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    The Malice of Fortune
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    The Malice of Fortune
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    The Malice of Fortune
    Ebook510 pages7 hours

    The Malice of Fortune

    By Michael Ennis

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    Against a teeming canvas of Borgia politics, Niccolò Machiavelli and Leonardo da Vinci come together to unmask an enigmatic serial killer, as we learn the secret history behind one of the most controversial works in the western canon, The Prince...
    When Pope Alexander dispatches a Vatican courtesan, Damiata, to the remote fortress city of Imola to learn the truth behind the murder of Juan, his most beloved illegitimate son, she cannot fail, for the scheming Borgia pope holds her own young son hostage. Once there, Damiata becomes a pawn in the political intrigues of the pope’s surviving son, the charismatic Duke Valentino, whose own life is threatened by the condottieri, a powerful cabal of mercenary warlords. Damiata suspects that the killer she seeks is one of the brutal condottierri, and as the murders multiply, her quest grows more urgent. She enlists the help of an obscure Florentine diplomat, Niccolò Machiavelli, and Valentino’s eccentric military engineer, Leonardo da Vinci, who together must struggle to decipher the killer’s taunting riddles: Leonardo with his groundbreaking “science of observation” and Machiavelli with his new “science of men.” Traveling across an Italy torn apart by war, they will enter a labyrinth of ancient superstition and erotic obsession to discover at its center a new face of evil—and a truth that will shake the foundations of western civilization. 

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRandom House Publishing Group
    Release dateSep 11, 2012
    ISBN9780385536325
    Unavailable
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    Reviews for The Malice of Fortune

    3.5/5

    87 ratings13 reviews

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    • 4/5
      Very good historical mystery with most of the characters based in real people. Great theme of "science" (represented by di Vinci) vs psychology (represented by Machiavelli).

    • 4/5
      Mix up Machiavelli, the Borgias and Leonardo da Vinci with a murder mystery and you have the basic outlines of this book, but that description doesn't do it justice. Juan Borgia, the younger son of Pope Alexander, was murdered several years before this story opens. His murderer has not been found. Now a body, or more precisely pieces of a body, has been found in the city of Imola, the seat of Duke Valentino, otherwise known as Cesare Borgia. A pouch found with one of the pieces contains an amulet that Juan was wearing when he died. Pope Alexander, who harbors suspicions of Damiata, who was Juan's mistress, kidnaps her and her son and tells her she must go to Imola and find his son's murderer or she will never see her son again. When she reaches Imola, she finds Machiavelli, sent by the republican governors of Florence to persuade Duke Valentino against making an alliance with the mercenary condottieri. They join forces with Leonardo da Vinci, the duke's engineer, to try to solve the current murders and find out who murdered Juan.Damiata, feeling hopeless, writes a letter to her son explaining her quest and her history, intending to have it delivered when he comes of age. Her letter is the first third of the book. Machiavelli narrates the rest of the book. At first, he casts doubt on Damiata's narrative. Perhaps she was complicit in Juan's murder after all. Machiavelli is convinced that he must understand the murderer in order to unmask him, in essence attempting to do a modern psychiatric profile of the murderer. Leonardo insists that they will only find the murderer through science.Vivid characters and a fast-paced plot make this book hard to put down.
    • 1/5
      This is a partial review, commenting only on the performance. I hope to be able to find and read a print copy of the book so I can comment on the plot and writing as well. The reviews of the story intrigued me, and it sounds as if it could be a good historical fiction thriller.But at the moment, I am so put off by the female narrator that I don't think I can continue listening. WHO HIRED THIS WOMAN? She is clearly not a native speaker of the English language; perhaps she is Italian. She almost swallows Italian phrases and proper nouns (as I am guilty of doing with my own name when I introduce myself...because it's so familiar).The majority of the text she reads is English, but her incredibly poor pronunciation makes me miss about 1 word in every 5. And since I'm listening on my iPod, I can't back up just a few seconds, I have to jump back to the beginning of a chapter. So I just let her go on and on, wondering if I am getting enough details to follow the story. Even the words I do understand are mangled. For example, the word "purchase" comes out "poor CHASE" with a long A.Occasionally I hear a sentence that makes me smile in pleasure at the clever writing, the unexpected phrase that communicates beautifully and adds a bit of humor or insight. That's why I want to read the book in print, now. It just isn't worth it to struggle through this abysmal narration any more.
    • 4/5
      First of all, I am not an expert on Renaissance Italy or the Borgias. However, this book seemed well-researched to me. I read Niccolo Machiavelli's The Prince" years ago so I did have some parallels to make during the story. I liked the plotlines that followed Duke Valentino's rise to power. Loyalties were changed and good guys became bad guys, etc. This seemed real to the time period for me. I liked the ending and the inspiration for the story. The only thing that kept it from being a 5 star book for me was the fact that 1/4 of the book was written from one viewpoint and 3/4 was written from another. The author did not make the purpose for this method clear to me. However, this was an unedited copy that I won on Goodreads so the author might have changed this. If not, it was not so distracting that I couldn't enjoy the story anyway.
      "
    • 4/5
      I loved Ennis' "Duchess of Milan," was not so blown away by his other novel "Byzantium." Reading "Malice of Fortune," I think that his forte is Renaissance Italy. I really enjoyed this historical mystery.

