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The Kingdom Series - The Lion Wakes
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Review
‘In The Lion Wakes Robert Low has created an enthralling, complete world: profoundly researched, brilliantly imagined. The novel is intensely exciting, enjoyable and satisfying: a novel of honour, duty, chivalry, desperation, self-interest and fear – more sophisticated than almost any recent novel with an historical setting.
Crackling with original descriptive prose – sudden, arresting images combined with dialogue and accents caught to perfection – there is something deeply lyrical about its use of language.
Robert Low writes too well for this novel to be contained by the label of “historical fiction” The Lion Wakes deserves to be read by all fans of historical fiction, but also by many, many more – by all those who enjoy classic storytelling in wonderful prose’
Harry Sidebottom
‘An outstanding novel. The Lion Wakes is a fantastic read, written by a real master of historical fiction. Low has painted a most compelling picture of 13th century Scotland. I cannot wait for the next book in the series’
Ben Kane
‘With excellent characters and an engaging plot that reeks of authenticity, The Lion Wakes is powerful stuff. Robert Low is on my “to read” list from now on’
Anthony Riches, author of the Empire series
Review
'In The Lion Wakes Robert Low has created an enthralling, complete world: profoundly researched, brilliantly imagined. The novel is intensely exciting, enjoyable and satisfying: a novel of honour, duty, chivalry, desperation, self-interest and fear -- more sophisticated than almost any recent novel with an historical setting. Crackling with original descriptive prose -- sudden, arresting images combined with dialogue and accents caught to perfection -- there is something deeply lyrical about its use of language. Robert Low writes too well for this novel to be contained by the label of "historical fiction" The Lion Wakes deserves to be read by all fans of historical fiction, but also by many, many more -- by all those who enjoy classic storytelling in wonderful prose' Harry Sidebottom 'An outstanding novel. The Lion Wakes is a fantastic read, written by a real master of historical fiction. Low has painted a most compelling picture of 13th century Scotland. I cannot wait for the next book in the series' Ben Kane 'With excellent characters and an engaging plot that reeks of authenticity, The Lion Wakes is powerful stuff. Robert Low is on my "to read" list from now on' Anthony Riches, author of the Empire series
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
15 of 17 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review
(What's this?)
Having loved Robert Low's Viking series, I was eager to read The Lion Wakes, the first novel in his new series, Kingdom, about Scotland's fight for freedom from England in the late 13th, early 14th centuries. I found it quite confusing and hard to get into, initially - so many names and uncertainty as to who was important or going to be, and fairly difficult language to decipher. I hear from the author that a list of characters and their place in history and a dictionary of Scottish words will be present in the book, so I've amended my review to a 5 star. However, once I got through the first twenty pages it was all beginning to fall into place and it then became impossible to put down! Briefly - I hate reviews that give away too much - the character at the centre of the action is Sir Hal Sientcler, a minor noble with lands in Lothian, who gets caught up in the fighting and treachery as William Wallace, the main rebel leader, fights against the tyranny of Edward 1 of England. Wallace is not much liked by the Scottish nobles - William wasn't noble enough - and the question is will Robert the Bruce, Earl of Carrick, with a strong claim to the throne, throw his lot in with Wallace, and should Hal throw his lot in with Bruce? Lots of intrigue, lots of fighting, and lots of engaging characters - who are clearly going to go on for a few more books, given that this one ends in 1298, the Bruce didn't become king until 1306, and Bannockburn didn't happen until 1314. I can't wait for the next one!
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
i loved the oathsworn series and place them among my favourite books but this kingdom book has left me baffled. as i come from the london area and not the scottish highlands, i struggled to understand a lot of the dialogue. also the characters were hard to define and to be honest i wasnt sure who was doing what to who. i will not be reading any more of this series im afraid. roll on the next oathsworn book...The Kingdom Series - The Lion Wakes
9 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review
(What's this?)
I enjoyed Robert Low's Viking books, so was pleased to see that he had moved on to the Scottish Wars of Independence. There are quite a few novels around about William Wallace and Robert Bruce - indeed, it was only a short time ago that I was reading, and reviewing, "Insurrection" by Robyn Young.
If you've read other novels about Robert Bruce, don't immediately think that you don't need to read this one, as "The Lion Wakes" is going to be as different from all the others. For a start, Robert Low makes us understand his characters better by acknowledging the fact that some Scots spoke ... well, Scots, while others spoke French, and some English (or a version of it). Indeed, it is this very fact that makes it a bit difficult to get into the book in the first place, as it is an arduous task deciphering all the Scots brogue. Having said that, it is worth the effort, and I would encourage people to stick with it.
