History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)

Book Description

Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.

Customer Reviews:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03

Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.

Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19

Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.

Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09

There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.

For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.

Very Interesting.......2007-03-07

It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.

History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10

Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.

I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.

Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.

Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.

I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.

This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.

History: Fiction or Science? Chronology 2 (Chronology)

Average customer rating:

Check and see
Suprise! Suprise!
Prescient St Augustine?
Something of a disappointment
Romulus courts Helen, Paris founds Rome, Moses goes to Troy..

History: Fiction or Science? Chronology 2 (Chronology)
Anatoly T Fomenko
Manufacturer: Delamere Resources LLC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 2913621066

Product Description

`History: Fiction or Science? Chronology 2` is the second volume of the most explosive and astounding tractate on history ever written - however, every theory it contains, no matter how unorthodox, is backed by rock solid scientific data. The book is easy and pleasant to read; it is well-illustrated, contains hundreds of charts, graphs and illustrations, copies of ancient manuscripts, and countless facts attesting to the falsity of the chronology used nowadays. You will be amazed to discover: - That the chronology universally accepted today and taken for granted is simply wrong; - That ALL methods of dating of ancient sources and artefacts known today are erroneous or non-exact; - That there is not a single document that could be reliably dated earlier than the XIth century; The Author refers to the Middle Ages as the Antiquity and proves mutual superimposition of the Second and the Third Roman Empire, both of which become identified as the respective kingdoms of Israel and Judah. Furthermore, he asserts that the famous reform of the Occidental Church in the XI century by Pope Gregory Hildebrand was the reflection of the XII century reforms of Byzantine emperor Andronicus who in his turn identifies with Jesus Christ. The Trojan war counted by Homer happened only as late as of the XIII century A.D. and the great poet actually lived in XIV century A.D. No stone in history of Antiquity is left unturned. Literally. This book is the beginning of a major correction to the chronology we live with.

Customer Reviews:

Check and see.......2007-06-21

I don't care what other people say of this book. Those affirmig it's fake, they hadn't ever read it. Or have some special reasons to do so. "Living is easy with eyes closed, misunderstanding all you see..." This book won't make you feel comfortable. It'll make you feel free. It'll make you feel you're "not the only one" to feel you'd been lied to for centuries.

Suprise! Suprise!.......2007-03-22

Here is a serie of books which turns "the whole world" upside down. I learned a lot of it and I hope that a new book from A.T. Fomenko will follow very quick. A absolute must for everybody who is interested in history or even a little bit from it.

Prescient St Augustine?.......2006-02-05

We can so far divide the New Chronology into the following three parts:

a) The verifiable theory that proves consensual chronology wrong with the aid of astronomy, statistics and mathematics;

b) The new chronology hypothesis based on a new understanding of known historical facts and the most likely logical explanation of the most obvious inconsistencies inherent in the official version of history;

c) The history conjectures, that is experimental historical reconstructions based on assumptions that the authors believe to make sense in the light of their research and linguistic parallels - void of ironclad factual support to date.

Fomenko's theory complies with the most rigid scientific standards as a whole:

It gives a coherent explanation of what we already know.

- It is consistent: independent lines of inquiry all lead to the same conclusion.

- The predictions it makes are confirmed empirically.

Fomenko goes by the following axioms:

- Chronology is the basis of history;

- Human evolution has always been linear, gradual and irreversible;

- The "cyclic" nature of human civilization is a myth, likewise all the gaps, duplicates, "dark ages" and "renaissances" that we know from consensual history;

- The accumulation of geographical knowledge as reflected in cartography is a gradual and irreversible process;

- The chronological distance between a given manuscript and the events described therein is proportional to the amount of distortions it contains;

- There is no "useless" information in authentic ancient sources.

Why the mainstream historians do not shower mathematician Academician Dr.Prof Fomenko with thanks and laurels?

The Russians:

Because Fomenko asserts that there was no such thing as the Tartar and Mongol invasion followed by three centuries of slavery, providing a formidable body of documental evidence to prove his assertion. The so-called "Tartars and Mongols" were the actual ancestors of the modern Russians, living in a bilingual state with Arabic spoken as freely as Russian. The ancient Russian state was governed by a double structure of civil and military authorities. The hordes were actually professional armies with a tradition of lifelong conscription (the recruitment being the so-called "blood tax"). Their "invasions" were punitive operations against the regions that attempted tax evasion. Fomenko proves that Russian history as we know it today is a blatant forgery concocted by a host of German scientists brought to Russia by the usurper dynasty of the Romanovs, whose ascension to the throne was the result of coup d'état, charged with the mission of making their reign look legitimate. Fomenko proves Ivan the Terrible to be a collation of four rulers, no less. They represented the two rival dynasties - the legitimate rulers and the ambitious upstarts. The winner took it all! Over some 30 years of controversy, Russian historians have made a most remarkable transition - they were initially accusing the young mathematician Fomenko of anticommunist dissident activity and attempts to deface the historical legacy of Soviet Russia; nowadays the middle-aged mathematician is accused of adhering to "pro-communist Russian nationalism" and defacing the proud historical legacy of Great Russia.

The Westerners:

Because Fomenko blows consensual Russian history to smithereens, successfully removing a crucial cornerstone from underneath the otherwise impeccable edifice of World History. Fomenko adds insult to injury, wiping out one by one the Ancient Rome (the foundation of Rome in Italy is dated to the XIV century A. D.), the Ancient Greece and its numerous poleis, which he identifies as the mediaeval crusader settlements on the territory of Greece, and the Ancient Egypt (the pyramids of Giza become dated to the XI-XV century A. D. and identified as the royal cemetery of the Global "Mongolian" Empire, no less). The civilization of the Ancient Egypt is irrefutably dated to the XII-XV century A. D. with the aid of the ancient Egyptian horoscopes cut in stone. He was the first one to decipher and date all such horoscopes, coming up with mediaeval dates in every case. English historians rage at the suggestion that the history of Ancient England was de facto a Byzantine import transplanted to the English soil by the fugitive Byzantine nobility. To reward the English historians who consider themselves the true scribes of World History, the cover of the present book portrays Tintoretto's Jesus Christ crucified on the Big Ben.

The Chinese:

Because Fomenko wipes out the Ancient History of China outright. No such thing. Full point. The compilation of the so-called Ancient Chinese History is reliably datable to the XVII-XVIII century only. It is perfectly recognizable as the Ancient European history, reworked and transcribed in hieroglyphs as yet another historical transplantation, this time performed on the Chinese soil by the loving Jesuit hands. The Chinese are the next in line to go berserk. Chinese history is inevitably bound to get both more ancient and more eventful, proportionally to the growing involvement of China in the world affairs. Chinese historians will keep on finding valid proof of prehistoric Chinese spaceflights until the Politburo orders them to shut up.