      Furious over the mysterious death of his beloved son, Pope Alexander Borgia blackmails the murdered Juan's former mistress, Damiata, into going to investigate the circumstances of his death. With the Pope holding her son hostage, and under suspicion herself, she has no choice.

      Niccolo Machiavelli teams up with her, and as more and more mutilated bodies turn up around the city, even Leonardo Da Vinci gets involved, suspecting that the killer or killers are taunting him with a mathematical puzzle.

      The challenge for the would-be detectives is not figuring out which of the many suspects could have committed such brutal crimes - most, if not all of the brutal condottierri lords are well known to be capable of atrocities. As far as motivation? Well, Juan was nearly universally disliked, both personally and politically.

      I'm deducting a star because the whole serial-killer-creates-geometric-patterns-with-dead-bodies, in-which-a-clue-can-be-found plot, has been done until it does not need to be done any more. However, both Niccolo and Damiata are well-drawn and entertaining characters, and the story proceeds with a nice amount of complexity and thoughtfulness. An enjoyable read.
    • 5/5
      I enjoyed this very much as i love to learn about history through fictional novels. I have read a lot about British history so it was a nice change to go to Italy in 1502. Niccolo Machiavelli is one of the main characters along with Leonardo da Vinci and it is based on true events. Damiata was the lover of Juan, the beloved son of the Borgia pope, Pope Alexander VI. She is a suspect in Juan's murder and goes into hiding with her and Juan's son for 5 years until summoned by the Pope to go to Imola, italy, where his other son, Duke Valentino is trying to negotiate a treaty with the mercenary armies. A woman was found there, butchered and carrying an amulet that belonged to Juan. Damiata thinks if she can find who killed Juan, Pope Alexander will give her her son back. As she works with Machiavelli more bodies turn up, in parts over the countryside. Damiata wonders if she is to be killed and the pope never sent her to find the real killer of his son.The first part of the book is told by Damiata and the next three parts by Machiavelli.It was a great read, the kind of historical fiction I like, not the trashy stuff by Philipa Gregory and such. I did find if I didn't read the book in large chunks at a time or in a quiet place it was a little hard to follow. I would highly recommend this to lovers of historical fiction or just really well-written books.
    • 4/5
      Set in one of my favorite periods in history, the Renaissance, Ennis delivers a fascinating story. Full of historical figures, Da Vinci, Machiavelli, and the corruptible Borgia, the reader is treated to a novel that fully immerses them in this time period; the sights, sounds and full political machinations. What a fascinating time this was; the church all powerful and trying to stay that way, some of the greatest thinkers and philosophers are present and change is everywhere. This was a fantastic novel, very detailed and full of depth. Appreciated the afterword where much is explained. Highly recommend.ARC from NetGalley.
    • 5/5
      The book begins when Pope Alexander VI is at the height of his power politically but we find him emotionally devastated at the murder of his favored son, Juan, Duke of Gandia. Juan was heading out to visit his courtesan, Damiata when he was ambushed and killed. Damiata disappeared that night after seeing the dead body of her love. His second son, Cesare, the Duke of Valentinos is now in charge of his armies and is conquering Italy in his name. Cesare is a brilliant military man but he is evil personified.This book was a fascinating read; it brought together five fascinating characters. Three of them real, one a creation from bits of history and one is a goddess if you will - Fortune. Niccolo Machiavelli, Leonardo DaVinci and Cesare Borgia are three of the more remembered men of the Renaissance they come together in this novel with a thinking man's courtesan named Damiata to see what Fortune has in store for all of them. For Fortune plays as large a role as any of the flesh and blood characters. Any one with knowledge of the history of the time knows exactly what happens to Cesare Borgia. Leonardo DaVinci is remembered for his art and his engineering that was so far ahead of his time. Machiavelli has left us with his writings and his name has entered the lexicon as someone who looks to deceive.It takes a writer with a strong knowledge of history and an imagination for dialog to write a novel that keeps a knowing reader turning the pages. This is a favorite period in history for me and I'm familiar with the characters and how it all ended yet I still felt a sense of suspense. The writing is dark and mysterious if uneven at times. The first third of the book is written from Damiata's point of view, the last two thirds from Machiavelli's. There was not much difference in the style. Mr. Ennis does set a scene well and his writing was the kind that brought into time and place so that I felt drawn into the conversations and felt as if I were a participant instead of an onlooker. I love books that do that. The conversations between the two great men, Leonardo and Machiavelli were at times thought provoking and inane which I suppose can be said for all of us. It's a book I will keep for a second read; I suspect I will appreciate it more with foreknowledge of the ending, although the big reveal did not come as a surprise.
