Dunnett, Dorothy - The Game of Kings

[oyceter]

I took a very long while getting into this, which was mostly my own fault -- it's a bit hard falling headfirst into Dunnett's labyrinthe plot when you read the book in vast intervals. The plot's still not very clear in my head.

It's funny because I began wondering what all the fuss was about Lymond. I could intellectually note everything that would have made him very appealing to me, but I had already heard so much about him via LJ that he had some pretty high expectations to live up to. But then, gradually, Dunnett kept revealing lines Lymond would not cross, and that, coupled with the sheer ruthlessness of him had me quite in his thrall by the end of the book. *wibble* Especially that scene when he and Richard duel. *wibble*

I spent a long time trying to decide if I generally liked the women in the book or not, and what I thought about the fact that certain women were just pure beyond reckoning. I also found it interesting that one of the big things against Lymond was his willingness to use women ruthlessly. I'm still not quite sure what I think.

I very much like Sybilla though. She is cool. I don't particularly like Mariotta, although I wibbled at the scene with her and Richard. Ditto Will Scott (minus the wibbling)... I can't decide if I want to hit him over the head for extreme vacillation or dubiously like him for the end. I am also quite fond of Richard just because everyone likes Lymond better than him, it seems, and I feel bad for him.

I also very much liked Christian Stewart, despite the fact that she became the sort of symbol of goodness and purity to the point in which Lymond will not have her reputation sullied for anything. I was quite traumatized when she died and I realized I wasn't reading fantasy, so really, there was no way she would be brought back to life a la Gandalf.

So. On to the next book!

ETA:
tenemet's review
rilina's review
inklings_lj's GoK entries
rachelmanija's first impressions, first 150 pgs, complete review
loligo's spoilery review and non-spoilery review

Comments

[jonquil.livejournal.com]

Mariotta annoys me mightily; I overidentify with Christian, who is funny and brave and wise. (I'm not brave, and I have doubts about the wise. But I cry at Christian's death, and at how she and Lymond handle it.)

[oyceter]

I liked Christian the second she showed up and was pretty traumatized when she died -- "What?? But, but, you're supposed to be in the next book!!"