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The Black Douglas
This story of life in Scotland during the 1400s focuses on the simple unrequited love, true love blocked by circumstance, arrogant ambition, and unbounded jealousy, all accompanied by vengeful feuding between individuals and clans who'd made themselves masters of the struggle for revenge. Budding romance here faces family quarrels and even international politics, with a French ambassador who's secretly a serial killer and the fate of Scotland as a free nation at stake. Justice, honor, and devotion have seldom faced so many challenges all at once.
300 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1899
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
August 11, 2016
Don’t be fooled into thinking this book is another historical romance of the kind churned out by contemporary Scottish writers. It couldn’t be further from that description. Yes, a romantic thread runs through the novel, but so also do political intrigue, bloody executions, terrifying witchcraft and paedocide most heinous. Set in fifteenth century Scotland, with a foray into the darkest corners of France, this is the Scottish version of “Game of Thrones”. Without the gratuitous sex, of course – it was written in the late nineteenth century, after all. But it does have its own larger-than-life villain who easily out-villains Ramsay Bolton!
And if all of that isn’t enough, there’s the writing – the beautiful descriptive writing of Samuel Rutherford Crockett, one of the best novelists ever produced by Scotland, but sadly much-neglected these days. I’m off now to read “Maid Margaret”, his sequel to this wonderful novel.
And if all of that isn’t enough, there’s the writing – the beautiful descriptive writing of Samuel Rutherford Crockett, one of the best novelists ever produced by Scotland, but sadly much-neglected these days. I’m off now to read “Maid Margaret”, his sequel to this wonderful novel.
January 16, 2019
Literature, it seems, is as subject to the quirks of fashion as just about every other area of human activity. S.R. Crockett was a tremendously popular novelist back in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries; now, barely a hundred years later, he's much less widely known. However, that might perhaps be about to change, thanks to Cally Phillips, who has been working flat-out to republish Crockett's works, and hopefully introduce them to a whole new generation. (Go to the Ayton Publishing website (http://www.aytonpublishing.co.uk/) to see the entire collection.)
The Black Douglas revolves around a cast of actual historical figures, including William Sixth Earl of Douglas ("The Black Douglas" of the title), and Gilles de Retz, the loopy French nobleman who fought alongside Joan of Arc before (allegedly) embarking on a life of occult rituals and murder most vile. The story unfolds against a backdrop of mediaeval Scotland (in particular, Crockett's native Galloway) and France, and is frequently told through the eyes of the Earl's sidekick and knight, Sholto MacKim.
And what a story it is, involving murder, blood-drinking, witchcraft and werewolves, no less. The Black Douglas was published in 1899, two years after Dracula first appeared, and I'd be surprised if it hadn't been influenced by that novel to some extent. Many of the elements of Dracula are also present here: a sinister, intriguing nobleman who lives in a castle with such a blood-curdling reputation that very few people dare go there; the curious command that said nobleman has over animals, and in particular wolves; and the significance of human blood, particularly as a means of prolonging life. Indeed, anyone who has read Dracula may experience a strange sense of déjà vu when reading a particular passage in The Black Douglas, in which a woman whose child has been abducted hammers, screaming, at the castle door, pleading for his return: "Give me my boy, murderer! Restore me my son!" All that is missing is Stoker's curious psychosexual take on his material – that, and the vampirism.
For de Retz is not actually a vampire, though his physical appearance brings Stoker’s Count to mind: "The upper lip was retracted, and a set of long white teeth gleamed like those of a wild beast." Indeed, it may be that he's simply a deluded madman, though Crockett himself suggests that there's something genuinely supernatural underlying the story. De Retz is a curious, complex figure: unashamedly villainous, yet given to moments of charm, and even of tenderness. At times he seems to be driven by a desire for knowledge: "I have in secret pushed my researches beyond the very confines of knowledge... Evil and good alike shall be mine." Despite worshipping a demon, and carrying out blood sacrifices in its honour, he is also strangely devout, to the extent of allowing a community of monks to live in his castle and spending hours at his devotions. Crockett describes him as a "good Catholic and ardent religionary." (This, interestingly, is a feature of much Gothic fiction: a deep suspicion and dislike of Catholicism.)
