I am, as ever, left completely speechless and flailing in awe by Dunnett's remarkable skill and the captivating character of Niccolo. Niccolo gives me an overwhelming number of feelings that are difficult to put into words.

His complexity and depth are truly astonishing. One moment, he can be charming and witty, winning over those around him with his intelligence and charisma. The next, he reveals a darker side, filled with cunning and manipulation.

It's this constant ebb and flow of his personality that keeps me on the edge of my seat, never quite sure what he will do or say next.

Dunnett's ability to bring Niccolo to life on the page is a testament to her talent as a writer. I find myself completely immersed in his world, sharing in his joys and sorrows, his triumphs and failures.

It's a truly unforgettable experience, one that I will cherish for a long time to come.

4th read maybe? (I've been re-reading this series for decades now.) This installment is not at all my favorite of this astounding 8-book saga, yet it is still a resounding 5-star read.

Niccolo is whisked away to Cyprus to engage in the fight/intrigue for James (II, the Usurper) against his sister, Carlotta. Niccolo guides us through the dye-yards and the process of sugar production, as well as the bribing and plotting of the Venetians and Genoese. He endures the typical beatings and is harshly exploited by the head of the Mamelukes working for King James.

Moreover, he has a truly magnificent scene with the fine lady, Katelina van Borselen, in the butterfly valley on Rhodes. Here, many of Niccolo's companions are involved, but major characters such as Gelis, Julius, Simon, and my favorite Kathi Sersanders do not make an appearance. There is, perhaps, a hint of stretching the narrative for the sake of time.

This time, it was a buddy read with my son. Reading it for the second time 10 years later, he had forgotten what an amazing historian, plotter, and writer the Great Dame Dunnett was. But he is well aware now.

My least favorite Niccolò book thus far is Scales of Gold. The beginning of this book felt rather sluggish, which made it a bit of a struggle to get into. Perhaps I wasn't fully focused, but I had a difficult time picturing the settings, such as the moth valley, in my mind. Additionally, I found it challenging to understand the subtleties of the relationships and plot points. Dunnett's writing often requires the reader to put in some effort, but in this case, the characters' conversations were so abstract that they were completely beyond my comprehension.

Another aspect that bothered me was Tobie's constant anger. He seems to hold Nicholas accountable for everything, as if no one else has any personal responsibility or the ability to act independently. This attitude is becoming tiresome.

However, there were some positive aspects to the book. The character arcs of both Katelina and Primaflora were excellent, adding depth and complexity to the story. Diniz also proved to be a more interesting and enduring character than I initially expected.

Overall, I was glad to finish this book and move on to the fourth one, which I found much more engaging. In hindsight, I can see the importance of this book for the overall series arc, but for its own sake, I didn't enjoy it as much as the first or fourth books.

Still, it remains brilliant, clever, heartbreaking, and exciting. Each of these books has introduced unique and memorable new characters, revolving around a constant central cast of likable, flawed, and funny individuals. If this book had any drawbacks, it was the frequency with which Dunnett resorted to a gimmick. Instead of narrating it "herself", the characters would describe what they were seeing to each other. I'm not entirely sure why she did this. It was definitely jarring and gave the impression of a bit of laziness, especially in the audiobook format.

Speaking of which, the audiobook narrator for this entire series is truly flawless. Each character has a distinct voice, without any of them being overdone. Even the female characters are well-portrayed. The narrator brings the story to life in a way that makes it a pleasure to listen to. Despite the minor issue with the narrative gimmick, the overall quality of the book and the audiobook is outstanding.

Dunnett is undoubtedly my all-time favorite author.

Her works transport us to the captivating worlds of the 15th and 16th centuries.

If you haven't had the pleasure of reading her yet, you're in for an extraordinary journey.

However, I must caution you not to start with this particular book!

Nicholas, the protagonist, is a 15th-century merchant with many dimensions.

The world he inhabits is truly fascinating.

"Race of Scorpions" is set on Cyprus, which compelled me to delve into the history of the island.

Reading Dunnett is like experiencing a college history course taught by the most outstanding teacher you could imagine.

The Dunnett fandom is remarkable.

