Worth Dying For (The Bruce Trilogy)
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One day. One battle. Bannockburn, 1314. The rise of Robert the Bruce. The vengefulness of James Douglas. And the ruin of Edward II. Robert the Bruce has known nothing but hardship since seizing Scotland's crown. Parted from his wife and daughter and forced to flee through the Highland wilderness, he struggles to unite a kingdom divided by centuries old blood feuds. The price, however, must be paid in lives and honor. Falling to temptation, Robert's only means of redemption―and to one day win his wife Elizabeth back―is to forgive those who have wronged him. One by one, Robert must win back Scotland's clans and castles. The one man who can help him purge the land of English tyranny is the cunning young nobleman, James 'the Black' Douglas, who seeks vengeance on those who took both his inheritance and his father's life. With the death of Longshanks, Edward II ascends to the throne of England. His first act as king is to recall the banished Piers Gaveston. Too soon, Edward learns that he cannot protect the one he loves most and still preserve his own life and crown. To those who demand the ultimate sacrifice, he must relinquish all power. To have his revenge, he must do what his father never believed him capable of―defeat Robert the Bruce on the field of battle.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Kindle Edition
I loved this book, part of the Robert Bruce trilogy. The characters were fascinating, the plot exiting and the setting wonderfully evoked. It was pure escapism and enjoyable on that level, but the characters stayed with me. As soon as i had finished it I was driven to do some research on this period in Scottish history. Please make book three available for Kindle! I haven't managed to find it yet....
3 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Kindle Edition
In my review of the first book I was somewhat kinder than I am going to be now. TWADDLE is my first remark. Yes it is fiction and yes the author is an American therefore the spelling naturally follows that countrys method however sore on the eyes of Scottish or other U.K. readers it is. Howsoever using American words as if they were used as a common tongue in 14th Century British Isles is more than sore to the eyes-it is downright offensive. For example; we are all familiar with the American word, rooster, but in English, as spoken in the British Isles, then as today the word is COCK or cockerel for a young cock. I cannot see Bruces men sitting at a meal, or perhaps I should say, vitals, and refering to cocks as roosters! The authors research is WAY OUT. The Bruce did not ride a pony into battle. He was a King and a Knight and as such he rode a warhorse able to carry an heavy armourcladded rider. This book reads more like a gay love story between Edward 2nd and his lover Piers Gaveston and if it is about the Bruce why so many many chapters devoted to The English King and his domestic problems?
All in all I have never read such drivle about a period in my Countrys history that put Scotland on the political map of Europe and in especial the Vatican whose power over-rode many a nations aspirations. I mentioned earlier that the authors research was way out and now I will point out the biggest mistake and dreadful backhanded insult to the Bruce. The battle of Bannockburn which defined Scottish Nationality and was pivotal in our Wars of Independence, ( something an American should never forget)is so poorly described that it is obvious that there was no hard research done on the Battle and one incident shows how this is the case. For readers who can see in their minds eye significant events when reading historical novels be advised that when the Bruce went in combat with the lone English Knight and split his skull in two that Knight was NOT GILBERT De CLARE of Gloucester but in fact was HENRY De BOHUN, nephew of the Earl of Hereford. Yes it is a novel but it purports to be an Historical novel. I have been a reader of historical novels for well over fortyfive years and the one thing that makes such books fascinating is the accuracy that they report real events - leaving aside the fictional aspect of their characters and their part in events. If you are a fan of Napolean history and Bernard Cornwells Sharpe novels you will know I am sure just how Mr Cornwell retains the accuracy of events from Portugal to Waterloo. A big thumbs down and I would suggest anyone reading this drivel should turn to Nigel Tranters trilogy that are fascinating reading and retain historical accuracy.