The Black Douglas also tells two love stories: the happy one between Sholto and the mischievous but ultimately sweet-natured Maud, and the altogether less happy one between William and Sybilla, the niece of Gilles de Retz, and an integral part of de Retz's plan to ensnare William. There are traces of La Belle Dame Sans Merci in Crockett's description of Sybilla. However, there's also a robust streak of humour in the novel. During a tournament in which Sholto has performed well, a spectator (an armourer by trade) cries: "Well done, Sholto MacKim – well done, lad!... Ye shall hae a silken doublet for that!... At little mair than cost price!"
I suppose there is a sense in which it is unsurprising that The Black Douglas is less well-known these days. It's not due to any lack of ability on the part of the author: Crockett was clearly a talented writer. It's just that fare such as The Black Douglas is perhaps more morally earnest and melodramatic than is currently fashionable. The Black Douglas portrays a world of fair maidens, foul fiends, and unblemished heroes; but you shouldn't let that put you off reading it. It struck me as being a little like the literary equivalent of a Pre-Raphaelite painting: a little sentimental, perhaps, but ultimately a colourful, adroit, and highly entertaining creation.
The Black Douglas revolves around a cast of actual historical figures, including William Sixth Earl of Douglas ("The Black Douglas" of the title), and Gilles de Retz, the loopy French nobleman who fought alongside Joan of Arc before (allegedly) embarking on a life of occult rituals and murder most vile. The story unfolds against a backdrop of mediaeval Scotland (in particular, Crockett's native Galloway) and France, and is frequently told through the eyes of the Earl's sidekick and knight, Sholto MacKim.
And what a story it is, involving murder, blood-drinking, witchcraft and werewolves, no less. The Black Douglas was published in 1899, two years after Dracula first appeared, and I'd be surprised if it hadn't been influenced by that novel to some extent. Many of the elements of Dracula are also present here: a sinister, intriguing nobleman who lives in a castle with such a blood-curdling reputation that very few people dare go there; the curious command that said nobleman has over animals, and in particular wolves; and the significance of human blood, particularly as a means of prolonging life. Indeed, anyone who has read Dracula may experience a strange sense of déjà vu when reading a particular passage in The Black Douglas, in which a woman whose child has been abducted hammers, screaming, at the castle door, pleading for his return: "Give me my boy, murderer! Restore me my son!" All that is missing is Stoker's curious psychosexual take on his material – that, and the vampirism.
For de Retz is not actually a vampire, though his physical appearance brings Stoker’s Count to mind: "The upper lip was retracted, and a set of long white teeth gleamed like those of a wild beast." Indeed, it may be that he's simply a deluded madman, though Crockett himself suggests that there's something genuinely supernatural underlying the story. De Retz is a curious, complex figure: unashamedly villainous, yet given to moments of charm, and even of tenderness. At times he seems to be driven by a desire for knowledge: "I have in secret pushed my researches beyond the very confines of knowledge... Evil and good alike shall be mine." Despite worshipping a demon, and carrying out blood sacrifices in its honour, he is also strangely devout, to the extent of allowing a community of monks to live in his castle and spending hours at his devotions. Crockett describes him as a "good Catholic and ardent religionary." (This, interestingly, is a feature of much Gothic fiction: a deep suspicion and dislike of Catholicism.)
The Black Douglas also tells two love stories: the happy one between Sholto and the mischievous but ultimately sweet-natured Maud, and the altogether less happy one between William and Sybilla, the niece of Gilles de Retz, and an integral part of de Retz's plan to ensnare William. There are traces of La Belle Dame Sans Merci in Crockett's description of Sybilla. However, there's also a robust streak of humour in the novel. During a tournament in which Sholto has performed well, a spectator (an armourer by trade) cries: "Well done, Sholto MacKim – well done, lad!... Ye shall hae a silken doublet for that!... At little mair than cost price!"
