Rating: 
Summary: Real In All the Ways That Count
Review: "King Hereafter" was my introduction to Dorothy Dunnett, and I was grabbed from the first scene. As an English major years ago, and even more recently, I've read enough Norse and Icelandic sagas that her premise seems plausible. And I've read enough about how Shakespeare used his sources for his own purposes to allow both authors their own uses of the sources. Both the play Macbeth and the novel can stand on their own merits.
And the novel really stands well on its own merits. The descriptions are incredible, the characters complex. Sure, I had to reread sometimes to get what was going on and who people were. But I like a book with meat on its bones, and this one, like all of Dunnett's historical fiction, has it. I also like a book in which characters grow and change, and Thorfinn and Gruoch and other characters do.
As with other of Dunnett's books, I've read and reread "King Hereafter" and will read it again, each time with new enjoyment. And I don't usually reread books, because there are too many books out there I haven't read yet!
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful...
Review: ...but obviously not as easy to get involved in as Dunnett's other historical novels. It is excellently-written and firmly grounded in history. So many of the previous reviewers are unwilling to believe in the "Thorfinn is Macbeth" aspect of the story. I give Ms. Dunnett more than the benifit of a doubt. She extensively researched her topic-- it took her five years. She travelled to the places she wrote about, and almost every character mentioned is a historical one (including Sulien-- it's also fascinating to look into Lulach's comments).About the characters... they are multi-dimensional and the overall story is less romanticized than the Lymond Chronicles and House of Niccolo (though I recommend both very highly)-- it was exciting to read and also a thoughtful book full of politics and human relationships. Read it.
Rating:
Summary: A Wonderful Read
Review: Based on the tale of Earl Thorfinn Sigurdsson of Orkney, as found in the Orkneyinga Saga, the man who some scholars take for the historical Macbeth, Lady Dorothy Dunnett has here reimagined the life and times of that famous Scottish king. Three parts Celt and one part Norse, this Orkney earl extended the domain bequeathed him by his viking forebears (the Orkney Islands as well as some northern coastal territory on the Scottish mainland) deep into that land that would one day be Scotland, establishing, for all intents and purposes, the first unified Scottish kingdom. Though his kingdom was not to last, Thorfinn-Macbeth is portrayed as a magnificent visionary who grows from a somewhat reckless, albeit coldly clever and scheming, viking chieftain into a true king, genuinely concerned for the wealth and weal of his newly won kingdom. The tale, itself, is not highly structured but affects to recreate the life of this marauder cum royal prince from his first heedless days in the shadow of Norway's King Olaf the Stout and Denmark's Canute the Great (who briefly carved out an Atlantic empire for himself incorporating England, Denmark and, in the end, Norway), to his final days in the shadow of Harold Godwinsson, William of Normandy and Harald Hardrada, the last genuine viking king of Norway. Following the life and career of the Orkney earl, Thorfinn, Dunnett creates a very different Macbeth from the man Shakespeare gave us. This Macbeth, an ungainly and ugly looking fellow, is head and shoulders above his fellows both physically and intellectually. More, he is, at bottom, a sensitive soul who, though his first introduction to his future wife, after killing her husband in battle, is barely more than rape, grows to love her as she comes to love him. Their joint career takes them headlong into rule of the future Scottish kingdom with some fascinating detours along the way including the tale of Thorfinn's struggles with the magnificent Rognvald Brusasson, his golden haired nephew (Ms. Dunnett offers a most unusual interpretation of the relationship which led to the famous burning of the earl's house) and engagement in the political maneuvering then going on in the south of England in light of Canute's early death without a strong heir to succeed him. Although this novel had long barren stretches (I especially found the interlude on the European mainland, as Thorfinn made his way to Rome, frustratingly tiresome and longwinded), the book, on balance, was intelligently done. If it moved too slowly in places, it largely made up for it with well-wrought scenes of battle on the seas and deep in Scotland itself and with some fascinating dialogue. Regrettably, Ms. Dunnett does have a tendency to resort to a kind of cryptic rendering of both dialogue and description, which overdoes the subtlety I think she was pursuing. And I found too many of her characters rather difficult to distinguish from one another. Occasionally, too, she slips into a surprising error such as a description of the Byzantines in which she refers to the Ottoman crown (which, of course, is a major anachronism since the Ottomans didn't conquer Constantinople until 1453 while her tale takes place in the eleventh century). More, she goes on too long in places since I found her repeating herself rather too often, adding an unneeded burden to this already very large novel. But, if it is not the best of its type (and I am reminded here of Hope Muntz' historical novel, THE GOLDEN WARRIOR, about many of the same characters in roughly the same time period which, perhaps, really is), this one is certainly a good one and worth the attention of intelligent readers attracted to historical fiction, especially when set in this time period and this corner of the world. SWM
Rating:
Summary: A Wonderful Read
Review: Dunnett's books are a difficult read for me but well worth the effort. I really loved King Hereafter. As soon as I finished Part Two I stopped and started over. Things started really clicking for me the second time. I struggled with Part Three but Part Four just about took my breath away. This book has a place in my keep-for-ever-and-ever bookcase. I love Lymond and adore Nick, but Thorfinn RULES!
Rating:
Summary: Once and Future King
Review: For me, the tour de force of one of the great novelists, brought to more vivid life by a visit to Orkney last year, and before, on the shores of Loch Bracadale in Skye - "on a day such as this it would not be a hardship to die!" The sense of destiny and impending tragedy is similar to T.H.Whites masterpiece of Arthur - the parallels are remarkable - and the vivid imagery of Dark Ages Scotland is quite excellent. At odds with Shakespeare's calumnies - but what would you expect of the English? - the book weaves a tale of love and slaughter, treachery and transcendent ideals, and the story might serve as an allegory for the shaping of the infant Scottish nation a millenium later.
