Jester Leaps in

by Alan Gordon

Book Overview

In 13th century Europe, political turmoil is the order of the day and the Fool's Guild and its agents - jesters, jugglers, and knaves to a man - works behind the scenes to manipulate events, trying to maintain a balance of power. Theophilos, a member of the Guild known by many names, is still recovering from his last mission during which he was severely wounded and nearly lost his life but, in the person of Viola, found himself an apprentice and a...

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312979002
• ISBN13: 9780312979003
• Release Date: February 2002
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press
• Length: 291 Pages
• Weight: 0.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 4.2" x 6.8"

Customer Reviews

Intrigue in Constantinople

First sentence: The sun rose through the gap in the eastern ridge where the river cuts through. Theophilos / Feste is a member of the Fool's Guild, recovering from a wound and newly married to Viola/Claudius, now apprentice to Feste. He receives word of his newest mission. He and Viola are to go to Constantinople. A new crusade is being launched from Venice to Constantinople, which is in the midst of a power struggle among bothers for the Byzantine throne. Of more immediate concern is that all the Guild's agents in Constantinople have disappeared. 13th Century Constantinople is not a history with which I am familiar. For me, that made this book somewhat challenging. There were characters and incidents to whom I couldn't relate. There was very little character development, and an assumption that the reader had read the previous book, was a weakness. What does work is the two protagonists and the relationship between them. Those characters are wonderful, particularly Viola who is a Duchess and has given up her life to be with Feste. Gordon's powers of description add so much to the story, both in the sense of place and time he creates in brining us to Constantinople of the period and in his descriptions of the performances of Feste and Claudius. Those things, along with the humor off-set by the threat and some violence, did make this an enjoyable read. This is a series with which I shall continue.

Smart, sassy, suspenseful

This book is great news for lovers of historical mysteries, but even better news for those who love books with a great setting, intriguing characters, crackling dialogue, and wit to spare. One of the best new series going.

As Good as Thirteenth Night

Jester Leaps In equals Gordon's Thirteenth Night in being an exceptionally entertaining and inventive story. This is not because of what Gordon does with Shakespeare's characters from Twelfth Night, but because of how he uses history. Early thirteenth century Constantinople is brought to life, and the idea of a Jesters Guild continues to be a clever and original plot device. I'll be eager to read the third book in the series, as the Fourth Crusade approaches Constantinople.

Can the Jester's Guild stop a terrible crime?

In JESTER LEAPS IN, Alan Gordon posits a medieval Jester's Guild responsible for bringing some sort of sanity to a world in trouble. Now a Crusade, dominated by Venice, is under weigh and all of the Jesters in Constantinople have vanished. Trouble-shooting fool Theophilos, along with his beautiful new wife (and Duchess and apprentice Jester) Viola are sent to find out what has happened and what it means.What has happened is murder. Someone has killed all of the Jesters in Constantinople in an attempt to hide a plot to kill the Emperor. Theophilos has to find out who, why, and then decide if the world would be better off with a new Emperor.Gordon does a wonderful job describing Medieval Europe and the role played by the Byzantine Empire at this time. The concept of a Jesters' Guild is wonderful and just believable enough to make the plot more enjoyable. Better is Gordon's character development. Both Theophilos and Viola are fully characterized, likable, and motivated. They may be fools, but they're no dummies and they're a joy to see in action...

Great Medieval Mystery

In the thirteenth century, The Fool's Guild feels their underlying mission beyond entertainment is to quietly keep the political balance in a unreliable world. In that regard, the Guild sends Theophilas also known as Feste to Byzantium serendipitously to investigate two matters of concern to the peace of the continent. Theo is to look into the recent disappearance of six guild members. Additionally, he is to check into rumors that have spread across Europe (at least among the Fool's Guild members) that Crusaders will invade Byzantium not Jerusalem.Only a fool would undertake this treacherous mission, but Theo, accompanied by his wife and fellow Fool Viola, still travels to Byzantium. As Theo and Viola begin to investigate both matters, they conclude that involvement begins at the highest levels of the Emperor's government. However, neither one of them knows that an unknown assailant plans to add Theo and Viola to the list of vanished Fools.The second Fool medieval mystery (see the entertaining Thirteenth Night) is an exciting historical tale that makes the thirteenth century vividly come to life. The story line employs an enjoyable who-done-it accompanied by a high level conspiracy, starring two likable charcaters who define Fool as genius and athletic. However, sub-genre fans will devour this tale and its predecessor because Alan Gordon's picturesque descriptive plot turns back the clock seven hundred years.Harriet Klausner