Customer Reviews

Thirteenth Night (Fools' Guild Mysteries)

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Alan Gordon says that he got the idea for this book during a seminar on Shakespeare which took place for four-hour meetings once a week. After a while, he started thinking "what if every fool in Shakespeare's plays were the same man?" Years later, the idea was still in his head and he couldn't resist any longer. So he wrote this fascinating and convoluted tale of "Feste", who is summoned back to the Duchy of Illyria/Orsino (where the Shakespeare play "Twelfth Night" took place) by the message "Orsino is dead." Now that his work to foil a wicked plot by Saladin has been endangered, Feste returns to the scene and is beset by plots, counter-plots, and returning villains. The scene is set wonderfully, with details aplenty and a few cameos by historical figures which were quite fun in their own right. Feste's voice is wry and satirical, and I look forward to reading the next book in the series with glee.

I always wondered what the jester's real game was... Shakespeare's various jesters (Feste, Lear's fool etc.) were all the same man; a member of a secret guild whose purpose was to have a positive effect on the world at large. Starting with the message "Orsino is dead," Feste is called back to the land of "Twelfth Night" to solve the mystery around the death and the possible participation of Malvolio. Gordon remains focussed on the mystery, with a number of clever ruses thrown in to keep the reader guessing. Sticking to modern day speech patterns rather than pseudo-Shakespearean is a definite plus. While you don't get a true sense of period from this mystery, (Gordon works more on plot and characters than setting) Gordon deftly imagines what happened to Twelfth Night's various characters, some coming out much worse for wear. Also enjoyable was the author's treatment of the reader; he lets the story recap Twelfth Night's plot and the Jester's Guild function is intimated not explained in boring detail.A fine first novel in a series I hope is successful.

This is one of the most purely enjoyable mysteries I've read in ages. The plot is complex but not in a contrived way, the characters shine, and the writing is superb. Like Stephen Saylor, Gordon can write passages that demand to be reread for the sheer pleasure of it. The dialogue is pitch-perfect and wryly witty without slipping into the coyness that mars the work of other authors.

That would be pleasure enough, but the plot contrivance on which the book is based is truly brilliant. Gordon posits that the jesters in Shakespeare's plays are all the same person--who is not merely a jester but an agent working for a secret, international guild of fools whose purpose is to keep the barbarity of various rulers and armies to a minimum. The interweaving of the central mystery, plot strands from Shakespeare, and guild intrigue is irresistible. Note: The connection to Shakespeare's Twelfth Night is presented so well that it won't interfere a jot if you haven't read or don't remember the play.

This mystery's jester-narrator is a great character, combining intelligence and a (sometimes wicked) sense of humor.Author Alan Gordon deserves special applause for his fabulous idea -- returning to the setting and people of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, adding a "secret agent" in jester's garb, and mixing in an excellent plot. Get your hot chocolate, put on your slippers, and sit by the fireside to enjoy this winter read! I hope there is a sequel underway...

In December 1200, The Fool's Guild learns that Duke Orsino of Illyria unexpectedly died. The jesters and clowns who make up the behind the scenes, politically influential guild suspects foul play. Fifteen years earlier, one of the Guild's members, Feste, influenced events that led to Orsino loving Viola and halting a Saladin plot. The loser of that affair, Malvolio, vowed vengeance and the Guild wonders if he finally succeeded.

The Guild leadership agrees to send Feste back to Illyria to learn the truth and, if necessary, stop any plot led by one of their greatest enemies, Malvolio. Feste disguises himself as a merchant. Another Guild member accompanies him as a jester to throw the spotlight away from Feste. Soon Feste realizes several unnerving facts. People age rapidly in a decade and a half, thereby changing their appearance. He cannot find his foe, who searches for him to complete his act of vengeance while plotting to complete his failed earlier mission.

Either Alan Gordon wears white jackets with special buckles or he is a certifiable genius. No one except perhaps Tom Stoppard (Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead) would rewrite even an iota of the Bard, but Mr. Gordon does so fabulously. Taking up fifteen years after Twelfth Night ended, the writer provides a riveting historical mystery. The story line starts a bit slow like a roller coaster creaking up the first ramp, in this case to establish roles and motivations. However, once cleared, like the rest of the roller coaster ride, the novel is non-stop. The insight into the machinations of the Fool's Guild and the overall era brings to life Medieval England in a manner that would make Shakespeare proud because the Elizabethan influence is not a factor.

