| The Game of Kings (Lymond Chronicles, 1) | 
 enlarge | Author: Dorothy Dunnett
Publisher: Vintage Books
Category: Book
List Price: $16.95
Buy Used: $1.94
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Avg. Customer Rating:  118 reviews
Sales Rank: 35115
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 543
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.9
Dimensions (in): 8 x 5.1 x 1
ISBN: 0679777431
Dewey Decimal Number: 823.914
EAN: 9780679777434
ASIN: 0679777431
Publication Date: April 29, 1997
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Standard used condition.
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| Customer Reviews:
 all of Dorothy Dunnets Books November 23, 2004
I own and have read all of Dorothy Dunnetts two major series (Lymond and Nicollo), I am almost a professional reader, because very seldom in any of my free time do I not read. My interests span a very broad spectrum of subjects. and my large library reflects that.
I find Mrs. Dunnett in every respect in a class by herself. Better than Dumas and anyone who could facinate you on any subject. It is true, she is very sophisticated in style as well as in language, but that makes her such genius writer. Anyone who chooses not to give her a 5 star plus should attempt to re-educate him- or herself. I wish, she would continue to surprise us with more of the same.
..simply amazing... October 25, 2004
10 out of 10 found this review helpful
I found these books this previous summer on the advice of several intellectual friends, and completely fell in love with them. There is simply not enough praise to be said about them, The Game of Kings especially. The hisotrical setting is meticulously detailed and beautifully accurate, the story-telling can be incredibly wrenching and fast-paced, and the characters are beautifully drawn.
There are a few things one will have to appreciate to enjoy this book, however. The first is an ability to cope with not being able to understand everything said by the main character. Lymond is polyglot and therefore uses many quotes in French, Spanish and Latin-- the most important thing to remember is that understanding these is simply not necessary for the story. They are spices that add flavor and demonstrate his character, but they can safely be ignored. Also, the first 100 pages of this book, from what I've heard, can feel like a chore. It is, however, all very important setup that will make sense later, and I do not know anyone who has gotten past Hume Castle and not been hooked for the rest of the series. Dunnett has an amazing ability to draw scenes which are alternately laugh-out-loud funny and absolutely heartwrenching.
Out of a five-hundred page book, Lymond's point of view is probably used for less than a page. This is unusual and can seem odd at first, but there are several excellent advantages, the first being that the side characters-- whose point of view we see out of almost constantly-- are fully realized and deliciously human. It is also important to remember that to some extent this book is a chess game between author and reader. Most of the book will have you guessing about Lymond's feelings, morals, motives, and everything else. All of this makes for excellent re-reading.
All in all, this a book that requires actual work, unlike the force-it-down-your-throat modern novels that seem to be suddenly popular, but the rewards quite definitely outweigh the labor put in. This book caused an actual physical reaction in me-- by the time I had finished the climax (and there's a lot of it!) my hands were shaking uncontrollably. Put simply, this is the best thing I've read since "The Lord of the Rings" at age seven.
 Break out your dictionary September 18, 2004
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
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.
Not Hero Worship August 30, 2004
4 out of 5 found this review helpful
5 stars is my rating for the entire 6-book series of the Lymond Chronicles, which I first started reading 4 years ago. Since then, I've revisited Dunnett's Rennaissance world again and again, only to find many details I'd missed in the earlier readings. The prose is rich and lush--almost too jam-packed for some--but as one is towed along by the author's swift and ever-changing plot(s), one tends to read quickly through each novel first, planning to return for a more leisurely re-reading later.
The hero, Lymond, is one of the most ingenius and versatile of all fiction heroes ever created, and the reader watches him grow to become even more larger-than-life as the novels progress. Certainly, the story takes Lymond all over Europe in a way that is a touch far-fetched...but this just serves to increase the magic of Lymond's personality, and goes to show how expertly Dunnett has woven history with fiction. (Indeed, although I have not personally checked the historical accuracy of the author's background preparation, I've heard Dunnett say herself during a reading in New York that she had read up to 700 historical sources in order to write both the Lymond and the Niccolo series, as well as to research 'King Hereafter,' a book on Macbeth which had not yet been published at the time.)
Some readers find the Lymond books "too romantic," which I think really only applies to the last novel, 'Checkmate.' However, the very nature of adventure epics allows a certain degree of 'romanticizing,' and the series is far from sappy, cloying, or embarassingly sentimental. On the contrary, you may find yourself wishing there were just a bit MORE written about the Lymond and his beloved.
Truly, the series is among the best historical fiction ever written in English. (For Chinese readers, I'd go so far as to say that Dunnett writes similar sweeping and intricate plots as the Chinese kungfu novelist, Jing Yoong, only without the kungfu and other fantastical elements.)
Unfortunately, as a series it is difficult to give due justice to any one novel; you cannot fairly rate one book without taking the others into consideration. But I hope that the first book, 'Game of Kings,' holds enough promise to encourage you to read the others that follow--for if you do not come away with a sense of sheer amazement at the author's artistic breadth and vision, at least you should have expanded the parameters of your own imagination.
An Amazing Ride for the Quick Silver Mind August 14, 2004
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
Interestingly enough, I was introduced to the Lymond Chronicles by a man from Scotland with whom I took many hikes and rock climbs. I was immediately swept into the masterful writing of Dorothy Donnett and there was no turning back.
The Game of Kings does not mince words nor plot, but deftly plunges the reader into the personal and political complexities of a hero, playing a bandit, playing a hero. Brilliance weaves it's way through all the mischief, the intricate strategy, humor that keeps the reader laughing, often to the point of tears from it's very simplicity, and the intensity of a cast of characters, whose fates are intrinsicly tied to Frances Crawford of Lymond.
For all of Lymond's seemingly cavalier and careless treatment of his shpere of family, friends, lovers and foes, there is a deeper purpose and passion to our fair haired hero than meets the eye. His journey winds in and out of so many tragedies along the way, he is almost destroyed by the circumstances of his own making and his final saving grace is a surprise to both main character and reader alike (Gotcha thinkin' now huh?).
There is also a rich sensuality in Donnett's description of the beauty of her various characters and the detail of the cultures encountered along the way.
The Game of Kings is an excellent foundation that launches these exquisite adventures.
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