Highlander(TM): The Measure of a Man (Mass Market Paperback)

by Nancy Holder (Author) "The Protector was a fine, well-armed brigantine decorated at the stern with the coat of arms of its master, Lord Arthur Burlingame..." (more)
Key Phrases: Maria Angelina, Niccolo Machiavelli, Capitol Hilton (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
In mid-seventeenth-century Venice, Duncan MacLeod, the Highlander, tests his wit, his honor, and his immortality against the machinations of master manipulator and schemer Niccolo Machiavelli. TV tie-in.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Aspect (May 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446604550
• ISBN-13: 978-0446604550
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #81,035 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars You know that sinking feeling when..., July 21, 2004

By	Keerawa (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews

there is a sex scene within the first minute of a film, or 5 pages of a book? Well, prepare yourself for that feeling. This book starts off with a nameless enemy fantasizing about battling Macleod, after our Hero has an intimate session within a beauty on a French beach. After that we have a long flashback to a sea battle near Venice, as Macleod defends a Turkish general and eventually finds himself confronting the evil and manipulative Immortal Machiavelli. I rather enjoyed the flashback section of the book, it was as twisty as you can imagine an encounter with Machiavelli would be, but it all felt a bit rushed. The author can only spare a few sentences to explain how Macleod came to give his friendship and loyalty to General Ali. Major emotional conflicts are resolved in the space of a paragraph.

The second half of the book is set in the present, and here the book really descends into mediocrity. The author introduces a number of characters and locations, including one who is meant to be our Heroine. None of them are really fleshed out, and I couldn't bring myself to care. Even Duncan Macleod started to seem rather 2-dimensional. "Hmm, this woman is probably lying to me, and might have been sent here to betray and kill me. On the other hand, she's sexy. Let's jump into bed!" The scene where Macleod is "surprised" to find out that Dawson cares whether he lives or dies left me in some shock. Who is this idiot posing as the Highlander?

The quality that makes the Highlander TV series really stand out is it's exploration of interesting ethical questions. The questions brought up in this book have already been better explored in the series. "What would you do for a friend?" "Is it ever right to break your word?" "What if an Immortal convinced new Immortals that He had brought them back from the dead?" Go watch the series for some answers.

I have enjoyed some of the other books in this series, such as White Silence. You might try that, or some of the excellent fan fiction on the net (...) I finished "Measure of a Man" with a feeling of deep disappointment. This book just isn't worth the price to buy it, or the time to read it.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Good Read For Highlander Fans, May 7, 1997

By A Customer

Holder succeeds in capturing the spirit of the Highlander television series in this novel, and does so in an enjoyable fashion. She has created a memorable villain, and the glimpses inside the minds of the characters are very well done, as is the "flashback" portion of the novel. The plots within plots within plots are gratifyingly Machiavellian. I did disagree, however, with some of the historical details provided, and the ending struck me as anticlimactic - it was disappointing to see the antagonist fall prey to the hero so easily

4.0 out of 5 stars Super Reader, August 26, 2007

By	Blue Tyson "- http://freesf.blogspot.com" - See all my reviews

Everyone knows MacLeod is a decent, honest, honorable man, even if he does his share of head lopping and violence. Machiavelli, presumably, was a tad more on the pragmatic sword. What if he was an Immortal? He would likely be pretty sneaky.

That is the possible scenario spunky Dunky has to face in this book.