DRUID'S BLOOD

By Esther M. Friesner

Signet Books (1988)

Reviewed by Robert Thompson 3/8/90

I have read several of this author's other books and have enjoyed them. They have been funny, sexy fantasy with a twist. Instead of putting regular modern people into a fantasy world, she puts fantasy characters into our modern world, and it is quite entertaining to watch them trying to cope.

DRUID'S BLOOD is somewhat different in that the setting is Victorian Great Britain, and the twist is that here, magic rules, while the rest of the world continues on its technological path. The key players are a mélange of real and fictitious characters from that period. There are many references to literary figures of the era, some vague, some quite obvious.

The primary characters in this tale are Mr. Brihtric Donne

and his companion, Dr. John H. Weston M.D.. The supporting players include the lusty Queen Vic, the ghosts of several previous Kings and Queens of England, Lord Byron and others.

Donne and Weston are an obvious takeoff on Sherlock Holmes and Watson, and I am not certain how dyed-in-the-wool Arthur Conan Doyle fans will react to Friesner's appropriation of their idol. Having never read any of the Holmes stories, I am sure that I missed out on some of the humorous references and puns contained in this story.

The plot revolves around the theft of the Rules Britania, the book containing the magic which is the basis for the power of the royal family. Victoria gets Donne and Weston to help her recover the Rules. Their adventures are many, and I hate to even allude to some of the best ones, spoiling your pleasure when you read the book.

The story culminates in a pitched battle for the Rules that is quite exciting.

Although not as funny or as sexy as some of Friesner's other books, this one is perhaps more entertaining, as one tries to pick up on all of the literary references made in the story. Some are quite obvious, while others are so obscure that only an expert on English literature would pick up. (I'm sure I missed MANY of them).

Just about anyone would enjoy DRUID'S BLOOD. Whether you are a fan of detective stories, Elizabethan to Victorian history and/or literature, or plain fantasy, this book has something for you.
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