The Spring of the Ram

by Dorothy Dunnett Narrated by John Banks

Overview

With the bravura storytelling and pungent authenticity of detail she brought to her acclaimed Lymond Chronicles, Dorothy Dunnett, grande dame of the historical novel, presents the House of Niccolò series. The time is the fifteenth century, when intrepid merchants became the new knighthood of Europe. Among them, none is bolder or more cunning than Nicholas vander Poele of Bruges, the good-natured dyer's apprentice who schemes and swashbuckles his way to the helm of a mercantile empire.



In 1461, Nicholas is in Florence. Backed by none other than Cosimo de' Medici, he will sail the Black Sea to Trebizond, last outpost of Byzantium, and the last jewel missing from the crown of the Ottoman Empire. But trouble lies ahead. Nicholas's stepdaughter-at the tender age of thirteen-has eloped with his rival in trade: a Machiavellian Genoese who races ahead of Nicholas, sowing disaster at every port. And time is of the essence: Trebizond may fall to the Turks at any moment. Crackling with wit, breathtakingly paced, The Spring of the Ram is a pyrotechnic blend of scholarship and narrative shimmering with the scents, sounds, colors, and combustible emotions of the fifteenth century.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Praised for her historical novels (King Hereafter, the Francis of Lymond series), the prolific Dunnett continues with this crisp and dashing tale of venture and misadventure, the second volume of a monumental 15th century sequence. In Niccolo Rising, Nicholas married the middle-aged widow Marian Charetty, head of a lucrative dyeworks in Bruges. Now, plucky 19-year-old Nicholas, fleeing his bitter foe Simon de Pol, journeys via Florencewhere he gets funding from the Medicisto the East. There he hopes to trade with the Emperor of Trebizond. Thus, the setting moves to the land of the fabled Golden Fleeceunderscoring the title, which refers to the wool merchant's star sign, Ariesand the plot thickens briskly. Marian's nymphet daughter Catherine is ensnared by sea-prince Pagano Doria, who is working secretly for the formidable Simon in his quest to wrest control of the House of Charetty. Doria and Nicholas race each other's galleys and meet in hasty skirmishes. The invading Turks pose a further threat. But the seductive Princess Violante, in diaphanous deshabille, offers Nicholas protectionand much more. Steeped in Byzantine luxury, pageantry and intrigue, this lengthy, complex narrative shows Dunnett at her dextrous best. History Book Club alternate. (July)

Library Journal

Dunnett's formidable skill shines through in the continuation of her ``House of Niccolo'' series, set in 15th-century Europe. No longer an apprentice although still an enigma, 19-year-old Niccolo is married to the widowed owner of the Charetty company. He has been forced to leave Flanders, and so sails to Trebizond on the Black Sea to establish a trading route for both the Charetty and Medici companies. His enemies' schemes follow him, and his stepdaughter's elopement with a business rival further complicates his life. To sort out this medley of fictional and historical characters and their interplay, it helps to have read Niccol o Rising , but any reader should enjoy this engrossing story. Highly recommended. History Book Club alternate. Ellen Kaye Stoppel, Drake Univ. Law Lib., Des Moines

Product Details

BN ID:	2940178022221
Publisher:	Tantor Audio
Publication date:	05/16/2023
Series:	House of Niccolò , #2
Edition description:	Unabridged
Sales rank:	1,042,872

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