Bruce Trilogy

Hi again, friends;THis little review is to let you all know,( not that you really care) what i am reading, now. I have purchased about 20 books the last half-year, and have read approximately 11 of them. From Dostoevsky (2), Dumas(3), Tolstoy (1),Joel C. Rosenberg (2) Margaret George (1), B. Cornwell (1) now N. Tranter's "Bruce Trilogy"( is that 1 or 3 ??). I am 2/3 of the way through it and it is very exciting. The Battle of Bannockburn at the end of Book 2 was so real, it seemed Mr. Tranter was actually there. The characters are well-drawn and come in and out of the story at just the right times. Robert the Bruce comes across as a truly very human person who was humble and wise. Yes he did terrible things that we could not stand for in our time, but they couldn't be helped. The King Edwards' ( pere & fils ) were vicious to the extreme in regards to there Scottish subjects( ahem ).If there is a flaw in the book it's the archaic Scottish dialect that grates on our modern ears. some of the terminology of the landscapes were hard to figure out, at first, but I think ive got the meaning of them If someone does a new edition of this work in the future, maybe a glossory of terms or footnotes would be helpful to those not familiar with the Scottish dialect.In the future, I may look into Diana Galbaldon's "Outlander" series and the "Outlandish Companion" to get some of these straight in my mind.I'm going to try and finish the 3rd book of the Trilogy by the weekend, then I think I'll tackle the "Tales of Genji" or " A Suitable Boy" ( or maybe something heavier, heh, heh ).Keep reading, everyone and enjoy your favorite authors and books.I recommend this book, highly!

This book has everything from action, suspense, drama, romance, war and most certainly politics. Superbly written and thouroughly enjoyable to read. 5/5

The book, though clearly in used condition is fine with no tears or missing pages. I am hapoy with this treasure.

I first read Nigel Tranter's Bruce Trilogy about 30 years ago. It's even better the second time around. The way Tranter uses the record (as well as a bit of myth, one must acknowledge) to flesh out the life of Robert the Bruce is impressive in the extreme. We see not merely a legendary figure, but a flesh-and-blood individual whose career was shaped inexorably by the circumstances of the time, the political situation of the Bruce family and Robert personally, and finally the character of the man himself.During the telling of the tale, I often wondered whether there was documentation for a given decision on the part of Bruce. Often there must not have been, but Tranter's portrait rings true. Bruce had to have certain qualities of determination -- and egotism -- courage, decisiveness, etc., as proven by the successes he is known to have. Enough is known about Bruce's actual victories to recreate incidents that may not be historically attested. But it takes an author such as Tranter to successfully execute the portrait. Tranter does so at an astonishing level of detail.Tranter's recreation of British and Hebridean culture during the High Middle Ages is itself impressive, marked by great attention to detail, and the vocabulary implied by it. What perhaps impressed me more than anything else was the way Tranter captures Bruce's evolving quality of authority. It would be hard to imagine a historical figure who forged that kind of character under more basic and desperate circumstances. Bruce's riches-to-rags-to-riches story forced him to prove himself to himself and to others, earning their loyalty and commitment. Tranter shows the development of Bruce as a master strategist and leader of men both as a fighter and a diplomat. In short, it's one of the great heroic tales told with great skill.Tranter has been knocked for his handling of romance, and that's fair enough, but he at least gives a plausible picture of the relationships that shaped Bruce's life. It's also fair to say that one doesn't read Tranter in search of the highest literary quality. But his style is well adapted to the subject matter and I give him high marks for the economy and precision of his descriptions and also for the characters' speeches, above all those of Bruce. What a challenge to imagine what the Bruce would have said in this or that situation! But Tranter pulls the speeches off beautifully.I read a few other Tranter books (the Somerled,Wallace and Montrose books) back in the day, and though it's been a long time, I can confidently say that the Bruce Trilogy is no outlier. Tranter may have been at his best with the Bruce, but he wrote a lot of fine material.

Containing three books originally published under separate titles, this trilogy tells the story of Robert the Bruce, who became King Robert I of Scotland. It begins with THE STEPS TO THE EMPTY THRONE, which portrays an impetuous strong-willed young man who agrees to co-govern the country with his personal enemy in an attempt to win its independence from England. The effort soon fails and Bruce steps down, but then he makes a separate move to unite Scotland under his sole leadership. Amongst much internal fighting, he makes great strides.The second book, THE PATH OF THE HERO KING, reveals a passionate, courageous leader who has learned to win over some of those who would oppose him through a mix of diplomacy and cunning. The winning doesn't come easily, though. Bruce is excommunicated as well as harassed by Edward I's efforts to keep Scotland under England's control. This story culminates in the Battle of Bannockburn, which was an amazing win for the Scots.THE PRICE OF THE KING'S PEACE, the third book, tells of the years of struggle to obtain a peace treaty from England after Bannockburn. During this time, Bruce's brother takes Scotland's fight into Ireland in a blatant ploy for power. Bruce's dealings in this treachery reveal a savvy leader, whose goals ever are to strengthen Scotland's independence. The story ends with his death.All told, the trilogy covers about 1296 to 1328. Tranter is at his best when describing the history while the interaction between characters is sometimes stilted. Nonetheless, lovers of historical fiction will enjoy the action and adventure as well as a story that sticks close to the facts. I enjoyed books 2 and 3 the most.

I have read three of Tratner's Scottish history novels and found they extremely entertaining and informative.

A compelling read from cover to cover.My only gripe is the transposition from original text to Kindle. At times it makes no sense. Grammar has been forgotten and spelling leaves much to be desired. Clearly the proofreader was having a bad day. But that's a fault with Kindle and not the author or his work.Five stars nevertheless.

Good

Brilliant portrayal of Bruce's life,read it many years ago. With upcoming trip to Scotland, had to read it again, enjoyed it as much this time as the last.

I have always been curious about Robert the Bruce and the story about the spider. I saw the way he was portrayed Braveheart.However I was fascinated to read this trilogy and now have a more informed opinion. I am interested in history and this was a very good historical novel