The Arabs:

Too bad. Islam with all its key figures is datable to XV-XVI century A. D. Arabic historians may find consolation in the crucial historical role of the Ottoman Empire in the XVI-XVII century. The trouble is that this empire was initially a Christian state, with Hagia Sophia identifiable as Temple of Solomon, according to Fomenko! We can only guess if the acquisition of Alexander the Great (a Macedonian and a Christian) as the founder of the Muslim World Empire will make Fomenko's theories more acceptable to the Arabic mainstream. He certainly does not spare any holy cows at all, claiming The Stone of Qa'Aba in Mecca to contain the lost Arch of the Covenant.

The Divinity:

Despite of reiterated statement that his theory is all about chronology and not Religion, Fomenko stirs up a whole condominium of wasp nests. His collection of anathemas, fatwa, and other condemnations from all parties concerned is already considerable. Little wonder, considering that the history of religions à la Fomenko looks as follows: the pre-Christian period (before the XI century and JC), Bacchic Christianity (XI-XII century, before and after JC), JC Christianity (XII-XVI century) and its subsequent mutations into Orthodox Christianity, the Catholicism, Islam, Buddhism, and so on.

According to Fomenko we know strictly NOTHING about the events that predate the X century A. D.

St Augustin was prescient when he spoke unto us: "be wary of mathematicians, particularly when they speak the truth."

Something of a disappointment.......2005-09-09

After having read the first volume of this expected series of 7 volumes I was triggered by the thesis of these authors that ancient Greek and Roman history did in fact take place in the Middle Ages. So I started studying medieval history of the Middle East - also known as Islamic history - to find out if the opponents of the ancient Greeks and Romans - the Acheamenid Persians, Sassanids, Scythians, Egyptians, etc. - also have their duplicates in medieval history. My search was disappointing: none of the many medieval Islamic dynasties seemed to correspond to the ancient middle eastern rulers.

However, I did find a close correspondence between Herodotus' Persian kings and medieval events:

- the defeat and capture of an Anatolian king - the Lydian Croesus - by the Persian conqueror Cyrus is identical to the defeat and capture of another Anatolian king - sultan Bayezid - by the Asian/Mongol conqueror Tamerlane;
- the Persian conquest of Egypt by the cruel tyrant Cambyses reds almost exactly as the Ottoman conquest of Egypt by Selim the Grim (note the nickname!);
- Darius the Lawgiver of the Persian Empire looks very much alike to Sulayman the Magnificent, the Lawgiver in Islamic history;
- Xerxes, whose main claim to fame is to be defeated by the Greeks at the naval battle of Salamis, looks like Selim II (the Sot) whose main claim to fame is to be defeated by a Spanish-Italian alliance at the naval battle of Lepanto.

I should have expected Fomenko et al. to arrive at similar conclusions, however, they claim that the Persian kings are the alter egos of the Angevin kings of Sicily whose biographies do not contain the exploits of the Persian kings.

The similiarities I indicate lead to the conclusion that Herodotus must have written his Histories at the close of the 16th century. But this is extremely late, given that Herodotus is "the Father of History", so therefore all other "ancient" histories must have been fabricated even later. Yet, the founders of modern chronology - Scaliger and Petavius - laid their foundations also at the close of the 16th century and had the full corpus of ancient histories already at their disposal.

It seems to me that Fomenko has to address these inconsistencies, maybe in the forthcoming 5 volumes?

Another critique of their book is that the correspondencies between different rulers are often based on a superficial comparison of the biographies; upon a more thorough comparison many details appear that do not correspond at all.

Finally, the authors rely heavily on the works of Gregorovius (1821-1891!!) - his medieval histories of Rome and Athens - as the source of medieval history; these works are - at least in the West - hoplessly outdated and have been superceded by more up-to-date works (for instance, Julius Norwich's trilogy on Byzantine history is not even cited).

Romulus courts Helen, Paris founds Rome, Moses goes to Troy.........2005-07-30

If you agree with Fomenko that Roman chronology is basically the foundation of the entire edifice of global chronology; you would also certainly agree that despite its numerous gaps and inconsistencies, Roman history is the best-documented field of ancient history, and thus a reference scale. But how well is the actual date of the Eternal City's foundation known?

Firstly, Rome is supposed to have been founded by the Trojans who had to flee after the fall of Troy. Some claim Rome to have been founded by Aeneas and Ulysses shortly after Troy had fallen; others are of the opinion that there was an entire dynasty that ruled for 500 years between the fall of Troy and the foundation of Rome.

Well, that's just an innocent 500 years long misunderstanding compared with what heretic Fomenko says, asserts, proves in his second volume: Second Roman Empire, Third Roman Empire, Biblical Kingdom of Israel, Biblical Kingdom of Judah, Holy Roman Empire are stories about basically same events, written from different points of view at different times. The underlying events have actually taken place during xii-xv cy. These histories have been written and perfected by multitude of highly talented humanist and clerical writers of xiii-xvi cy disguised as "ancients" with glorious names like Homer, Pluto, Thucydides etc..Chronology 2.0 beta..

Historians are kindly invited to report the bugs.

Mary, Queen of Scots: Queen Without a Country, France, 1553 (The Royal Diaries)

Average customer rating:

Good FICTION book
Queen of Scotland, lived in France
Mary, Queen of Scots
some history about this book . . .
She is not Bloody Mary

Mary, Queen of Scots: Queen Without a Country, France, 1553 (The Royal Diaries)
Kathryn Lasky
Manufacturer: Scholastic Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0439194040

Amazon.com

Sent from her native Scotland to live in the court of her future father-in-law, King Henry II of France, young Mary, Queen of Scots, spends her time attending balls, hunting and hawking, learning Latin and fractions and music, and playing with her future husband, Francis. In Kathryn Lasky's fictionalized diary of the 11-year-old queen, readers will get a piquant taste of 16th-century life in Europe. Mary is quite aware of her role as the betrothed to France's royal family. Playing chess together one day, Francis comments to Mary, "Did it ever strike you, Mary, that we are not so much children and sons and daughters of parents as we are pieces on a gigantic chessboard called Europe? You are given to me to help checkmate England." As with the other titles in the Royal Diaries series (Elizabeth I: Red Rose of the House of Tudor, etc.), a fact-packed historical note, epilogue, paintings, and family tree provide just enough additional information to whet the appetites of readers for more about the ill-fated queen of Scotland and France. (Ages 9 to 14) --Emilie Coulter

Book Description

Mary is only nine months old when she is crowned Queen of Scotland succeeding her father King James V. Because of political conflicts, she is forced to be separated from her mother and her country from the age of five. For the benefit of forging an alliance with France, the youngster is betrothed to Francis, the son of King Henry ll of France and his wife, the vicious and jealous Queen Catherine de Medici. Mary is sent to France to live in their care until she is old enough for the marriage to take place. It is at their home, the beautiful Chateau St. Germaine, that we first meet the irresistibly charming Mary at 11 years old. Keenly intelligent, she excels academically, and shows a talent for dance, music and poetry. She's an expert horsewoman, skilled at archery and hawking.

