Rating: 
Summary: not quite the real thing
Review: In my mind, Dorothy Sayers is quite the best mystery writer ever. What sets her apart in my mind, is not just the intricate plot of a tightly woven detective stories - you can find plenty of that with Agatha Christie and Cornan Doyle also. The pleasure of reading Sayers comes from her sheer fortitude as a writer with unsurpassed erudition (I use this word as a complement in this case). Her penetrating analysis of the psychology of the main characters. Casually strawn references to Greek Mythologies, European history, and, of course, deliciously wonton quotations from classical writers and poets. This is what makes reading Sayers such a pleasure. (I follow most of her references, but am still searching the correct source of King Cophetua and Pandarus) I especially enjoyed Wimsey in the context of his pursuit of Vane in the four books Sayers herself wrote, with all of his (Sayers') finest display of the intellectual prowess. From this angle, Thrones and Dominations was a sad disappointment. But then again, I don't see how anyone without the turn of the century classical education and Sayers own intellect can duplicate the feat. Ms. Walsh's Wimsey and Vane have none of the sparkling intelligence or erudition. In fact, this "new" pair comes across only as a juvenile shadow of the original pair, almost vulgar at times.... Another minor irritation was Ms. Walsh's unrelenting effort to demonstrate to the readers that she did her "homework" by reading all of Sayers' works. There are quite a lot of tiresome verbatim quotes from previous Wimsey-Vane stories and references to the events that were described in previous stories. I would say Sayers herself would have never been so compulsively driven to prove the "continuity" of the authorship. I guess this in the same vein as in "Thou protestth too much!" As a detective story, the plot is good, and overall within the middle range of what Sayers herself would have accomplished.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent
Review: I was amazed at all the awful reviews, because I LOVED this book. Dorothy Sayers is one of my all-time favorite authors and of course it would be impossible to write exactly like her. (I read her translation of Dante in college.) But this book does a great job -- the details are all there, the dry, witty humor is preserved, and I couldn't put it down. Lord Peter isn't exactly the same as in Sayers' mysteries, but he isn't exactly the same in each one of Sayers' mysteries, either. He develops, he changes, and now he's married but not boring. The writing is excellent and very true to form.
Rating: 
Summary: Zzzzz
Review: Commits the unpardonable (and almost impossible) sin of making Peter Wimsey boring.
Rating: 
Summary: Not the Sequel to Busman's Honeymoon
Review: In Murder Must Advertise, Wimsey briefly portrays a charicature of himself as a cold, stiff, conceited, well-educated lord. It's an hilarious episode, since it's a ruse perpetrated by the true Lord Peter (dear Lord Peter!) - quick-witted, playful, noble in the ancient sense.
In Thrones, Dominations, however, not only Wimsey, but also Harriet, Parker, and Bunter are sad, pale imitations of themselves. There's even one scene in which Parker says something abysmal like, "I don't mind if Bunter takes photgraphs. I have seen Bunter's photographs before. They are of a good quality. He knows better than to mess up the evidence, too." Who ARE these people? It's true that Wimsey and Harriet still quote various texts at one another. In the grand style of an ill-begot sequel, however, the majority of the quoting is from Sayer's previous works - half the sentences seem to start with "Remember that time when we...?". There's a very obnoxious mix of constant reference to Sayers' novels, a desire to wrap up all the "loose ends" in them, and complete lack of any resemblence to them. More upsetting, however, than the problems with style and characterization, is the heavy-handed way in which Walsh handles the moral and ethical dilemmas Sayers carefully developed over the whole of the LPW series. The worst error is perhaps made just in the "wrapping-up" tone that permeates the novel - as if Lord Peter and Harriet had reached their pinnacle, and would not grow any farther. One equally striking, however, is Walsh's incapacity to deal delicately and knowledgeably with the notion of nobility. Thrones, Dominations may be a decent book. It's not an especially intricate or interesting mystery story - it has none of the technical descriptions and details that characterize Sayers' books. But it's certainly not a Lord Peter Wimsey mystery.
