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daydreamer45's review
5.0
I only hav e one word of any relevance: more!
“Jerott, for God’s sake! Are you doing this for a wager?’ said Lymond, his patience gone at last. ‘What does anyone want out of life? What kind of freak do you suppose I am? I miss books and good verse and decent talk. I miss women, to speak to, not to rape; and children, and men creating things instead of destroying them. And from the time I wake until the time I find I can’t go to sleep there is the void—the bloody void where there was no music today and none yesterday and no prospect of any tomorrow, or tomorrow, or next God-damned year.”
“What’s wrong? Has Francis been rude? Then you must try to overlook it. I know you wouldn’t think so, but he is thoroughly upset by TE’s death; and when Francis is troubled he doesn’t show it, he just goes and makes life wretched for somebody.”
Spoiler
That might nake me a terrible person (it probablt does, that's alright with me) but I was okay with ditching the baby since Lymnd can't be sure until he finds him, whether his son is still alive or even rral. Kind of didn't enjoy Philippa giving Gabriel this chance iof escape.“Jerott, for God’s sake! Are you doing this for a wager?’ said Lymond, his patience gone at last. ‘What does anyone want out of life? What kind of freak do you suppose I am? I miss books and good verse and decent talk. I miss women, to speak to, not to rape; and children, and men creating things instead of destroying them. And from the time I wake until the time I find I can’t go to sleep there is the void—the bloody void where there was no music today and none yesterday and no prospect of any tomorrow, or tomorrow, or next God-damned year.”
“What’s wrong? Has Francis been rude? Then you must try to overlook it. I know you wouldn’t think so, but he is thoroughly upset by TE’s death; and when Francis is troubled he doesn’t show it, he just goes and makes life wretched for somebody.”
unbyronically's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
melindamoor's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
kayu99's review
4.0
A solid continuation that is consistent with the high expectations set and maintained in books 1 and 2. Returning to previous characters and meeting new ones made for a refreshing read. I especially appreciated that we got more Richard and Sybilla in this book. As always, the sibling dynamics are fun to explore and the ones in this book do not disappoint. The suspense and action scenes left me on the edge of my seat waiting for my heart rate to return to normal. Lymond has met his match, and the shock wave ending has me concerned for everyone. I am simultaneously eager to continue the series and dreading the day when I will no longer be reading these books for the first time.
adelaide_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.75
sashas_books's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
5.0
Oh, I am so happy. I am heartbroken. I’ve just run an exhausting mixture of a sprint and a marathon and collapsed after the finish line, gasping.
Dunnett is shatteringly ruthless in this book. Beloved characters die in horrible ways. The knives are invisible and they pierce you slowly, until Dunnett starts to twist. Things are not what they seem, this is not the story you think you reading! There are clues, of course, but you gallop past them – because of the plot, because of some of the best action I’ve ever encountered on a page, because of masks so skilfully worn.
As for the characters…:
There is a maturity, a sense of responsibility, an urgency to Lymond that was missing from the first two books. I’m full of admiration, both for the character arc and the author’s skill in creating it. This is not a game any more. (Richard to Lymond: “Not for the first time, you frighten me silly.”)
I loved the chemistry between Lymond and Gabriel and Jerott. Yes, I want a slashfic, is that really too much to ask? Obviously (for those in the know), I mean Gabriel from the first half of the book, this Gabriel:
“I wish… you did not need to mock,” he said, and rested his fingertips, briefly, as once before, on Lymond’s arm. “For of all men, my God could love you; and I, too.”
Oonagh, whose storyline I hated in the previous book, managed to make me root for her and break my heart.
“Could she not teach him other comforts, though? The comfort of planning, of action; the great panacea of success. On this stricken island there was no one who knew what a leader should be like… except Oonagh O’Dwyer.”
Joleta… So much potential, so much talent that was wasted and twisted. I can’t help feeling a lot of sympathy and sorrow. It’s interesting how Dunnett crams all this convent-bred innocence down the reader’s throat – it should give you a clue, but it doesn’t.
Sibylla, you are such a joy, in so many ways, always. “The Church,” said Sibylla definitely, “should excommunicate girls who do not replace lids on sticky jars and wash their hair every day with the best towels.”
Somervilles are an awesome family. I hated Philippa the brat, and then she turned into a seed of something magnificent (I’ll see what the rest of the books bring). Well, maybe it is not that surprising, with such a mother. “… and being Kate, she had stayed, gnawing at her nails, where she was, and had left Philippa to do her growing-up without interference.”
I really wanted an epic sword fight between certain characters – as the book was drawing to a close, I grew worried. And then it happened! It *was* epic (too short, though).
The ending makes you want to grab the next book. I won’t, though, not right now. I need to breathe and come to my senses.
Dunnett is shatteringly ruthless in this book. Beloved characters die in horrible ways. The knives are invisible and they pierce you slowly, until Dunnett starts to twist. Things are not what they seem, this is not the story you think you reading! There are clues, of course, but you gallop past them – because of the plot, because of some of the best action I’ve ever encountered on a page, because of masks so skilfully worn.
As for the characters…:
There is a maturity, a sense of responsibility, an urgency to Lymond that was missing from the first two books. I’m full of admiration, both for the character arc and the author’s skill in creating it. This is not a game any more. (Richard to Lymond: “Not for the first time, you frighten me silly.”)