Customer Reviews:

Good FICTION book.......2006-10-19

THis book is a good read. I've found though that many books in this series are incomplete. They fail to metion any parts of their deaths. I for one don't like this. In History Mary Queen of Scots was killed by her cousin Elizabeth I of England. I also noticed that in the last grand duchess, they again failed to show why she ended up as the last grand duchess. I enjoyed reading this book. In reality, the book isn't a history lesson and shouldn't be read as such. Finally, it is an incomplete account based on a certain author's view.

Queen of Scotland, lived in France.......2005-11-07

I'm a big fan of the Royal Diaries series and own this book, which i think is very interesting. It tells you alot about the life of Mary Queen Of Scots, where she lived, ect. I acually didn't know she had lived in France before i read this book. Historicly corrrct, interesting and fun to read; this book also mentions Elizabeth I, whom a diary in this series has also been written after. I definetly recomend this book.

Mary, Queen of Scots.......2005-10-28

Alright, here is some information about the history of this family. This is not completly about this book, but scince so many people are getting their history wrong, i chose to write a review just for that reason.

Mary is the cousin of Elizabeth I of England. Mary became Queen of Scotland before she was even 2 years old, (rather odd!) but was raised in France.

Mary was a betrayer, and did not appriciate Elizabeth's kindness at all, and was plotting against her with the Spanish. Elizabeth warned Mary but she chose not to listen. Elizabeth ordered for Mary to be executed, and so it was done on February 8, 1587. She was executed.

Mary is the great - grand daughter of Henry VII. Here are some of the people she is related to:

- King Henry VIII (Son of Henry VII, Father of Elizabeth I and Mary I, married to Anne Boleyn, her Great - Uncle)

Second Cousins , Mary I, Elizabeth I, King Edward VI , Lady Jane Grey (i think), ect.

Margaret Tudor (Daughter of Henry VII, Sister of Henry VIII, her great - aunt)
************************************************************

That is just a small percent of the history of Mary. Thank you.

some history about this book . . . .......2005-10-27

Mary, Queen of Scotts (Mary Stuart) is the Great- Grand daughter of English King Henry VII. She is the second - cousin of Elizabeth Tudor, Daughter of King Henry VIII. She was Queen of Scotland, and was exiled from Scotland for many years, and lived in England at the palaces of her Cousin, Elizabeth. Mary betrayed Elizabeth greatly, and planned to kill the Queen. She talked behind Elizabeth's back, and even though Elizabeth was kind to her, Mary acted very ignorantly towards Elizabeth! Because she planned to kill to Queen, she was ordered to be be-headed by Elizabeth. THANK YOU!

She is not Bloody Mary.......2005-10-05

The book was very intresting like all the Royal Diaries I have read so far. [...] SHE IS NOT BLOODY MARY that in fact was Elizabeth I's half sister Mary TUDOR not Mary STUART( who is the man character in this story)

chiao!

Average customer rating:

Lymond series No 2: brilliant but not for everyone
Plodding Through
Wonderfully pleasurable and eminently educational
Reviews paperback book, not content
Confusing

Queens' Play (Lymond Chronicles, 2)
Dorothy Dunnett
Manufacturer: Vintage
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 067977744X
Release Date: 1997-04-29

Book Description

For the first time Dunnett's Lymond Chronicles are available in the United States in quality paperback editions.

Second in the legendary Lymond Chronicles, Queen's Play follows Frances Crawford of Lymond who has been abruptly called into the service of Mary Queen of Scots. Though she is only a little girl, the Queen is already the object of malicious intrigues that extend from her native country to the court of France. It is to France that Lymond must travel, exercising his sword hand and his agile wit while also undertaking the most unlikely of masquerades, all to make sure that his charge's royal person stays intact.

Customer Reviews:

Lymond series No 2: brilliant but not for everyone.......2007-09-06

This is the second book in a series which you will either love or hate. It is also one of those multi-book series which must if at all possible be read in the right order, which is

1) The Game of Kings
2) Queen's Play
3) The Disorderly Knights
4) Pawn in Frankincense
5) The Ringed Castle
6) Checkmate

The Queen of the title is Mary Queen of Scots, a child ruler at the time of the story, with much of the action in Scotland and France relating to intrugues as to who will control the person of the young Queen.

There are two reasons why this series, and the author's similar "Niccolo" series, should be read in chronological order. The first is that the plots are incredibly complicated and if you read them out of sequence you have no chance of understanding what is going on. The second is that many of the characters meet their deaths in ways which are exceptionally unpleasant both for themselves and for the characters who survive them.

I made the mistake of reading one of the later books first. When I came to read this one, advance knowledge of how an important character in this book is going to die, and how Lymond is going to find out about it, seriously affected the pleasure I would otherwise have had in reading the passage when they meet for the first time in "Queen's Play".

Like the books, the central character, Francis Crawford of Lymond, is brilliant, violent, and extremely complicated. Unlike the books he is very flawed. Lymond is a mercenary with particular interests in Scotland and France, and gets involved in nefarious deeds all over the world as 16th century Europeans knew it. Dunnett brings the splendour, cultural ferment, and violent cruelty of the Renaissance world splendidly to life.

If you are at all squeamish, or do not like having to make your brain work overtime to follow a book, leave this series alone. Lymond's story is neither "chewing gum for the brain" nor a comfortable read. And even if you prefer flawed heroes to knights in shining armour, Lymond may infuriate you from time to time. But if you can put up with these features, these books will richly reward the effort you make in reading them.

There is no middle ground: you will either hate the Lymond series or recognise these books as one of the greatest works of historical fiction ever written. Or very possibly both !

Plodding Through.......2007-07-26

I'm almost done with book 2 of the Lymond Chronicles and so far I've realized that Lymond is moody, manic-depressive, an alcoholic and highly intelligent. I couldn't be his woman. Actually, so far he hasn't had any serious relationships with anyone, just sex with [...] and one night stands with court people that are vaguely mentioned. The relationship with Christian Stewart in book 1 was very sweet and tender but purely platonic - however I know she had his heart.

