Book Review: Myself as Witness
Aug. 16th, 2004 02:02 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
alexxkayJames Goldman has had a long love affair with Plantagenet royalty. After John showed up as a supporting character in both The Lion in Winter and Robin and Marian, Goldman decided to focus a book on him. Like Richard III, King John's popular historical image was largely formed by his enemies after his death, and turns out to be not entirely deserved. He was, on the whole, a good man and a strong king, though not without flaws. He's certainly as Machiavellian as the rest of his family.
John's biggest flaw was probably paranoia, although that may not be quite the right word when you actually *are* surrounded by enemies. Every major setback he suffers is at least partially due to betrayal, after all. To put it in gaming terms, he's very skilled at Sense Motive, but he uses it so often that even a 5% critical failure rate turns out to be dangerously high.
The period covered in the book (roughly 1212-1217) features a number of fascinating military campaigns that I hadn't previously heard of, some of which would make great fodder for a hollywood blockbuster. The book also features romance (a young queen who aspires to be the next Eleanor), loyalty and betrayal (and philosophical musings on their nature), and politics. In the latter category, the book documents the creation of what will eventually be known as the Magna Carta. Interestingly, almost everyone involved seems to have seen it as a piece of temporary political expediency, not something that would become the foundation of a new form of government. [I had been disappointed that Shakespeare's King John didn't touch on the Magna Carta at all.]
Recommended for history buffs. HIGHLY recommended for fans of The Lion in Winter.
John's biggest flaw was probably paranoia, although that may not be quite the right word when you actually *are* surrounded by enemies. Every major setback he suffers is at least partially due to betrayal, after all. To put it in gaming terms, he's very skilled at Sense Motive, but he uses it so often that even a 5% critical failure rate turns out to be dangerously high.
The period covered in the book (roughly 1212-1217) features a number of fascinating military campaigns that I hadn't previously heard of, some of which would make great fodder for a hollywood blockbuster. The book also features romance (a young queen who aspires to be the next Eleanor), loyalty and betrayal (and philosophical musings on their nature), and politics. In the latter category, the book documents the creation of what will eventually be known as the Magna Carta. Interestingly, almost everyone involved seems to have seen it as a piece of temporary political expediency, not something that would become the foundation of a new form of government. [I had been disappointed that Shakespeare's King John didn't touch on the Magna Carta at all.]
Recommended for history buffs. HIGHLY recommended for fans of The Lion in Winter.