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Fools' Guild #6
The Lark's Lament
In 1204 A.D., the Fools' Guild is in hiding, under attack from the forces of Pope Innocent III. Theophilos and Claudia, jesters with the Guild, are sent to enlist the help of a former guild member - the minstrel Folquet, now the abbot Folq at a Cistercian monastery - to intercede with the pope on their behalf. But while they are at the abbey pleading their case, a gruesome murder takes place - a monk is killed in the librarium and a cryptic message written on the wall in his blood.
In the wake of the murder, Folq issues an ultimatum to Theophilos. If he learns the meaning of the message and finds the killer, Folq will help the Guild. But if the Jester fails, Folq will have the pope declare the Guild anathema. With the future of the Guild on the line, Theophilos, his wife, and their apprentice go off in search of Folquet's past and the meaning of the message, uncovering a long-ago series of events that were as deadly then as they are proving to be now.
In the wake of the murder, Folq issues an ultimatum to Theophilos. If he learns the meaning of the message and finds the killer, Folq will help the Guild. But if the Jester fails, Folq will have the pope declare the Guild anathema. With the future of the Guild on the line, Theophilos, his wife, and their apprentice go off in search of Folquet's past and the meaning of the message, uncovering a long-ago series of events that were as deadly then as they are proving to be now.
274 pages, Hardcover
First published May 1, 2007
About the author
Alan Gordon
54 books86 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Alan Gordon is the author of the Fools' Guild mysteries. His short fiction and essays have appeared in Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine, Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine, The Drood Review of Mystery and the Medieval Academy Newsletter. He lives in New York City with his wife, Judy Downer, and son, Robert. By day, he is a lawyer with the Legal Aid Society.
Series:
* Fools' Guild
Alan Gordon is the author of the Fools' Guild mysteries. His short fiction and essays have appeared in Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine, Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine, The Drood Review of Mystery and the Medieval Academy Newsletter. He lives in New York City with his wife, Judy Downer, and son, Robert. By day, he is a lawyer with the Legal Aid Society.
Series:
* Fools' Guild
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
July 24, 2016
I thoroughly enjoyed The Lark's Lament. It is a very cleverly-written medieval mystery, well-researched, with good plotting and a mystery that keeps you guessing. What is superb about this book is the humorous repartee between the main characters, which kept me laughing, and their close relationship despite their ironic humor.
January 24, 2018
This book is one of The Fool's Guild series and I have liked all of the books I have read in the series. Guild members, in addition to entertaining are also involved in keeping the peace and in carrying out diplomatic missions. In this volume, Theophilos, the fool, is on a mission to assist the Guild in resisting the efforts of the Pope to eliminate it. In order to accomplish the mission Theo, his wife Claudia,( also a Guild member), and their Apprentice Helga accompanied by their baby daughter Portia, travel, entertain and investigate a mystery which they must solve in order to get the cooperation they need to save the Guild and their way of life. The writing style, as should be expected since it deals with Fools is highly entertaining and often laugh inducing. More surprising, to this reader at any rate, is that the story is historically based and the Fool's Guild was an actual organization which played a major role in the society of the time.
August 7, 2008
My third read in Mr. Gordon's clever and consistent series; a departure from the two previous ones I read, in that this was not based on a Shakespearean play but rather on the troubador traditions of southern France (primarily Marseille and Montpellier). The mystery was complex but ultimately satisfying, and the development of the characters continues to be quite good. I must read more of these.
August 17, 2014
Not quite as riveting as the previous stories but the quick-witted dialogue still manages to make me want to keep turning the pages.
I love the fool family and look forward to the next installment.
I love the fool family and look forward to the next installment.
September 21, 2019
Reading any of Alan Gordon's Fools' Guild novels requires a modicum of suspension of disbelief. Sometimes we just have to accept certain conditions set up by the author. In this case, we are asked to believe that being a fool, as in court jester, was a way of life, a vocation if you will, that did not allow for any time off or even a time to wash off the make-up. On top of that, we are asked to believe in the existence of a world-wide (or at least European) Guild of Fools who not only provided entertainment but acted almost as secret agents keeping the world safe and arranging civil affairs in the best way for the most people. Therein lies the difference between modern spy agencies and the Fools' Guild. The Guild is much more altruistic than the CIA or KGB. If one accepts these preconditions, the Fools' Guild books are an enjoyable read. If you want your "historical" novels to be historically correct, you are probably going to be disappointed. But isn't this true of any mystery set in the past? If one believes in the actual existence of Sherlock Holmes, the stories are much more fun (not to mention all the ink used to substantiate that existence).