I'll keep reading and see what more I learn of him. As a character he is interesting. This particular book - book II - is not my favorite. I am only reading it in hopes (and from reading reviews) that the rest of the series is better. I don't want to miss anything by skipping this one so I am forcing my way through. The most interesting part of forcing my way through are the tidbits I pick up on his character. The plot/story line of the book is not interesting at all to me.

I enjoyed book 1 after I got about 100 pages into it and after putting it down and picking it up for a second time.

Wonderfully pleasurable and eminently educational.......2007-03-10

Utterly fascinating from cover to cover as a novel, while the research backing up even the smallest detail commands an admiration bordering on awe. It is a book that I will re-read several times.

Reviews paperback book, not content.......2005-09-01

I have heard great reviews of this author from friends, so I set out to buy one of her books. The paperback version of this book is so offensively ugly no one should buy it. The type bleeds so the letters are fuzzy, and the overall impact is negative. I haven't looked at the hardbound version, but don't buy the paperback version - get it from the library if you want to read this book. No publisher should get away with this kind of product. No author should put up with it, and no reader should buy it.

Confusing.......2002-11-25

I hate to be a spoil sport since so many comments about Dunnett have been so effusive- however, I have to be honest and admit that I just don't get it. The plot lines are very confusing and the characters are not well enough developed to identify with. In Game of Kings Lymond communicates solely by spouting erudite witticisms in various languages. Every uttered sentence is either joking, tongue in cheek or nebulous in some way. I never felt for one moment that I understood this character. In fact, there is almost a comical aspect of the larger-than-life adventures that undermines the historical accuracy. Another problem is that Dunnett uses a lexicon that is so archaic and erudite that it becomes annoying after a while. I never thought that I would ever feel this way about a book since I love a good challenging read. This is over the top! I started reading this series in the sincere hope that I would discover something as wonderful and entrancing as the Patric O'Brian novels, I have been sorely disappointed. To tell the truth, I had to stop reading Queen's Play after the first few chapters.

Average customer rating:

A powerful and troubled queen
finally justice
hard to put down
Beautiful, if overly-sympathetic look at MQS
FYI...Biographies should be NON- fiction.

Mary Queen of Scots
Antonia Fraser
Manufacturer: Delta
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 038531129X
Release Date: 1993-09-01

Book Description

Author of Marie Antoinette

She was the quintessential queen: statuesque, regal, dazzlingly beautiful. Her royal birth gave her claim to the thrones of two nations; her marriage to the young French dauphin promised to place a third glorious crown on her noble head.

Instead, Mary Stuart became the victim of her own impulsive heart, scandalizing her world with a foolish passion that would lead to abduction, rape and even murder. Betrayed by those she most trusted, she would be lured into a deadly game of power, only to lose to her envious and unforgiving cousin, Elizabeth I.

Here is her story, a queen who lost a throne for love, a monarch pampered and adored even as she was led to her beheading, the unforgettable woman who became a legend for all time.

Customer Reviews:

A powerful and troubled queen.......2007-10-07

Antonia Fraser's first biography still stands as one of her best. This is a sympathetic look at Mary who at a young age was used as a political pawn, raised not to be "Queen of the Scots" but to be Queen of France. After the Dauphin died, she eventually returned to Scotland as a stranger to the culture and religion of her native land. Though a strong women, she was easily led astray by her passions and her advisors. Her cousin Elizabeth I, offered Mary shelter after she was forced to abdicate her Scottish thrown. Instead of shelter, Elizabeth held her prisoner moving her from place to place to isolate her as much as possible. This is the first great read from Fraser.

finally justice.......2007-06-15

I just finished reading this book, I did not want to end. Such a good research, lovingly told. I always felt respect for this woman but now I've discovered through Fraser's narrative the greatness of her character.

hard to put down.......2007-02-01

I just finished this book and found it to be extremely hard to put down. It is filled with more intrigue, romance, and betrayals than the best novels..and it's all true! What a life she led. Even at her very lowest point she was still heads above the rest of the crowd. She had true dignity. Mary Queen of Scots shall reign over Scotland till the end of time.

Beautiful, if overly-sympathetic look at MQS.......2006-12-04

I really wish I could give this book 2 1/2 stars. It is beautiful written, and compassionate look at one of history's most enchanting figures. It reads very-much like a novel and the reader is able to empathize with Mary through-out the book. That said, I think it is overly sympathetic. She portrays Mary as a saint, while admitting that she knowingly married her husbands murder and assented toa an attempted assinatation of Elizabeth, who had kept Mary alive at great risk to her [Elizabeth's] own life. Also snide comments are made against Elizabeth through-out the book some of them blatantly untrue (e.g.That her behaviour during the rosbart affair was scandalous, when the record shows it was impeccable.), and glossing over some of the more nasty aspects of Mary Queen of Scotts character. There are other flaws with the book: Lady Fraser has made the silly assumption that I am fluent in French and Latin, the authors own religious bias (She is an English Roman Catholic.) definitely comes through, and she moves into theology at some points in the book, and even political bias comes out when she makes sneering comments at the modern welfare state, which are totally irrevelavant.) A beautiful, if flawed book, by an extremely compassionate and commendable author. I look forward to reading some of her other works.

FYI...Biographies should be NON- fiction........2006-09-09

I could go on about this one forever. So i'll keep it short and simple(simple for all of those readers who gave this book a good review). This author is completely biased, objectivity being alien, which is a very unwelcomed quality in a biographer. Fraser sounds more like Mary's defense attorney than the objective observer she's suppose to be. A "biographer" should know better. I will never buy another "biography" written by this woman. If you want a good read on Mary, try "Immortal Queen" by Elizabeth Byrd. It's actually not a biography, but a novel, and reads a hell of alot more realistic than Fraser's "fantasy".

Mary Queen of Scotland & The Isles: A Novel

Average customer rating:

Not as Good as Henry Viii
Lost in a good book
A daunting history
Mesmerizing Portrait of a Tragic Queen
Passionate and compassionate portrayal

Mary Queen of Scotland & The Isles: A Novel
Margaret George
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Griffin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0312155859

Book Description

She was a child crowned a queen......A sinner hailed as a saint......A lover denounced as a whore....A woman murdered for her dreams....

