The Unicorn Hunt

House of Niccolò, Book 5

By: Dorothy Dunnett

Narrated by: John Banks

With the bravura storytelling and pungent authenticity of detail she brought to her acclaimed Lymond Chronicles, Dorothy Dunnett, grande dame of the historical novel, presents the House of Niccolò series. The time is the fifteenth century, when intrepid merchants became the new knighthood of Europe. Among them, none is bolder or more cunning than Nicholas vander Poele of Bruges, the good-natured dyer's apprentice who schemes and swashbuckles his way to the helm of a mercantile empire.

Scotland, 1468: a nation at the edge of Europe, a civilization on the threshold of the Modern Age. Merchants, musicians, politicians, and pageantry fill the court of King James III. In its midst, Nicholas seeks to avenge his bride's claim that she carries the bastard of his archenemy, Simon St. Pol. When she flees before Nicholas can determine whether or not the rumored child is his own-or exists at all-Nicholas gives chase. So begins the deadly game of cat and mouse that will lead him from the infested cisterns of Cairo to the misted canals of Venice at carnival. Breathlessly paced, sparkling with wit. The Unicorn Hunt confirms Dorothy Dunnett as the genre's finest practitioner.

©1993 Dorothy Dunnett (P)2023 Tantor

Lady Dunnett is incomparable.

I’ve read both series several times, Lymond at least five. It was an experiment to see if listening to her rich, complex story would be as rewarding as reading it and I would say, thanks to the brilliant narration, “Yes it is plus I got quite a lot of gardening done as well.” Having just finished book 5, I’m diving into 6 without pausing.

Bravo

In the last paragraph of the last page, one can finally breathe after a whirlwind of searching, disappointment, betrayal, longing and finally the long-awaited piece of the puzzle that unites Nicholas to his son. Whew.

MAJOR Disappointment

I enjoyed previous books in this series, but was profoundly disappointed by The Unicorn Hunt. Twice as long as it needed to be, it was an exhausting mess. Adjectives that come to mind: tiresome, boring, aimless, tedious, improbable and terribly terribly contrived - ridculous events were introduced with the sole purpose of setting up even more ridiculous events. This book lacked the magical qualities of its predecessors, and the once interesting character of Niccolo was virtually unrecognizable - dark, brooding, unclever and quite unlikeable. Even more preposterous, he suddenly developed supernatural powers? Oh brother! What the heck went wrong, Ms. Dunnet? I disliked this book immensely.

PS How many times can Niccolo be kidnapped and tortured to within an inch of his life before even the author decides to give it a rest? So tiresome.