The story here is fairly simple. Theophilus the Fool, his wife, Claudia, their baby daughter, Petra and Helga, their Apprentice are dispatched by the Guild to a former troubadour (Folquet) who has become the Abbot of a Cistercian monastery to persuade him to become the bishop of Toulouse. Before entering the monastery, this troubadour was married with two sons. He was also something of a flirt -
"courtly love" for him was not just something one sang about. After his sudden conversion, he sends wife and children off; the wife becomes a nun and the boys wind up in another monastery. Folquet initially refuses, but relents when a monk is murdered and his blood is used to write a warning message for Folquet which contains an allusion to a song that he wrote. Theophilus and family are sent off to find out the answer to the mystery of the identity of the Lark of the song and the one who is threatening Folquet's life. As the fools begin to find the answers, more bodies litter the landscape. The mystery is solved eventually but not without a number of wrong guesses. Once the song is truly deciphered and the murderer unmasked, the fools resume their travels, no doubt moving into their next adventure.
An interesting technique that Gordon uses here is to vary the narrator from chapter to chapter. Sometimes it's Theophilus; other times it's Claudia. It does require the reader to stay awake; there were a number of times that I thought I was reading one voice when it was actually the other (probably wouldn't happen with an audiobook). The dialogue between the characters is entertaining and witty; it's almost like watching a stage performance. Suspend your disbelief; you'll have a good time.
The story here is fairly simple. Theophilus the Fool, his wife, Claudia, their baby daughter, Petra and Helga, their Apprentice are dispatched by the Guild to a former troubadour (Folquet) who has become the Abbot of a Cistercian monastery to persuade him to become the bishop of Toulouse. Before entering the monastery, this troubadour was married with two sons. He was also something of a flirt -
"courtly love" for him was not just something one sang about. After his sudden conversion, he sends wife and children off; the wife becomes a nun and the boys wind up in another monastery. Folquet initially refuses, but relents when a monk is murdered and his blood is used to write a warning message for Folquet which contains an allusion to a song that he wrote. Theophilus and family are sent off to find out the answer to the mystery of the identity of the Lark of the song and the one who is threatening Folquet's life. As the fools begin to find the answers, more bodies litter the landscape. The mystery is solved eventually but not without a number of wrong guesses. Once the song is truly deciphered and the murderer unmasked, the fools resume their travels, no doubt moving into their next adventure.
An interesting technique that Gordon uses here is to vary the narrator from chapter to chapter. Sometimes it's Theophilus; other times it's Claudia. It does require the reader to stay awake; there were a number of times that I thought I was reading one voice when it was actually the other (probably wouldn't happen with an audiobook). The dialogue between the characters is entertaining and witty; it's almost like watching a stage performance. Suspend your disbelief; you'll have a good time.
September 1, 2020
This is the third book I have read in this series. I like it so much that I have ordered, through inter-library loan, the 4 books my library doesn’t own.
A lyric from a song written in the blood of a murdered monk at a monastery is their only clue, and they don’t know it is a lyric at the beginning. To save the Guild, jesters Theos and Claudia with the help of their apprentice Helga pursue this vague clue only to be followed and menaced. A complex mystery with a seemingly unimportant character eventually becoming the likely suspect.
Excellent dialogue and settings, wonderful dialogue, enjoyable!
A lyric from a song written in the blood of a murdered monk at a monastery is their only clue, and they don’t know it is a lyric at the beginning. To save the Guild, jesters Theos and Claudia with the help of their apprentice Helga pursue this vague clue only to be followed and menaced. A complex mystery with a seemingly unimportant character eventually becoming the likely suspect.
Excellent dialogue and settings, wonderful dialogue, enjoyable!
September 24, 2020
I adore this series.
Following Theo's ever growing family on official business for The Guild, this time , the fools collide with murderous monks.
Alan Gordon is a master of the light touch, giving enough space for the natural raconteurs to joke and banter before deftly switching to a darker tone as secrets from the past are exhumed.
I am heartbroken that I only have two more books left in this series.. if anyone knows of anything like this that is so pleasing to read, please let me know!
Following Theo's ever growing family on official business for The Guild, this time , the fools collide with murderous monks.
Alan Gordon is a master of the light touch, giving enough space for the natural raconteurs to joke and banter before deftly switching to a darker tone as secrets from the past are exhumed.
I am heartbroken that I only have two more books left in this series.. if anyone knows of anything like this that is so pleasing to read, please let me know!
September 21, 2021
As excellent as the rest of the series, The Lark’s Lament takes us out of Theo’s history and back into his present with his equally talented wife, baby daughter and new apprentice, Helga. This is an intriguing, excellently plotted if horrible mystery and as evocative as ever, with the genuine warmth, toughness and humanity of the central characters to balance the depths of human nature brought out by the plot.
September 26, 2022
This was another great read! It seemed predictable, but in the end surprised me not by much but I still wasn't able to pinpoint the "mastermind" until the bitter end which to me signals a good murder mystery! I love this series!
September 18, 2017
A book that can inform and entertain.
I only see two more in this series, which saddens me. The witty and resourceful main characters will be missed.
