It looks to me like the real Sir Cadogan wasn't quite a smart as he thought. Good one!
This was a whole lot of fun to read! I love when authors explore minor characters instead of the ones so well established by Jo already, since there's more room to interpret characterization. This story has a a fun Oscar Wilde-ish feel in parts (especially dialogue and some of Cadogan's internal musings) that made me laugh out loud. And I love the irony of the final line. Really great stuff! On an unrelated note I also tip my hat to you for holding up against the facebook monster. I thought I was the only one... Cheers :)
Author's Response: Oscar Wilde, eh? A more direct influence was probably G.M. Fraser's Flashman, although (by contrast) Cadogan really isn't a bad person. Thanks for reviewing.
HILARIOUS!
Author's Response: Hey! This is a serious story (sort of) :)
What a brilliant idea for a story. I loved this! Of course we know that Sir Cadogan was a real person, but you fleshed him out so brilliantly and the idea that he was dissatisfied with the portrait he commissioned was just a fabulous and intriguing set up.
You, sir, are a waste of a wall. I know not why you have been painted, save that the painter delights in scorn.
This line made me giggle rather a lot. the idea that he's a 'waste of a wall' ha ha - well done.
Sorry I can't offer very much actual crit here. I clicked on the story because I thought it looked different and it was - refreshingly different.
,br> Well done for creating something unusual , well plotted and a great read. ~Carole~
Author's Response: Glad you liked this Sir Cadogan. I'm almost tempted to write another story about him, but -- not yet.
I liked this a lot! I love when historical fic seems to have been well-researched, as yours does, and I like the little touches that show that the wizarding world has changed as well. And the story itself had me giggling - oh, God, silly Sir Cadogan. I love Gosselin. That really is a wonderful way to encourage people to pay their debts to him, and it never occurred to me Sir Cadogan's portrait might be a cruel (but accurate) caricature. Ee sorry inarticulate review but I really do love finding a historical fic I like and this is one!
Author's Response: Glad you thought the caricature was accurate - that was the idea really, to imagine the real Cadogan when all we have of him is his caricature. As for "well-researched", don't go relying on the historical accuracy of this story; I'm no expert on 16th-century England. To begin with it was going to be the 15th century (and Cadogan himself, not just his father, who fought in the Wars of the Roses). But I picked Henry VIII's reign after reading that he was a dedicated fan of stories about knights in shining armour. I think knights as warriors were basically obsolete by then, but still big in popular culture, kind of like cowboys in the 20th century.
