The Unicorn Hunt: House of Niccolò, Book 5

Another wild ride from Dorothy Dunnett. This one begins in Scotland in 1468 where our hero Nicholas de Fleury (aka Nicholas van der Poele), is still burning from the horrible truth his bride revealed on their wedding night. (Gelis van Borselen, Nicholas’ wife, may be the most despicable female villain ever. What woman would go whoring to her husband’s worst enemy just to spite him?) To me, Gellis appears cold, twisted and loathsome, and, like her sister, deceived.Nicholas seeks revenge on Simon St. Pol, the man who was her partner in crime. While about that effort, Nicholas endears himself to the court of King James III and gains yet another knighthood. Granting the dying request of Nicholas’ priest, Godscalc, he agrees to stay away from Scotland for two years. So, he puts on hold his plans for Scotland and dedicates himself to a hunt for Gelis’ son who, like the fabled unicorn, might not exist. The chase takes him to Bruges, the Tyrol, Cairo, Mt Sinai, Cyprus and eventually Venice where a dramatic but wonderful ending awaits.Some wonderful characters emerge, including Katelijne, the niece of Anselm Adorne, who in my opinion would make Nicholas a perfect mate, as well as the regulars who come at Nicholas’ call..Dunnett weaves an intricate story only she could hold together. So many threads, you’ll lose track. But the story will keep you turning pages, I promise. I do recommend reading the series in order. All the books are closely linked.The House of Niccolo Series:Niccolò Rising (1986)Spring of the Ram (1987)Race of Scorpions (1989)Scales of Gold (1991)The Unicorn Hunt (1993)To Lie with Lions (1995)Caprice and Rondo (1997)Gemini (2000)

I read the preceeding volumes of the Nicolo series more or less all at once, as I didn't discover the series until Scales of Gold came out; I'd loved the Lymond saga and was thrilled to discover that Dunnett had begun another series.But although Lymond was also a troubled character capable of outrageous and cruel behavoir, I found both Nicolo and Gelis harder to understand and take to. Then I was so outraged and disgusted by the ending of Scales that I abandoned the series until I think the 7th volume came out, when I decided to give it another try, trusting that Dunnett would come through.But I still didn't take greatly to the series. In addition to my problems with the main characters, I most dislike the introduction of the "divining", because otherwise (outside of the typical swashbuckling novel ability of a hero to survive incredible injury and illnesses despite the state of 15-16th century medicine) Dunnett's historically detailed and accurate novels are realistic, and the introduction of "divining" - pure fantasy claptrap - was jarring compared to the sight touch of the occult in Lymond (The Dame). The "foresight/vision" ability was more tolerable, since it was less vital to the plots and tied the two series together. But I still wish Dunnett had found some other more realistic device.That said, I just recently read the entire Lymond and Nicolo sagas again, slowly, carefully, not trying to devour them a book a day like a page turner as I was wont to do when younger, and my faith in Dunnett's artistry in creating memorable complex human characters and intricate plots firmly based in history and geography was confirmed. (Just one small example is her description of the flash flood of a small river tributary in Scotland in the final Nicolo volume Gemini; working in hydrology and fluvial geomorphology for many year I can attest that she got it amazingly accurate.)So my more mature assessment of both series, as well as the beautiful "King Hereafter", is that they are a marvelous achievement, a feast to savour again and again, rewarding a careful reading with many days of enjoyment.

Okay, I love Dorothy D and she can do no wrong....unless you hate lengthy, involving historical novels with intricate character relationships. Then you may not enjoy her works.This book is part of the House of Niccolo series, set in the European landscape of the latter half of the 15th century. Niccolo is continuing to pursue monetary gains, keep up with the endlessly changing world of Kings, Princes and his own company of soldiers-for-sale...and undermining his father and grandfather where he can.It is a pity that Dorothy did not get nominated for a Nobel Prize for Literature......

Intricate, rewarding and compelling that's what the series to date has been for this reader. As with the previous books in the Niccolo series the density and complexity of the novels, their scope and very fine characterisation astounds me.This book in the series is rich in atmosphere and historical detail and also a rewarding read in it's own right. Others have alluded to the "special" qualities of Niccolo in this book but nothing would surprise about Niccolo's abilities at this point.Story well told by a master storyteller.

