In the process of overdosing on faux-medieval novels, Your Humble Blogger read Dragon’s Lair, by Sharon Kay Penman (New York: Putnam 2003). It was fine; I could imagine reading another, and enjoying it.
In the Author’s Note, though, Ms. Penman makes a point of differentiating her historical novels from her mystery novels; this is a mystery novel, you see. It’s set in 1193; Bad King John and Eleanor of Aquitaine are characters, as are Daffyd ap Owain and Llewelyn ab Iorwerth. The main character is invented, as are more than half of the minor characters, but the major political events, which set off the plot are real.
There is a mystery of sorts. That is, some people are killed, and a McGuffin goes missing. It’s not a puzzle. What matters in the plot is not who actually committed the murders, nor even who ordered the murders done, but recovering the McGuffin and resolving the big political issues (involving the historical characters). So why is this not a historical novel?
Redintegro Iraq,
-Vardibidian.