Jan 4 2011
Is that an “Oops”, or isn’t it?
Apparently my musings on the connection between William Wallace in "The Forest Laird" and the possibility that he might have served as an archetype for the legendary Robin Hood have set the cat loose among some highly flustered pigeons. It's certainly attracting attention in the UK, despite the fact that the novel has not yet been published over there. It is available as a downloadable e-Book, though, and that, it seems is how the word got out in the Auld Country.
I remember remarking early on, shortly after I had begun writing the book, that I was slightly apprehensive about the possible effect–providing that I did my work properly and conscientiously–that the story, and my treatment of the man, might offend the sensibilities of some of of my more conservative compatriots whose beliefs and perceptions of Scotland's national hero had been indelibly influenced by the last five hundred years of myth building and emerging ideas of Scottish nationalism. Had I but known it, that was to be the least of my worries, because as my research continued and the story developed, I was to end up running the risk of seriously offending every Englishman who has ever been enamoured of England's own great legendary folk hero, Robin Hood . . . by suggesting that the fellow had actually been a damned Scotchman!
I received a phone call a couple of weeks ago from a reporter at The Scotsman newspaper, who wanted to interview me about my theories, and the story ran last weekend in the Weekend Magazine section. Apparently it has caused quite a stir, and I'm attaching a link to the article:
http://news.scotsman.com/scotland/William-Wallace-39sparked-Robin-Hood.6677191.jp?articlepage=2
This morning, I received another interview request, this time from a Canadian reporter at Mediapost.com, wanting to know what I had to say about "all the fuss" I had stirred up in the UK. Slightly mystified, I agreed to be interviewed, and the resultant story (from which I have shamelessly borrowed the featured publicity stills, courtesy of Handout, the Vancouver Sun) arrived in my Inbox this evening, at the following link:
I haven't got anything else to add, so I'll stop and wait to see what comes up next.
March 22, 2011 @ 10:47 am
Also working my way through the Camulod series, just started Fort at Rivers Bend and like the rest I’m hooked from the first page. Have to force myself to read unconnected books between each one to make them last, they are fantastic.
Drew Keir
Dundee
January 22, 2011 @ 7:55 am
hope you don’t mind me using this space to thank you for sending info that allowed my neice in Kelona, to order and send to me the book “On Leven’s Banks. I received it today and it’s awesome and brings back so many good memories. My mans’ childhood home by the fountain and my father in a photograph of the Vale of Leven Hunger Marchers headed for London in 1936 to for the “Right to work”. He actually stayed on in London, went to collage and became a teacher. I was born there during the Blitz and left there at age 10 and what a terrible age to be planted into the village of Renton. However, I learned to love the place and the people and still miss it today.
Anyway, I did line up for 2 hours in Chapters in Edmonton to have my book signed and to meet you a couple of months ago but there were so many people there that I didn’t re-introduce myself. I didn’t wan’t to take up your time.
I hope I get another opportunity to meet you should you return to Edmonton or when I’m visiting family in your neck of the woods.
Cheers
Carole Eastaugh
Sherwood Park, AB
January 5, 2011 @ 7:34 am
Good question, and I can only answer it partially, for the moment. My newest book, The Forest Laird, is available for electronic download, and so are the three books of The Knights Templar trilogy. My Arthurian books are not yet available, but soon will be. There’s also a strong possibility that all of them will available, too, as downloadable Audio Books, though that is a bit farther away. Keep your eye on my blog session, though, for as soon as I find out dates and suchlike, I’ll be posting a blog entry explaining all that’s involved.
Jack
January 5, 2011 @ 8:22 pm
January 25, 2011 @ 4:59 pm
I’m an avid fan of your series Dream of Eagles
I have an autographed book my parents got for my graduation
But my angel decided it was good to chew on and ripped some of it up 🙁
So I was wondering if you are ever gonna be around Edmonton or Calgary or anywhere in Alberta sometime soon?
I’d love to get my Foerest Laird signed 🙂
p/s any attention is good attention (your issue with Robin Hood)
January 7, 2011 @ 2:15 pm
Currently we live in Southern Manitoba and I work at the oldest company in Canada with whole lot of Scots. Normally one would say ex-pat Scots but I don’t really believe that anyone I’ve met considers themselves anything other than Scot first!
keep up the good work!
August 15, 2011 @ 4:45 pm
January 4, 2011 @ 4:31 pm
when your book will be available electronically? If alreay available where can I find them?
Thanks,
Pier Giorgio
January 6, 2011 @ 12:36 am
Hello, Foxman: The books are listed in order here in the website in the two sections, "The Arthurian Saga" and "The Templars saga", but depending on where you live (i.e. in Canada or the USA) the titles vary slightly. I'm presuming you are wondering about the Arthurian books which sell in Canada under the Series title "A Dream of Eagles" and in the USA as "The Camulod Chronicles". Either way, the order remains the same.
The titles of the original series are, in sequence: The Skystone; The Singing Sword; The Eagles' Brood; The Saxon Shore; The Fort at River's Bend (Book I of the Sorcerer); and Metamorphosis (Book 2 of The Sorcerer). The Sorcerer is one long novel, split at the halfway point, so you have to read the two books in order to make sense of the entire story: "River's Bend" first and then "Metamorphosis".
"Uther" is a stand-alone book, narrated in a different voice because Uther was killed before he could tell his own story. It can be read independently of the series, but chronologically it deals with the same events as "Eagles' Brood" but it is told from an entirely different perspective, offering an alternative explanation of the key events of the tale from the one expressed by Merlyn in "Brood".
"The Golden Eagle" is a two-book extension of the original series, taking up the story from Arthur's coronation and continuing through the classical Arthur/Guinivere/Lancelot scenario, except that the Lancelot figure (and incidentally the Narrator) is called Clothar. The two books, in sequence, are: "Clothar the Frank" (AKA "The Lancethrower" in the US edition) and "The Eagle" and should be read in that order.
Hope that clarifies things.
Jack Whyte
March 9, 2011 @ 10:30 pm
Thank you! And my 2 cents in regards to the Robin Hood thing: Back then arrows and archers were one of the few options available for fighting….so automatically when we think of a bow and arrow we think of Robin Hood…forgetting that there was little selection back then for other means of killing people at great distances. 🙂
I LOVED it….can’t wait for the 2nd book!
Kathy Pettit
May 17, 2012 @ 3:28 am
May 18, 2012 @ 11:23 pm