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A review by jhbandcats
Wolf on a String by Benjamin Black, John Banville
adventurous
dark
informative
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
A plodding story that bogs down in the philosophical jabberings of the protagonist Christian Stern, this book is full of information about Prague at the turn of the century, when 1599 became 1600.
Stern comes upon the murdered body of a well-to-do young woman his first night in Prague, and thus is drawn into intrigues and power plays in the court of Rudolf II. He jumps from one bed to another, having no real fealty to any of his mistresses; they use him for information and comfort as he uses them.
He’s not a particularly likable character, and the rest of the characters are pretty awful themselves. While I loved learning about Renaissance Prague and the politics of the period, I found the mystery too slow to really care much by the end. My favorite character was found dead on a doorstep and that was it for any loyalty I might have had to the book.
Stern comes upon the murdered body of a well-to-do young woman his first night in Prague, and thus is drawn into intrigues and power plays in the court of Rudolf II. He jumps from one bed to another, having no real fealty to any of his mistresses; they use him for information and comfort as he uses them.
He’s not a particularly likable character, and the rest of the characters are pretty awful themselves. While I loved learning about Renaissance Prague and the politics of the period, I found the mystery too slow to really care much by the end. My favorite character was found dead on a doorstep and that was it for any loyalty I might have had to the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Torture, Alcohol, Murder, Violence, Animal death, and Blood