I loved this book. I love the series. This book focuses more on Niccolo's personal life than on his business deals and historical facts than in the first three books. This book is a consolidation of the first books in terms of characters, banking and profit-seeking.There are no new wars or new major conflicts. I am looking forward to reading the remaining books in the series.

I love this series. This is the second time I am reading it. I prefer it to Ms. Dunnett's Lymond series, but i will give that one a second round after I finish this one. You have to have a love of historical fiction, complicated characters and story lines, but if you do, this series is for you! In the Unicorn Hunt, Nicolas is finally coming in to his own. New characters enrich the story line as the plt moves to Scotland.

Adored this entire series. Start from the beginning and work your way through. I was sad when it all came to an end.

The sixth book in the series and the tension and suspense doesn't let up. After a shortish sojourn in Scotland where Nicholas de Fleury, as he now styles himself, has a fight, almost to the death, with his cruel and profligate father Simon de St. Pol, in the nightmarish environs of the Salt Pans; still in Scotland, he later suffers a stab wound that is inches from fatal, delivered by Nicholas' own son Henry, at a jousting tournament. The ironies of not being recognised as a St. Pol, are compensated for by a bout of building and the buying up of land. But when Nicholas' Priest, Godscalc, makes him promise as he lies dying not to go back to Scotland, Nicholas makes a decision which leads him to the Tyrol, where he lodges with a Scottish princess who married a minor royal Duke and to a profoundly disturbing discovery that gives him an edge in his search for his newly born son, Jordan, who is being withheld from him by his wife, Gelis.Gelis holds certain beliefs about how her sister died, after giving birth to Henry. These are quite erroneous as it happens, but because of this she harbours grave misgivings of his suitability as a father. Confusion over patrimony is also quite a feature of this book, but all becomes clear towards the end. The African gold has still not been recovered, but now Nicholas becomes embroiled in the Bank's plans for expansion via money-lending. For much of this episode, Nicholas does not know whether his wife Gelis is alive or dead. Another enemy, David de Salmeton, has plans to be rid of Nicholas for good, but is foiled by the exploits of the sixteen year-old niece, Katelijne, of Anselm Adorne, the Magistrate of the Hotel Jerusalem in Bruges. I feel Katelijne is perhaps going to be a catalyst for Nicholas' restless and complex love-life. But not yet. Much of the journeying embraces parts of Europe and Africa where Nicholas has trading interests, including a trip to Egypt and another to Cyprus, and a reunion there with the beautiful but dangerous Zacco, the illegitimate heir to the throne of Cyprus. Then everything comes to a head at the Carnival of Venice, as Nicholas searches for his son. As always with this series a good half of the people are historically authentic and they spring from the pages with remarkable veracity. Of course, their exploits may not match up with history - they are nevertheless given authentic lives and personalities. I just can't wait to see how it all turns out. Two more books to go, but I will be bereft when the series ends. In the historical fiction stakes Dunnett is the business. Nobody does it better.

I’m ploughing through the Nicole series. It can be hard work at times there are so many characters, but I need to keep going to the end. Dorothy Dunnett does write well and I do have to look up some of the words to get the exact meaning. The series has kept me going during lockdown.

House of Niccolo, Book 5.I'm slowing down a bit I think - only three more books in the series. In this one, Nicholas is involved with some very aggressive traders, lots of whom have links to royalty, nobility and the Pope. It gets really, really vicious at times....... And, Nicholas manages to track down his third wife, who seems determined to torture him emotionally and, sees their son for the first time, despite the fact that she's tried to hide the boy from Nicholas. Ooh really enjoying these books.Still can't decide whether I like Nicholas.........

Close to 850 pages of superb historical fiction? It's difficult not to wax lyrical about this book!Our hero Niccolo has scores to settle, and he sets to work with his usual gusto. What follows is an incredible battle of minds between Niccolo and his adversaries, ranging across Europe and beyond, with ploys and counter-ploys galore, and a fantastic gallery of characters from the lowest of the low to the rulers of the day.This is a real treasure trove for any lover of historical novels.

Up to Dorothy Dunnett's expected standard: very good.