There is the DDRA, a reading association that holds an annual conference in Edinburgh and publishes a magazine called "Whispering Gallery".

Groups of fans engage in reading, rereading, and lively discussions.

These books are not light reads. Dunnett leads us along, and sometimes it takes several chapters before we fully understand what's happening.

Her heroes are truly heroic, and her villains are despicably villainous.

The women are both intelligent and devious.

With each reread, you discover more and more layers.

I simply adore reading these books.

It was truly a delight to pick up a Dorothy Dunnett book again after such a long hiatus. The story within its pages was a captivating blend of wit, complexity, and pure entertainment, all while exuding the rich flavor of its historical backdrop. I found myself constantly second-guessing my assumptions,猜错了很多次. However, upon closer inspection, I couldn't help but notice that this particular installment didn't seem to be as meticulously crafted as the first two in the series. There were more repetitions and reintroductions than one might expect, which at times slightly disrupted the flow of the narrative. Nevertheless, it still managed to provide a great deal of enjoyment.

These two series by Dorothy Dunnett are truly my absolute favorite. There is simply nothing different to say about them. They have this magical quality that, when you immerse yourself in them, they will take you off the planet for a full summer. It's as if you are transported to another world, completely captivated by the stories and characters. And not only that, but they just might re-direct your life, as they did mine. The impact they have is profound and life-changing. You find yourself thinking differently, seeing the world from a new perspective. It's an experience like no other, and I can't recommend these series enough.

These books just keep on improving.

Here, we find Nicholas moping about, desperately seeking some meaning and purpose in his life. He makes his way back to Bruges, only to be met with the contempt of his stepdaughters, who promptly order him to leave. Undeterred, he decides to take an active part in his mercenary band's campaign in Italy. However, fate has other plans as he gets kidnapped and whisked away to Cyprus. Towards the end of this arduous journey, he is brutally abused by an Egyptian, and he vows to seek revenge.

The main focus of the book then turns to the intense dispute over the rule of Cyprus. Queen Carlotta, the legitimate heir to the throne, is pitted against her bastard brother James (also known as Zacco), who currently has control over the island. Both sides are vying for Nicholas' support, and he eventually throws his lot in with James. In the midst of all this, Nicholas becomes entangled with a courtesan/spy for Carlotta named Primaflora. He also gets involved with a couple of Portuguese traders who are related to Simon, Nicholas' father. And to top it off, Katerina (Simon's wife and the mother of Nicholas' son) shows up on the island.

The book is filled with mystery, several sieges, a couple of duels, a healthy dose of court politics, intrigue, and betrayal. On the business front, Nicholas starts a sugar trade and a dye works on the island. It has one of the simpler, yet more emotionally engaging, endings of any of her books that I've read. It is not only highly satisfying but also does an excellent job of setting the stage for the next book.

Once again, I'm firmly convinced that when I finish this series, I will go back and start reading the Lymond books again. I had abandoned them after two books several years ago. But that might be a while from now, as this series still has five more hefty volumes to go, and I'm currently in the middle of six (yikes!) other fairly long series.

When I was delving into the Lymond Chronicles, there was a certain juncture where I naively believed that Lymond could effortlessly attain happiness. After all, he was a charming and astute fellow, wasn't he? However, then came the incident of PiF, and following that, my perspective shifted entirely. I realized that he was far too damaged, too deeply altered by his past experiences. It seemed as if he would have to deconstruct all those traumas in his mind before he could even begin to envision leading a normal life.

Even though the conclusion of this particular book was not nearly as heart-wrenching as some others, I still had a somewhat similar impression once it ended. This was mainly due to Nikko's actions, which had led to the deaths of several people he knew and had also contributed to some truly heinous war atrocities.

Nevertheless, the setting of this installment was truly delightful. The descriptions were lovely and stunning, painting a vivid picture of a world filled with a myriad of factions vying for power. It was precisely what I always hope to encounter when I crack open a Dunnett novel.