All in all I have never read such drivle about a period in my Countrys history that put Scotland on the political map of Europe and in especial the Vatican whose power over-rode many a nations aspirations. I mentioned earlier that the authors research was way out and now I will point out the biggest mistake and dreadful backhanded insult to the Bruce. The battle of Bannockburn which defined Scottish Nationality and was pivotal in our Wars of Independence, ( something an American should never forget)is so poorly described that it is obvious that there was no hard research done on the Battle and one incident shows how this is the case. For readers who can see in their minds eye significant events when reading historical novels be advised that when the Bruce went in combat with the lone English Knight and split his skull in two that Knight was NOT GILBERT De CLARE of Gloucester but in fact was HENRY De BOHUN, nephew of the Earl of Hereford. Yes it is a novel but it purports to be an Historical novel. I have been a reader of historical novels for well over fortyfive years and the one thing that makes such books fascinating is the accuracy that they report real events - leaving aside the fictional aspect of their characters and their part in events. If you are a fan of Napolean history and Bernard Cornwells Sharpe novels you will know I am sure just how Mr Cornwell retains the accuracy of events from Portugal to Waterloo. A big thumbs down and I would suggest anyone reading this drivel should turn to Nigel Tranters trilogy that are fascinating reading and retain historical accuracy.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
11 reviews
13 of 14 people found the following review helpful
A fitting sequel
1 Dec 2010
Format:Kindle Edition
N. Gemini Sasson's new book, "Worth Dying For" is a fitting successor to the first book of her seminal series on the life of Robert the Bruce, "The Crown in the Heather".
The book opens with a vivid, brutal, no-holds-barred account of the Battle of Bannockburn, just outside Stirling in Scotland, where King Robert and his motley army of Scots overcame the vastly superior army of King Edward the Second. Written in present tense using the voice of King Edward, the prologue is at once harrowing and terrifying as the King of England sees his invincible army swept away, leaving him in mortal danger of capture. And thus is set the scene for the rest of the book as the author leads us from Robert's greatest defeat to this shining pinnacle of his success.
We join Robert where we left him at the end of `The Crown in the Heather', bowed and battered, penniless, without an army and with very little hope after his crushing defeat at Balqhidder. If he is to succeed, he needs money and a strategy to unite the warring families of Scotland. His stoutest ally, James Douglas, has his own demons to fight. To Robert's strategic leadership he adds his skill as a tactician. Sasson shows these two threads as the two men claw their way back to a position where they can once again tackle the Eternal Enemy - England.
Meanwhile, Longshanks, scourge of the Scots, loses his final battle and is succeeded by his petulant, self-centred son, Edward II. While the Scots scrabble to rebuild, Edward brawls with his Lords. The author draws a sensitive portrait of Edward and his love for Piers Gaveston as well as his strained relationship with his beautiful French wife, Isabella. As in `The Crown in the Heather', the story is told in the first person from the points of view of these three, very different, men.
Once again, Sasson takes the reader there, to the wind-swept hills of Scotland where Robert runs for his life, to the islands of the Irish Sea, to London where Edward I, in one of his last acts of malicious cruelty, commits his outrageous act against Robert's women. The description is vivid, the attention to detail meticulous.
This is a first class book. I look forward to reading the final chapter.
The book opens with a vivid, brutal, no-holds-barred account of the Battle of Bannockburn, just outside Stirling in Scotland, where King Robert and his motley army of Scots overcame the vastly superior army of King Edward the Second. Written in present tense using the voice of King Edward, the prologue is at once harrowing and terrifying as the King of England sees his invincible army swept away, leaving him in mortal danger of capture. And thus is set the scene for the rest of the book as the author leads us from Robert's greatest defeat to this shining pinnacle of his success.
We join Robert where we left him at the end of `The Crown in the Heather', bowed and battered, penniless, without an army and with very little hope after his crushing defeat at Balqhidder. If he is to succeed, he needs money and a strategy to unite the warring families of Scotland. His stoutest ally, James Douglas, has his own demons to fight. To Robert's strategic leadership he adds his skill as a tactician. Sasson shows these two threads as the two men claw their way back to a position where they can once again tackle the Eternal Enemy - England.
Meanwhile, Longshanks, scourge of the Scots, loses his final battle and is succeeded by his petulant, self-centred son, Edward II. While the Scots scrabble to rebuild, Edward brawls with his Lords. The author draws a sensitive portrait of Edward and his love for Piers Gaveston as well as his strained relationship with his beautiful French wife, Isabella. As in `The Crown in the Heather', the story is told in the first person from the points of view of these three, very different, men.
Once again, Sasson takes the reader there, to the wind-swept hills of Scotland where Robert runs for his life, to the islands of the Irish Sea, to London where Edward I, in one of his last acts of malicious cruelty, commits his outrageous act against Robert's women. The description is vivid, the attention to detail meticulous.
This is a first class book. I look forward to reading the final chapter.
