Having swallowed two of Dunnett's in a matter of weeks, some thoughts following on my review of A Game of Kings.

The world-building remains spectacular, even more so in the second book than in the first. The court of Henri II of France appears as one of the wonders of early early modernity. From the modernity side, it's equipped with a startling array of cosmopolitan beasties (lots of elephant action, and at one crucial juncture, a cheetah) and the beginnings of a reliable explosives culture. From the early side, jousting and archery remain critical as both sports and practical endeavors-- alongside fencing, of course, and one excellently-timed employment of a slingshot. The roots of a later, baroque French monarchy are all obviously here, but the medieval roots show clearly. The intrigue and carousing are universals, of course-- that's where the plot happens.

Where the first book was obviously that, shaggy and unkempt, the second shows Dunnett's growth as a plotter. If anything, she gets too excited and overcooks it as a result, although that's not unfitting to the setting. French courts almost demand overplotting.

When I described Francis Crawford of Lymond to Michael, he asked, "So he's Siegfried?" Cut Siegfried with a bit of Darcy and you're not far from it, in fact. He's hyper-competent and witty, with deep but buried emotions and a real problem managing people. I can see why people find him compelling, but I don't feel for the guy, nor for most of his companions and proteges. The politicians have a bit more life in them, largely because their motives are more transparent; but the time with them is constrained by the plot's churn. There's also a rather nice Irish romance, which did leave me actually wanting both characters' happiness; and the plot is realistic enough, and true enough to those characters, that the happiness of their ending is up for discussion. It's a fine old narrative trick, the ancillary ambiguous love story, albeit one repeated (in more elegant form here) from the first book. In general, I wished for the women to be more prominent: Dunnett continues to write them well, but they have less to do here.

I said in review of the first book that Dunnett respects her readership tremendously. That sticks, and I return the favor. I like these books, and I respect them. I also think I'll take a break for a spell. There are four more Lymond books for when I want them-- and I reckon, at some point, I will.