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rbdcaanada's review against another edition
5.0
Anyone with even an ounce of Scots blood in them should read this book.
jennp28's review against another edition
4.0
This book was oddly fascinating. It really sort of meandered, there wasn't a whole lot of action, and a lot of it was just history explained/narrated by the priest character and often not involving William Wallace directly at all, but yet I found t very readable and interesting. Totally different than Braveheart too, of course.
laceylou10's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
alexctelander's review against another edition
3.0
Jack Whyte has delighted audiences with his fantastic Arthurian series, The Camulod Chronicles, as well as his Knights Templar trilogy. He now returns with the first in his Guardians trilogy, as he begins the telling of the story of one of the most renowned people in Scottish history, William Wallace. Made all the more renowned by Mel Gibson’s incredible portrayal in the award-winning Braveheart, Whyte admits in his introduction that it was hard to tell another story about William Wallace that wasn’t the same as the lengthy movie. It is, however, recommended that you watch this movie before you read the book, simply so that you have the wonderful, unique sound of a strong Scottish accent freshly in your mind when you begin reading the dialogue in The Forest Laird.
The story is told from the viewpoint of Wallace’s close cousin, Jaime, as it begins when they are young boys, involved in a horrible incident, they soon make a new friend who takes them in and begins their training in warrior skills, and most importantly with the impressive longbow. Jaime eventually begins teaching to become a priest, while with Wallace’s training as a strong warrior complete, he becomes a forester, looking to protect those in need. Matters in Scotland begin to take a turn for the worse, as the English exact their control of the independent Scottish and Wallace begins to do his part to stop the English looking to harm his people, and begin the war that will change Scotland forever.
The Forest Laird begins a little slow, as Whyte front loads with a lot of story that needs speeding up, and breaks up the flow with lengthy descriptions on the political state of the country and what England is up to. Yet, overall the book is an interesting opening chapter into the life of this incredible hero, as Whyte, who has done the research, explores as well as creates his own unique story.
Originally written on March 17, 2012 ©Alex C. Telander.
For more reviews, check out Bookbanter.
The story is told from the viewpoint of Wallace’s close cousin, Jaime, as it begins when they are young boys, involved in a horrible incident, they soon make a new friend who takes them in and begins their training in warrior skills, and most importantly with the impressive longbow. Jaime eventually begins teaching to become a priest, while with Wallace’s training as a strong warrior complete, he becomes a forester, looking to protect those in need. Matters in Scotland begin to take a turn for the worse, as the English exact their control of the independent Scottish and Wallace begins to do his part to stop the English looking to harm his people, and begin the war that will change Scotland forever.
The Forest Laird begins a little slow, as Whyte front loads with a lot of story that needs speeding up, and breaks up the flow with lengthy descriptions on the political state of the country and what England is up to. Yet, overall the book is an interesting opening chapter into the life of this incredible hero, as Whyte, who has done the research, explores as well as creates his own unique story.
Originally written on March 17, 2012 ©Alex C. Telander.
For more reviews, check out Bookbanter.
merlandre's review against another edition
5.0
I knew very little about William Wallace but I've read a lot of books by Jack Whyte. A great story teller and this book is no exception. Change a few names and places and Wallace could be Scotland's Robin Hood. The English kings and "nobility" create these heroes. Left to their own devices, these e exceptional men would live quietly with their skills, with their families and friends. Provoked by imperialist rulers, they fight against oppression. An excellent story that makes you appreciate William Wallace the man. Highly recommended to people interested in history or in a good story (or both).
aturtlesnestbookreviews's review
4.0
I must admit upfront to never having seen the entire film of Braveheart, I can not accurately compare the two.
This novel is the life of William Wallace through the eyes of his cousin and priest Jamie Wallace, so there are a few gaps in Williams life where Jaime wasn't present. All in all its a good narrative but readers please prepare to have patience. In my opinion, the only negative thing is that ideas, explanations, and descriptions are drawn out for pages and sometimes briefly repeated.
This novel is the life of William Wallace through the eyes of his cousin and priest Jamie Wallace, so there are a few gaps in Williams life where Jaime wasn't present. All in all its a good narrative but readers please prepare to have patience. In my opinion, the only negative thing is that ideas, explanations, and descriptions are drawn out for pages and sometimes briefly repeated.
chuckri's review
4.0
Interesting book! Like many of Jack Whyte's other novels, this was a combination of action-adventure and history. As stated in the "Author's Note," there is not much historical information about William Wallace so much of Wallace's life had to be imagined. Whyte, however, does stick pretty closely to the Scottish history of this time. The one drawback I did find to this rather long novel was the amount of pages devoted to characters discussing the changes in the Scottish economy and culture. There is a fairly large section through the middle of the book where not much happens. Overall, though, the story was interesting.
abookishaffair's review
4.0
I knew about William Wallace and his fight for Scottish freedom before I read this book but I didn't know a whole lot of the detail of his life and how he fought for freedom. And oh, okay, I am probably one of the only people left that have not seen Braveheart, which seemed to be so many people's first taste of William Wallace. So I was very interested in reading this book since it was a new story to me!
This book is told from the perspective of Jamie, who is William Wallace's cousin and a priest in the church. Jamie and William are incredibly close so I thought that it was a really cool perspective to see William through the eyes of someone who knew him very well and had known him since childhood. Being a part of the clergy, Jamie also has a really interesting perspective on what's going on in the war between England and Scotland.
This book is perfect for historical fiction lovers who like a healthy dose of action with the human stories so often found in historical fiction books. That being said, even though there is some fighting in the book, the book really focuses more on what the motivation is and not a whole bunch of battle scenes (which I was very glad for because I'm not so much into that).
The book leaves you with a cliffhanger (this book is the first book in a planned trilogy, the Braveheart chronicles). After reading this book, I know that I definitely need to see where this one goes.
Bottom line: This is the beginning to what I'm sure is going to be a most beloved series.
This book is told from the perspective of Jamie, who is William Wallace's cousin and a priest in the church. Jamie and William are incredibly close so I thought that it was a really cool perspective to see William through the eyes of someone who knew him very well and had known him since childhood. Being a part of the clergy, Jamie also has a really interesting perspective on what's going on in the war between England and Scotland.
This book is perfect for historical fiction lovers who like a healthy dose of action with the human stories so often found in historical fiction books. That being said, even though there is some fighting in the book, the book really focuses more on what the motivation is and not a whole bunch of battle scenes (which I was very glad for because I'm not so much into that).
The book leaves you with a cliffhanger (this book is the first book in a planned trilogy, the Braveheart chronicles). After reading this book, I know that I definitely need to see where this one goes.
Bottom line: This is the beginning to what I'm sure is going to be a most beloved series.