I only see two more in this series, which saddens me. The witty and resourceful main characters will be missed.
January 24, 2014
It's 1204, and The Fool's Guild is in trouble. Seeking assistance from a former troubadour turned monk, Theophilos, Claudia, their apprentice Helga and infant daughter Portia head for the Cistercian abbey where Folquet is now the abbot. But a foul murder shortly after Theo's visit drags the Fool Family into solving the mystery for the abbot before he will agree to assist them.
What can I say about this series that I haven't already said? It's a delight to read, with wonderful characters, careful research and a writing style that makes the story flow by far too quickly. Easy to read, yet with enough meaty historical detail that it occasionally prompts the reader to put the book down and do a bit of research.
I have all the books in this series on my keeper shelf, and there's only two more before I hit the end...so I'm hoarding them. This makes me extremely sad. But I guess that means I can start reading them over! :)
What can I say about this series that I haven't already said? It's a delight to read, with wonderful characters, careful research and a writing style that makes the story flow by far too quickly. Easy to read, yet with enough meaty historical detail that it occasionally prompts the reader to put the book down and do a bit of research.
I have all the books in this series on my keeper shelf, and there's only two more before I hit the end...so I'm hoarding them. This makes me extremely sad. But I guess that means I can start reading them over! :)
August 19, 2010
This was a fun book. It's simply written and I could see it clearly as TV show (paid TV to do it right). The most interesting thing about it is the authors insistence of its veracity. He cites some scholarly works in the foot notes (many of them his own O_o) to support his assertion that are compeling. When I get interested enough in the idea that the medieval fools guild was the 1400s equivalence of the CIA and did more to control European politics than the Catholic church did I may actually go and look up independent documentation. Maybe not.
December 16, 2008
I really enjoyed this installment of a great series - I struggled getting into the last one ("Antic Disposition"), but dove right into this one and (almost) couldn't put it down. The dialogue, the action, the historical background are all enjoyable, and I REALLY appreciate Gordon's humor! If you haven't tried this series but enjoy medieval fiction/mysteries, give it a whirl!
March 6, 2011
What can I say? I've enjoyed this mystery a lot, just as I have every other one in the series. Unfortunately I have yet to get my hands on the 5th book so I had to skip one in the series for a moment, but since I was already familiar with the main characters that was okay. I definitely would recommend, but read the first one in the series first!
December 7, 2010
So glad to find Alan Gordon again. The interplay between husband and wife, the picture of the early medieval world, the whole construction of the Fools Guild--it's all so skillful. The book becomes very dark toward the end, but that's somewhat typical of this series. I'd recommend starting at the beginning with Thirteenth Night, but this is by far by favorite medieval series.
August 31, 2020
This is a captivating, funny, and complex mystery. I read this first by chance but am now looking up the rest of the series to enjoy. I love the loving relationship of the Fool family and the dialogue kept me laughing. It has it's darker moments toward the end but they, like myself, use humor to help them get by.
July 27, 2013
I wish I had read how much research he had done before I read it. I thought he was just making a lot of it up. I would have taken the historical aspect more seriously. Beyond that, it was an easy, entertaining read. I'm glad he did a series. I'll probably try another.
January 8, 2008
well written but kind of lacking in plot details - maybe because it is the sixth book in the series? interesting enough for me to seek out earlier boooks..
March 16, 2008
It was okay, but nothing to write home about.
May 20, 2008
This is a fabulous series.
This new title alternates viewpoints between Theo and his wife Claudia.
This new title alternates viewpoints between Theo and his wife Claudia.
July 10, 2009
Interseting book about jesters or some would say Fools. The take in the book is that the Foors are a tight knit group of sort of detectives that traver from place to place solving crimes.
Read
September 11, 2009I read this shortly after reading Fool by Christopher Moore. I found this tale of Hamlet from the fool's perspective right in line yet alot more seriouis than Mr. Moore's take on King Lear.
January 14, 2010
Not the best of the series but fair.
April 17, 2010
The Lark's Lament: A Fools' Guild Mystery (Fools' Guild Mysteries) by Alan Gordon (2007)
August 30, 2010
lots of tweests and turns, fun!
September 1, 2010
Interfering and uncovering monks, Feste and Viola engage their hearts and talents in solving this mystery while fulfilling their quest. Fascinating look at love and the "little people".
September 21, 2010
A solid continuation of the series, with a tragic mystery and some fun new characters (one of which looks to be reoccurring). Can't wait to check out the next one!
December 29, 2010
Another new location (Southern France), same results.
March 20, 2011
Finding out more about the history of the fools guild and enjoying the books more. The plot twists are facinating, just proves
there is "nothing new under the sun"
there is "nothing new under the sun"
July 22, 2011
My kind of book--historical detective fiction. Easy to read and entertaining while escaping to another time. Will definitely read others.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews