Customer Reviews

A Sundial in a Grave: 1610

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Mary Gentle is widely known for what I like to call "historical fantasy." 1610: A Sundial in a Grave barely meets the definition of fantasy or science fiction, with the only fantastic element being the fact that mathematical precognition is a reality. She's also known as a meticulous researcher, and she shows that again in this book. 1610 is a wonderful book that just starts a little too slow.

1610 is a year of change. Edward Fludd has perfected the mathematics of telling the future. However, he doesn't like what he sees, so he determines to change it. This is the year where that change becomes possible. Valentin Rochefort, a duellist and down on his luck aristocrat, as well as servant to the French spymaster Sully, is having his own problems. He is supposed to set up the assassination of his monarch, Henry IV, but it's designed to be a fake. Too bad for him that it happens to succeed. Disgraced and forced to run, he encounters his nemesis, Dariole, who revels in humiliating him, especially by being 16 years old and able to beat him at swordplay. Dariole ends up running with him, and they both find themselves trapped in Fludd's web. Fludd intends to use Rochefort in an assassination of his own, one that will change the future the way he wants it to be. With the addition of a shipwrecked Japanese samurai, agendas clash, different honor systems conflict, and secrets are revealed. The story goes all over the world, from France to England to Portugal and then to Japan before returning for an intriguing finish. There's even time for a little romance as well.

1610 is written as if it were a computer-generated reconstructed translation of a fire-damaged manuscript written by Rochefort. This allows the "translator" to include other documents as well, so each part (the book is separated into five) begins with something other than his memoirs. Sometimes it's a translator's note or a partially reconstructed entry from Saburo to his Japanese liege-lord. These give us a little bit more background information that Rochefort wouldn't necessarily be privy to, enabling the reader to have a more well-rounded story. It's an effective way to write, and Rochefort makes a wonderful narrator. He's witty and he's not afraid to admit his own mistakes (and there are many). The only thing that's not completely realistic about this is that there is no white-washing whatsoever. There's no effort to make Rochefort look good, which is what would probably happen with anybody else's memoirs. Rochefort's honesty is refreshing, however.

With the book being told in first person, it would have been very easy to make the other characters wooden. Thankfully, Gentle avoids this, with both Dariole and Saburo being superb. The relationship between Dariole and Rochefort is riveting, especially when Dariole's secret is revealed and Rochefort has to adjust. Saburo is fascinating because Japan is an unknown entity at this point, with just a few western explorers having been there. The culture clash between Saburo and Rochefort, and even Dariole to an extent (though Dariole seems a lot more willing to learn from Saburo, being only 16 and impressionable) makes a good subplot to the main action. It gets even more interesting when Saburo has to choose between duty to his leader and duty to the man who saved his life. Gentle handles all of these differing cultures admirably, showing again how detailed her research is.

The only bad thing I have to say about the book is that the beginning is horribly slow. I almost gave up on it after 60 pages, especially when a bizarre sexual encounter took place. I was beginning to wonder if this is the type of book that I'm not interested in reading. I persevered, though, and discovered a rich, yet clearly adult, novel with wonderful prose and fascinating characters. Once Rochefort and Dariole leave Paris, the book takes off at a frenetic yet leisurely pace. I know that doesn't appear to make sense, but the story seems to be moving even when Gentle is pausing for breath. 1610 is a book that's hard to put down, even during these breaks. When there's no action, there are still plenty of ideas being put forward, or beautiful character interaction to keep the reader entertained.

I have to reiterate that this is definitely an adult novel. There are some sexual situations in it, as well as some adult concepts. As long as that doesn't bother you, 1610 is a wonderful book.

David Roy

I also picked up the book because the jacket referred to Dunnett - but I liked it more than the reader before me who gave it 1 star. The history is quite good, taking place in the time after Henri IV's assasination in France. A trio of interesting characters fleeing repercussions of the assasination travels to the England of James I (shortly after Queen Elizabeth's reign). They get involved in plots by the mathematical wizard Dr. Robert Fludd who hopes to save the world from a comet that he's predicted will destroy the world 500 years in the future. Fludd's calculations of how current events will influence the future is quite well done - there are lots of veiled references to historical events that we are quite familiar with, like dropping atomic bombs on Japan. The time covered by the novel covered is only 2 years, and the author uses broad brush strokes, so the historical time and events are very easy to follow.

The story is quite simple - mostly a love story between the narrator Rochefort the spy and Dariole the duellist. The only other substantial character is a Japanese samurai who provides a great foil, entertainment and an outsider's view on the smelly European gaijin. What makes the novel most interesting and different is the complex characterization of Rochefort - although his life has not been above reproach, he is loyal and wise, and capable of great love and sacrifice. It's a nice touch, and well handled, and he's a great character.

That being said, the elements of the story are simple enough that they are repeated again and again in the nearly 700 pages. Maybe it could have been a great book if it were half the size. And then, I suppose some of us are always looking for the next Dunnett, hoping to plunge for months into complex histories and gargantuan casts of fully realized characters - Mary Gentle's not in the same league, but she's very good.