Rating: 
Summary: my review
Review: I have read all the Niccolo series from this author and have always enjoyed her writing. In this book, she tells us of the story of McBeth. I had only heard of this King through Shakespeare's play, but this time I was able to really learn about his life, his contemporaries and his heritage. Ms. Dunnett has a very special way to write about her characters that keeps the reader thinking. Her writing could be considered outstanding, being very intelligent and taking always into consideration all the many different currents that run through everybody's life, specially that of a King. A very enjoyable read.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing
Review: I love historical fiction and so I was very excited to read King Hereafter. I am not terribly knowledgeable about MacBeth, either the historical or the Shakespeare version, but I trusted that Ms. Dunnett's fabulous writing would carry me along anyway. This book seems to differ from her other works in that the writing is less absorbing and her characters are poorly drawn and even confusing. Whereas I couldn't read her other books fast enough,I had to struggle to read King Hereafter all the way through. By the end of the book I did feel some empathy for the main characters but all in all King Hereafter does not measure up to Ms. Dunnett's previous efforts.
Rating: 
Summary: Good if you ignore the one vital flaw.
Review: I tried to read this book a while ago having enjoyed the Lymond and House of Niccolo series', but I had a major problem - I didn't agree with Mrs. Dunnet's premise that Thorfinn and Macbeth were the same person. They did exist and were related, but it annoyed me so much, I couldn't finish the book. Other than this, it is a very well-written book, and immaculately researched (as all her books are), and gives a fascinating insight into Scotland in the Middle Ages - a much misunderstood and overlooked period of history. If nothing else, it is a refreshing look at an historical figure that has got a bad press courtesy of a certain W.Shakespeare Esq.
Rating:
Summary: I suffered, but the minute I finished I wanted to start over
Review: Maybe you've seen the play. Macbeth is a brave and loyal Scottish general who meets three witches on the heath. Through accurate but misleading prophecies, the witches maliciously persuade Macbeth to aspire to be King of Scotland. So Macbeth assassinates "Good Old King Duncan", takes his place, commits many acts of murder and betrayal to cover his tracks, only to be quickly overthrown and killed in turn. His ultimate punishment is to die knowing that the witches tricked him. Like many of Shakespeare's characters, Macbeth is a historical figure familiar to his intended audience, but not one accurately remembered. The historical Macbeth was Earl (or to use the correct Scottish word, Mormaer) of Morey, in the far north of Scotland. Even further north lies Caithness, disputed between Scotland and Norway, and Orkey, controlled by Norway. Far from being a "Good Old King", Duncan was a contemporary, and a close relative, of Macbeth. Both their deaths were part of a long feud between two branches of the royal "derfine" or lineage. A minor character in the play is one "Caithness". His historical counterpart is Thorfinn the Mighty, Earl of Caithness and Orkney, a man with family ties in both Scotland and Norway. Most historians believe Macbeth and Thorfinn were lifelong friends and allies, and that they probably grew up together in the Scottish royal court. Now, here's where things get strange. When Dorothy Dunnet decided to write a novel about the historical Macbeth, she chose to work from primary sources, rather than rely on an existing history. (Apparently there aren't any good histories of this period, at least none written for a general audience.) While doing this research, Dunnet came to a radical conclusion: Thorfinn and Macbeth were not friends. They were the same person. This isn't as bizarre a theory as it sounds. It was quite common for Norsemen to have both traditional and "baptismal" names. And what with spotty records and carelessly written chronicles, mistakes in the historical record are all too common. But is it plausible? Darned if I know. I've studied just enough historiography to convince myself that I'm just not qualified to form an opinion. It is true that few, if any, professional historians accept Dunnet's theory. But I'm not one to argue from authority. Besides, I like stories that begin with a "what if". Well, not all of them. "What if" fiction is tricky to write. It can easily degenerate into a endless, dreary didactic exercise as it struggles to convince the reader of its premises. And in fact, many of the dialogues in King Hereafter read like arguments in a grad school seminar. Sadly, the novel doesn't even do a very good job of advocating the Thorfinn-is-Macbeth theory. Quite the contrary: about halfway through, you find Thorfinn/Macbeth completely neglecting his duties as King of Scotland to pursue a lengthy and bloody struggle with his nephew Rognveld for control of Orkney. As this feud goes on, the actions of Thorfinn and Rognveld become less and less plausible, and it becomes harder and harder to accept that one man could have been so involved in the politics and warfare of two completely separate realms. Summary: it doesn't entertain, it doesn't educate. It just propounds a pet theory at excessive length, very unconvincingly.
Rating:
Summary: A big, fat, crackerjack historical novel about Macbeth
Review: My first Dunnett, and a crackerjack. OK, a big, fat crackerjack historical novel about 11th century Britain, specifically on the life of the historic King Macbeth, who ruled Orkney and northern Scotland 1040-1058. For good measure, we get Lady Godiva, too. Plus Duncan, Malcolm, and Duke William waiting for his Big Moment, over there in Normandy.
Google for a fine, short review by reliable Danny Yee: "King Hereafter is a dark and sombre work...and at near nine hundred pages not one to be tackled lightly. It is, however, a rewarding feast for those who like solid historical fiction."
Nice background for the book at dorothydunnettdot)co(dot)uk/dunnettqa5.htm
She read some 700 books for KH! And compiled "145 interlocking European family trees, laid out in miniscule writing on a piece of wallpaper 20 feet long." Now, that's research!
Anyway, it's reassuring that the historical background is as good as she could make it, plus it's a ripping (hacking, stabbing, disembowelling...) good yarn. Boy, Britain went seriously downhill, in the civilization dept., when the Romans left. Positively *medieval* back then <GG>.
Happy reading!
Pete Tillman
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