I loved the chemistry between Lymond and Gabriel and Jerott. Yes, I want a slashfic, is that really too much to ask? Obviously (for those in the know), I mean Gabriel from the first half of the book, this Gabriel:
“I wish… you did not need to mock,” he said, and rested his fingertips, briefly, as once before, on Lymond’s arm. “For of all men, my God could love you; and I, too.”
Oonagh, whose storyline I hated in the previous book, managed to make me root for her and break my heart.
“Could she not teach him other comforts, though? The comfort of planning, of action; the great panacea of success. On this stricken island there was no one who knew what a leader should be like… except Oonagh O’Dwyer.”
Joleta… So much potential, so much talent that was wasted and twisted. I can’t help feeling a lot of sympathy and sorrow.
Sibylla, you are such a joy, in so many ways, always. “The Church,” said Sibylla definitely, “should excommunicate girls who do not replace lids on sticky jars and wash their hair every day with the best towels.”
Somervilles are an awesome family. I hated Philippa the brat, and then she turned into a seed of something magnificent (I’ll see what the rest of the books bring). Well, maybe it is not that surprising, with such a mother. “… and being Kate, she had stayed, gnawing at her nails, where she was, and had left Philippa to do her growing-up without interference.”
I really wanted an epic sword fight between certain characters – as the book was drawing to a close, I grew worried. And then it happened! It *was* epic (too short, though).
The ending makes you want to grab the next book. I won’t, though, not right now. I need to breathe and come to my senses.
caroparr's review
4.0
Reading this during a trip to Malta and Gozo was wonderfully satisfying. Even knowing who the bad guy was, I was still astonished at Dunnett's plotting and character development that misleads the reader so successfully.
I think I read only the first section of this when I was in Malta. Rereading the whole book this time, I was much more aware of GRM's perfidy and remembered Joleta's true backstory. Poor Lymond always has to convince Richard that he's not a bad guy! The end may be melodramatic, but it's as powerful as ever, particularly the last few sentences. Whew!!
Originally read at the beach in 2002
From a breathless sky, the sun beat on the soft yellow rock; the long spit on which the knights had reared their tall, elegant houses, face to face in a network of alleys that climbed the steep ridge on either side from the water's edge, where the Maltese lived still, in cabin and hut... Between the palaces of the knights and those that served them; the convents, the elegant homes belonging to officers of the Church and the town; between the bakehouse and the shops of the craftsmen, the arsenals and magazines, the warehouses, the homes of merchants and courtesans, Italian, Spanish, Greek; past the painted shrines and courtyards scraped from pockets of earth with their bright waxy green carob trees, a fig, a finger of vine, a blue and orange pot of dry, dying flowers and a tethered goat bleating in a swept yard, padded the heirs of this rock, this precious knot in the trade of the world. Umber-skinned, grey-eyed, barefoot and robed as Arabs with the soft, slurring dialect that Dido and Hannibal spoke, they slipped past the painted facades to their Birgu of fishermen's huts and blank, Arab-walled houses or to sleep, curled in the shade, with the curs in a porch.
I think I read only the first section of this when I was in Malta. Rereading the whole book this time, I was much more aware of GRM's perfidy and remembered Joleta's true backstory. Poor Lymond always has to convince Richard that he's not a bad guy! The end may be melodramatic, but it's as powerful as ever, particularly the last few sentences. Whew!!
Originally read at the beach in 2002
siria's review
5.0
Any book which begins "On the day that his grannie was killed by the English, Sir William Scott the Younger of Buccleuch was at Melrose Abbey, marrying his aunt" is pretty much guaranteed to be a success, and The Disorderly Knights does not disappoint. The beginning is a little slow, but it soon picks up pace, moving from Malta to north Africa to France to Scotland, all while Dunnett manages to juggle characters and plotlines with a dexterity that astounds. It all should descend to farce and melodrama, especially given some of Lymond's propensities and characteristics, but the astounding thing is that it doesn't.
The twist at the end is telegraphed perhaps a little soon, even if only subtly--Lymond is painted with so black a brush that you know it can't be true. It made for a great showdown, especially if you've been to St Giles and can imagine the environs.
I was sad that I had to say goodbye to some of my favourite characters, though. Oh, Scotts.
The twist at the end is telegraphed perhaps a little soon, even if only subtly--Lymond is painted with so black a brush that you know it can't be true. It made for a great showdown, especially if you've been to St Giles and can imagine the environs.
I was sad that I had to say goodbye to some of my favourite characters, though. Oh, Scotts.
losthitsu's review against another edition
3.0
This one just didn't work for me - partly it's because a good half of this is siege warfare in which I'm not interested at the best of times, and partly because the other half rests on tropes that very much show that the book is from the sixties - which, fair enough, is when these books were written, but it doesn't mean I have to enjoy them.
kittenscribble's review
5.0
Third in the Lymond Chronicles. Despite feuding clans at home in Scotland, Lymond is sent to Malta to assist the Knights Hospitaller against the invading Turks. There, he finally meets an adversary who is his match in more ways than one; Dunnett does a fantastic job in creating a creepy, compelling villain. The quiet, subversive conflict grows throughout the book and culminates finally in a breathless and terrible confrontation. Fantastic.