In Stone Circle, we believe we're in 16th Italy, and we become a silent partner in watching how two young men compete for the affection of their mentor and his daughter. Nichola enjoys every advantage a young man can wish for. His father is a rich, Italian aristocrat, he lives on a large estate, servants and townspeople fawn over him, and on top of it all, he's handsome. Antonius starts with apparent disadvantages. His father, a fisherman, dies and leaves his family scraping to get by, and he lives in a space with his widow mother and sister taking work for money, and a younger brother with mental difficulties. Antonius's thinks himself fortunate when the sub rosa network of village peasants work together to land him a job as a servant's assistant at the same estate owned by Nichola's father.
The boys couldn't be further apart when it comes to things people consider important in old Italy. Nichola has the prestige of aristocracy behind him, he moves in the most upper class of society, his Mother fawns over him, and those of his caste adore him. And, that's the way he thinks it should be because he’s a product of his era. Opposite for Antonius, a person so hidden from polite society that he would be invisible to any of them, even if he stood in front of them. And though Antonius doesn’t question the system, he yearns to move above it.
Both boys possess an inner skill that allows them to see things others can't...like the future or the thoughts of others. When Savinus, the local seer, holds an apprenticeship contest, both boys qualify. Antonius sees a way to hoist his mother and siblings above their constant poverty, Nichola sees insult. Why? Because when Antonius's skills nearly match Savinus's, he becomes the primary apprentice and thus the only of the two allowed to learn the most complex aspects of the seer trade. Nichola, only mildly capable, and mostly because of his father's patronage, becomes the secondary apprentice. Not an easy thing for Nichola's pride to swallow.
But for their feelings for Giulia, Savinus's daughter, the two may have begrudgingly worked with each other. She's smart, beautiful, and as good a seer as any of them...though societal protocols dictate she and Savinus keep her skills hidden. Both boys will use whatever they can--money, position, connections (read, the church), even incantations and physical transformations--to battle each other for her, and for the approval of Savinus. That both boys really do love Giulia makes choosing between the two not an easy task, at least not at first.
Stone Circle is like life, the border between good and bad gets blotched by shades gray. You can cheer for one of the boys while at the same time feeling pity for the other. And the one you do like the most? He might disappoint you with his choices. At times.
The story moves along at a fast pace with something new on every page, yet it maintains cohesiveness throughout. Murdock handles the historical setting as well as I’ve seen it done, I got immersed and easily suspended disbelief. Thankfully, no era-correct code words for me to constantly decipher. The village of Pesaro, Italy became my home and Savinus, Giulia, Nichola, Antonius, Agnese, Katerina, the Conte, and others became real people in my life rather than characters in a novel. It's not a cliche, "good versus evil" story, because, like I said, enough life seeps in to make Stone Circle both enjoyable and believable. How much (riches and opportunities) is enough for a person, how far are we willing to go to get what we want, and how do we reconcile it when dishonorable people have honorable feelings and honorable people do dishonorable things? Figure out those answers and you might soar like an eagle.
Yeah, I enjoyed it. 😊
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