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Captivating Sequel
31 May 2011
Format:Kindle Edition
I appreciated this book even more than the first, which I very much enjoyed. "Worth Dying For" takes the reader deeper into the characters, to the point where I felt I knew them all intimately. Not just Robert, ("A sliver of the devil danced upon his tongue...") but James, his most loyal and fierce warrior, "The Black Douglas," Edward (I always want to write "poor Edward,") Piers, Isabella, Thomas Randolph, Elizabeth, Aithin, Robert's brother Edward, Christiania, the seductive yet sad character who seems to know she has no power but what men afford her, and, with just a few perfectly chosen words, the exquisite Lady Rosalind, whom I desperately want to see more of. The scene where Elizabeth is prisoner to Longshanks is chilling. Every one of these characters (and Scotland itself) becomes unforgettable, larger than life, in these pages.
Again and again I marveled at the descriptions and beautiful word choices, which encompass humans, nature, character, love, hatred, and the singular, magical land of Scotland.
Book two is darker than book one. It must have been hard to write of the suffering of both men and beasts, but the author does not flinch away from it. Reading her account, I was left wondering why men follow others into war and I defy the reader to not feel the wretchedness of these men and thus all men who go to war. What makes it "worth dying for." And that is the crux of this book. We see the two sides--the vast army Edward commands by force, threat, fear, and the smaller army commanded by Robert, consisting of men who follow willingly, out of love and honor, who face their deaths knowing it means something.
"The new mash of fighters melts into a blur as crazed and complete as a swarm of locusts devouring a field of grain."
One of the things I like least about historical fiction are the descriptions of battles. I expected this to be no different. But it was. I was propelled along, seeing it all so gruesomely vivid in my mind it was like I was there. Especially at Bannockburn. The horror, the gore, the death, the suffering. I could almost smell the blood, and I was able to follow along with what was happening, the ebb and flow of battle. I often get lost in the details other authors employ (The Last of the Amazons, in particular) and come to a point where I simply don't care. I just want to get through it. This never happened, not for a second, in "Worth Dying For."
Love is not forgotten, nor glossed over, either. The author explores Robert's love for his wife and daughter, which one might expect, but she also "lays bare" the expert seduction Christiana mets out and the uncontrollable passion Robert feels for Aithin, the love of his childhood.
James, "The Black Douglas," is again an irresistible persona. He exudes magnetism.
I was impressed with the knowledge this author brings to these stories. I can't imagine the amount of research it took to become so intimately comfortable with all these characters.
"As I looked out on a sea of faces--their eyes set on the thin strand of tomorrow, their heartbeats echoing with the rhythm of all their yesterdays--I thought surely I looked upon all the sons of Scotland of all the ages there in one place at one time, ready to fight for the very fistful of dirt they were each standing on. And in that I never saw more truth...than to truly live, was to have something worth dying for."
Again and again I marveled at the descriptions and beautiful word choices, which encompass humans, nature, character, love, hatred, and the singular, magical land of Scotland.
Book two is darker than book one. It must have been hard to write of the suffering of both men and beasts, but the author does not flinch away from it. Reading her account, I was left wondering why men follow others into war and I defy the reader to not feel the wretchedness of these men and thus all men who go to war. What makes it "worth dying for." And that is the crux of this book. We see the two sides--the vast army Edward commands by force, threat, fear, and the smaller army commanded by Robert, consisting of men who follow willingly, out of love and honor, who face their deaths knowing it means something.
"The new mash of fighters melts into a blur as crazed and complete as a swarm of locusts devouring a field of grain."
One of the things I like least about historical fiction are the descriptions of battles. I expected this to be no different. But it was. I was propelled along, seeing it all so gruesomely vivid in my mind it was like I was there. Especially at Bannockburn. The horror, the gore, the death, the suffering. I could almost smell the blood, and I was able to follow along with what was happening, the ebb and flow of battle. I often get lost in the details other authors employ (The Last of the Amazons, in particular) and come to a point where I simply don't care. I just want to get through it. This never happened, not for a second, in "Worth Dying For."
Love is not forgotten, nor glossed over, either. The author explores Robert's love for his wife and daughter, which one might expect, but she also "lays bare" the expert seduction Christiana mets out and the uncontrollable passion Robert feels for Aithin, the love of his childhood.
