Books where the masons are good guys

[jeregenest]

peaseblossom asked me if there are every novels where the masons are the good guys and I had trouble remembering any. I think Avram Davidson's& Masters of the Maze (1965) counts, but other than that I'm not really thinking of any. Anyone?

Comments

[editswlonghair.livejournal.com]

'Two Crowns for America' by Katherine Kurtz leaps to mind.

I can swear I've read others, but damned if I remember right now...

[jeffwik.livejournal.com]

IIRC, in "Mage: the Sorcerer's Crusade," the Craftmasons were the good guys, and in fact stood out a bit inasmuch as they were the only unabashedly good guys. Of course, that's a shortlived game line, rather than a novel, so...

pt. 1

[ratmmjess.livejournal.com]

Reprinted from my Victorian encyclopedia:

King Lion. King Lion was created by James Greenwood and appeared in “King Lion” (The Boy's Own Volume, Midsummer-Christmas Number, 1864). Greenwood (1836-1929) was an investigative journalist.

King Lion is about Linton Maberly, a big game hunter. Maberly is stirred by “the love of travel and an indomitable spirit of adventure” and goes to Africa to hunt big game. In Africa, in the bush, he hears a lion's roar and goes looking for the lion. Maberly brings down a buck, only to be surprised by the “princely form of a full grown lion, who was regarding my movements with a calm curiosity that manifest plainly a consciousness of his own power.” Maberly is so startled that he drops his rifle, but he “instinctively” forms “that ever potent sign known to all Freemasons, and which none may see without flying instantaneously to the relief of their suffering brother.” The hunter realizes the foolishness of this, but he is in extremis and can’t help himself. Then:

Ye brethren of the mystic tie, imagine my astonishment when the terrible beast paused, drew back for a few paces, and sank gently on the ground, while the flaming light died out of his eyes, and was replaced by a mild and gentle radiance. Rising, he slowly advanced, looked me steadfastly in the face, and made that dread COUNTERSIGN known only to those who have passed through the Three Degrees of the mystic order, and whose courageous hearts have carried them through the terrible ordeals before which so many craven natures have fainted, and under which so many feeble souls have quailed.

To this Maberly “involuntarily” bursts into “peals of laughter.”

But I suppose the lion disapproved of this unceremonious treatment, for, shaking his head, he raised a paw admonishingly, while his eyes emitted gleams of topaz-coloured light. These indications of anger were enough to remind me of the uncomfortable position in which I was placed. I therefore determined to try the effect of a few more queries, which I asked in the mystic language of our craft. Having done so, all other feelings were swallowed up in utter amazement as I read in his answer that he was not only a brother, but that he had actually arrived at the dignity of a “Past Master!”

The lion proceeds to feed Maberly, welcomes him into his cave, goes out hunting with him, and then begins teaching him the written, hieroglyphic language of the lion’s people. They continue to communicate and travel together, going to the lion’s home:

Of my journey to Liondens, the capital of the leonine kingdom, and what there befell me how I became a naturalised subject of that most puissant of monarchs, King Lion MMMMMMMCXXXV, and was by him made Lord High Chancellor of Liondens, Royal Leonine Historian, and Archiver - also how I found favour in the eyes of the king and the whole nation, and was allowed to transcribe some of their most sacred and ancient records, showing the history and manners of this wonderful race for never so many thousand years ago - of these and many other things the coming pages will be the revelators.

pt. 2

[ratmmjess.livejournal.com]

King Lion is an actual monarch, and his kingdom is a real kingdom. His real name is “Zambinie,” which means “Prince of Prowess.” He has various allies, including leopards and vultures, and various enemies, most especially the baboons. The root of the enmity between the lions and the baboons is wounded pride. When Linton Maberly is wounded, both Blondinus MMMMXXVI, the King of the Baboons, and Doctor Sanguineous, his physician, want to bleed Maberly, but Zambinie and his physician Doctor Leo Experience both say no, believing that bleeding is a barbaric practice. This leads to hurt feelings and eventually to war. King Lion's kingdom is full of animals practicing trades, including doctors and merchants. King Lion has a wife, Queen Leno. King Lion’s capital, Liondens, is a city of eight granite pyramids, caverns and caves, well tended lawns and plants. And King Lion has a court; when Maberly curls Zambinie's mane, having curled hair becomes a fad in Liondens.

Maberly learns the language of the lions quickly, although other animals have their own patois and Maberly is sometimes forced to rely upon the lions or vultures to translate for him. He enjoys his time in Liondens with King Lion and the other lions, but eventually it becomes clear that he needs to marry. Maberly wants to live in Liondens, however, and this poses a problem for him. When he returns to London he finds that his sweetheart will not marry him because of his time among the lions; she thinks he has picked up “some of their ruthlessness of nature.” Other women he proposes marriage to refuse to settle with him in Liondens, and the story ends with Maberly still looking for a wife.

Zambinie, King Lion MMMMMMMCXXXV, is a wise, far seeing monarch, and a patriot for his people. He has a practical, business like practical attitude, and while he is friendly toward Maberly he is always a king. He is also a devoted Mason. He tells a surprised Maberly that Masonism was instituted by King Lion I “long before men or even baboons came to live upon the earth.”

[jeregenest.livejournal.com]

See, I read that as Knights Templars are good guys, and mason struff is prety much ignored. Though its been a great long while since I've read any.

[jeregenest.livejournal.com]

I obviously have a well founded block against Kurtz.

Re: pt. 1

[bluegargantua]

I CAN HAS SEEKRIT HANDSHAKE?

Tom

[jeffr23.livejournal.com]

Once again I pop into one of your threads to answer "The Historical Illuminatus Saga" by R.A.W. The Masons were the good guys (and vice versa), and the bad guys were fakes just pretending to be Masons. Of course, they said it was the other way around...

[notthebuddha.livejournal.com]

Heinlein's _Time Enough For Love_ and _I Will Fear No Evil_ both feature sympathetic protagonists who are Masons, though Freemasonry plays no deeper part in either plot.

[smoagendash.livejournal.com]

Kipling's 'The Man Who Would Be King' has a protagonist who's a mason. Of course he's a scoundrel, but he's a fun scoundrel. Also in the book, Alexander the Great was a mason.

[jeregenest.livejournal.com]

Makes sense that Kipling would include Masons. I should reread that.