Today would have been the 100th birthday of one of my favorite authors, Dorothy Dunnett. The author of fifteen wonderful historical novels as well as six more modern mystery novels, she died in 2001. But her books are still in print and she has a world-wide readership.
If you like the work of Guy Gavriel Kay, he is a huge fan. As is Chelsea Clinton. As are Natasha Lester and Freya Marske. As is another of my favorite authors, C.S. Harris. As is Diana Gabaldon.
Here are links to some good articles about her:
All the Writers you love Probably love Dorothy Dunnett (NPR)
Writing Epic Fantasy the Historical Way: Lessons from Dorothy Dunnett's The Game of Kings (Tor)
Five Things I've Learned about Writing from Reading Dorothy Dunnett (Alys West)
7 Lessons for Writers from Dorothy Dunnett's The Game of Kings
The Game of Kings is the first in a six book series of novels set in the 16th century. Niccolo Rising is the first in a series of eight novels set in the 15th century. King Hereafter is a stand alone novel set in the 11th century. As we fans like to say, the first 100 pages of The Game of Kings can be hard going, but if you make it that far you will be hooked.
Happy Birthday Dorothy. And thanks for many hours of great reading.
