Very good book, well written
Verified purchase: No
The late and greatly missed Nigel Tranter (b.1909-d.2000) was not only one of Scotland’s leading historians, but was also the premier writer of Scottish historical biographical fiction. If you were to organise his books chronologically they would form an almost complete biographic history of Scotland from the earliest times to the Highland Clearances. I started to collect his books as they were published in early 1970s and acquired each new title until the last in 2007. Lord of the Isles has always been one of my favourite books by this author, and I was fortunate to have my volume signed by the author when I purchased it in 1983. It is a fictionalised biography of Somerled, King of Man and Lord of the Isles, who drove the Viking overlords from Man and the Hebrides and unified the Norse and Celtic peoples under a single ruler in the mid 12th century. This is a much neglected period of Scottish history in fiction but one which contains wealth of stirring and passionate tales which only Nigel Tranter has brought to the printed page. Tranter’s vivid prose as always flows seamlessly through the story and brings to life the characters and historical settings. As a celebrated historian, Tranter’s books were always meticulously researched, accurate and full of historical detail and minutiae giving his stories a feeling of truth and reality that very few authors of fiction ever achieve. Thank you Mr.Tranter for your contribution to literature, your prolific output which would keep any reader content for years, and your determination to bring readable Scottish history to the people. You are sorely missed.Read full review
Current slide {CURRENT_SLIDE} of {TOTAL_SLIDES}- Best-selling in Books
Current slide {CURRENT_SLIDE} of {TOTAL_SLIDES}- Save on Books