The malice of fortune book

Amid these walls of power the reader no more loses sight of the danger of the game than of the need to solve the puzzle. When pope alexander orders the courtesan damiata to the remote fortress city of imola to learn the truth behind the murder of his beloved son, juan, she knows that failure comes at the price of her own childs freedom. In the malice of fortune by michael ennis, vatican courtesan, damiata, is ordered by pope alexander vi to discover the truth about the murder of his son juan borgia. Whether you are a scientist or a poet, pronuclear energy or staunch opponent, conspiracy theorist or pragmatist, james mahaffeys books have served to open up the world of nuclear science like never. Can you compare the malice of fortune to other books with a similarly austere. The malice of fortune is an excellent, beautifully researched, and wellwritten novel that has a fine, fine sense of place. Damiata becomes a pawn in the political intrigues of the popes surviving son, cesare borgia, also known as duke valentino, whose own life is threatened by mercenary warlords. It captured my attention up front and kept me turning the pages to the very end. Ennis has achieved a great accomplishment, historical fiction that places us right into the characters present. Sarah harvey, tattered cover book store, denver, co. This historical novel, framed as a murder mystery in which machiavelli plays the part of the detective, lays out the basis on which he wrote the prince and illuminates his relationship with cesare borgia, known widely then as duke valentino, the subject of that famous book. Michael ennis against a teeming canvas of borgia politics, niccolo machiavelli and leonardo da vinci come together to unmask a serial killer. The malice of fortune is based on historian and journalist michael ennis intensive research into primary sources, its characters and the events it portrays all solidly grounded in historical evidence.

Ennis the duchess of milan brilliantly recreates the complex politics of early 16thcentury italy in this absorbing and intelligent thriller that. Michael ennis has woven an elaborate renaissance tapestry with his novel malice of fortune. The malice of fortune by michael ennis nook book ebook. Hes embedded a good oldfashioned murder mystery within a. The malice of fortune is more than a thrillerits a tender love story, a grim exploration of the nature of human evil, and an immersive tour of renaissance italy as courageous, perceptive young niccolo machiavelli fights for his life against ruthless borgia factions. The malice of fortune a novel by michael ennis reading group guide synopsis when pope alexander dispatches a vatican courtesan, damiata, to the remote fortress city of imola to learn the truth behind the murder of juan, his most beloved illegitimate son, she cannot fail, for the scheming borgia pope holds her own young son hostage. In this epic novel, ennis gives ample evidence that political and religious corruption in early16thcentury italy makes anything vaguely analogous look like. In the malice of fortune, two of the biggest names of the renaissance team up to track a killer. The malice of fortune is reminiscent of umberto eco s the name of the rose in that the intrigue is rich and is inextricably entwined in its world a finely wrought history the denver post a heady mix of the da vinci code, borgia politics and the silence of the lambs. Read the malice of fortune by michael ennis available from rakuten kobo. With its vivid, welldefined array of characters, the malice of fortune captures the glorious and gritty details of renaissance italy in a propulsive story.