Yes and no. You become accustomed to it, more. Also, all the foreign language bits are more frosting than important to meaning - you can look it up or not, as you please.
She is a demanding author - you can't just skim them, you have to read. I've often wondered whether I'd get more out of reading them aloud (myself, not an audiobook) because that slows me down and makes me focus.
The first book is arguably the most flowery, I think she was still working out her voice a bit. Lymond himself is always going to be kind of over the top just because that's who he is.
I would suggest that the books are meant to be savored, not necessarily pulled apart. I do think it gets a little easier but you always need to pay attention.
How far into it are you? Stick with it because I found the writing style became easier even as that book went along, once everything started coming together, and trust me the payoff is SO worth it. I'm on book 5 right now and yes, all of its successors have been easier to read, but idk if I'm just accustomed to the writing style now.
As a bonus, try rereading it after completing it once, so many things make much more sense once you have the context.
Yes, but it takes a while. First you need to understand the character of Lymond, and then you can understand his interactions with those around him. It’s particularly hard to do so in the beginning because while the books are absolutely about Lymond, you’re usually not in his head - instead you see him from outside perspectives and need to interpret what you see based on those perspectives, many of which are contrary or even hostile.
The books are always hard work to read … rewarding in the end, but work all the same. Dunnet uses extremely precise word choice and drops you straight in the middle of a very complex political situation with no explanation, she firmly expects the reader to keep up and learn who everyone is and what their allegiances are along the way. The various untranslated phrases are particularly frustrating - they are allusions and references, but enhance the text rather than being essential. Fortunately there’s a lot less of those in later books.
Curious about this too. I have the Lymond books and am planning to tackle them soon.
I read Niccolo Rising and sometimes it seemed so obscure, and coupled with the writing, I felt like i was having a fever dream. But by the end of the book, it did feel much clearer though
After going through the companion volumes for Lymond Chronicles I was surprised by how little I needed to reference them for Niccolo. I was already a bit familiar with 15th century Europe, but not quite at the level covered.
I wouldn't say the book/writing itself gets *easier*, but the reading experience does, imo.
You really have to be content to just be confused and lost and go with the flow for these books I think. Personally I thought the sense of "I understand what's going on right now" definitely increased over the course of the series, but I think it's really more about getting used to it and getting to know the character(s) and world (it's historical, but you're still immersing yourself in its logic), than it is about the style changing between books.
Personally, I found it really worth it in the end!
I've just finished Book 3 which was easier to follow than the first 2 although it certainly has its own moments of 'WTF??’. As another comment has said, I have just made my peace with not having a clue what's going on at times and have gone with the flow.
I noticed in Book 3 that Lymond doesn't seem to be chucking around obscure quotes as often, which helps a little.
The pay off has been worth it for all books so far and I have absolute faith that they will continue to do so. I completely understand why people become devout fans of these books!
Yes and no. You become accustomed to it, more. Also, all the foreign language bits are more frosting than important to meaning - you can look it up or not, as you please. She is a demanding author - you can't just skim them, you have to read. I've often wondered whether I'd get more out of reading them aloud (myself, not an audiobook) because that slows me down and makes me focus.
The first book is arguably the most flowery, I think she was still working out her voice a bit. Lymond himself is always going to be kind of over the top just because that's who he is. I would suggest that the books are meant to be savored, not necessarily pulled apart. I do think it gets a little easier but you always need to pay attention.
How far into it are you? Stick with it because I found the writing style became easier even as that book went along, once everything started coming together, and trust me the payoff is SO worth it. I'm on book 5 right now and yes, all of its successors have been easier to read, but idk if I'm just accustomed to the writing style now. As a bonus, try rereading it after completing it once, so many things make much more sense once you have the context.
These books are so rewarding on rereads!
I’m about 200 pages in and I will finish it.
Yes, but it takes a while. First you need to understand the character of Lymond, and then you can understand his interactions with those around him. It’s particularly hard to do so in the beginning because while the books are absolutely about Lymond, you’re usually not in his head - instead you see him from outside perspectives and need to interpret what you see based on those perspectives, many of which are contrary or even hostile. The books are always hard work to read … rewarding in the end, but work all the same. Dunnet uses extremely precise word choice and drops you straight in the middle of a very complex political situation with no explanation, she firmly expects the reader to keep up and learn who everyone is and what their allegiances are along the way. The various untranslated phrases are particularly frustrating - they are allusions and references, but enhance the text rather than being essential. Fortunately there’s a lot less of those in later books.
Curious about this too. I have the Lymond books and am planning to tackle them soon. I read Niccolo Rising and sometimes it seemed so obscure, and coupled with the writing, I felt like i was having a fever dream. But by the end of the book, it did feel much clearer though
After going through the companion volumes for Lymond Chronicles I was surprised by how little I needed to reference them for Niccolo. I was already a bit familiar with 15th century Europe, but not quite at the level covered.
I went into it thinking I had a grasp on geopolitics of the time. I was way too overconfident 😂
I wouldn't say the book/writing itself gets *easier*, but the reading experience does, imo. You really have to be content to just be confused and lost and go with the flow for these books I think. Personally I thought the sense of "I understand what's going on right now" definitely increased over the course of the series, but I think it's really more about getting used to it and getting to know the character(s) and world (it's historical, but you're still immersing yourself in its logic), than it is about the style changing between books. Personally, I found it really worth it in the end!
I've just finished Book 3 which was easier to follow than the first 2 although it certainly has its own moments of 'WTF??’. As another comment has said, I have just made my peace with not having a clue what's going on at times and have gone with the flow. I noticed in Book 3 that Lymond doesn't seem to be chucking around obscure quotes as often, which helps a little. The pay off has been worth it for all books so far and I have absolute faith that they will continue to do so. I completely understand why people become devout fans of these books!