Itemize About Books King Hereafter
| Title | : | King Hereafter |
| Author | : | Dorothy Dunnett |
| Book Format | : | Paperback |
| Book Edition | : | Special Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 721 pages |
| Published | : | September 29th 1998 by Vintage (first published May 12th 1982) |
| Categories | : | Historical. Historical Fiction. Fiction. Cultural. Scotland. Medieval |
Dorothy Dunnett
Paperback | Pages: 721 pages Rating: 4.25 | 1993 Users | 226 Reviews
Rendition In Favor Of Books King Hereafter
In King Hereafter, Dorothy Dunnett's stage is the wild, half-pagan country of eleventh-century Scotland. Her hero is an ungainly young earl with a lowering brow and a taste for intrigue. He calls himself Thorfinn but his Christian name is Macbeth. Dunnett depicts Macbeth's transformation from an angry boy who refuses to accept his meager share of the Orkney Islands to a suavely accomplished warrior who seizes an empire with the help of a wife as shrewd and valiant as himself.Mention Books To King Hereafter
| Original Title: | King Hereafter |
| ISBN: | 0375704035 (ISBN13: 9780375704031) |
| Edition Language: | English |
| Characters: | Macbeth, King of Scots |
Rating About Books King Hereafter
Ratings: 4.25 From 1993 Users | 226 ReviewsCritique About Books King Hereafter
Well, I guess I have only myself to blame for reading all 720 tiny-typed pages. This historical novel, which Dunnett apparently regarded as her masterpiece, posits that the real-life Macbeth and his contemporary Thorfinn Sigurdsson, Earl of Orkney, were one and the same person. Dunnett based this theory, somewhat plausibly, on the fact the two men never appear together in the historical sources. A book with one foot planted firmly in Shakespeare and the other in Vikings would be just my cuppa ifDunnett is not for me personally, though I appreciated her occasional flashes of brilliance. Most of this novel was dense, turgid and impenetrable: absolutely unreadable. I wanted exposure to her conception of the 'real' Macbeth, since Shakespeare really maligned the guy. I forced myself to plod through this slower-than-molasses book. The different family trees helped, but as a GR Friend mentioned to me, judicious footnoting would not have gone amiss.
I had never read Shakespeare's Macbeth, and really didn't know the story, in fact I thought he was a fictitious character, so this was new territory for me. The book starts with so many Viking names and places I felt lost after a chapter or two. But, I persevered, and must say it was a very satisfying book. Dorothy Dunnett at her best. Reared from the age of 5 by a foster-father in the Orkneys, Thorfinn, the Earl of Orkney lives the hard but adventurous life in the north of early Scotland,
Historical fiction at its finest. Accurate, detailed, well-drawn characters. Perfect book. Complex writing that is not for the faint of heart, you will have to focus and pay attention, no scene is filler. Highly recommended.
After Victorians Undone I felt in need of a break from Victorians and so thought I might try one of Dorothy Dunnett's historical novels - the only one in the library was King Hereafter, her take on the Macbeth story. This was possibly for the best as it is a free standing novel while the rest form in to series of books and the county catalogue shows that there is not a complete set of any of her series within the whole county.Anyway, mildly hopeful, I embarked on board this big fat novel hoping
A rich and deeply satisfying evocation of characters, time and place which had been reduced to almost cartoon status after Shakespeare. DD does not need to compete with Shakespeare (who had his own historical rules to follow), and if this wasn't Macbeth's true story, it should have been.One of those books I look forward to re-reading every few years.
One day, Sulien said, I think the Throne of St Peter will be as firm as it seemed, for a moment, it might be; I think the Empire will find a design by which to rule that does not break down between one prince and the next. I think the storms will subside and as nation settles by nation, there will be a place for quiet rule, and for building.Till then, it will be the fate of most leaders to die in their prime, and the fate of most women to carry forward their essence; their habit of mind; their
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