    • 5/5
      The book begins when Pope Alexander VI is at the height of his power politically but we find him emotionally devastated at the murder of his favored son, Juan, Duke of Gandia. Juan was heading out to visit his courtesan, Damiata when he was ambushed and killed. Damiata disappeared that night after seeing the dead body of her love. His second son, Cesare, the Duke of Valentinos is now in charge of his armies and is conquering Italy in his name. Cesare is a brilliant military man but he is evil personified.This book was a fascinating read; it brought together five fascinating characters. Three of them real, one a creation from bits of history and one is a goddess if you will - Fortune. Niccolo Machiavelli, Leonardo DaVinci and Cesare Borgia are three of the more remembered men of the Renaissance they come together in this novel with a thinking man's courtesan named Damiata to see what Fortune has in store for all of them. For Fortune plays as large a role as any of the flesh and blood characters. Any one with knowledge of the history of the time knows exactly what happens to Cesare Borgia. Leonardo DaVinci is remembered for his art and his engineering that was so far ahead of his time. Machiavelli has left us with his writings and his name has entered the lexicon as someone who looks to deceive.It takes a writer with a strong knowledge of history and an imagination for dialog to write a novel that keeps a knowing reader turning the pages. This is a favorite period in history for me and I'm familiar with the characters and how it all ended yet I still felt a sense of suspense. The writing is dark and mysterious if uneven at times. The first third of the book is written from Damiata's point of view, the last two thirds from Machiavelli's. There was not much difference in the style. Mr. Ennis does set a scene well and his writing was the kind that brought into time and place so that I felt drawn into the conversations and felt as if I were a participant instead of an onlooker. I love books that do that. The conversations between the two great men, Leonardo and Machiavelli were at times thought provoking and inane which I suppose can be said for all of us. It's a book I will keep for a second read; I suspect I will appreciate it more with foreknowledge of the ending, although the big reveal did not come as a surprise.
    • 5/5
      Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful!! Centered around the infamous Borgias of the Italian Renaissance, Pope Alexander VI (Rodrigo Borgia) and his two illegitimate sons Juan and Cesare, this tale is told by two narrators, Niccolo Machiavelli and a courtesan (the mother of Juan's son). She is forced to try and solve the mystery of Juan’s murder when the Pope ruthlessly kidnaps her and holds her son hostage. Many historical figures make appearances, including Leonardo Da Vinci, each with their own reasons for getting their hands on evidence pointing to Juan’s murderer, who it seems may also be a psychotic serial killer responsible for several other brutal murders.I must preface this review with the fact that I listened to the audio ebook version of this title, and while it was difficult at first to understand the heavy Italian accent of the female narrator, once I got used to her cadence and pronunciation, as well as the liberal smattering of Italian mixed in, I loved it! (The male narrator of the second part is much easier to understand.) I could actually hear the music of the their accents echoing in my head long after having turned it off. This is not one to listen to lightly, however, and I do think it requires more concentration and effort than the average audio selection, especially if one has difficulty with accents, but I felt it was well worth that effort! That being said, I think the telling of this story from two different viewpoints helps give a more complete picture. I loved the clever, independent, and resourceful female lead character. I found the juxtaposition of Da Vinci’s reliance on empirical measurement and experimentation with Machiavelli’s budding theories regarding the art and science of psychological profiling very interesting, bringing a contemporary slant to the historical time period. Never sure of just who to trust and filled with many twists and turns, this tale definitely reflects the turgid times of the Italian Renaissance with its constant shifting of enemies and allies.
