Jesters. Jugglers. Singers. Acrobats.
Fools.
More than they seem?
Alan Gordon's Fools' Guild series presents a fascinating premise: what if medieval jesters, Fools, were not just entertainers but actually members of a widespread organization dedicated to manipulating world events?
They were present in every court, were often privy to secrets and intrigues, and sometimes had the ear of the nobility -- in prime position to collect information or influence the ruling class. Or even, at need, perform a bit of assassination...
Steeped in Shakespeare lore (as the title suggests, the first book, Thirteenth Night, is an extension of the events in Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night", and An Antic Disposition is a retelling of "Hamlet"), rich in period detail and featuring such real events as the siege of Constantinople, the Fools' Guild series offers both the mystery reader and the history buff an involving experience full of wordplay, swordplay, intrigue, and all manner of jesterly antics.
1. Thirteenth Night (1999)
2. Jester Leaps In (2000)
3. A Death in the Venetian Quarter (2002)
4. The Widow of Jerusalem (2003)
5. An Antic Disposition (2004)
6. The Lark's Lament (2007)
7. The Moneylender of Toulouse (2008)
8. The Parisian Prodigal (2010)
8. The Parisian Prodigal (2010)
Readers may also be interested in these other medieval mysteries:
- P.C. Doherty - Hugh Corbett series, set in England in the 1200s
- C.L. Grace - Kathryn Swinbrooke series, 15th-century Canterbury
- Cora Harrison - Burren Mysteries series, involving Mara, a female judge in 1500s Ireland
- Sharon Kay Penman - Justin de Quincy series, set in England of the 1190s
- Kate Sedley - Roger the Chapman series, England in the 1400s
- Peter Tremayne - Sister Fidelma series, set in the 600s
1 comment:
have to add these titles to the reading list!
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