Mary Gentle's "A Sundial in a Grave: 1610" turned out to be a pleasant surprise. I am not usually a fan of fantasay novels, nor conspiracy novels, but I do love historical fiction & had run out of books by other favorite authors when I found this one. The first 50 or so pages were slow going; the details seemed too thick. The relationships which evolved from this slow start and the rather uncomfortable introductions to new characters ended up holding my interest. Gentle's ability to show the full human spectrum of good and bad in her characters, and to address difficult ethical questions, made this truly enjoyable. Some readers may be disturbed by her gender bending, and by her blunt depictions of sexuality at the time (the courts of 17th century England and France did not adhere to such strict codes regarding gender and sexual conduct as modern day US society). Readers more familiar with the time and historical characters will appreciate it for what it is and understand the relevance. The inclusion of Saburo, a Nihonese Samurai, was also fantastic - both for the inclusion of some history less known to Westerners, and for the fantastic character development and dialogue she created for him. Overall I found this a very enjoyable, and by the end, a tender story.

Spy, duelist, and killer Valentin Rochefort has no intention of betraying his king and his mentor. But when the Queen blackmails him, he resolves to conduct the most botched assassination in history. But chance can play an ugly hand. Not only does Rochefort's assassination succeed, he's caught by an angry duelist as he tries to flee Paris. Together with the duelist Dariole, along with shipwrecked samurai Saburo, Rochefort finally escapes to England. But there are men in England who can put men capable of assassinating a king to use. And James I is not exactly strong on his throne.

In England, a group of rogue mathmetitians have calculated that a comet will strike the earth and destroy it--within five hundred years. Only by taking action, by bringing about a new future can Earth be prepared to ward off this future destruction. Rochefort is to become a catspaw in this game of empires as the scientists attempt to manipulate the future.

Author Mary Gentle combines a detailed view of a vital period in history with a touch of romance to deliver an exciting story. The evolving relationship between Rochefort and Dariole drives the story at least as much as do the mathmagics of the occult calculators. The Japanese influence adds intriguing and historically plausible possibilities in a world where Japan was poised between joining commerce and Imperialism and cutting itself off and living for two centuries in isolation.

Conspiracy buffs will get a kick out of Mary Gentle's ultimate resolution to the problem of knowing the future and the ethical dilemmas of having to kill innocent people to save others. Fans of swashbuckling adventure will enjoy Rochefort's duels--and more adult readers will get a kick out of the strange relationship that develops between Rochefort and Dariole.

I am someone who has also spent a considerable amount of time researching the historical figures behind the famous Dumas characters. One of my favourites, is the underutilized Comte de Rochefort.

"The Mémoires de Monsieur le Comte de Rochefort", which the author in her foreword acknowleged, was written by Gatien Courtilz de Sandras in the seventeenth century and this book, along with a similar "fictionalized" memoirs of M. D'Aartagnan. These served as the major sources of inspiration for Alexandre Dumas' many masterpieces, including "The Three Musketeers". What many fail to realise is that de Sandras penned these books having actually known the real men behind the stories while he had served in the French military. Cortilz knew these men. Dumas was merely borrowing from history, as he often had a tendency to do. The entire plot device regarding Athos' wife, Charlotte and the brand of the Fleur-de-lis was borrowed wholesale from de Sandras' account of Rochefort's stepmother, for example.

I own copies of M. Le Comte de Rochefort's memoirs in the archaic seventeenth century French (1678) and in its early eighteenth century English translation (1704) and so I am working from the very same source materials that Mary Gentle herself has access to and supposedly used when writing this book. I agree with the author in the foreword that Cortilz was not a writer of fiction but biographer of a sort and the seventeenth century norm would have possibly allowed for the format of an alleged "diary". When I picked up this book, naturally I though that someone who was herself a scholar of 17th Century France, and who also had a devotion to the idea that he was a real person would at least try to be true to the historical man's memory. I was sorely disappointed.

Mary Gentle's rendition of Monsieur le Comte de Rochefort turns a very misunderstood, but no less fascinating character into some sort of fangirl slash fiction masochist and is completely wrong for both fans of Dumas and anyone who cares to do even the bare minimum of historical research. In short, she butchered the man beyond all recognition and it was hard not to just cry how terribly wrong that she got him.

I don't understand what she was thinking about taking the a trusted member of Cardinal Richelieu's circle and having him lust after an adolecent girl disguised as boy and later bumping into a Samaurai warrior where they go on the adventure to save James I. The plot devices are historically unlikely, culturally absurd so the expecting a reader to suspend disbelief is asking just too much. There was so much going on that she could have used but she didn't. I do not recommend this book and am hoping that someone else will see fit to write a better novel about Rochefort that stays in line with who he was. "Sundial in a Grave" does not do that in the slightest.

For any who are interested in the history, I would recommend trying to read the Rochefort memoirs, but the versions available online are very difficult, if not near impossible to read. Another very good book that is probably available through Amazon is "The Four Musketeers: The True Story of D'artagnan, Porthos, Amramis & Athos" by Kari Maund & Phil Nanoson, 1988 Tempus Publishing, Ltd. Not only are the Musketeers discussed, but also Rochefort and the other cast of characters and places as well.