Rating:
Summary: approach with caution
Review: As you must have gathered from other reviews, this is an enjoyable book in the Lord Peter Whimsey tradition. I was thoroughly enough interested in it that I entirely forgot that it was not all written by Sayers. Nevertheless I was critically conscious enough to be disturbed by some minor things. Thoughts such as, "this interview isn't nearly as amusing as it ought to be" were easily repressed. But the conversations between Lord Peter and Harriet were more troublesome. "Is that what was meant then, in Busman's Honeymoon, or in Gaudy Night..?" Of course, having set the book down and noticed the second name on the cover, I realize that it isn't necessary to alter my understanding of those past books on anything found here. The fact that I realize this as something obvious which I need not, for my own peace of mind, discover or conclude fascinates me. I would not have guessed, before, that an author mattered so much to me in reading a novel. Unless you are quite certain that the author does not matter to you, you will likely find those aspects of this book that affect the previous books disturbing. I also would not have guessed how difficult it might be to disregard what I read here. Even if you were absolutely certain that an acquaintence of yours had never, say, been engaged, are you able to look at that person in exactly the same way after having heard the rumor? I'm not sure we are able to easily forget such things (which implies, in harmony with actual practice, that unfounded slander which no one believes should still be considered harmful). Since I've found that I value what Dorothy Sayers is conveying, I regret the new context in which I have to try not to view her own works. Now, what if you don't care what Dorothy Sayers is conveying, but are simply interested in more Lord Peter Whimsey stories? This is how I approach something like X-files (a show written by multiple writers to begin with anyhow). I'm happy to take fan fiction seriously if I find it improves upon the X-files world. I don't think, even if I approached the Lord Peter Whimsey books this way, that I would find the alterations caused by this book defendable. Thrones, Dominations does not improve upon the Sayers canon as a whole. Problems of character are introduced that are not satisfactorily resolved, so that the characters are less Themselves -- and less interesting -- than they had been. There are some plot elements that are unsettling... these kinds of things don't happen in Lord Peter Whimsey mysteries. And so on. My judgement stands: It is a decent book, but it detracts from some much better books. Approach with caution and handle with care. If Gaudy Night or Busman's Honeymoon is your favorite book, I recommend you avoid this. If you are not particularly attached to Lord Peter Whimsey mysteries at all, go ahead and read it. If you you are not particularly attached to Lord Peter Whimsey mysteries but are familiar with them, and want a really strange experience reading a book finished by another author, I recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: Enjoy a mannered mystery à la 1930s; it's not Shakepeare!
Review: Having read some, not all, of the singular Dorothy Sayers, and having marveled at the word craft of Jill Paton Walsh (The Emperor's Winding Sheet) I had a spasm of impulsive delight to buy Thrones, Dominations. These two writers are among a handful who use precise, uncommon English to make a good story better. Finding them "working together" was a tickle. JPW took on quite a challenge knowing there would be scores of DS aficionados for whom even DS coming back as JPW's muse would be insufficient. Thanks to both writers and an especial brava to JPW who fearlessly breathed life into Peter and Harriet once more. I loved the struggle of the newlyweds designing their own sort of loving relationship. Those reviewers who felt this was too modern might enjoy reading the works of Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucy Stone, Margaret Fuller, and many others who wrote about male-female relations. Dorothy Sayers is likely to have been exposed to such philosophy since women's suffrage was a critical issue on both sides of the Atlantic. Harriet Vane, one may be certain, would have spent time considering human rights without being a novel character for her times.
Rating:
Summary: This is not a good book
Review: I have read Busman's Honeymoon and most of the other Sayers novels more times than I can remember. I love her style, her humor, her ability to entertain and her ability to use the English language. It is fairly obvious why Ms. Sayers did not finish this book. The part of the novel written by Ms. Sayers is far below her usual standards. The part of the novel written by Ms. Walsh is so unlike anything Ms. Sayers would have written that I am amazed that some reviewers talk about the book being "seamless" and well-written. Dorothy Sayers is a great author, but she knew what she was doing when she stuck this book away in the safe. I'm sorry that her heirs didn't leave it there.
Rating:
Summary: I loved it!
Review: I am a big fan of the Peter Wimsey books, but I guess I don't qualify as hard-core. I really loved this book. I thought Walsh did an excellent job of recreating the characters and fleshing out a novel from Sayers' notes. The mystery was not incredibly complex, but the pschology in it was interesting. The ending of this book left me feeling ludicrously happy. I like a happy ending emerging from a sordid tale of murder, personally.
Rating:
Summary: I really enjoyed this book, extremely well written.
Review: Jill Paton Walsh has done an amazing, albeit thankless job in "Thrones, Dominations." The dialogue was beautiful, (especially the put-down that Harriet gives to Helen.) Of course, it is not exactly "Dorothy Sayers", but since Dorothy Sayers is dead, obviously this is not Dorothy Sayers, but it is a very good imitation. I have read some knockoffs of some other famous (old) authors, and although the blurbs always promise "exactly like the author" I am always disappointed. This book was as close as you can get, probably because Dorothy Sayers did write some of it, but also because I really enjoyed Walsh's style. But then again, I am not such a die-hard fan of Wimsey as some other reviewers were ( I didn't even read all her books cover to cover) so perhaps I am not that qualified. I do think that even people who are not die-hard Dorothy Sayers fan will enjoy this book, it can easily stand on its own. I must admit a partiality to Walsh's sharp dialogue, and I also enjoyed the many historical references, and the deep dark psychology which did seem ahead of its time. It is more well thought out than Sayers could ever have done, I am sorry to say, simply because Sayers herself seemed muddled and confused in these issues (as she wrote in "Gaudy Night"). Also, Harriet definitely uses some modern terms and concepts - such as when she tells Rosamery's father that "those who are close to the victim may feel that they are in some way at fault" in that very detached, impersonal idiom of modern psychology. But I don't think that is a fault in the book, after all, it is being published in today's days! In short, I think Jill Paton Walsh did an excellent job of continuing Dorothy Sayers character and story, while adding her own spice and style. This is a book that can be enjoyed by everyone.
Rating:
Summary: Good effort, but¿
Review: As a fan of Sayers' Lord Peter books, I looked forward to reading Walsh's effort based on Sayers' notes. While the plot is good, Walsh fails to capture the delightful and very literary style Sayers displayed in the original Wimsey books.
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