Robyn Young has done it again with her sequel to INSURRECTION. With characteristic panache, Young carves a passionate route through the troubled, complex, divided and divisive times of Bruce and Wallace that makes sense of the many-folded treacheries, the back-stabbing and the coat-turning. She weaves the awe and magic of ancient relics with the bloody pragmatism of Edward's murderous army to create a glorious, bloody, passionate history that will appeal to fans of Philippa Gregory's
Red Queen as much as to those who love Bernard Cornwell's
Azincourt. (Manda Scott, internationally bestselling author of the
Boudica series)
Robyn has a wonderful skill. She goes behind the history to the roots of legends and stories to pull up ever more convincing detail. In this book she goes to the beginning of the myths of the four nations that make up Britain. There is the Scottish Stone of Scone, the English Sword Curtana, the Crown of Arthur from Wales, and from Ireland, the Staff of Malachy. According to prophecy, when these are all gathered together, the Kingdom of Britain shall be once more at peace . . . This book is gripping, exciting, and written with a swift, tense pace that grabs the reader and doesn't let go. It's the very best in modern historical writing, and Robyn is here at the peak of her abilities. (Michael Jecks)
It is not by luck or accident that Robyn Young has become one of the most successful and respected historical fiction authors writing today . . . In her Insurrection Trilogy Young has taken on a challenge worthy of a medieval knight . . . Not only has she taken on the quest to bring such monumental figures as Robert Bruce, William Wallace, and King Edward Longshanks, back to glorious, feuding life, Young has filled them with humanity and inner conflict. These are not heroes or villains but rather men full of doubt and envy, passion and ambition; men just as capable of self-sacrifice, loyalty and love as they are of engaging in slaughter . . . In RENEGADE, Robyn Young's ability, passion and meticulous study combine to create a rich, colourful and 'living' historical tale that will wholly satisfy the reader . . . A wonderful tale, superbly told. (Giles Kristian, author of the
Raven series)
A gripping new historical novel . . . an epic tale of greed, intrigue and war, set against a wild landscape (
The Lady)
The best historical fiction doesn't just recreate the past, it speaks to the present. Robyn Young has the knack of finding subjects that resonate. (
The Big Issue)
Robyn Young writes smart history beautifully. From the first page, I was captivated by her descriptions of scenes, people and emotions . . . The detail that Robyn Young brings to the history is remarkable. It mixes here, just a little, with a slight air of mystery - Edward's aspirations to be a new Arthur, the staff and the other royal relics, the witch banished to the outskirts of a town, the foretold destiny of Robert Bruce . . . RENEGADE is an enjoyable read with enormous depth and detail, the result of Robyn Young's intricate historical research and knowledge and her considerable talent as a storyteller. (http://forwinternights.wordpress.com)
Immaculately researched and carefully written, evoking a very particular - and largely unexplored - time and place. The fights are sensational. (
Daily Telegraph)
It is so graphic you can immediately put yourself there, imagining the faces and the clash of weapons. It also elaborates on the historical context and fleshes out the characters. It draws you in and is a compelling novel you cannot put down. So much research must have gone into the book; the detail is incredible. I enjoyed it so much. (The BBC Radio 2 Simon Mayo Book Club)
The learning is never cumbersome, a deft trick when describing medieval warfare (
Scotsman)
This is a big book, and the trilogy a huge project to undertake. From the evidence so far, Young's fans will not be disappointed...brings to life one of [history's] most enigmatic characters. (
Daily Mail)
A cracking plot and charismatic characters are set against the convincingly researched background of the violent, gory Anglo-Scottish civil wars (
Saga)
Richly worked and captivating . . . an epic story of war, intrigue and heroism (
Good Book Guide on BRETHREN)
This tale captures the struggles of a tumultuous time (Australian
Daily Telegraph)
An outstanding contemporary writer (Kate Mosse on Robyn Young)
Superbly written with pace and great attention to detail (
Historical Novels Review)
Robyn Young was born in Oxford and grew up in the Midlands and Devon. She has a Masters in Creative Writing from the University of Sussex and lives and writes in Brighton full-time. Her first novel, BRETHREN, was the bestselling hardback debut novel of 2006, with the paperback also going straight into the top ten bestseller list. Two more bestsellers followed, CRUSADE and REQUIEM, completing the Brethren trilogy, which has now sold over a million copies and been translated into nineteen languages.
The inspiration for Robyn's new trilogy, which began with INSURRECTION and continues in RENEGADE, grew out of an earlier research trip to Scotland. Robyn explains: 'Day by day, out of the pages of history and the wild landscape, one figure came striding, larger, clearer than all the others - Robert the Bruce. He swept me off my feet and carried me into a story of bitter family feuds, two civil wars and the struggle for the crown. I realised there was no way this character could play a cameo role in another man's story. His tale was too powerful, too intricate and too good to be cut down and boxed to fit.'
To find out more about Robyn Young and her historical novels, visit her website at www.robynyoung.com and her Facebook page at www.facebook.com/RobynYoungAuthor and follow her on Twitter @RobynYoung36