What a disappointment. This book promises much more than it delivers. Also, somebody has to say something about this ridiculous comparison of this mediocre talent and the works of Alexandre Dumas. This book does not even come close. I have read most of the works of Dumas. The only things this book has in common with the works of Dumas is that they weave in the history of France and have lots of sword fighting. That's it. The book is somewhat well-written, but the story is tedious, the characterization lacks depth, and the representation of the Japanese character is rather offensive. The relationships are not compelling and there is one bizarre sex scene that seems to make the publisher think that the book deserves the description "erotic." It's not erotic, it's just "ew." Since when is rape "erotic?" The author insults Dumas at the beginning of the book, but rather than attacking him she should have paid a bit more attention to his plot development and the employment of suspense. The author thinks she's quite a bit better than she actually is. I gave it two points because the author employs decent tone and a good command of the language, but she doesn't know how to write a good story even when she incorporates exciting historical events. I'm disappointed. Don't spend your money on this one.

The cover of this book promised a historical novel in the vein of "The Three Musketeers" or the two epic sagas of the under appreciated Dorothy Dunnett. However this is not a historical novel -- it is actually a work of "alternative history" mixed with fantasy.

Nothing wrong with that, I guess, if you are the type of reader who can accept preposterous plot devices. To enjoy this book allegedly set in the England of James I, you have to believe that two characters have the ability, through some kind of astrology and mathematics, to foresee the future in minute detail. They can predict where a specific person will be on a specific day at a specific hour -- and also what will happen 20, 50, and 500 years into the future.

Next we have to accept that two French duelists will link up with a Japanese samurai (don't ask how) to save the throne of James I from a plot hatched by his oldest son. The assassination attempt will be carried out during a masque in a cave in Somerset.

These major problems might be overcome were it not for the biggest problem with this overlong book -- the two main characters. (PLOT SPOILER AHEAD). We have to believe a 15-year-old girl can pass as a boy (possible) and then win duels against an experienced 40-year-old man who is the foremost swordsman of his age. We discover that this hero, Valentin Rochefort, is a masochist who gets off on being humiliated in public and beaten in private. His opponent, Mme Dariolet, is a sadist who likes to satisfy those urges. Obviously they are made for each other, although it takes them 672 long, wearying pages to get there.

My copy of "The Three Musketeers" is less than half as long including a scholarly introduction - yet with what economy and taut writing does Dumas tell his story.

The cover of this book includes a blurb saying that Gentle's "command of the sensuous and martial detail of the Renaissance ... completes an immersion in a past epoch ... but it is the novel's erotic element that constitutes its greatest achievement."

I found the "erotic element" yucky and the historical detail fake.

Some people have compared this book to Ash, but I think this comparison is not entirely pertinent. First, Ash starts as a historical novel, but quickly turns towards sheer fantasy, while 1610 - making exception for Dr. Fludd's system to calculate future events - sticks to the model of the swashbuckling historical novel. Moreover, Ash, although enjoyable, shows many flaws, especially in the framework surrounding the main history; 1610 is built in a much better way: its only flaws are some repetitions, especially in the patterns of relations between the main characters, and a slowing down of the story rhytm around the middle of the book, for about 150 pages.

Despite these little exceptions, the novel is enjoyable from the beginning to the end, with frequent plot twists, and I think its characters will stay with me for a long time (as often happens with Mrs. Gentle's characters). Maybe I would not suggest the book to people who don't appreciate wicked sexual relationships: however, the most disturbing scenes are mainly in the first part of the book, and after some subsequent revelations they even turn out to be something different than what they looked like.

I want to echo what Alan Naftalin says -- if this edition is only 688 pages long, the type has to be too small. The British edition is nearly 1200 pages long, and the type is a decent size, so go for that if your eyes don't want the strain. As for Gentle's other epic, Ash, I found the type in the one-volume British edition too small for comfort: in this case, one had to go for the American edition, which is available in four separate volumes. Worth getting the edition you can most comfortably read, because Gentle is a fascinating writer and once you've started a book of hers you won't want to put it down, even if your eyes are hurting!

Stylistically remininscent of the stories of Alexander Dumas, this is vast, entangled story of romance entwined with conspiracy that takes the reader from Paris to London to Japan and back again. The story opens with Valentin Rochefort, duelist and spy in the employ of one the most loyal supporters of France's King Henri IV, finds himself blackmailed by the Queen into plotting Henri's assassination. When, in spite of his best efforts, the plan succeeds, Rochefort finds himself running for his life. From this opening, we follow Rochefort and his band of mismatched companions as they find themselves deeply involved with a group that believes they can mathematically predict the future, and aim to kill another king.

Full of colorful characters and complex plot twists, this book is full of surprises, even if the idea of using math to predict the future was almost too much of a stretch for this reader (after all, even today our mathematical models can barely predict the weather more than a few days out!). The romantic subplot provides moments of great levity, even if its resolution is utterly predictable. The various components come together in a compelling story that sheds some light on the politics of Europe in the ealy years of the seventeenth century.