The Wallace

This was my first foray into a Nigel Tranter book and it was a rewarding experience. Overall, this book was entertaining, but for me to fully enjoy it, took some googling. I had to take breaks while I researched the Geography, and the various battles. (Falkirk, Stirling Bridge, Loudoun Hill, and others.) While this slowed down my reading, seeing actual pictures of the terrain and artist depictions of the battles, enhanced my enjoyment greatly. I am guessing that a huge portion of Tranter's readers live in Scotland and will readily know the geography, and have a passing familiarity with the history of the Wars of Scottish Independence. If, as it was with me this is all new to you, a little extra work might be required.The depiction of the Battle of Stirling Bridge in particular was fascinating. I had not realized that the William Wallace of Mel Gibson's "Braveheart" had met the English in the "Battle of Stirling," leaving the Bridge for some future film maker to exploit. The Battle of Stirling Bridge was far more interesting than was the Battle of Stirling as portrayed in the film, but since the movie was filmed in Ireland and Stirling Bridge was located in Scotland, some improvisation was neccessarily required.Like most heros, Wallace began with one agenda and this grew into another. His original motive, revenge for his father's death, led him to become the leading warrier in the land, and he never lost a battle until he forgot what his especial military skills consisted of. (Taking on superior numbers by enlisting the land, winning the battle, and moving on quickly without a thought to occupation.) His single failure took place at Falkirk, when he chose to engage King Edward of England in a pitched battle against far superior, better equiped, and better trained soldiers. Edward "Longshanks" came off as a ruthless, invincable fighting machine. No matter what you threw at him, his 100,000+ man army kept lumbering toward you slowly, surely, feeling its way, avoiding every trap and trick. For the first time in his fighting career, nothing was working for Wallace, and Tranter leaves you with one of those hollow feelings in your stomach, as you start to see the inevitable.All of the moving parts of Scotland's history were incorporated; the politics, the church, the tension between and among King Edward of England, France, the Lowlanders, the Highlander Clan Chiefs, the Lords, The Bruces, the Comyns, and the common everyday people.I have only made one trip to Scotland and in hindsight, was amazed at how much of Will Wallace country I had traversed. This story ranges from Carlisle to Ayr, from Carrick Castle to Lothian, from the Ettrick Forest to Loch Lomond, and of course from Stirling Castle to Perth and beyond.At the end of the day, I felt that I finally understood the man, William Wallace, but more importantly, that my understanding of 13th Century Scottish history had grown immeasurably.

This is the story of a true patriot well told. The son of a knight, William Wallace rose to move the hearts of the Scots to fight for their freedom from England at a time when Scottish heroes were in short supply. At the end of the 13th century, Scotland was a blood-torn country suffering under the harsh domination of King Edward of England, a tyrant usurper, who was bent on subjugating the Scots as he did the Welsh.Motivated at first by revenge for the slaughter of his father, Wallace vowed to cleanse his country of the English and set the rightful king, Robert the Bruce, upon the Scottish throne. Wallace, as portrayed by Tranter in this brilliant novel, was a strategic leader with a commanding presence, yet humble when it came to his own skills and achievements. He drew men to him and they came by the thousands. Of course, King Edward could not stand for that and would have an end to Wallace.Tranter’s descriptions of the hidden locations where Wallace and his men hid from the English are excellent and his command of the players exceptional. He brings to life the difficult years and the contribution of one man who stood alone and became a national hero. His treatment of Wallace’s death is sensitive and well done. Yes, there are battles and violence but well worth the read.

Maybe it's just the high expectations I had for this novel that led to my disappointment, or maybe it's because I just finished reading Sharon Kay Penman's excellent 13th century Welsh trilogy, and it's unfair to compare these two authors who are in so obviously different leagues. I found The Wallace very one-dimensional and tedious; a catalogue of military and political exploits by a very flat character. None of the characters really came alive for me. Not to mention the astounding number of small historical inaccuracies that left a very bad taste in my mouth. The armor described is at least a hundred years too early (there were no visored helmets or steel breastplates in the late 13th century, a jack is very different from a breastplate, etc). Not once was an English knight mentioned as having a shield, when in fact, a shield was actually required equipment for knights of this time period. English knights were depicted not wearing leg armor so they could ride better (hunh? Only cavalry wears leg armor since their legs are incredibly vulnerable). Wallace's sword is reported as being five feet long and a dozen pounds or so; even the over-heavy replica made for the Braveheart movie was only 8 pounds.Ok, ok, so maybe these historical inaccuracies can be overlooked, they are only details of arms and armor in a novel that is little more than a catalogue of military exploits. But what about the battle of Falkirk? Tranter describes Edward's heavy horse plowing through the staked ropes and snapping the pikes with ease, while according to actual history it is the pikes that utterly defeated the heavy horse charge. It was only when Edward moved his archers up to fire into the schiltroms, making holes in the formation, that the heavy horse could ride in and break it up.Such inaccuracies could be overlooked if there was a compelling story here, but there just isn't. Even the death of Wallace's beloved wife is described, the impact on Wallace included, in just one page! The entire novel is purely from Wallace's point of view (third-person), so we never know what is going on in Edward's (or anyone else's) mind. What are Wallace's motivations? Yes, yes, freedom for Scotland, but this is never poignantly depicted.All in all, I was not overly impressed with this novel (especially given all of the 5/5 ratings). Now this wasn't a terrible novel, but it just doesn't deserve the praise it's been getting here. I love history and historical fiction, but maybe after reading Penman ("Here Be Dragons") and Cornwell ("The Winter King"), I expect too much.2.5 / 5

An in-depth study of one of Scotland's greatest heroes - indeed a hero for every human being who prizes liberty above safety and comfort. Even while knowing how the story would end, Tranter makes the saga sing with human warmth, passion and a deep understanding of why all people should fight with every fiber of their being for liberty and the right of self government. The moral of William Wallace's life is as applicable today as it was six hundred years ago. Somethings never change.

This is a great read if you're interested in the genre. The story is very well written, who knows how much truth is in it, even the best research isn't going to reveal what took place several hundred years ago. The author has built a very good and believable story though. It all hangs together impeccably and the descriptive detail is excellent.A previous reviewer was disappointed about the quality of translation into kindle format. It always annoys me when little effort has been made to digitise books but the version I have is at least as good as any other printed book I've read; very occasional spelling mistakes but otherwise excellent.I really like the language of Nigel Tranter, akin to some of Robert Louis Stevenson. The English language seems to be a dying art and this is refreshing to read.

As I said in the title a great read and some very interesting stories. Much more historically accurate than the movie Braveheart obviously this makes it a must read for fans of the movie. I am from Northern Ireland and love learning and relearning Scottish history and this is the type of book that takes me to the time and place in great detail. I look forward to reading more of the authors books.

Historically spot on and so poetical and beautifully written especially the final chapter of William W’s execution in London you could almost be there so vivid such a great knowledgable writer

Nigle Tranter appears to have made it his life's work to put Scotland's history in to novel form and this is a fine addition to his canon of work. Gripping, readable and interesting, Forget Mel Gibson's Braveheart (a load of bollocks for lots of reasons), this is as close to history as you'll get.

The subject-matter is interested, indeed fascinating. The plot does drag from time to time which is a shame.