorothy Dunnett the modern Rabelais? Her combination of action, vocabulary, cultural references, and intelligence is impressive. The Game of Kings starts with a simple phrase: "Lymond is back." (Actually, it starts with a list of the cast of characters, which you will need in order to follow the events of the novel.) This is a clever beginning for what is the first of a six-volume series about Francis Crawford of Lymond.
At the beginning of the Game of Kings, Lymond has been outlawed from Scotland and has returned to his native country with much fanfare. He immediately raids his mother's home, stabs a pregnant woman, and then sets the place on fire, nice guy that he is. From there he roams Scotland and northern England to find three men who can help him with some unknown task, all the while pursued less by Scottish authorities than by his own brother. The novel's climax is enthralling, including a poignant scene involving the two brothers and a gripping trial that reveals the denouement. The characters, thought a bit muddled at first, are memorable and engaging.
Thought it took me some time to "get into" the Game of Kings, Dunnett won me over with her double-entendres and her use of chess metaphors to summarize the action. Though I might not rush to read Queen's Play tomorrow, I am certainly anxious to read the first novel of her House of Niccolo series, which promises to be just as rewarding as the Game of Kings. But I doubt it will be as linguistically enriching.
Rating: 
Summary: Amazing Characterizations
Review: My first experience with Dunnett was the House of Niccolo series, which was an utter delight. But I must say that after reading this first book in the Lymond Chronicles that I have even more respect for Dunnett's writing ability than I thought possible. I humbly bow in adoration. It's incredible to think that the very first novel Dunnett ever wrote could be such a crowning achievement. I hope the rest of the novels in this series keep pace.Dunnett's strengths are perhaps more pronounced in The Game of Kings than in anything I have ever read. While the Niccolo series was masterfully strategic and unpredictable, the Lymond Chronicles-so far-have the added flair of unyielding personality on all levels. Every aspect of her narrative oozes with motive and mystery that gives the narrative itself living breath and an almost omniscient presence that one would typically associate with godhood. Her frequent quotes from Greek legends and other literary treats add to this flavor. Dunnett, above any other author I have yet read, has the keen ability to let her characters behave in a way that is so utterly true to who they are that even the untimely deaths of characters who could have persisted throughout the series are right and true: it simply couldn't have been any other way. So often I find that authors will eliminate characters for the purpose of sparking emotion in the reader, but Dunnett reveals deeper motivations for her choices that fashion her world in the sense that it was the best course of action in relation to a deeper good that simply pervades the fiber of being. Throughout this book the reader is led (playfully) one way and then another always wondering what motivates these characters to endure and while Dunnett stays mercifully away from moral diatribes, her characters, in the end, reveal themselves to be true, and deeply rooted in (or uprooted from) a universal good. While her characters in The Game of Kings have the same kind of depth and determination on par with authors such as Dostoevsky and Rand, Dunnett's Lymond (most of all her characters) never succumbs to the wretched bitterness of being misunderstood or further, victimized by a world that is unfavorable to his very being. Instead, he simply displays the beautiful duality of strength and frailty with a sweet sort of resignation to the fact of what he is.
Rating:
Summary: a must-read if you like history, romance, or adventure
Review: Please believe me if I say I have read many, many historical novels, tons of romance (trashy or otherwise), and countless adventures, and nothing, absolutely nothing compares to the Lymond chronicles......if you can get past the first 50 pages of the Game of Kings. The first few chapters are very difficult going, I grant you that. At first I had some trouble remembering who's who. The multi-lingual part is not a problem. I only have English, German, some Spanish, and practically no French. This book leans heavily on French. If you come to a phrase you do not understand, just skip it! (I eventually went back and tried to look them up because I was THAT obsessed.) It will not deter you from understanding the plot or enjoying the book. It really is well worth it. If anyone knows of any author who writes like Dunnett, please, please let me know. I have been searching ever since I read all of her books.
Rating:
Summary: The start of an obsession
Review: Starting the Lymond Chronicles is not for the faint of heart. In the first 50 pages you will meet Lymond, Francis Crawford and the Master of Culter. Somewhere around page 100, you will learn that they are all the same character. Many first time readers are put off by the complexity and by the image of this arrogant, polyglot, male-diva storming around Scotland offending everyone he meets. This is supposed to be our hero? Indeed he is. In Game of Kings, Lymond is wanted for treason and if caught he'll hang. Scotland is at war with England, and political machinations between Scotland, England and France are at a delicate state in which, as Lymond says, they are all "energetically cheating". As Lymond tries to clear his name, he is also working to assist in the war effort, but which side does he support? And how can you focus on the plot when every other phrase Lymond utters is a quotation or allusion? Some advice to help you get started: 1. Skim over the quotations. As one character says - I wish he would speak plain English! The quotes help add color to the scenes, but if you are getting bogged down, skip them, until you are ready to reread. (And then, you might want to have the Dunnett Companion with you, so you can get the full translation.) 2. Keep track of the characters. There are many, and as I mentioned above, they aren't always called by the same name. 3. Let yourself be drawn in. This is not an easy read. But once you start to connect with the characters, you will find it hard to put down. If you are still reading by the time you come to lisping Spaniard scene, I suspect that you will become hooked on the series. It's been 5 years since I discovered Dunnett, and with each reread, I am finding something more to the story. This is a series that will open your mind to the wonders of well-crafted sentences, and fully-developed characters in the hands of a brilliant author. Dunnett is one of the few authors I'm aware of who never spoon-feeds her audience. You must come up to her level to progress through the book. She produced dense, well-researched books with many subplots and diversions along the way to the resolution. And in Francis Crawford of Lymond she created a tortured hero who will rip you to shreds with his words, make you laugh at his amazing stunts, and then touch your heart with his music, all while keeping you in constant wonder about what might happen next. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Don't miss this exquisite series of novels
Review: These books are addictive. I found myself reading into the wee hours of the morning, unable to stop. The Lymond Chronicles can also be frustrating to read. Dunnett doesn't reveal her characters's motivations at the outset. You may hate Francis Crawford of Lymond for his actions. But wait and reserve judgment. He always has an excellent reason for what he does. But you may not learn that reason until chapters later -- even in another volume of the series. He is generally guided by good intentions and moral values, even when he is being cruel and hateful. Pay attention to details. A scene from The Game of Kings, Vol. 1, may explain something said near the end of the last volume, Checkmate. Especially memorable are the deadly chess game in Pawn in Frankincense, the rooftop race in Queen's Play and the sword fight in The Game of Kings. I can't begin to tell you how good these books are. They have adventure, romance, mystery, terror, history, travel, politics, the occult -- a bit of everything anyone could want. If you haven't read these books, kick yourself now, or start reading!
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