I've loaned the first two of this series to Wendy, so I don't have the books in front of me to refer to, even if I wanted to. This is a mystery series set in 7th century Europe, about an Irish nun and d疝aigh (judge and investigator under Ireland's Brehon law system) Sister Fidelma, and sometimes her friend a Saxon monk Brother Eadulf. The first book, Absolution by Murder takes place at the synod of Whitby in 664 when the rules of the Roman church vs. the Irish church were being debated at the behest of King Oswy to decide which Northumbria was going to follow. As mysteries go, these aren't spectacular, but the period is an interesting one, and the author Peter Tremayne knows quite a bit about it (Peter Tremayne is the pseudonym of Peter [Berresford] Ellis, not to be confused with Brother Cadfael's Ellis Peters, and is a much-credentialed Celtic scholar). I certainly didn't know how much more liberal Ireland, even the church, was with respect to the position of women and the rule of law than, well, practically anywhere in medieval Europe (or even, in some respects, modern Europe).
The second book takes place in Rome, as Fidelma goes to get the rule of her order--St. Brigid's of Kildare--approved and becomes involved in investigating the murder of the Archbishop-designate of Canterbury. Deusdedit, the first Saxon Archbishop of Canterbury died in 664 and in 667 Oswy and Egbert sent Wighard to Rome to be consecrated as his replacement. Wighard died of the plague almost immediately upon arriving in Rome, and Tremayne uses that as the basis of A Shroud For the Archbishop, moving the date back a couple years so that it follows immediately after Fidelma's first case and making Wighard's death a murder for her to investigate. I read these back to back, and I'd say my general impression is that the writing improved a little, but it was still mostly the historical background and only secondarily the characters that held my interest. The mystery aspect barely registered with me at all.
The third, Suffer Little Children, is much grimmer and more about the politics of Ireland, with lots of children and innocent villagers getting put to the sword to further the political ambitions of certain chieftains and petty kings. Again, the details of the roles and responsibilities of the Brehon judges vis-a-vis the kings and the High King at Tara, and the laws and rules of evidence are the interesting bits. As far as characterization goes, Fidelma's friend Eadulf is sorely missed.
I may sound like I have mixed feelings about the series, and objectively I suppose I do, but I rip right through the books and always learn something interesting so overall I really do recommend them--which is just as well, because I've already bought the next three or so and am just taking a short break before reading them. They've actually inspired me to using 7th century Ireland as a backdrop for a D&D campaign, for when I play with people other than my group of regulars (where we have enough campaigns with various GMS under way already).
Joshua has posed an interesting idea by using Peter Tremayne's bestselling Sister Fidelma series as the basis for a D&D campaign. The mysteries certainly lend themselves to it as well as the fascinating background of 7th Century Ireland. The Sister Fidelma mysteries, of which the 14th volume will be published next March, are published in nine different languages and are bestsellers not only in the US but also in the UK. They have also been serialised on Irish radio and one story will be read on Canadian radio soon.
I hope, therefore, before the D&D campaign gets too big that it is remembered that the books are still in copyright.
There is also an International Sister Fidelma Society, now approaching its third year of existence, based in Little Rock, Arkansas, who produce a print magazine entitled "The Brehon" three times a year and are also found at their official website www.sisterfidelma.com which is sanctioned by the author.
I think that Joshua should have mentioned that Tremayne is a pseudonym for Peter Berresford Ellis (as Peter Ellis might not strike a bell) who is regarded as one of the foremost authorities on the period in which he writes.
Joshua seems rather reluctant about acknowledging just how good the Fidelma books are regarded by the critics in many currents. We run a lot of critics' comments on our website. Joshua seems world weary - "the mystery aspect barely registered with me at all." Thankfully, not so with a growing number of fans across the world.
I'm not at all reluctant to acknowledge that other critics may like the Fidelma books more than I do: that implies that I've even given it consideration. I'm just not in the business of telling people what other critics think of something that I review. My reviews are based on what I think of something. They are but humble opinions, but they're mine own.
The biggest problem I have with the Fidelma books as mysteries is that out of the first three that I've read, in each one the actual murder was a crime of passion committed by someone who was basically mad or of diminished capacity that coincidentally took place in a time and fashion that made it appear political; most of the investigation then followed the political intrigue which in each case turned out to be a series of red herrings. Compared to, say, Didius Falco, or Marcus Corvinus, that's just not very satisfying.
As far as the D&D thing goes, I think that David is either confused as to what is meant by a campaign (a group of players who play characters in a setting where there is continuity between the events of the game from adventure to adventure; it has nothing to do with publishing material), or confused as to the state of copyright law. As it happens, the issue is moot, since my players turn out not to be particularly interested.
Tremayne has a serious problem with historical accuracy with respect to dates. For example, the pilgrimages to the Shrine of St James in Santiago de Compostela in Spain did not begin until many years well after he has Sister Fidelma enroute, and the stone structures described in Ireland simply did not exist until a couple of hundred years later; these concerns relayed to Tremayne. He has no answer except that this is fiction.
Ralph,
Can you be a bit more specific? Which structures are you refering to? Building in stone was carried out on the colossal scale in Ireland over two thousand years before Fidelma's time. The so-called "Bru na Boinne" or Mansions of the Boyne, such as Knowth and Newgrange are on the same scale as Stonehenge, in Southern England and yet pre-date the latter by perhaps four hundred years. The hermetic structures , of "bee-hive" construction, pre-date fidelma by about one-hundred and fifty years.
Although Celtic Ireland was heavily forested, much more so than now, stone was extensively used in construction alongside timber. Large-scale building using either wood or stone did not take place until after the arrival of the Normans, true, but , in my view, the general impression given in all of the Sister Fidelma books is one of somewhat scattered, low-rise, single storey communities.