Customer Reviews:

Not as Good as Henry Viii.......2007-07-10

I didn't enjoy this as much as I did The Autobiography of Henry VIII. However, it was a marvelous novel mixed with lots of historical fact. I suppose part of the reason it was not as entertaining was that the Henry VIII novel contained comments from his fool. This added a very personal touch that this book lacked. It read a bit more like a history.

My star ratings:

One star - couldn't finish the book

Two stars - read the book, but did a lot of skipping or scanning. Wouldn't add the book to my permanent collection or search out other books by the author

Three stars - enjoyable read. Wouldn't add the book to my permanent collection. Would judge other books by the author individually.

Four stars - Liked the book. Would keep the book or would look for others by the same author.

Five stars - One of my all time favorites. Will get a copy in hardback to keep and will actively search out others by the same author.

Lost in a good book.......2007-06-02

This covers Mary Queen of Scots from cradle to grave. The details from start to finish are engrossing. I was tempted to skip parts (cut to the chase), glad that I didn't though.

When we read history, it's very easy to say, "what were they thinking" or "were they thinking?" The way the novel is written, Queen Mary seems to make a decision that we might make in a similar situation. That time in Scotland seemed to remind one of modern urban gangs and mobsters than a genteel royal court. A sound snap judgement seems to always be shown to have grave repercussions (the trust in her half brother comes to mind).

Margaret George did a very good job showing Mary's initial intense attraction to Lord Darnley. We know how he turns out but, we think, "I might have been attracted to this man." Lord Bothwell is the classic opposite to Lord Darnley, making him a classic rebound affair. Making it possible to empathize with Mary is a strength of this story.

I would recommend this to fans of Tudor era history and British historical fiction.

A daunting history.......2007-04-01

I really wanted to like this book. I adore Elizabethan historical fiction!
But I have not been able to finish the book. I know what lies ahead and I can't imagine how it takes that many pages to get to that inevitable tragedy.

And perhaps I should not be reviewing a book that I have not finished, but I think that can also be just as telling of a book's worth as suffering to the end. At the point where I stopped reading, so much had happened and I was barely halfway through! I cannot imagine the rest of Mary's tragic life taking that long!

But the writing is quality work, make no mistake. Margaret George's writing is rich, lush, and gorgeous. She is a talented lady, to be sure. The scenes where Mary has fallen into a ecstatic religious state in the French church still resonate with me.... So many beautiful moments, but not enough overall momentum.

If you are already a fan of her work, you will probably enjoy this novel.
And I am sure I will get around to finishing it eventually.

Mesmerizing Portrait of a Tragic Queen.......2007-01-22

The life and reign of Mary Queen of Scots is vividly brought to life in this outstanding work of historical fiction. Mary was first Queen of France before becoming Queen of Scotland, and spent the last years of her life in exile and, in essence, imprisonment in England. Her reign in Scotland was complicated and made tragic by the strident discord between the Protestant and Catholic faiths, the political rivalries among England, Scotland, and France, poor judgment on her part, and historical events beyond her control. This fictionalized account of her life is mesmerizing, very readable and believable. The time and place of the 16th century, with its castles; nobility, religious zealots, peasants; political intrigue; battles, etc. are wonderfully portrayed. The personaliaties, psychological makeup, and relationships of Mary and many of the other main characters are portrayed with depth. Solid research was used in developing this fictionalized account. The result is a captivating historical story. Very highly recommended.

Passionate and compassionate portrayal.......2007-01-21

Mary, Queen of Scots, was the last Roman Catholic ruler of Scotland.
The tale of this beautiful woman, is one of the great tragedies of British history.
Margaret George, in this long book, brings Mary, and the Scotland, France and England of her time to life.
A sympathetic, but not idealistic portrayal of Mary as a woman who was warmhearted , loyal, brave, generous and spirited, but also unable to read character,volatile and impulsive.
The book takes us from Mary's birth, and her coronation as Queen of Scotland, when she was only a week old,she was shipped to France, for her own safety when she was six years old, together with her companions from early childhood , Mary Livingstone, Mary Fleming, Mary Beaton and Mary Seaton (the four Mary's).
Brought up in the French court , she was married to the Dauphin Francois at the age of 15, and widowed two years later.
She returned to Scotland, after the death of her husband , King Francois II, after his mother Catherine De Medici, made it clear she was no longer welcome in France.
Dealing with conniving Lords and officials , she was clearly outmanouvered at every turn. She was married to the worthless coward, Lord Darnley , who led a gang of conspirators ,into the palace and murdered her chief secretary David Riccio.
Later Darnley himself, died in myterious circumstances , for which George, in this volume, absolves Mary of any responsibility.
She then married her lover, the Earl of Bothwell , for which she lost the throne of Scotland. much due to the influence of the fiery Protestant preacher , John Knox, who nursed a vicious hatred of Mary.
She fled to England , where she was imprisoned by Queen Elizabeth I , and after 20 years, was accused of plotting against Elizabeth, and executed.

George takes us through Mary's life with passion and compassion. She gives us the picture through Mary's mind, but we also see the story through the minds of others, such as Lord Darnley, Earl Bothwell and Queen Elizabeth.
George explores the mysteries behind the history , in this well researched, and highly readable historical epic.
We really get to know the essence of Mary, Queen of Scots in this volume.
I particularly liked the end where Mary's spirit journeys after her execution , and see's the reactions to her life and death , and watches her funeral, before her spirit returns to G-D.
It was truly the spirit of a remarkable and tragic woman.

Mary Queen of Scots and the Casket Letters

Average customer rating:

Mary Queen of Scots and the Casket Letters
A. E. MacRobert
Manufacturer: I. B. Tauris
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1860648290

Book Description

Mary Queen of Scots was a romantic and tragic figure. The story of the 'Casket Letters' adds richly to the enigma and mystery - eight letters, a love sonnet and two contracts, allegedly written by Mary to her lover, implicated Mary in her husband's murder and 'proved' her adultery. This forensic re-examination of the controversy, the latest historiography, and the huge literature it has generated together with an accessible presentation of the 'Letters', is a detailed and powerful study for both scholar and general reader and illuminates sharply the dramatic events leading to Mary's imprisonment and eventual execution.

