Nicked

Nicked by M.T. Anderson, 220 pages.

In 1087 the path to wealth and prestige was often through holy relics and the pilgrims they brought. So when Brother Nicephorus has a dream a St. Nicholas that he interprets as a call to minister to the pox-stricken in the city of Bari, the powers that be instead decide that obviously this dream instead means that St. Nicholas would like his bones removed from Myra and brought to Bari. So Nicephorus is introduced to Tyun the relic hunter and his international crew, both as the "dreamer" and as a valuable witness of authenticity, due to his complete inability and unwillingness to lie. What follows is a swashbuckling adventure that goes in a whole lot of unexpected directions. 

This was a great book, and a great work of historical fiction! I feel like a lot of historical fiction feels like it uses history as a setting rather than something that impacts characters and worldview, but this book felt immersive. One of the characters is a dog-headed man, and in the author's note he mentions that he included this because they were in virtually every travelogue published at the time. I feel like this really nails the commitment to living within this medieval worldview. Beyond all of that, it was just a really fun book! This feels like the kind of adventure story that is begging to be turned into a movie. It was twisty and engaging, and I loved how all of the threads kept coming together. I highly recommend it for anyone looking for a heist that's a little different, swashbuckling, or great medieval historical fiction. 

The Name of the Rose

The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco  592 pp.

Every few years I dig out my old paperback copy and reread it. This time I decided to listen to the audiobook version read by the great actor, Theodore Bikel. I can't find fault with his reading, but when I read the words of William of Baskerville my brain automatically hears it as Sean Connery who played him in the film version. The story is a whodunit in a medieval monastery during the time of the Inquisition. The story is narrated by William's young assistant, Adso, initially visit the monastery to investigate heresy but a series of strange deaths put them on the trail of the murderer. In addition to the murders there is political intrigue, a cast of diverse and sometimes creepy characters including a fanatical, old, blind monk. Now it's time to watch the movie again.