Moreover, the new characters were incredibly charming and intriguing. Although I had managed to predict some of the twists, I was still in awe of how skillfully Dunnett manipulated the reader's perception of each and every character. Zacco, for instance, was initially charming and exhilarating, but as time went on, he became exhausting and immature, to the point where you just couldn't take anymore of him and the constant need to manage his behavior. Primaflora's charms, too, seemed to fade with each passing moment, coming off as increasingly tinny, one-note, and fake. And don't even get me started on the emotional rollercoaster that was Katelina!

I do think that, in some respects, changing the status quo regarding her was a positive move. The feud and her role within it had been becoming rather repetitive and tedious. On the other hand, I really wish that, for once, a woman could just get over a Dunnett protagonist and move on with her life, finding happiness elsewhere. I understand the point of Katelina's character, and I adore the way her flaws and virtues are intertwined. I think her actions were always very human and understandable, and they also served as a commentary on how society's expectations of her and her own internalization of those expectations had always stood in the way of her happiness. But seriously, I really wish I could see a character get over a Dunnett protagonist and remain friendly and mature about it. I guess Zacco managed to do so, so kudos to him! He is officially the least neurotic character in these novels, and that's quite a statement, isn't it?

I also understand that the emir is an outlier among the Mamelukes. He was sent to Cyprus precisely because he was a loose cannon, and everyone was hoping that he would mess up and get himself killed. However, without Francis's voice of reason pointing out that Europeans also commit atrocities, and without Francis's bisexuality, both this novel and the previous one seem to be leaning a bit too heavily on the theme of orientalism for my personal tastes. I think it was handled much better in the Lymond series, and I hope that the next novel, which apparently deals extensively with Africa, will also point out that Europeans aren't quite as nice as they might seem. I also hope to see more of Loppe. There seems to be an unspoken understanding between him and Nicholas, born of their shared lower-class status, and I absolutely love it. I hope that Claes and Loppe become even closer, and that Loppe can point out to Claes that the Europeans treat the Africans in much the same way that the Muslims treat the Europeans.

Furthermore, I wish that some of the parallels between James and Nicholas had been explored in greater depth. It's obvious that James tugs on Claes's heartstrings a bit simply by virtue of his existence. After all, they are both bastards, they are both wild and playful, and there is a certain Felix-coded quality to James. It would have been nice to see more of these aspects explored explicitly, especially the Felix coding. They both have brown hair, long faces, a penchant for hunting, and can be a bit petulant at times. Claes immediately associates him with hunting and gives him his loyalty without hesitation.

ALSO, WHERE IS MY GIRL CATHERINE? HOW IS SHE? IS SHE ALRIGHT? The fact that Claes doesn't even catch a glimpse of her while he does see Tilde makes me even more convinced of my theory that they are endgame. Three years have passed, so she must be sixteen now. It won't be long before Claes sees her and has that "OMG she is a Woman now" moment.

My other theory is that this is going to be a tragedy, an Inverse Lymond, so to speak, that will end with Niccolò completely irredeemable, having made some sort of spiritual bargain for his descendant to redeem the lineage. But I'm not taking that one too seriously.

Another exciting Niccolo tale unfolds, this time with the setting being Cyprus.

I find myself in a bit of a quandary. I'm not entirely sure if I can bring myself to forgive Dunnett for the act of killing off [spoiler omitted - you'll know who I mean if you have read this book]. However, despite this, I feel a rather strong compulsion to continue reading the series.

Dunnett's writing increasingly reminds me of Dumas. The plotting is excellent, filled with intrigue and excitement, and is nicely spiced with elements of tragedy. But there is one aspect that I can't help but notice - the characterization seems somewhat anachronistic. It's as if the characters don't quite fit perfectly into the time period in which the story is set.

Nevertheless, I'm still eager to see what will happen next in the Niccolo series and how Dunnett will continue to develop the story and the characters.

The Race of Scorpions, the third installment in Dorothy Dunnett's captivating The House of Niccolo epic, held me completely enthralled for two days and nights. I was so spellbound that I had very little time for sleep.

Here, the widowed Nicholas vander Poele, having rebuilt his life, has joined forces with Capt Astorre to wage war in Bologna. However, he then finds himself kidnapped and taken to Cyprus. With his mercenary army in pursuit, he realizes he must lead them in uniting the island under one ruler. But the question remains: who will secure his services - the haughty Carlotta or her bastard half-brother, James called Zacco, both vying for the royal Lusignan throne of Cyprus?

