The Unicorn Hunt [Import] [Hardcover]

Dorothy Dunnett (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 584 pages
• Publisher: Michael Joseph; First Edition edition (1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0718132114
• ISBN-13: 978-0718132118
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.4 x 2.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,418,804 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Frequent Fliers of the Renaissance...., December 30, 1999

By 

steve estvanik (seattle, wa USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Unicorn Hunt: The Fifth Book of the House of Niccolo (Paperback)

After the compartively linear plotting of Scales of Gold, Dunnett's back to her wonderful tricks in this book. Niccolo and friends (and enemies) continue to tear about the known world, making modern day travelers envious (altho we do wind up in fewer dungeons than the resilient). This volume starts in Scotland, but the ferment in the Eastern Mediterranean is still the focus of the plot. Dunnett has an amazing ability to weave intricate plots, then resolve or dissolve them within a few paragraphs, leaving the reader breathless. She continues to capture the essence of each country that Niccolo explores. Her descriptions of Cairo can serve as a guide for modern travelers -- having visited Cairo a year ago, her descriptions of medieval Cairo evoked memories of the khans and citadel.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars my review, July 17, 2001

By 

Ana Maria Barrenechea - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Unicorn Hunt: The Fifth Book of the House of Niccolo (Paperback)

In this book of the Niccolo Series, we are introduced to the race set by Gelis and Nicholas to outsmart eachother. It was started by Gelis, trying to avenge her sister's death, but Nicholas understands he must do this to try and win her heart for good. She claims she is carrying the son of his archrival, Simon de St. Pol. He decides to travel to Scotland to find the truth. At the same time, he finds Scotland a great market to increase his fortune.

Pursuing Gelis, Nicholas has to find out if the child is finally born and what sex it is. Once he finds out, Gelis hides once more from him. They travel to Cairo, the Sinai Desert and end up in Cyprus once more. The book closes on the Carnival in Venice and a new discovery for Nicholas.

In this book we are newly introduced to Dorothy Dunnett's best: Scotland. She can present the atmosphere and living customs of the time with incredible clarity and knowledge. The people, the rulers, the history, the places, everything is depicted with accuracy and made very interesting.

I have also enjoyed and learned a lot by this book. Be it about European history as well as middle eastern.

I am on my way to reading the sixth book...

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Renaissance Scotland, Italy and Cairo!, April 27, 2001

By 

S. Schwartz "romonko" (alberta canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Unicorn Hunt: The Fifth Book of the House of Niccolo (Paperback)

I enjoyed this book much more than the previous - Scales of Gold. Maybe because Ms. Dunnett went back to her original form of storytelling which combines history, geography, romance and high drama. This is an "edge of your seat" type of book even though it is longer than the others previously in this series. We see Nicholas with a whole new talent to add to his arsenal - that of divining. Yes these books are a bit soap-operaish, but they are exciting nonetheless. In this particular segment we get to see a lot more of Dr. Tobias. He is a treasure, and a great foil for Nicholas' impulsiveness. His Love-Hate relationship with Nicholas continues, but also develops into a trust. I wondered why Nicholas didn't take this earthy doctor into his confidence sooner. Toby is a wonderful character! We also see a confrontation between Nicholas and his erstwhile father, but true to form, it is not resolved, so we know we have to read further. I wouldn't recommend this series to the faint of heart. It takes a lot of effort and emotion to get through it, but it is worth it in the end, if only for the history lesson.