What a hard read, until I got used to it. Very difficult on the sentence and paragraph level to figure out what was going on. Not just her prose, though that was convoluted enough, or the way her characters talked in poetry and allusions I was mostly unfamiliar with. But she showed everything, didn't tell, just gave their words and looks and none of the thought behind it. And they all spoke in abbreviated form, allusions and hints and never half saying what they meant (except, perhaps, Will Scott). It's a wonder any in the story understood the conversations they found themselves taking part in; in real life they'd have been more bewildered than I, without leisure and pages to refer back to. A very mind-consuming read.I know I started this before, didn't think I'd gotten very far. Now I'm not sure. I kept being teased by hints of familiarity, as if I'd read it all before, but then I never knew what was coming. Could be my memory but I doubt it.Should I read the others in the series? I've no great desire to do so, somehow. Lymond tortured, outlawed, ambiguous and unpredictable, hiding from unknown crimes or errors: that was interesting, worth disentangling to find out about. Lymond reputation restored, clearly on the angel's side, in good with his family - in short, not tormented - might be less worth chasing through Dunnett's entangled prose. But I may have a look anyhow.

What fun! Its 1547, Henry VIII is dead and his young son Edward VII sits on the throne, as does a very young Mary sit on the throne of Scotland. Negotiations were made and broken to betroth young Mary to Edward and cement the two countries - or will the Scots marry her off to the dauphin of France instead? Francis Crawford of Lymond, a disgraced nobleman accused of treason sneaks back into Scotland and thus the game begins (to clear his name? is he working for the English as a spy? to murder his brother so that Lymond can inherit the Culter estates?).

Francis and his band of "merry men" immediately begin to wreak havoc, including setting fire to his brother's estate after stealing the silver and holding the ladies (including his mother) at knife point for their jewelry. Throughout, Francis' brilliant wit, sarcasm and heroism keep the reader enthralled and at times laughing out loud. Lymond's escapades take him up and down the breadth of Scotland as Dunnett slowly peels back the layers of her story and keeps the reader guessing until the very end, finishing in a trial of ups and downs, twists and turns ala Perry Mason.

This is not an easy tale to get into, especially if you have no passing knowledge of the Tudor/Stuart courts and noblemen during the 16C. Dunnett also liberally sprinkles her text with quotes from Latin, French and Olde English, you can purchase her companion book if you must know every word and nuance but I did just fine without it -- just skip the Latin you won't miss it. However, it's well worth the effort to stick with it until you "get it" as you will be well rewarded with a jolly good yarn, with as much action, excitement and swashbuckling good sword play as you would find in any Dumas novel -- for me that is the highest compliment I can give any author. A solid five stars, and I am now starting book two in the series, Queens' Play (Lymond Chronicles, 2). ( )

ALL the books in this series, The Lymond Chronicles, are fantastically complicated, wonderfully plotted, and historically perfect . Each time I pick up one to re-read, I end up re-reading the entire series...

Dorothy Dunnett's Lymond Chronicles are a stylish mix of high romance and high camp. The six historical novels are set in sixteenth century Scotland and Europe and tell the story of Francis Crawford, Master of Lymond, a Scot who is caught up in the battle for control of Scotland.

The Game of Kings, the first in the series, is set in 1547 Scotland: The English have successfully invaded Scotland, five-year-old Mary sits on a precarious throne, and Francis Crawford stands accused of treason.

At this point I no longer am sure what to say about Dunnett's book. I, personally, loved it and have ordered the remaining five books in the series. However, getting through the first hundred or so pages was an act of faith. I've spent the past few years reading a lot of easy, read-while-watching-TV books. This is not one of those. Dunnett's style demands complete concentration and attention.

Francis Crawford is a wonderful, charasmatic character. He's been compared to Byron, Lawrence of Arabia, James Bond, and Lord Peter Wimsey. The historical accuracy, wit, suspense, invention, and sheer excitement in Dunnett's books are undisputable.

Dorothy Dunnett's Lymond Chronicles are the yardstick by which other historical novels are measured. They are a great treasure, but they are not for the faint of heart. ( )

The only thing about The Game of Kings which I don't like is the fact that it is seemingly impossible to buy the next book in the series. Well, that and perhaps the fact that the first couple of hundred pages or so are rather slow. After that, though, I read the book in two very large bites, interrupted only by the need to get off one bus and onto the other. The characters and the dialogue, the plotting and the historical accuracy, the literary references and the humour, the politics and the drama: it's like it was tailor-made for me.

I found myself utterly adoring Lymond, horrible flaws and all. He's so wonderfully complex and messed-up and charming; there were more than a few points where I found myself wondering if perhaps Peter Wimsey had a Scottish antecedent or two.

Here's hoping eBay will be able to help me out, for I have a horrible feeling that this way lies addiction. ( )