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The book has no illustrations or index. Purchasers are entitled to a free trial membership in the General Books Club where they can select from more than a million books without charge. Subjects: Fiction / Action ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Nonage redux
Janowacki's review covers this book quite well; I'll merely note that I reverse his opinion of the story and the writing.I found the ending quite gripping, and the portrayal of the self-possessed protagonist is almost worthy of Sabatini after he mastered his craft.But the story is remarkably un-Sabatini-esque.Very little actually happens, and even less is done by the hero; perhaps Sabatini had been a little too influenced by Hamlet...

A sin of Sabatini's literary nonage
After scoring hits two decades into his career with Scaramouche and Captain Blood, Sabatini's American publishers began reprinting some of his earlier works, though he tried to suppress the ones he thought inferior.But even those were being brought across the Atlantic and he eventually agreed to their republication as well, only with an apologetic preface branding them "sins of [his] literary nonage" that he would rather "bury in oblivion."The Lion's Skin is one of those books.

Justin Caryll was raised by his guardian, Sir Richard, knowing neither his deceased mother nor his father, the Earl of Ostermore.Ostermore and Sir Richard had been friends and suitors of the same woman, and Richard grew to hate his friend after the former won the French lady and then went back to England, abandoning her pregnant and alone.At her dying request, Richard raised her son, and Caryll was taught that one day he would be called upon to exact revenge on his father.

As the book begins, Justin Caryll is an adult who journeys to England with the means to ruin his father, only he has misgivings about the whole idea.As he tries to decide what to do, he makes Ostermore's acquaintance, earns the enmity of Ostermore's son -- Viscount Rotherby -- and gets on rather well with Ostermore's ward, Hortensia Winthrop (what a name!).Meanwhile, he is rightfully suspected by his enemies of being a Jacobite agent and he realizes that there is very little to hate in his mild-mannered father.

In the end, Rotherby and a few others think they have what they need to get Caryll out of the way, but too late they learn the meaning of that phrase from Henry V that inspired the title, and which Caryll actually quotes: "the man that once did sell the lion's skin/while the beast liv'd, was killed with hunting him."

The story is fairly good, the writing mediocre, and the historical accuracy not all that great (I think).Still, it's entertaining.

Aspects of this remind me of other Sabatini novels, making me wonder whether he re-wrote certain elements into later works.Ostermore is a lot like the Lord of Gavrillac and the Marquis de la Tour d'Azyr in Scaramouche, and there are similarities to Master-At-Arms and a few other books as well.

The Lion's Skin is worth a read, but only after you've covered Sabatini's better novels first. ... Read more

Product Description
Rafael Sabatini (1875 - 1950) was an Italian/British writer of novels of romance and adventure. At a young age, Rafael was exposed to many languages. By the time he was seventeen, he was the master of five languages. He quickly added a sixth language - English - to his linguistic collection. After a brief stint in the business world, Sabatini went to work as a writer. He wrote short stories in the 1890s, and his first novel came out in 1902. Sabatini was a prolific writer; he produced a new book approximately every year. He consciously chose to write in his adopted language, because, he said, "all the best stories are written in English. " In all, he produced thirty one novels, eight short story collections, six nonfiction books, numerous uncollected short stories, and a play. He is best known for his world-wide bestsellers: The Sea Hawk (1915), Scaramouche (1921), Captain Blood (1922) and Bellarion the Fortunate (1926). Other famous works by Sabatini are The Lion's Skin (1911), The Strolling Saint (1913) and The Snare (1917). ... Read more

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Rafael Sabatini (1875-1950) was an Italian/British writer of novels of romance and adventure. He is best known for his bestsellers "The Sea Hawk" (1915), "Scaramouche" (1921), and "Captain Blood" (1922). ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Another good early Sabatini
Sabatini is in his element here: renaissance Italy, treachery, and the long shadow of Cesare Borgia.The plot gets quite gripping at the end, but of course both the set-up and the deus ex machina are preposterous.There is actually one point of subtlety in the characterization of the protagonist, which I won't spoil; see if you can spot it... ... Read more

Product Description
Publisher: Boston, Houghton MifflinNotes: This is an OCR reprint. There may be typos or missing text. There are no illustrations or indexes.When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million books for free. You can also preview the book there. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Wonderful Book!!
GREAT BOOK!!!!!Very action packed and is one that you can't put down.A must read!! ... Read more

Product Description
Originally published in 1912.This volume from the Cornell University Library's print collections was scanned on an APT BookScan and converted to JPG 2000 format by Kirtas Technologies.All titles scanned cover to cover and pages may include marks notations and other marginalia present in the original volume. ... Read more

Product Description
Publisher: Boston, Houghton MifflinNotes: This is an OCR reprint. There may be typos or missing text. There are no illustrations or indexes.When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million books for free. You can also preview the book there. ... Read more

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Colonel Courtney flung his napkin amid the dishes on the spread table, and rose, still incredulous. "And he's here? Here? Is he mad? Has the sun touched him? Stab me, I'll have him in irons for his impudence before I dine, and on his way to England before . . . " He broke off. "Egad!" he cried, and swung to his second in command. "We'd better have him in, Macartney." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Noble attempt to repeat "Scaramouche"
I enjoyed this novel, also titled "The Master of Carabas", but it is not nearly as good as "Scaramouche".I think Sabatini was hoping to repeat his earlier success and many of the elements are there.Again we have a hero of doubtful paternity who is caught up in the events of the French Revolution.While Scaramouche takes place at the beginning of the Revolution, this story takes place at its height, but after the fall of Robespierre, and, hence, after the worst of the terror is over.
The author gives us a very good picture of rural France at that time of the Revolution which is one of the strong points of the novel.Another is Sabatini's handling of the romance between hero and heroine--something which Sabatini does better than most historical novelists, certainly a great deal better than Scott. Another strong point is the description of sword-play--a Sabatini specialty--unfortunately, in this novel, limited to the early part of the novel.
What the novel lacks is the Sabatini hero that drives the action.Because the hero is involved with a military campaign that failed, he takes on a role largely of a complainer.As the novel becomes bogged down in the details of a campaign that suffers from one blunder after another after almost endless arguing and backstabing, even the sword-play disappears from the action.
The novel has, in my opinion, a very satisfying ending, but it doesn't quite make up for the lack of real action in the last half of the novel.
... Read more

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The book has no illustrations or index. Purchasers are entitled to a free trial membership in the General Books Club where they can select from more than a million books without charge. Subjects: Buccaneers; Physicians; Adventure and adventurers; Fiction / Action ... Read more

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Le donnei cavalier¿l¿armegli amoriLe cortesiel¿audace imprese io canto.¿ ARIOSTO ... Read more