James, "The Black Douglas," is again an irresistible persona. He exudes magnetism.
I was impressed with the knowledge this author brings to these stories. I can't imagine the amount of research it took to become so intimately comfortable with all these characters.
"As I looked out on a sea of faces--their eyes set on the thin strand of tomorrow, their heartbeats echoing with the rhythm of all their yesterdays--I thought surely I looked upon all the sons of Scotland of all the ages there in one place at one time, ready to fight for the very fistful of dirt they were each standing on. And in that I never saw more truth...than to truly live, was to have something worth dying for."
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
The fight for the Scottish Crown continues!
1 Dec 2011
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Worth Dying For continues the struggles for the Scottish Crown. Robert Bruce and his companions live to see Scotland live free, while King Edward of England fights to retain control over this errant land. Bruce seeks to unite Scotland to forever by driving the English from Scotland's hills and lochs. He depends on his men, especially James "The Black" Douglas. But Robert aches for his old life, and that of his loved ones. His wife, daughter and two sisters are captives of Edward. His three brothers have forfeited their lives for Robert and his cause. And still there is no end in sight to the bloodshed to free Scotland. Robert is still stuggling to even be able to fight, but is unable to surrender. His heart pines for his wife and child. Though he pushes on, he often wonders if the price of freedom is too high to pay.
James has nothing to lose, but his life. He faithfully follows his king, and never doubts his commander's ability. Fearless in battle, he is a faithful friend and ally.
Edward is stuggling to hold his kingdom and loved ones together, even as he eyes another kingdom. Piers is the love of Edward's life and his true reason for breathing. But Piers is hated by the other jealous nobles. To keep Piers save, Edward would give up his crown.And why must his father mock him from the grave? Has Longshanks not done enough to ridicule Poor Edward.
If Sasson's first book was an introduction to the cast, her second book throws the reader into the soap opera and drama. The fighting and battles quickly start and keep crashing like waves on the loch's shore. My poor Scottish Lords! Wearied to the bone, they must push on.
Like the first book in The Bruce Trilogy, Worth Dying For goes back and forth between Robert, James and Edward's points of view. This allows the reader to see the characters in their full depth and life. Robert, once strong, is now weakened by doubt and loneliness. James becomes a strong and confident leader with a magnetism that draws others to him. Edward snivels and allows himself to be bullied by his subjects and wife. I found myself falling in love with James, all while feeling sympathy for Edward and his lover Piers.
The fighting in this book picks up and becomes the focus. Both sides fight to the death and suffer losses.
The prose in the end of Worth Dying For is lovely and to die for! I felt captured by the spirit of Scotland, like I was standing on the lines at Bannock Burn.
One of my favorite quotes: "And in that I never saw more truth...than to truly live, was to have something worth dying for."
I recommend that you go buy all of these books, you will need them!!!
James has nothing to lose, but his life. He faithfully follows his king, and never doubts his commander's ability. Fearless in battle, he is a faithful friend and ally.
Edward is stuggling to hold his kingdom and loved ones together, even as he eyes another kingdom. Piers is the love of Edward's life and his true reason for breathing. But Piers is hated by the other jealous nobles. To keep Piers save, Edward would give up his crown.And why must his father mock him from the grave? Has Longshanks not done enough to ridicule Poor Edward.
If Sasson's first book was an introduction to the cast, her second book throws the reader into the soap opera and drama. The fighting and battles quickly start and keep crashing like waves on the loch's shore. My poor Scottish Lords! Wearied to the bone, they must push on.
Like the first book in The Bruce Trilogy, Worth Dying For goes back and forth between Robert, James and Edward's points of view. This allows the reader to see the characters in their full depth and life. Robert, once strong, is now weakened by doubt and loneliness. James becomes a strong and confident leader with a magnetism that draws others to him. Edward snivels and allows himself to be bullied by his subjects and wife. I found myself falling in love with James, all while feeling sympathy for Edward and his lover Piers.
The fighting in this book picks up and becomes the focus. Both sides fight to the death and suffer losses.
The prose in the end of Worth Dying For is lovely and to die for! I felt captured by the spirit of Scotland, like I was standing on the lines at Bannock Burn.
One of my favorite quotes: "And in that I never saw more truth...than to truly live, was to have something worth dying for."
I recommend that you go buy all of these books, you will need them!!!
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