Customer Reviews

Unicorn's Blood

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book is a continuation of the same author's FIREDRAKE'S EYE, but the writing is even better. The premise is fascinating: the Queen of England once wrote down information in a diary that, if found by her enemies, could destroy her and bring down her reign. Many of the characters from FIREDRAKE'S EYE return in this reprise, but the plotting is more intricate, the characters even more sophisticated. And Queen Elizabeth is worth the price of the book herself. Highly recommended. The only reason I did not give it 5 stars was that the same narrative style that Finney used in FIREDRAKE'S EYE (which allows characters to view the proceedings as if from heaven) is rather stilted and takes some getting used to. Other than that, it's a great historical novel.

I highly recommend this book. This is a literate and intelligent thriller with wonderfully researched and vivid historical details. The characters are interesting and engaging and play their parts in the complicated plot with aplomb. The protrayal of Elizabeth I's character and situation is superb. I found this book very hard to put down and eagerly await another installment from Ms. Finney.

This is the first book by Finney I've read, but she really is an excellent writer. Her prose is just beautiful. Her characters are complicated and intriguing. She may be the John Le Carré of Elizabethan historical novelists, but this daring Tudor spy novel also happens to be narrated by the Virgin Mary herself (that takes guts) and depends on the actions of a former nun who was disenfranchised during the Great Schism and is now an ex-prostitute, old, haggard, drinking her life away and a cleaning woman at the royal um, outhouses, who just wants to aquire a dowry for her great-granddaughter. Between the outhouses and various prisons Unicorn's blood has a bleak feel, but there is much adventure combined with holiness, and Queen Elizabeth's moments are priceless.

To fans of Finney's alter ago, P.F.Chisholm's novels with Sir Robert Carey, he shows up on this novel on a secondary role, and we do find something about his past. But I did not like this nearly as much as the Robert Carey books. I was disapointed in several things about this book, the plot ends up relying heavily on coincidence, there is a feel of sequel to this book which makes it, and some of the characters were rather unbelievable.

A vividly painted depiction of life in Queen Elizabeth's court, with a wonderful portrayal of the queen herself. The author managed to portray her with the extraordinary personality that even to this day she is known to have had. At the same time, the plot was suspenseful and provided an interesting twist with characters from "The Firedrake's Eye."

The Elizabethans loved to plot and intrigue, and Patricia Finney sends a most unusual cast of characters after a very unusual quarry-a small velvet book with a unicorn embroidered on the cover in which the young Princess Elizabeth wrote of how she could not possibly now be the Virgin Queen. Persecuted Catholics, Protestant courtiers wanting to control the now mature, cranky and very savvy Queen, enemies of Mary, Queen of Scots, a defrocked nun and a midget acrobat are some of those whose causes need that diary. Finney (Firedrake's Eye) weaves a tight, complex plot that is skillfully revealed through surprising and marvellously developed characters. Readers beware: no one and nothing is safe in Unicorn's Blood, and Finney's willingness to risk characters we have become very fond of makes this the kind of book you either stay home from work to read or lose several nights' sleep over.

This sequel to Firedrake's Eye continues its prequel's tradition of swashbuckling action combined with literary writing. Once again we have a strange, semi-omniscient narrator, this time the Virgin Mary (it works a lot better than it sounds like it would), and once again spies and agents vie against each other in plots and counterplots.

Unicorn's Blood contains some wonderful characterization, with Finney proving utterly unafraid to push her characters, particularly Becket, to their limits. Female characters here are strong without becoming anachronistic. The rapid, multifaceted plot becomes coincidental at times, but never lost my interest. Elizabethan purists may be offended by the strong, but unvirginal, portrayal of the Queen. Point of view is strange, with Mary used as a device for omniscience just as Mad Tom was in the first book, but not so much so as to detract from my enjoyment.

Fans of the Robert Carey series will be happy to see that he performs heroically here, along with some briefly-on-stage but appealing Border henchmen.

In the mid-1580's Queen Elizabeth has managed to evade the constant suitors that plagued her younger years, finally establishing herself as a capable and astute ruler. But Elizabeth's advisors are clamoring for a signature on the death warrant of Mary, Queen of Scots, imprisoned by her half-sister for many years. Elizabeth's counselors see Mary as a constant threat to the English throne, but the monarch has her reasons for continuing the status quo, her clever machinations kept discreet.

During a sweep for errant Catholics by the Protestants, a man is arrested as a Papist and beaten to facilitate a confession, including a blow to the head that renders him incapable of remembering his name or past. After further torture in the Tower, his jailers discover the man's identity: he is David Becket, an agent of the Queen. Unfortunately, Becket now harbors a memory that is inaccessible since the trauma to his head, valuable information that may lead to the Book of the Unicorn, a telling journal written by the Queen in her foolish youth. The Queen is not the only one hoping to gain possession of the book and Becket is caught in the crosscurrent of court intrigue, his secret much sought after and tied to the fate of the Scot's Queen.

An ex-nun, now a so-called witch named Mary, the Virgin in heaven, Mary Queen of Scots and Elizabeth's fool, tiny Thomasina are the figures around which the men scramble to do a Queen's bidding, gain the secret with which to control her or on behalf of the beleaguered Papists. Elizabeth's great kingdom is at stake, the future held in the hands of an exceptional monarch who is relentless on behalf of her subjects. What begins in the Netherlands as a plot that threatens her reputation and grip on the kingdom becomes a battle waged in secret, spies and letters exchanged in the dark of night, Elizabeth perhaps the cleverest of all.

Finney's research is impeccable, the minutiae of court life, the rituals of class and the accouterments that set noblemen off from those less fortunate. From the Queen to the poor souls forced to purchase their freedom in Fleet Prison, Elizabethan England bustles with court espionage and the desperation of poverty, all held masterfully together by the author's sleight of hand. Luan Gaines/ 2005.

Finney does a great job of describing court life in Elizabethan times. The characters are fascinating and the plot keeps you moving. Narrated by the Virgin Mary, you get an interesting aspect into the religious conflicts surrounding the nation. The hunt for the book is enthralling and keeps you on the edge of your toes. A great read for anyone who is interested in 16th century England and Queen Elizabeth.

Patricia Finney writes wonderful books. This one is no exception. Her characterization and plot development are wonderful. This book is a sequel to Firedrake's Eye, which I read a few months ago. This book is more of Elizabethan cloak and dagger like Firedrake's Eye, but it's not so much espionage as a "hunt" book with many nefarious characters trying to stop our heroes - Beckett and Ames from finding the book they're looking for. We see Beckett and Ames four years after Firedrake's Eye and they have not lost their appeal. The narrator in this instance is quite unique - the Virgin Mary, and that helps put a female perspective on things. My only wish is that Ms. Finney would write more books about these two characters