Royal Road to Fotheringhay: The Story of Mary, Queen of Scots

Average customer rating:

Not Plaidy's Best Work
A great novel by Jean Plaidy
So Boring and Slow
Royal Road to Fotheringhay
My first Jean Plaidy - WOW

Royal Road to Fotheringhay: The Story of Mary, Queen of Scots
Jean Plaidy
Manufacturer: Three Rivers Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0609810235
Release Date: 2004-11-23

Book Description

The haunting story of the beautiful—and tragic—Mary, Queen of Scots, as only legendary novelist Jean Plaidy could write it

Mary Stuart became Queen of Scotland at the tender age of six days old. Her French-born mother, the Queen Regent, knew immediately that the infant queen would be a vulnerable pawn in the power struggle between Scotland’s clans and nobles. So Mary was sent away from the land of her birth and raised in the sophisticated and glittering court of France. Unusually tall and slim, a writer of music and poetry, Mary was celebrated throughout Europe for her beauty and intellect. Married in her teens to the Dauphin François, she would become not only Queen of Scotland but Queen of France as well. But Mary’s happiness was short-lived. Her husband, always sickly, died after only two years on the throne, and there was no place for Mary in the court of the new king. At the age of twenty, she returned to Scotland, a place she barely knew.

Once home, the Queen of Scots discovered she was a stranger in her own country. She spoke only French and was a devout Catholic in a land of stern Presbyterians. Her nation was controlled by a quarrelsome group of lords, including her illegitimate half brother, the Earl of Moray, and by John Knox, a fire-and-brimstone Calvinist preacher, who denounced the young queen as a Papist and a whore. Mary eventually remarried, hoping to find a loving ally in the Scottish Lord Darnley. But Darnley proved violent and untrustworthy. When he died mysteriously, suspicion fell on Mary. In haste, she married Lord Bothwell, the prime suspect in her husband’s murder, a move that outraged all of Scotland. When her nobles rose against her, the disgraced Queen of Scots fled to England, hoping to be taken in by her cousin Elizabeth I. But Mary’s flight from Scotland led not to safety, but to Fotheringhay Castle...

“Plaidy excels at blending history with romance and drama.” —New York Times

Customer Reviews:

Not Plaidy's Best Work.......2006-08-01

I usually really enjoy Jean Plaidy's novels because she paces the tales well, usually sticks to fact, and makes the characters "come to life," so to speak. Perhaps it was that I found the main character unattractive, but this novel disappointed me. Knowing the way all these tales end before you ever begin, historical fiction needs the reader to be caught up in the story in order to enjoy it. Mary is (as portrayed in this novel) not captivating at all. She's kind of whiny and weak. I found that I didn't really care that she was going to be executed. I'm sure it's as close (fairly) as the rest of her work to history, this novel is just missing that "enthralling" quality. If you're new to Plaidy's work, try Anne Boleyn's tale or Katherine Howard's tale instead.

A great novel by Jean Plaidy.......2005-12-07

I am an avid reader of Tudor fiction and non-fiction. I can't get my hands on the materials fast enough. I found this book, as well as many other of Plaidy's books too be filled with rich images of time in the Tudor age.

I have read much on Mary, Queen of Scots, and the one complaint that I have about this book is that it jumps from the point where Mary was forced into captivity by the Scots, to her execution day. Everything between was left out. I found this to be very different from the other Plaidy books I have read.

I would recommend the book to others, but I would also recommend reading a bit about Mary Stuart, and her life before reading this book.

So Boring and Slow.......2005-08-06

"Royal Road to Fotheringhay" is the tale of Mary, Queen of Scots. Jean Plaidy's novel about this much famed Queen begins with her childhood and follows through to her death. I found this novel to be painfully slow. This was my first encounter with this author, and I cannot say it was a pleasant one. There was entirely too much filler in this novel and the action that was included was horrifically boring.

I was extremely disappointed by this book. I will be giving Plaidy another try, but there will need to be a marked improvement from this novel.

Royal Road to Fotheringhay.......2005-08-02

Of all the books that I have read about Mary, Queen of Scots, this one seems to be nearer what I have read about her in history.

My first Jean Plaidy - WOW.......2005-07-19

It took me a while to get through this one because i was so determined to get the dates and people committed to memory, but wow was Jean Plaidy thorough! This was so entertaining and eye opening and although "fiction", an excellent history lesson painted with vivid images and very intelligent writing. The research that must have gone into this books overwhelms me and I went out and bought several of her others to work my way through those as well.
Very interesting and hard to put down.

Elizabeth and Mary: Cousins, Rivals, Queens

Average customer rating:

Jane Dunn should reflect on her own issues before writting another book about women...
"This island isn't big enough for the two of us"
engrossing dual biography
Too repetitious
Same old story

Elizabeth and Mary: Cousins, Rivals, Queens
Jane Dunn
Manufacturer: Vintage
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0375708200
Release Date: 2005-01-25

Amazon.com

Jane Dunn's Elizabeth and Mary: Cousins, Rivals, Queens offers a blend of history and biography that traces the "dynamic interaction" between two of the most powerful women in Western history. Dunn remains ever aware of the uniqueness of her two central figures: both women ruled as divinely ordained monarchs in a male dominated power structure; and both women were from the same family (Elizabeth I was the granddaughter of Henry VII, and Mary Queen of Scots the great-granddaughter of King Henry).

By focusing not on pure biography but instead on relationships, Dunn is able to narrow her book (still mammoth in scope) to the most salient and interesting events in the two queens' lives. The book begins in 1558, the year in which Mary first wed and Elizabeth assumed the throne of England. Almost immediately the cousins were embroiled in a conflict that would endure for the remainder of Mary's life. A restless, sexually-active Catholic, and leader of the Scottish people in alliance with France, Mary was ever a conduit for rumors of rebellion. The "Virgin Queen" Elizabeth used Mary as a dark reflection to underline her own celibate constancy as a ruler of law and order.

The pair never met face to face, but as Dunn reveals, their lives were closely intertwined. After holding Mary in Fotheringhay prison for nearly two decades, Elizabeth ordered her cousin executed in 1587. Mary had chosen martyrdom in favor of a confession to complicity in the Babington assassination plot. In court, she declared: "I would never make Shipwreck of my Soul by conspiring the Destruction of my dearest Sister." Though the ostensible victor, Elizabeth (who had struggled to find a way to release her cousin while still upholding her own power as queen) confessed, "I am not free, but a captive." In Elizabeth and Mary, Dunn has built a rich world that underlines the tragic struggle between private emotions and the public faces history puts on them. --Patrick O'Kelley

Book Description

The political and religious conflicts between Queen Elizabeth I and the doomed Mary, Queen of Scots, have for centuries captured our imagination and inspired memorable dramas played out on stage, screen, and in opera. But few books have brought to life more vividly than Jane Dunn’s Elizabeth and Mary the exquisite texture of two women’s rivalry, spurred on by the ambitions and machinations of the forceful men who surrounded them. The drama has terrific resonance even now as women continue to struggle in their bid for executive power.

