Kenneth

by Nigel Tranter

Book Overview

An historical novel written by the author of Warden of the Queen's March, Mail Royal, Flowers of Chivalry and Columba. This is the story of the reign of Kenneth MacAlpin, the 9th-century king who... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0340566388
• ISBN13: 9780340566381
• Release Date: January 1994
• Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
• Length: 356 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Couldn't Put It Down!

This was the second book by Nigel Tranter that I read (the first was The Wallace, which was also great). I could not put this historical novel down, and was disappointed when it ended, not with the end of Kenneth' s life, but with his becoming king of a united Pictland and Scotland. I wish that the author had continued the story! Anyway, the book brings Kenneth Mac Alpin to life: his strengths, anxieties, and loves. He is a man with a vision--to unite the Celtic peoples of Alba (Pictland), Dalriada (Scotland), Strathclyde, Galloway, Wales, Man, and even Ireland--all under threats from Norsemen, Angles, and Saxons in the ninth century. Even though the history from this period is murky, Tranter is very convincing, and in accord with most of the credible research, especially on the merger of the Picts and the Scots. It seems clear that Kenneth did not conquer the Picts, but became the king of a unified kingdom, which needed him because of internal strife and external threats. The book is particularly exciting when Kenneth combats the Norsemen, in both Scotland and Ireland. Tranter dispelled my mistaken notions of Vikings as noble warriors; rather, they are depicted as cruel plunderers. I had to get out a map to follow all the travels and battles. It would have been great if Tranter had provided one, but I finally found one in my house! Kenneth's love for the Pict princess, Eithne, is very tender, as written in this book, and the reader is made to feel Kenneth's longing for her.The book is great history, romance, and adventure.

Kenneth

It is an easy book to read and uses actual people from history to tell the story Scotland's early beginnings. Kenneth was one of Scotland's best early King's and deserves a book about him. This book is still available in England, at Waterstones.