Caprice and Rondo: The House of Niccolo by Dorothy Dunnett  (1)

Scales of Gold (House of Niccolo S.) by Dorothy Dunnett  (3)

Race of Scorpions (House of Niccolo) by Dorothy Dunnett  (1)

The Spring of the Ram (House of Niccolo) by Dorothy Dunnett  (3)

Checkmate (Lymond Chronicles) by Dorothy Dunnett  (10)

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Amazon.co.uk Review
Dorothy Dunnett's piéce de résistance is the richness and invention of her historical imagination, with every detail seamlessly incorporated, and Gemini has some claims to being her most visionary and distinctive piece yet. The sheer skill of Dunnett as a storyteller has marked her out as one of the most commanding practitioners of the historical novel, with such popular books as , Scales of Gold and To Lie With Lions.

Set in Scotland in 1477, in the international world of trade and commerce, fatal results are suffered by those who do not know the rules of the game. When Nicholas de Fleury returns to Edinburgh after four years' absence, curiosity about why he closed all his ventures in Scotland and deserted his friends is high. Struggling to fend off his enemies' attempts to kill him, Nicholas rejoins the fledgling court of young King James the Third, and finds that the dangerous internecine squabbles of James and his treacherous siblings is every bit as dangerous as the local intrigue he has left behind. Dunnett describes this with the kind of ornate and pungent prose that she has long been mistress of, with her customarily massive cast of characters all delineated with genuine brio.

Nicholas is a splendidly rounded creation, and by placing him at the centre of her sprawling narrative, you are always given the perfect lodestone to draw you inexorably through the convolutions of the plot. Dunnett's female characters are as distinctive as ever, with Kathi Sersanders remaining the most memorable, her relationship with de Fleury adroitly drawn. However, it is the sheer breadth of Dunnett's ambitions that takes the breath away and, as ever, the set pieces are exhilarating:

The sword point bit into his cloak and grated across the cuirass underneath, bringing the swordsman close for a moment, his face blank with surprise. Nicholas kicked him under the chin, so that he blundered back and hit someone else, while Nicholas dragged out his own sword. The horse wasn't his, but it was a powerful beast and alarmed enough to be ready to rear. Nicholas wrapped the reins around one wrist and hauled, using the bit to drag the horse threshing onto its haunches, and then allowing it to plunge forward again.

Those who have followed the House of Niccolò series will find this a perfectly orchestrated finale. --Barry Forshaw --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Synopsis
'Dunnett's legion of devoted readers will need no recommendation to buy GEMINI. They would, I imagine, walk barefoot to the bookshop over broken glass to get it...Anyone reading this novel, even as an introduction to Dunnett's work will, I suspect, join that band of admirers' Sunday Times GEMINI represents the final appearance of Nicholas de Fleury, who opened this series as a carefree, clumsy 18 year old apprentice in Flanders. Now he is in his thirties. The culmination of this amazing series sees Niccolo face his toughest battle yet, against an enemy who will tax every skill he has acquired over the course of the last few years...

Race of Scorpions (House of Niccolo) by Dorothy Dunnett  (1)

Caprice and Rondo: The House of Niccolo by Dorothy Dunnett  (1)

The Spring of the Ram (House of Niccolo) by Dorothy Dunnett  (3)

Checkmate (Lymond Chronicles) by Dorothy Dunnett  (10)

Scales of Gold (House of Niccolo S.) by Dorothy Dunnett  (3)

› Explore similar items : Books (8)

6 Reviews 5 star:  (4) 4 star:  (1) 3 star:  (1) 2 star:    (0) 1 star:    (0)           Average Customer Review (6 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews   5 of 5 people found the following review helpful: just brilliant, 23 Mar 2006 By A Customer The conclusion of the massive 8-volume House of Niccolo series, Dunnett manages to both keep the tension and suspense going and yet also bring it all to a triumphant conclusion. Some readers have had a problem with the ending, but I like the link to the Lymond Chronicles. Far superior to the average dross being published today, this isn't an easy read and makes the reader work hard, but it's so worthwhile. Well-written, dense, packed with real emotion, this is what reading really should be.  Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? (Report this)   5 of 6 people found the following review helpful: A satisfying read as usual, 18 Jun 2000 By A Customer This review is from: Gemini (House of Niccolo) (Hardcover) Although the Nicolo series has not had quite the charisma of the Lymond books - and who could have the charm of a Frances Crawford - the sheer breadth of scholarship and ingenious intrigue grasps the imagination. How does she do it? The only author near comparison is early Anya Seton. And all the pieces finally came together with a satisfying result.  Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? (Report this)   4 of 5 people found the following review helpful: This is a wonderful conclusion to a brilliant series., 17 Feb 2001 By A Customer This review is from: Gemini (House of Niccolo) (Hardcover) Dorothy Dunnett has succeeded in bringing all the loose ends of the previous books in the series to a glorious conclusion. I found the book almost "unputdownable", it was spellbinding and had so many levels and layers to it that you could read it several times and still find something new in it. The link to the Lymond series is a totally logical one. From whom does Lymond get his brilliance if not from Niccolo? Can we now expect a book about the first Francis?  Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? (Report this) › See all 6 customer reviews...		Most Recent Customer Reviews Worthy end to a great series The eight and last volume of the Niccolo-series has slightly more than 700 pages, and beginning with "Niccolo Rising" the entire series weighs in at over 5.000 pages. Read more Published 7 months ago by Didier Not a fitting conclusion to an epic saga The breathtaking series of novels about Nicholas de Fleury concludes with a book which has some poignant and thrilling moments, but is overshadowed by the deaths of an... Read more Published on 3 Nov 2000 Scholarly and gripping at the same time Again a fine piece of work by Lady Dunnett. The conclusion of the Nicolo saga is as exciting as it is imbued with excellent historical accuracy. Read more Published on 6 Oct 2000 Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews › See all 6 customer reviews...