Against the backdrop of sixteenth-century England, Scotland, and France, Dunn paints portraits of a pair of protagonists whose formidable strengths were placed in relentless opposition. Protestant Elizabeth, the bastard daughter of Anne Boleyn, whose legitimacy had to be vouchsafed by legal means, glowed with executive ability and a visionary energy as bright as her red hair. Mary, the Catholic successor whom England’s rivals wished to see on the throne, was charming, feminine, and deeply persuasive. That two such women, queens in their own right, should have been contemporaries and neighbours sets in motion a joint biography of rare spark and page-turning power.

Customer Reviews:

Jane Dunn should reflect on her own issues before writting another book about women..........2006-04-22

Jane Dunn, Elizabeth and Mary: Cousins, Rivals, Queens - I would not advise any avid Mary Stewart admirers (or feminists) to purchase this book. Jane Dunn in my mind (and from the extensive text I have read) does Mary Stewart a great injustice with her blatant Elizabethan bias. She over looks the obvious motives of Queen Elizabeth for Mary's murder, instead painting Elizabeth as a strong woman in a man's world who had no option but conspire against, imprison and eventually have her cousin put to death.

I was looking forward to an in-depth read, a psychological & sociological perspective of these two female power brokers... but instead found the book to view Mary in a very sexist fashion (surprising, as the author is female!). Jane Dunn's `Mary bashing' stems around her intolerance of Mary expressing and ruling with her female traits intact... Mary rules from the heart and is often merciful, and led by her intelligence and her emotions.

In contrast to this, Elizabeth kills off the feminine aspects of herself, and rules with a cold, calculating and ruthless vision. She is the archetype that we 21st century women still struggle against...we do not want to have to behave like men to function at a effective level in this world, we want to be respected for our feminine qualities of caring, understanding and tolerance; something this world sadly lacks. Mary had these qualities and used them to great effect (i.e. allowing the blend of the two dominant religions in her land to co-exist). Mary had her faults as we all do but she accepted others and there faults and tried to negotiate for compromise and tolerance.

Mary could have made a real difference in her time if it were for two factors.

1. If she had the chance to grow and learn free of imprisonment.
2. If she had had the support of her so called `sister' Elizabeth!!! Something that Elizabeth would never give...in fact Elizabeth was wriggled with the most terrible of negative female expression `Jealousy'... because she had suppressed her femininity, she became a twisted version of a woman, one who could not allow a real female Queen to share the same island...so much so she murdered her!
Mary was wronged enough in her lifetime and Jane Dunn should be ashamed that she finds it necessary to slander her character and trivialize her even in death.

"This island isn't big enough for the two of us".......2006-03-31

First, I would like to review the book itself, and then address some of its critics.

Two of history's most famous queens, one for her unexpected and remarkable greatness, the other for her inexplicably poor judgment and bad luck. But was their famous rivalry inevitable? Was Elizabeth always the popular, talented, dominant one while Mary remained in her shadow? Jane Dunn asks these questions, and I was surprised - and pleased - by some of her answers.

The first part of the book is essentially a point-by-point comparison of the two queens, detailing their very different youths and explaining how they would influence the women in later years. Essentially, Mary had a huge sense of entitlement, was overconfident in her own power and security, and was a much more 'traditional' woman - and Queen - of her day. Elizabeth, whose childhood was punctuated by dramatic changes of fortune, had a much more acute sense of how tenuous her position was, and how much she depended on the good will of her people to maintain power.

Dunn does beat the Mary-as-charming-but-spoiled and Bess-as-brilliant-control-freak comparison into us a bit, but it is a good way of looking at the very different natures of these two women. Her book isn't a full biography of either queen; rather it's a look at the intersection between them - their relationship with each other, their competition, rivalry, and common causes. As such it's a fascinating look at a unique time in European history, the so-called "Age of Queens".
Posterity-wise, Mary got the short end of the stick. History will always remember her as Elizabeth's paler shadow, a major annoyance and minor queen who had no one but herself to blame for her tragic end. Although Dunn does occasionally (perhaps unavoidably) slip into Mary-bashing and Bess-worship, on the whole she does a good job pointing out that that wasn't always the case - and, had a few things gone differently, we would paint a very different portrait of the two cousins. Her Mary and Elizabeth are fully human - flaws, quirks, charms, and all. It's the best way to explain the convoluted relationship between the two, and it provides a lot of useful character insight into all other aspects of these Queens as well. (I do wish Dunn had gone further into the possibility that Mary was bipolar. It's a fascinating hypothesis, and it would explain a lot.)

Mary's end - which also serves as the book's - is too rushed; twenty years are covered in a handful of pages and the account of the execution itself offers nothing new. But until that point, I thoroughly enjoyed this provocative and inspiring portrait of two very different women whom circumstances thrust into such fierce competition.

Now: Some reviewers seem to feel that Dunn was somehow "unfair" to Mary and that her comparison of the two queens is misogynist. I admit to being completely baffled by this point of view. It appears to stem from the argument that somehow Mary was a better "feminist" queen than Elizabeth, I suppose because Elizabeth "betrayed the sisterhood" by having Mary executed.

Further, Dunn's critics seem to argue that Mary was a better "feminine" role model than Elizabeth was, apparently because she ruled through emotion rather than reason. They complain that Elizabeth is too "cold" and "calculating" to be a good example of a female ruler, while waxing rhapsodic about Mary's "mercy" and "gentleness". Let me be blunt: this is the sort of idiotic, feel-good, p.c. claptrap that has set the cause of working women back 50 years. Yes, there is something to be said for women's differing management styles; you will get no argument from me that in today's world, women should not have to emulate uber-masculinity to succeed. But - newsflash! - this was the 16th century. Not only were the roles of men and women completely different - and thus incomparable - than they are today, have you ever actually tried to get anything done with the kind of dithering, vapid leadership exemplified by Mary and her ilk?

Attempting to repaint Dunn's dual biography as some sort of feminist management manifesto does a disservice, both to the author and her subjects. We should admire both Elizabeth and Mary for who they were and what they did, while admitting their flaws and shortcomings. But this is not the 1500s, and trying to appropriate their story to make a point about women today is grossly misrepresentative, self-centered, and intellectually careless. If you want to adopt antiquated delusions about women in the workplace, try reading Forbes online - not "Elizabeth and Mary".

engrossing dual biography.......2006-02-28

Jane Dane has done an excellent job in this dual Bio of
Mary,Queen Of Scots And Elizabeth I,and how previous history
and that of the era they lived in contributed to and helped
their destinies.QWould recommend it to anyone with an interest
in the time period.

