Reviewed by Lynda Ochsner
The Lords of Navarre: A Basque Family Saga, by Jose’ Maria LaCambra-Loizu, presents a history of the Basque people throughout the ages, historical fiction style. As shown in this work, the Basques, a unique ethnic group living in what is now northern Spain and southern France, have played a part throughout much of European history. In an epic style, the stories range from prehistoric to modern times, and the reader can easily skip over some segments if they wish. I found the coverage of prehistoric times troubling, with its assumption of evolutionary theory as fact; but the prehistoric part covers only 50 pages or so, and the rest of the book, beginning with the early Celts’ time (500 B.C.), can be readily followed without it.
Many of the stories, especially the shorter ones, rely heavily on character dialog to tell the story. As such, often the dialog seems forced and unnatural, with a more "show and tell" attitude in which the characters tell us and each other about themselves – as opposed to more natural, character-building dialog focused on the actual persons.
The Lords of Navarre primarily focuses on the Middle Ages, particularly the kingdom’s height during the reign of Sancho in the late 12th and early 13th centuries. These pages especially describe the actual historical characters of the time, including Richard the Lionheart and his Navarran wife, the tragic Queen Berenguela, the only English Queen who never set foot on English soil (at least while King Richard lived). Less convincing are the fictional characters introduced to interact with the real ones, especially the young knight Intzi. Though the story is told from his perspective, we never really get into his thoughts, never get to know him that well. He seems on the one hand to embody the ideal of a medieval knight, but on a few occasions behaves the exact opposite. Yet nothing of consequence then comes from his actions, and so his part in the story is incomplete. Through Intzi, though, the author presents great historical material about knights, their vows, economic standards, and even the official ceremony by which one became a knight.
The author has definitely done great research, and his detailed information brings attention to the people of Navarre and their contributions. The fictional links are weaker, and perhaps the material would better suit a history book, rather than historical fiction. Still, this book brings great historical material about the Basque region, its struggles with the Moors and other outsiders, and the kingdom of Navarre at its peak.