Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
buried treasure worth rediscovery, 11 April 2005
I can't believe it's taken so long for this lovely novel to be republished, but better late than never. John M. Ford won my interest with his Star Trek novel The Final Reflection (his tale of first contact between Federation and Klingons was a good novel by any standards: literate and well-characterized, with a gripping plot). This one I picked up because so many of my interests converged in it: Shakespeare's Richard III and the historical figure, vampires, the Mithraic ritual.... The subtitle, A Masque of History, is appropriate: Ford creates an alternate reality based on a quite conceivable conceit, that Christianity never became the "state faith" of the late Roman Empire, and that Europe evolved as a conglomeration of various sects and practices. As well, magic exists, but so do the beginnings of scientific method. The cast of characters is marvellous, and marvellously drawn, from historical figures like Richard and his family and circle, to memorable originals including a heroic vampire and a gentle mercenary, and the Welsh wizard Hywel, and Cynthia, the physician to the Borgias. I love these characters every time I encounter them. What a splendid film this would make. If you like Philip Pullman or Mervyn Peake, give this literate, well-constructed historical thriller a chance. It's not perfect: the conclusion gets a bit rushed and implausible. But it's constantly worthwhile, and deserves rediscovery outside the UK as well!
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12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
at last!, 15 Jun 2002
I can't believe it's taken so long for this lovely novel to be republished, but better late than never. John M. Ford won my interest with his Star Trek novel The Final Reflection (his tale of first contact between Federation and Klingons was a good novel by any standards: literate and well-characterized, with a gripping plot). This one I picked up because so many of my interests converged in it: Shakespeare's Richard III and the historical figure, vampires, the Mithraic ritual.... The subtitle, A Masque of History, is appropriate: Ford creates an alternate reality based on a quite conceivable conceit, that Christianity never became the "state faith" of the late Roman Empire, and that Europe evolved as a conglomeration of various sects and practices. As well, magic exists, but so do the beginnings of scientific method. The cast of characters is marvellous, and marvellously drawn, from historical figures like Richard and his family and circle, to memorable originals including a heroic vampire and a gentle mercenary, and the Welsh wizard Hywel and Cynthia, the physician to the Borgias. I love these characters every time I encounter them. What a splendid film this would make. If you like Philip Pullman or Mervyn Peake, give this literate, well-constructed historical thriller a chance. It's not perfect: the conclusion gets a bit rushed and implausible. But it's constantly worthwhile. And I hope it gets republished outside the UK as well!
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good in parts, 18 May 2004
John M. Ford is a first-rate world-builder. His evocation of a 15th century with no Christianity, a dominant Byzantium and widespread magic and vampirism is by far the best thing about this book, and the most compelling reason to buy it.In other areas, however, his skills desert him. The main characters are very well-drawn, with each protagonist getting his or her own extensive prologue illustrating their lives up until their meeting, and the beginning of the actual plot. The secondary characters, however, tend to be mere cyphers, a problem that so pronounced that when one King Edward dies and is replaced by another it is difficult to tell, despite the fact that the new king is only ten years old. Perhaps this stems from a reluctance on Ford's part to tamper with known historical characters, but it results in a cast whom it is difficult to sympathise with. A consequence of this is that the plot can get very difficult to follow. Convoluted plots are not necessarily a bad thing, but when combined with a deliberately evasive prose style they result in a tale that is not worth the effort of reading. So, buy this book if you like convincing alternate history and detailed primary characters, but are willing to let a decent plot slide.
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