The Ringed Castle: Book Five in the legendary Lymond Chronicles

By Dorothy Dunnett

For the first time Dunnett's Lymond Chronicles are available in the United States in quality paperback editions.

Fifth in the legendary Lymond Chronicles, The Ringed Castle leaps from Mary Tudor's England to the barbaric Russia of Ivan the Terrible. Francis Crawford of Lymond moves to Muscovy, where he becomes advisor and general to the half-mad tsar. Yet even as Lymond tries to civilize a court that is still frozen in the attitudes of the Middle Ages, forces in England conspire to enlist this infinitely useful man in their own schemes.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: Aug 11, 2010
• ISBN: 9780307762399

Reviews for The Ringed Castle

[lxydis-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Unbelievably tense and brilliant, full of plot twists and drama, ending to Lymond! Very hard to resist skipping ahead to see what happens, but try to, as the payoff is fantastic.

[jkdavies · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

And so, this series comes to an end, Lymond and Philippa are in France ostensibly pursuing their divorce, and Philippa was pursuing the truth of Lymonds birth. Painful in places, with familial confrontations, and loving the wrong, or the right people.
Oh, there's a story about the French campaign to retake Calais, Lymond hoping to get back to Russia, but the personal comes very much to the fore here.
High romance, thwarted love, high ideals and low consequences. a fitting end Beuatiful.

[motkeen · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This amazing series required all of me, body, mind and soul. Embark when you have the time, there will be nothing else.

[vallloyd · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Do I have to rate each different edition? Oh well. Checkmate is the culmination of the underlying story line of Lymond's growth into his massive and varied talents. It also ends speculation on a more prominent story line running through the series. The real Lymond is unveiled to an extent, though of course he is mostly hidden in all his literary allusions and obscure, untranslated quotes.If you haven't read this one yet be warned do not give up at the very end, try to not throw the book across the room and have plenty of tissues handy. Oh I hope I didn't ruin the surprises. BUT the most important advice is no matter how much you are tempted to DO NOT READ the end until you get there. In some books it matters not in this one it does, a lot!!

[antiquary_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Not as grim as some, but still has gross moments, notably the death of a villain while in the act of raping the heroine