Falconer And The Face Of God [Mass Market Paperback]

Ian Morson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1997

Actor Stephano de Askeles's unfortunate stand-in gives his final performance when, during a rehearsal, he receives a fatal blow that was intended for de Askeles, a man hated by his entire troupe. Witness to this dire act is Oxford regent master William Falconer, who is helping his mentor, Roger Bacon, with some research into the mysterious science of alchemy. With motives aplenty and nary a moral involved in this morality play, Falconer investigates the secrecy surrounding the relics of a long-dead saint and a chilling tale of murder. Martin's Press.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

If you'd like to sample Ian Morson's excellent historical series about William Falconer, a 13th-century professor and astute crime solver, try this beautifully detailed story. Someone is trying to kill off the head actor, the supremely nasty Stefano de Askeles, in a traveling morality play that arrives in Oxford just as Falconer is doing some down-and-dirty research for his mentor, Roger Bacon. De Askeles survives a fatal blow, but his unlucky stand-in doesn't, which makes Falconer the actor's reluctant protector. As always, Morson captures the feel of the period, and avoids adding modern touches that would jar readers out of their hard-earned propinquity.

From Library Journal

When Oxford teacher (and amateur sleuth) William Falconer witnesses the murder of an on-stage actor, he becomes involved in the second murder affecting a traveling troupe of jongleurs. The third in a well-written series.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press (November 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312964102
• ISBN-13: 978-0312964108
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 4.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,084,812 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Quick and pleasant read..., November 25, 2000

By 

Dianne Foster "Di" (USA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Falconer And The Face Of God (Mass Market Paperback)

THE FALCONER AND THE FACE OF GOD is a quick read, and a good paperback to carry in a suitcase for reading while you wait -- if your eyes can take the teeney type. I'm pretty nearsighted so I had no problem reading the text, but it might be difficult to see without an itty-bitty book light. Undoubtedly, the hardcover has larger type but it will weigh more, and this is the kind of book I like to take along on a trip and toss out after I read it.

Ian Morson is in the process claiming a "series space" between Cadfael (Ellis Peters, mid-1100's, Shrewsbury) and Archer (Candace Robb, mid-1300's, York). His writing is adequate. His plot is reasonable and his character development sparse. His attention to detail is ample given the brevity of this text.

Morson's protagonist is Falconer is a regent at Oxford in the mid-1200s, during the latter days of the incredibly long reign of Henry III, the great-grandson of Matilda and father of Edward the hammer who conquered Scotland. The Falconer solves crimes in the little city of Oxford. He has been described as a Middle-Ages Morse on the book jacket but he's not that good--yet.

In FALCONER AND THE FACE OF GOD, a troupe of jongleurs not unlike the crew that stages the play in Hamlet arrives in Oxford in time to present a Christmas play covering everything from Creation to the death of Christ. Given the leading actor, a golden-haired fellow named de Askeles, is a despicable if semi-educated cur, fatal things are bound to happen and they do. Before long, the Falconer finds himself involved with two mysterious deaths which he solves just in time for the New Year.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars An enjoyable read, but a weak ending, February 19, 2006

By 

Peter Reeve (Thousand Oaks, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Falconer And The Face Of God (Mass Market Paperback)

Beware blurb! The back cover of this novel makes much of the fact that the story involves a morality play. It doesn't. It involves a mystery play. There is a difference. More seriously, this blurb reveals an early plot twist. (Amazon, not to be outdone, do us the same favor in their editorial). Why not summarize the whole plot and save us the trouble of reading the story? Please, publishers, have a little consideration for the reader.

This is the third William Falconer mystery, set in 13th century Oxford. Morson writes well, with an occasional literary flourish. But he does skip around a good deal, from one scene to another, within a chapter. This is an irritating habit, typical of current authors, and I suppose it results from the influence of film and television. Everyone writing a novel these days seems to have one eye on a movie adaptation. A screenplay is written as a series of 2-minute scenes and now novels are, too.

The story, based around a troupe of actors coming to Oxford to perform a mystery play, is very compelling, and I was carried along with it. I would have stretched to 4 stars if the ending had not been something of a letdown. I will say no more about that, being more considerate than certain blurb writers.

If you are a fan of medieval mysteries, you should try Falkoner. You are better reading them in order, starting with Falconer's Crusade, because suspects in earlier instalments turn up again later in the series. So if you met someone in the third book, you would know he was not the murderer in the first. (See how easy it is to be considerate to readers?)