To some extent Robert Low plays a bit fast and loose with the history, while keeping his story firmly based in the true historical framework. Neither Robert Bruce nor William Wallace are the main character, an honour that falls to the fictitious Sir Hal Sintclair of Herdmanstone. This young knight's travails allow us to see what a difficult time the Scots had of it in the late 13th century, working out and wavering between their allegiances to the Scottish throne, bickering Scottish lords, and the English crown as well.
The violence is brutal and bloody, even though Low doesn't prolong his fight scenes unnecessarily. He overdoes the descriptions of smells, as if he is desperate to remind us that 13th century Europe was not a sanitary place ... but after the umpteenth description of a place smelling of vomit, effluvia, etc. etc. it gets a bit tiresome.
Still, it's a cracking read. If you've read Low's "Oathsworn" novels you are sure to like this one; and if you haven't, this is a good introduction to Robert Low's writing. But don't think it's a quick read - you need your brain switched on!
If you've read other novels about Robert Bruce, don't immediately think that you don't need to read this one, as "The Lion Wakes" is going to be as different from all the others. For a start, Robert Low makes us understand his characters better by acknowledging the fact that some Scots spoke ... well, Scots, while others spoke French, and some English (or a version of it). Indeed, it is this very fact that makes it a bit difficult to get into the book in the first place, as it is an arduous task deciphering all the Scots brogue. Having said that, it is worth the effort, and I would encourage people to stick with it.
To some extent Robert Low plays a bit fast and loose with the history, while keeping his story firmly based in the true historical framework. Neither Robert Bruce nor William Wallace are the main character, an honour that falls to the fictitious Sir Hal Sintclair of Herdmanstone. This young knight's travails allow us to see what a difficult time the Scots had of it in the late 13th century, working out and wavering between their allegiances to the Scottish throne, bickering Scottish lords, and the English crown as well.
The violence is brutal and bloody, even though Low doesn't prolong his fight scenes unnecessarily. He overdoes the descriptions of smells, as if he is desperate to remind us that 13th century Europe was not a sanitary place ... but after the umpteenth description of a place smelling of vomit, effluvia, etc. etc. it gets a bit tiresome.
Still, it's a cracking read. If you've read Low's "Oathsworn" novels you are sure to like this one; and if you haven't, this is a good introduction to Robert Low's writing. But don't think it's a quick read - you need your brain switched on!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Not The Low Point
This may not be the Oathsworn but it is just as good. If you enjoy historical fiction and have any interest in British History of the time then I am sure this is the book for you. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Walkalot
What's the problem?
Not your usual review, this, and here's why - I've noticed several reviewers mention, in a disparaging way, the use of Scots 'dialect' in this book, and I want to address... Read more
Published 2 months ago by academe
Hard work
I have to start by saying that I absolutely loved the Oathsworn series and struggled to put the books down and bought this book off the back of that series. Read more
Published 2 months ago by kempie
The Lion Wakes
What a good book. Not only does it create a vivid picture of life in the Scots Lowlands during the 13th century, it also interplays perfectly this into the wider picture of the... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Warwick Louth
Hard work
read this opener of the series to the end, but it was hard work, and barely worth the effort, the dialogue was unfathomable
Will not bother reading the rest of the series
Will not bother reading the rest of the series
Published 3 months ago by Mr. John P. Limbert
The Lion wakes?
As an avid reader of all historical fiction, I thought this would be a great follow on to the 'Oathsworn series which I found ripping", I hate flipping back to see what i've... Read more
Published 4 months ago by bladesman
Hard to follow
I am Scottish and even I struggled with the language....
Lots of characters, I am not keen on books which i have to keep backtracking to ensure to check on characters, and I... Read more
Lots of characters, I am not keen on books which i have to keep backtracking to ensure to check on characters, and I... Read more
Published 4 months ago by L. mckay
the Lion Wakes
As and avid reader of Robert Low's earlier Oathsworn series i found this new novel a very different beast. Read more
Published 4 months ago by colin g
Overdone and not as good as the Oathsworn
Leaving his very successful Oathsworn series aside, Robert Low has started on a new series that takes place at the time of Robert the Bruce, William Wallace and Edward the first. Read more
Published 5 months ago by JPS
What's happening?
I'm afraid to say I gave up on reading this book about three quarters of the way through.
Whilst the problem with understanding the Scottish ideolect is reduced and then... Read more
Whilst the problem with understanding the Scottish ideolect is reduced and then... Read more
Published 6 months ago by Callum
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