    • 4/5
      Damiata, courtesan to the murdered Juan Borgia, favorite son of Rodrigo Borgia (Pope Alexander VI) is being forced by the Pope, who is holding her 5-year-old son hostage at the Vatican, to find who ended his son’s life or be held ultimately responsible. Enlisting the help of Niccolo Machiavelli and Leonardo da Vinci, Damiata races against time to save her son from the clutches of the Borgias. Ennis weaves together an excellent puzzle, worthy of the infamous characters brought to life in The Malice of Fortune. More than half the story is narrated by Machiavelli, giving the reader an intricate look into the workings of his mind and that of Cesare Borgia (aka Valentino), the subject of the classic work The Prince. With the opulence and the brutality of Renaissance Italy as a backdrop, you’re bound to find yourself completely entranced.
    • 4/5
      This novel, set in the Italian renaissance with characters including the Borgias, Leonardo Da Vinci and, especially, Nicolo Machiavelli had me hooked after just 20 or so pages. Its a very well written, gripping thriller in which Machiavelli and ‘cortigiana onesta’ Damiata seek to solve the mystery of the murder of Juan Borgia. An absolute page turner.
    • 3/5
      Michael Ennis has woven an elaborate Renaissance tapestry with his novel "Malice of Fortune". He's embedded a good old-fashioned murder mystery within a tale of corrupt priests and mercilessly unrepentant Italian warlords, who live in a world struggling to actualize and accept that science and religion can coexist. Two-thirds of the tale is written from the perspective of Niccolo Machiavelli as he details his activities in trailing Cesare Borgia on behalf of his Florentine government, while Borgia conquers eastern Italy and battles his on-again off-again allied mercenaries. The other third is written from the viewpoint of a courtesan, Damiata, who finds she and her son caught up in the mystery of who murdered Cesare’s brother, and Pope Alexander VI’s son, Juan Borgia. Damiata and Niccolo find themselves in mortal danger as Ennis slowly unravels a multi-threaded string of ongoing murders, connected to the death of Juan, while being inextricably linked to the political machinations of the Pope, Cesare and the mercenaries. Leonardo DaVinci plays a small but critical role as a high functioning savant that provides an anchor-point for Ennis’ discussions around the role of science during the High Renaissance. The interwoven plots, and pseudo scientifically based processing of clues reads like a combination of CSI, Silence of the Lambs and The Godfather. This story has every opportunity to be great. The writing vividly recreates an early 16th century Italy ruled by the Borgias, and contains such all-world personalities like Niccolo Machiavelli and Leonardo DaVinci. Ennis' book, though, just misses - primarily from his presentation of disjointed, rushed, and simply befuddling clues. A clue to the disconnectedness of the plot points perhaps resides within Ennis' acknowledgements, where he thanks what appears to me to be too many editors involved in the project.Ennis' themes cover love, fate and science. Fate takes the form in the goddess Fortuna, a driving force in all of the main characters in the book. With Fortuna such an all-pervading entity in their lives, Leonardo provides an enlightened perspective. "We have been given the means to hold in our hands the entre orb of the earth. We need only measure it in order to posses it. But we need not turn this new world of ours over to Fortune, chaos, and war." DaVinci reflects on the world that's at a tipping point where science is starting to equal religion and battle superstition. Leonardo, of course, was at the forefront of that change at the height of the Renaissance. Niccolo plays the role of a modern FBI profiler, working to understand the seemingly horrific nature of the perpetrator of what becomes a significant series of murders reaching beyond the Juan Borgia. So while Leonardo has his science of mathematics and measurement, Niccolo has his science of the mind and the nature of man. He looks to histories' greatest psychotics to understand the underlying perspectives and motivations of this serial killer. DaVinci and Nicollo don’t agree on the best ways to pursue and identify the killer, but the combination of each discipline leads the reader down a satisfying path.In reality, Niccolo Machiavelli used Cesare Borgia campaigns during the early 16th century as his basis for “The Prince”. Armed with that knowledge, I found the development of Nicollo and Ceasre’s characters to be quite enlightening.The book is good, but not great. The time period is fascinating, and the specific characters around which with the plot orbits are all based on historical characters. If this era is of interest, I definitely recommend the read.I received this book through the Amazon Vine program.