Too repetitious.......2006-02-05

The authors over determination to create parralells in the womens lives create an unending series of repetitions. Not only are the sequences of events repeated, the conclusions she makes are also said at naseum. Any possible flow to the story is replaced by poorly adjoined references.

A waste of reading time.

Same old story.......2005-12-22

I was disappointed with this book. I was looking for a book that would give me an unbiased discussion about these two women and their relationship. Instead I found it was really just another of many many books that put Elizabeth on a pedestal and Mary somewhere very much lower.

Mary Queen of Scots and the Murder of Lord Darnley

Average customer rating:

Hoped for more balance
A house of bricks, a foundation of straw
Controversial matters, but entirely enjoyable
Fabulous historical analysis
Real Life the Stuff of Romance

Mary Queen of Scots and the Murder of Lord Darnley
Alison Weir
Manufacturer: Pimlico
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0712664564

Book Description

The acclaimed author of The Princes in the Tower now brilliantly investigates another of Britain’s notorious unsolved mysteries: the murder of Lord Darnley, second husband of Mary, Queen of Scots.

Tall, handsome, accomplished, and charming, Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, had it all, including a strong claim to the English throne, a fact that threatened the already insecure Elizabeth I. She therefore opposed any plan for Darnley to marry her cousin, Mary, Queen of Scots, who herself claimed to be Queen of England. But in 1565 Mary met and fell in love with Darnley—and defied Elizabeth by marrying him. It was not long before she discovered that her new husband was weak and vicious, and interested only in securing sovereign power for himself.

On February 10, 1567, an explosion at his lodgings left Darnley dead. There were many who might have had a motive for murdering him, not least Mary herself. The intrigue thickened after it was discovered that apparently he had been suffocated before the blast. Emerging from the tragedy were more mysteries than any historian has ever satisfactorily solved.

Mary and Darnley’s marriage had been an adulterous disaster. After Darnley’s death, Mary showed favor to the powerful Earl of Bothwell, causing her enemies to accuse her of being his partner in both infidelity and murder. Mary insisted that the murder conspiracy had been aimed at her, and that she had escaped only by changing her plans at the last minute. It has even been suggested that Darnley himself had planned the explosion in order to kill her.

The murder of Darnley ultimately led to Mary’s ruin. After her deposition, there conveniently came to light a box of documents—the notorious Casket Letters—that her enemies claimed were proof of her guilt. But Mary was never allowed to see them, and they disappeared in 1584. The question of their authenticity has haunted historians ever since.

After exhaustive reexamination and reevaluation of the source material, Alison Weir has come up with a solution to this enduring mystery that can be substantiated by contemporary evidence, and in the process has shattered many of the misconceptions about Mary, Queen of Scots. Employing once more the bright writing and stunning characterizations that have made her a favorite writer of popular history, Weir has written one of her most engaging excursions into Britain’s bloodstained, power-obsessed past.

Customer Reviews:

Hoped for more balance.......2007-09-23

I was disappointed in the book, because I hoped for a more balanced, objective look at the murder of Darnley, and Mary's degree of involvement. I agree with the reviewer who said the book needed better editing. Too much time was devoted to repetitious and indignant refutation of George Buchanan's ludicrous allegations about Mary, and Ms. Weir's point of view was driven home too vehemently. The research was meticulous, to the point of ponderous. Near the end of the book, I found myself thinking "Off with her head!" and skipping chunks of pages to reach the conclusion, which, by that time, I found rather satisfying.

A house of bricks, a foundation of straw.......2007-06-15

Alison Weir writes wonderfully. Her discussion is crisp, engaging, and even by turns charming. She has a knack for pulling out telling detail, and weaves original source material deftly through each passage. In introducing Lord Darnley, the then-future husband of Mary, Queen of Scots, she notes that his parents doted on him, holding him particularly precious as most of his siblings died in infancy. She finds a letter he wrote at 8 that sheds insight on his ambition and religion. Detail by detail, she paints his personality, bringing him to life before us. This is a book that is hard to put down.

Yet, Weir also has a knack for building assumption on frail assumption, trying to build a house of bricks on a foundation of straw. As an example, she speculates that the illness that plagued Darnley in the months before his death was not smallpox (as commonly assumed) but rather an intermediate stage of syphilis. She acknowledges that this is not clear from the record, but merely speculation, and outlines both the pros and cons for her view. Weir is clear enough: there's some reasonable chance she is right, but she acknowledges that, across the years, it is impossible to establish her position with certainty. Weir then builds on this assumption, suggesting it was "inconceivable" that Mary did not find out that syphilis ailed her husband, making assumptions about Mary's state of mind, whether or not she may have had another pregnancy, and how she interacted with other men and her husband based on the speculations about Darnley's disease. This is but one example. Again and again, as one works through the book, speculations which are carefully qualified and limited on first argument become certainties when repeated a few pages later, so that as one finally reaches her conclusion, gets her point, and steps back to consider whether she is right, her logic simply melts away. In the end, she adds nothing to the history but her pretty words.

Had this been a work of historical fiction, I would praise it. Weir is a wonderful story teller. Alas, the book masquerades as history. But, oh, if only other historians could write like Weir!

Controversial matters, but entirely enjoyable.......2007-03-15

I'll start off by saying that before reading this book, my only knowledge of Mary Queen of Scots came from fiction books. I had thought she was an interesting character, so I bought this to read more about her. For a 600+ history book, I swallowed it pretty fast.

This book is written well, discussing an interesting topic, and all in all, clearly presenting facts that are very intriguing in a manner that makes it interesting to anyone who tries to read it. While I can't say that I know whether or not the facts were accurate or not, I know that it all seemed plausible to me (or, well, most of it, at least) and that I enjoyed myself reading this.

For those who may know more about this fascinating queen and simply want another view, I don't see why you shouldn't read this. It's nice, it's well done, and it's certainly a good way to spend a few days. For those trying to get into Mary, this may also be your book. It's not too difficult to read, and while some of Weir's beliefs on what happened are questionable, it's a good book.

Fabulous historical analysis.......2007-01-04

Alison Weir gives you all the information of what led up to Darnley's murder in an excellent, very readable format. The events are entertaining with just enough interjection of factual evidence, as well as different theories of explanation. Weir has done excellent, very detailed research and gives the reader an education. One of the best books on Mary Queen of Scots that I've seen.

Real Life the Stuff of Romance.......2006-08-03

This meticulously researched story of Mary Stuart reads like the very best of historical novels. Weir creates a finely woven tapestry of fact, pacing and style. A thoroughly satisfying and absorbing read.

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