Dunnett's short and concise descriptive phrases paint a vivid picture of the Mediterranean island. We can almost feel the fragrant vineyards, the sugar fields, and the restored dyeyards with their blue-fingered workers. The ancient holy sites, monasteries, castles, round ships, and galleys come to life on the page. There is also a beautiful courtesan, along with murder, espionage, and traitors. The old battles of trade and heritage, and the familiar people in Nicholas' life - Katelina van Borselen, Simon, Jordan de St Pol, the Greek with the wooden leg, the Franciscan monk Ludovico da Bologna, and all the faithful men of his army - add to the rich tapestry of the story.

It will require all of Nicholas' genius to piece everything together, if he can, without starving to death, being hacked to bits by a Mameluke Emir, or encountering unreadable blue eyes fixed on his in love or hatred.

Maybe I should do the dishes or laundry before losing the rest of the week to Volume 4? Or perhaps not. I simply can't wait!

3.5 stars
Out of the three books I’ve read so far, this one is definitely my least favorite.

This book seemed less focused on Nicholas. For once, it appeared that all he did was not for some great gain but mostly to save himself and stay alive.

As a result, I think there was more of Nicholas’s perspective than in the first two combined. The words “She brought me up. I used to dream that, one day, I would come to her with the girl I was going to marry” might be the most revealing thing I’ve read or heard him say.

I’ve been eager to get inside his head, so按理说, I should have loved it?

Alas.

What I liked about this series was still great. Long live Nicholas and his endless schemes, long live the sly manipulative talks and the complex politics with numerous factions. However, it’s the parts that I didn’t really like in the previous books that had a bigger role here.

Firstly, the orientalism and treatment of anyone not from Europe. In the first two books, this seemed like a result of the 1400s setting and the 1980s when it was written. Maybe not great in 2024, but without major disrespect. Loppe was abused and sold but rose among the ranks of servants until he was treated like a normal secondary character. The Turks in book 2 were the vilified enemies of the church but a faction in war and politics like any other. Here, there was an unfortunate contrast between the Europeans and the Mamelukes with their Greek fire. I think this could have been easily fixed if there was a devious but not abhorrent Ottoman faction to balance out Tzani-Bey’s outright villainy, or an outright European villain lacking morals.

Secondly, the romantic subplots. The one with Katelina in book 1 made sense as a way for her to choose something before marriage, something they both did with no strings attached. Her anger at Nicholas about her child, thinking he used her physically and emotionally for his schemes, felt like a logical result. So I hoped she would use all her wit to be an interesting major antagonist. There was an attempt at reconciliation that could have worked but simply happened too quickly and was based on some form of romantic feelings rather than the acknowledgement that they were both young and fooling around. I would have loved a slow reconciliation arc or an antagonistic Katelina. This book didn't provide either.

Marian made 50% sense (not romantically, she's like his mom! She raised him!), but I definitely believed they were friends and business partners who trusted each other. Nicholas and Violante in book 2... honestly added nothing. Her character was great as a political player, but the love interest side felt useless. And then there's Primaflora. Sigh. I understand that it was chivalry (or rather human decency) to care for her safety, and they both wanted to sleep around with the ally they had in their situation. But either of them developing romantic feelings was laughable.

For a series that has so many layers and motivations, the excuse “it was romantic love” in the cases of Katelina, Primaflora, and to a lesser extent Marian feels stupidly shallow by comparison.

I get it. Nicholas is smart. That’s why I read these books? To see him manipulate and outwit his way to Europe. I love that he has a small army of followers (Julius, Astorre, Le Grant, Tobie, Godsalc, and Loppe) to bamboozle with his schemes. But why does the one major female character get replaced every book while these men stay around? And why does Nicholas always have some form of romantic thing going on before he beats them at chess politics? The men get outwitted. Meanwhile, women get outwitted and romantically/sexually humiliated and written out of the series.

I’ll forgive this series if he sleeps with his greatest critic Tobie next.