The Master of All Desires

What a delightful blending of historical fact to fictional fancy. The story follows a well know historical triangle between Queen Catherine de Medici , her husband, King Henri II, and his lover, Diane de Poitiers. Then through in an elderly and cranky Nostradamus and you've got a funny and entertaining novel. It would appear that both Queen Catherine and Diane de Poitiers want to get their hands on The Master of All Desires, aka Menander the Undying. Menander is a disembodied head that can grant any wish. The problem is he has a nasty habit of granting your wish, but always with the classic saying "Be careful what you wish for." Meanander is in the hands of a young Sibille Artaud de La Roque who refuses to make a wish and is trying to free herself of Menander so that she can marry her love Nicolas and have a normal life. The result is a true delight that feels like a modern day Shakespeare comedy. I can't wait to read more of Ms. Riley's work. My star ratings: One star - couldn't finish the book Two stars - read the book, but did a lot of skipping or scanning. Wouldn't add the book to my permanent collection or search out other books by the author Three stars - enjoyable read. Wouldn't add the book to my permanent collection. Would judge other books by the author individually. Four stars - Liked the book. Would keep the book or would look for others by the same author. Five start - One of my all time favorites. Will get a copy in hardback to keep and will actively search out others by the same author.

This was my second foray into the world of Judith Merkle Riley's work. My first, "The Oracle Glass," was good. But I really liked "The Master of All Desires" much better.I *really* liked these characters. Sibille seems very real to me. True, she isn't perfect, but I think that's what I enjoyed most about her. She is intelligent, passionate, and a bit conceited, not a great beauty. Aunt Pauline is the epitome of the widowed rich aunt, eccentric, too old to put up with nonsense. Nostradamus as a cranky old man is delightful. And Menander, the Undying Head and Master of All Desires is wickedly funny. In fact, all the ghosts and ghoulies seem to have distinct personalities, reminiscent of the spirits haunting Hogwarts in Harry Potter's world.The verbal jousting and fencing between the ladies and Menander is priceless. The conversation is first-rate, giving the appearance that matching wits with a 2000-year-old mummified head was a perfectly normal thing to do in 16th-century France. Nostradamus' dealings with Anael, the disorganized keeper of History and the Future was equally delightful.And while all this is going on, the history of France is being shaped by the Queen, the King, and the King's mistress. The power struggles among these three are all influenced by Menander, in ways no one anticipated. Full of surprises, witty, and with a distinct point of view -- "The Master of All Desires" is definitely worth a read.

While I agree with the reader from NYC that the characters of Sibille and Nicolas aren't as well defined as the characters in Judith Merkle Riley's other books, there is no doubt in my mind that she is the best historical/romance fiction author of our time. Although the main characters are a little one dimensional at times, it is obvious that they are written with love and humor. Riley's meticulous eye for detail and talent for drawing the reader into another time and place more than makes up for that slight deficit. I'd say that Master of All Desires holds its own with her other books. I loved her characterization of Nostradamus and his spirit of the future, Anael, who is wonderfully described as long and blue, and composed of whirling lights. Menander the Great (who is the Master of All Desires and a head in a silver box) is sinister and often amusing as the diabolical tempter that steals souls for wishes. Sibille's Aunt Pauline is a hoot as the widow of a pirate who lives in a house filled with the ghosts of those killed by her dead husband. Each of these main characters along with the minor ones all add up to an atmospheric and hard to put down story of 16th Century France. As with Riley's other books, I took forever to read Master of All Desires, partly because it was so wonderful, and partly because she probably won't hurry up and write another one any time soon. Read this book and then read all of her other ones, they are all definitly keepers.