Harriet Klausner

The tale told in this intriguing little book takes place over the 12...er..13 days of Christmas and will be appreciated by those who love the English language and enjoy a little repartee or extemporized rhyming as well as a good mystery. The storyline builds on Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night" so the play's the thing to read initially. According to the dust jacket, this is the author's first book-length mystery (he is a lawyer by day), and while his ingenuity is apparent, this is as polished a piece as any of the grenre. Familiarity with the 13th Century is probably not necessary, but some of the "jests" must be better appreciated by one with a sensitivity to the conflicts of the period--betwen Guelph and Ghibelline, Saracen and Crusader, Rome and Constantinople, and Albigensian and Orthodox. The only complaint I have is the books brevity--must come from writing briefs.

When William Shakespeare was writing plays for the Globe Theater, he often used existing stories as the foundation for his plays. Using an existing story has the advantage that many people already know and like the characters and are familiar with the basic plot. So it seems appropriate that Gordon has chosen to piggy-back his book onto Shakespeare's play Twelfth Night.

Thirteenth Night basically picks up the characters of Twelfth Night fifteen years later. For those of you who have forgotten, Twelfth Night was about a young brother and sister who are shipwrecked at Orsino, separated, find love, are reunited, and thwart the power hungry Malvolio. Gordon's story presents us with a slightly different picture of events - these incidents didn't happen by accident, but were engineered by the fool Feste. Feste is a member of the Fool's Guild, a secret organization that seeks to subtly manipulate leaders and governments toward what it feels are more favorable outcomes.

Fifteen years later, a message finds Feste and the Fool's Guildhall informing him that the Duke of Orsino is dead and Feste is sure that Malvolio has come back for his revenge. Feste makes his way back to Orsino in disguise and tries to uncover determine if Malvolio is behind the Duke's death and, if so, determine his present identity among Feste's old friends in Orsino.

This book is a delightful blend of history, literature, supposition, and conspiracy. Gordon weaves us a great tale about the secret and serious life of a fool. The writing, characters, and setting are all good and tickle the imagination. And, of course, the fools provide the humor.

Favorite character? Feste, who doesn't juggle as well as he used to. Did I guess it? Most of it. Will I read another? Definitely.

_Thirteenth Night_ was a great, fun mystery read and I enjoyed it thoroughly. It's not a detective mystery in the purest sense, since the emphasis is not on clues and investigations but on character. In fact, the book's strongest point is its development of the sometimes one-dimensional characters of _Twelfth Night_ into believeable people. I did not always agree with Gordon's view of the characters; still, I enjoyed what he did with them.

The narrator Theophilus does not let us in on all his reasoning, and knowledge until the very end, when he lets the characters in on it as well. Without this knowledge, no reader could solve the mystery before Theophilus does. I find the withholding of information annoying, but it is a typical and traditional technique of the mystery genre (Conan Doyle does it). Still, this is not the book for readers who like to match their wits against those of fictional detectives.

I still recommend the book for an interesting and entertaining read.

Kooky sort of combination of a modern CIA sorta novel in an Ellis Peters setting. The book works on the odd idea of an international society of professional agents who are also jesters, working for Truth, Justice and, well, the Catholic Church. If you can get past all that with a shrug, Gordon has written a pacey little book that doesn't bog down, has some really good dialogue scenes and has the felicity to turn its own pages. The hero is sort of over-the-hill James Bond who drinks too much, but is fun to follow. If you don't have a high tolerance for anachronism, though, this book will drive you nuts (such as when our hero explains that lead-based clown white makeup is "probably poisonous.") Otherwise, though, it's a fun book.

"Thirteenth Night" truly is a five star book. Alan Gordon has done a splendid job of building a new story around the characters of Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night." He presents the reader with an exciting, witty and very well written mystery. I especially like his premise that medieval jesters and troubadours were much more than entertainers. And, mercifully, his characters speak in modern English, not the embarrassing pseudo-antique dialogue one sees in many novels set in the Middle Ages or the Renaissance.

"Thirteenth Night" and Alan Gordon deserve to be much better known.