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rebcamuse's review against another edition
3.0
Still early in the series, Peter Tremayne's The Subtle Serpent gives us a not-yet-fully developed Sister Fidelma, and a strange intermingling of Brother Eadulf. Something is definitely amiss at the Abbey of the Salmon of the Three Wells, one of which has recently hosted a beheaded corpse! The whodunit aspects stretch out a bit longer than necessary, and the twists and turns feel a bit more like loose threads, but it is a solid installment in the series. Most enjoyable is Sister Fidelma's facing off with the cantankerous (that's generous) Abbess Draigen. There are rather a lot of sisters to keep track of, and so empathy for some of the characters doesn't really have a chance to develop. As always, however, Tremayne weaves in medieval Irish history of both pagan and early Christian origins and it is well worth allowing yourself to be lured in to a land of yesteryear wherein the contexts may be old, but the motives are just as relevant today.
eososray's review against another edition
3.0
Thank goodness Brother Eadulf is back in the story. I think Fidelma needs him to bounce ideas off of to make the mystery better.
This story was perhaps a bit much, as in there was too much going on but I hold out hope that the next book will be better.
This story was perhaps a bit much, as in there was too much going on but I hold out hope that the next book will be better.
roshk99's review
4.0
Classic Fidelma, the one heroine that plays a major role and is extremely intelligent. She puts together all the bits and pieces and unveils them at the end, as usual. Nothing terribly original, but the mystery is not easy to untangle, as the knots are complex. The ending is surprising and exciting, as Fidelma does it again.
1ncubus's review against another edition
3.5
This may be the best historically backed book I have ever read. You really do notice that the author is actually a historian. And he does sprinkle in some random bits of information about early medieval Irland, just to show off his knowledge. I found the first two thirds of the book intriguing and mysterious. There were so many questions and I had developed quite a few theories. However many of them were crushed as we are introduced to some weird conspiracy in the last third of the book which is connected to the initial "mystery". It makes sense at the end but I was quite disappointed how the mystery was unraveled and it all felt a bit rushed. Fidelma, who "just knows things" and seems to be without flaw, just magically connects every information she obtained throughout the book and I couldn't quite understand how in the world she came to some conclusions based on so little evidence. Ultimately I was left a bit unsatisfied, but I still very much enjoyed the read.
jbleyle63's review against another edition
4.0
Historical background and setting continue to be big strengths for this series rather than strong plotting, though liked this one better than the preceding volume. Who knew 7th century Ireland was so enlightened when it came to equality in the law? I look forward to future reading in Tremayne's Celtic series!
vexedfox's review against another edition
dark
informative
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
adityasundar's review against another edition
3.0
It's my first venture into the Sister Fidelma series, and I was quite intrigued by the setting of a mystery in medieval Ireland. I enjoyed the author's nuanced ways of blending in Irish customs and the discrepancies of the churches into the story via character discourses. For a good majority of the book, the author takes his time to use the mystery as a fuel to soak us into the world, weaving his red herrings and the cast of eccentric characters. It's almost a character essay, and I enjoyed every bit of it. And then, in the third act when the other shoe starts to drop, Fidelma puts on her Miss Marple-esque hat, and all that magic just deflates.
It is, perhaps, this sudden change in the treatment of the story, narration-wise, that makes the final, customary detective-reveals-it-all speech tedious and convincing only in places. Fidelma is an astute observer and bright spirited, but I think the story could've used a more powerful manner of revelation in the end, something in line with the authorial voice that the book had at the start.
It is, perhaps, this sudden change in the treatment of the story, narration-wise, that makes the final, customary detective-reveals-it-all speech tedious and convincing only in places. Fidelma is an astute observer and bright spirited, but I think the story could've used a more powerful manner of revelation in the end, something in line with the authorial voice that the book had at the start.
mimima's review against another edition
3.0
Tremayne is a terrible writer and Sister Fidelma is practically perfect in every way. Despite those flaws it was a good read and I enjoyed the story.
kristi_asleep_dreaming's review against another edition
2.0
I like the concept. I like learning bits of Celtic lore and history while reading a light mystery. But I don't like being lectured. He's a poor writer, unfortunately. Dry, scholarly, at the wrong times, without any ability to integrate. He keeps stopping the narrative to give little lectures, which would be ok if he didn't have to repeat the lecture about what a rechtaire is every time he mentions one.