who recommended Dorothy Dunnett?

[FreeButtonBee]

I have almost finished Niccolo Rising and I'm not sure what to think. It's quite engaging but I haven't been completely grbbed by it yet. Lots of big themes but I am struggling to see how they all pull together - it's a bit opaque somehow. Hmm, not sure I'm explaining this well!

Should I persevere? I'm definitely in the market for a nice big multi volume historical fiction and was really hoping this was it. But I am unconvinced. feel me with the love!?!

The Lymond Chronicles are better, much better. You will end up in lust love with the protagonist.

My mum loves these books, but she prefers Dorothy Dunnett's first series (the Lymond chronicles? The ones that all have chess titles I think).

I keep meaning to give them a go. I've read her stand alone novel about Macbeth (King Hereafter) and really enjoyed it.

xpost Alibaba - yep, mother is in love with Lymond

Persevere, it ALL comes together. you are going to be so glad you did I'm quite jealous that you're reading them for the first time..

post that's encouraging. I like it when people love books that much. Am tempted to do some wiki-history research as my knowledge of the medici and dyeing in Bruges is somewhat lacking!

I did wonder if I should have started with the other ones as apparently the hero is dead sexy but s'pose since I've started this series, I should continue!

Keep going, keep going! In a strange way you are actually reading them in the correct order, which isn't the order they were written in, and if you finish the books in the Niccolo Rising series there are lots and lots of links through to the Lymond series and you'll find you'll read one set (Niccolo), read the next (Lymond) then want to read the Niccolo series again to see what you missed first time round.

When I first read them there were only the first two Niccolo books published (Niccolo Rising and Spring of the Ram) so I read those, then read Lymond, then had to wait while each of the Niccolo series came out. It was a long, long wait to the end.

Don't get too worried about either the Medici or wool dyeing in Bruges in the fifteenth century. By the end of this set of books alone you will have travelled to Bruges, Turkey, Timbukto, Iceland, Egypt, Russia, Cyprus, Poland, the Tyrol, Burgundy and very many points in between taking in such a wide range of topics that I'm not sure even Wiki covers them all

If you could bear to switch horses midstream, I would seriously recommend putting Niccolò to one side and reading the Lymond Chronicles first. This is the order in which they were written and intended to be read, and there is a very good reason for sticking to it - which I can't reveal! It's OK to read Niccolò first if you really want to, but bear in mind that Dorothy Dunnett was a masterful mystery writer and you miss out on a rather special moment of revelation if you don't read Lymond first.

Lymond is so much better in every
way.

Agree with previous posters, start with the Lymond Chronicles - I would put these within best 10 books I have ever read, with the Niccolo series a close second. Am totally and utterly in love with Francis Crawford. Good luck, I envy you your first reading.