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The Blood Tartan (Quest of the Five Clans #1)

Raymond St. Elmo

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Jul 16, 2017 Kathleen Garlock rated it it was amazing

After reading The Blood Tartan: Quest of the Five Clans, I was left with one thought. Actually, I was left with lots of thoughts, but this one really stuck out.

What the hell is a spadassin?

According to Wiktionary, it’s a French word for an Italian word which in English translates to either a swordsman or a bully. Leave it to a linguist to come up with that one.

Regardless, I guess I have to vote for both choices. Not a problem, actually. Because Rayne Grey is a lot of one and a bit of the other. After reading The Blood Tartan: Quest of the Five Clans, I was left with one thought. Actually, I was left with lots of thoughts, but this one really stuck out.

What the hell is a spadassin?

According to Wiktionary, it’s a French word for an Italian word which in English translates to either a swordsman or a bully. Leave it to a linguist to come up with that one.

Regardless, I guess I have to vote for both choices. Not a problem, actually. Because Rayne Grey is a lot of one and a bit of the other. Just to make things clear, he’s a lot of a swordsman. And yes, a bit of a bully, but like the rest of Raymond St. Elmo’s heroes, he’s really more of a romantic. And as with the best of romantics, a bit of a fool besides. But only in the most delightfully foolish kind of way.

Having devoured every word of every story published by Mr. St. Elmo, I can proudly boast to being a very besotted fan. And as such, I am spoiled. I’ve grown accustomed to poetic prose, laugh out loud humor, intriguing characters, and thoughtful romance. He never disappoints.

This story is no exception. It takes place in a world different than St. Elmo’s prior creations. There is no tie to the other stories, no key for the various, endearing versions of Clarence to use to unlock the heart of the always adored Kay/K/Cai. No, here is a very different hero. A killer, but one with a few scruples. A character who kills without compunction yet champions the downtrodden and miserable poor souls of his adopted country. This combination of casual brutality and social conscience he has given the spadassin, The Seraph, reminds me in many ways of Lloyd Alexander’s Kestrel. But this story is so much funnier.

The romance always present in St. Elmo’s fiction has also changed—darkened with remorse and regret. And yet, tenderness remains. How could it not? It is, after all, a tale penned by a true romantic. And not in the bodice ripper kind of way—although there is fumbling with some irritating buttons and a gorgeous girl who can’t seem to keep her clothes on—but I digress.

As always, the secondary characters try to steal the show and almost succeed, but in the end the narrator wins.

For he is, after all, a spadassin. ...more

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