4 out of 4 stars
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Historical fiction is an incredibly mixed bag when it comes to enjoying a book. Some books feel like grade school history class all over again and others feel like a more realistic Lord of the Rings. On a scale of passed-out-studying school child to Frodo Baggins, James Douglas - the lead character of A Kingdom's Cost - feels like a mix of both Frodo himself and Aragorn, having to shoulder a weight a young "lad" never should have to while outwitting and out-fighting foes, dealing with the pain and guilt of war and doing his best to defeat an evil in his land that has no concern for honor - the evil Edward Longshanks. Also like Lord of the Rings, this is book one in a trilogy, but the ending is definitely worthy of finishing a book and not just needlessly breaking one book into three to make it a trilogy.
A Kingdom's Cost begins shortly before William Wallace was mercilessly tortured and slaughtered. If that name sounds familiar, you probably watched Braveheart with Mel Gibson, a brutal tale that follows a Scottish rebellion against the British King Edward Longshanks (Edward I). A Kingdom's Cost instead follows James Douglas, who was sent to Paris to be safe shortly before his father was thrown in a dungeon to be starved to death. Upon returning to Scotland he discovers just what a mess everything has become: although he's now Lord of Douglas, his lands have been given away because his father, the previous lord, was considered a traitor. Even worse, English have been doing all sorts of horrible things - raping women as they see fit, killing innocent people just to make a statement and ruthlessly torturing and murdering every major traitor they manage to capture alive. Longshanks also flies the banner of the dragon, flown only when no quarter would be given to any taken enemies. Since Wallace's public and terrifying death, there are hardly any Scottish that would dare oppose Longshanks, and those that do must not only war against him but fellow Scots that are loyal to England as well.
Despite the staggering odds and difficulties they know they'll face, there are some who rise up against Longshanks, led by Robert de Bruce, crowned King of the Scots. Along with the king's brother Edward de Bruce, James's friend Sir Robert Boyd and others, they must find safety, raise troops, get supplies and fight back against numerous foes to make Scotland independent once more.
I was a little leery at first reading a book involving William Wallace, I'd assumed it was just going to tell the same tale Braveheart told from a fictional character's point of view. Instead, this was an epic adventure from having to find a cave to hide in and foraging for food to working to get James's land back, it really had it all, and even James is a genuine historical character. There's romance, there's the impatience to fight and the darkness that comes with battle, the pain of making the hard decisions, romance and there's a lot of adversity from everywhere. Every setting comes to life and every pain is felt, including one of the saddest moments I've read in a long time. There's also great vocabulary thrown about like "mayhap" and "tottery" and "wroth", it all ends up giving a sense of being there without it being overbearing or confusing (especially since Kindle's word defining tool almost always succeeded and there's a dictionary in the back of the book for terms as well).
To stay true to history, the book skips several months at a time a few times, especially at the beginning (the prologue is almost 4 years before chapter 1!), but scenes are set well and it's never jarring. In fact, because the book jumps when it does we're spared the less interesting bits, instead able to visit only the pieces only relevant to the story. By the end of the book, James is 19, meaning that the early chapters kick off at 16, very young for such a lad to have to own up to such heroism and bravery.
I was unable to put A Kingdom's Cost down as I read it, and I miss the adventure even now as I wrap up this review, wondering what's going to happen next and how they'll ever beat such insurmountable odds. I'd be crazy not to give the book 4 out of 4 stars, even though it could've used some editing work. I was hard pressed for flaws aside from the grammatical errors, honestly all I wish was that the "Scottish and Archaic Words" section was in the front so it would be easier to reference. It was awesome that J.R. Tonkin included a brief section noting the leeway he played with in regards to historical accuracy involving one event as well. Anyone with a love of sword fighting, history, rooting for an underdog or Scotland itself should give it a read (unless they're under 18, there's a tiny bit of explicit talk, a little sex and some gore).
******
A Kingdom's Cost
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