I suppose there is a sense in which it is unsurprising that The Black Douglas is less well-known these days. It's not due to any lack of ability on the part of the author: Crockett was clearly a talented writer. It's just that fare such as The Black Douglas is perhaps more morally earnest and melodramatic than is currently fashionable. The Black Douglas portrays a world of fair maidens, foul fiends, and unblemished heroes; but you shouldn't let that put you off reading it. It struck me as being a little like the literary equivalent of a Pre-Raphaelite painting: a little sentimental, perhaps, but ultimately a colourful, adroit, and highly entertaining creation.
October 29, 2019
This is really a 3.5-star book, but it's closer to 4 than 3. After the painfully slow and awkward start, full of stilted dialogue and excessively medieval terminology, the book eventually gets going on a rollicking adventure. It takes a long time to build up steam, but the payoff is mostly worthwhile.
This has to be source material for George R.R. Martin's A Song of Fire and Ice; some of the events seem too similar for the resemblance to be entirely coincidental.
This has to be source material for George R.R. Martin's A Song of Fire and Ice; some of the events seem too similar for the resemblance to be entirely coincidental.
June 27, 2018
A great adventure set in Medieval Scotland and elsewhere. Great characters. The whiff of supernatural in the beginning bloomed into a lot of Satan worshiping passages later on. I didn't mind- it was depicted as blood curdling evil- and truth and justice ruled in the end. I will be investigating more by this author. Great rousing reading!
December 22, 2023
In one of his letters, Tolkien praises _The Black Douglas_, so I decided to check it out.
I would call it historical fantasy, in that it takes a series of actual historical events and wraps a story with fantastical elements around it.
William Douglas is the young Earl of Douglas. His family has made some enemies in the past, and they now conspire to bring the line of the Black Douglas to an end. (There are two branches of the Douglas family, Black and Red; and the Black Douglas is the senior branch.) There plot is to use a woman, Sybilla by name, to lure William to Edinburgh castle, where he can easily be accused of and tried for crimes against the Crown --which, we may note, , is quite against the wishes of the Crown, in the form of a juvenile James II Stuart -- a historical error, because James II came of age two years before the events which this book more or less chronicles).
About halfway through the book, the plot succeeds, which is a bit of a shock if you don't know the history; because William has up to now seemed to be the main protagonist of the book.
However, we have had a number of chapters focused on other characters (including the plotters), and they now prove to be the real protagonists. These are Maltise Kim, the finest blacksmith in Scotland and quite a good fighter in his own right, and his two sons, Sholto and Laurence MacKim. They vow to avenge William, and travel to France to do so, by ending the life of one Marshal Gilles de Retz, the head plotter, who has, along his way back to France, kidnaped the last Black Douglas -- a child by the name of Margaret -- and her nurse Maud, who is beloved of Sholto.
Did I mention fantastic elements? Well, there are a few such elements: Satanic black magic, which is actually effective; werewolves; and (seemingly-)magical armor and weaponry, to name the most obvious. The aforementioned Sybilla is a "witch-woman" with second sight and other powers; indeed, in her first apperance, she is succesfully ... I'm not sure of the right word: banished? Exorcized? Anyway, made to vanish into thin air by Maltise Kim and an Abbot (who is William's uncle).
Crockett spins a pretty good yarn here. At times some of his Scots characters speak in a nearly incomprehensible dialect, and the frequent use in narrative as well as dialog of obscure fifteenth-century Scottish words; even with the help of Google, I was unable to trace some of them. Anyway, I found it a good book, though not quite the page-turner JRRT seems to have thought it.
I would call it historical fantasy, in that it takes a series of actual historical events and wraps a story with fantastical elements around it.
William Douglas is the young Earl of Douglas. His family has made some enemies in the past, and they now conspire to bring the line of the Black Douglas to an end. (There are two branches of the Douglas family, Black and Red; and the Black Douglas is the senior branch.) There plot is to use a woman, Sybilla by name, to lure William to Edinburgh castle, where he can easily be accused of and tried for crimes against the Crown --which, we may note, , is quite against the wishes of the Crown, in the form of a juvenile James II Stuart -- a historical error, because James II came of age two years before the events which this book more or less chronicles).
About halfway through the book, the plot succeeds, which is a bit of a shock if you don't know the history; because William has up to now seemed to be the main protagonist of the book.
However, we have had a number of chapters focused on other characters (including the plotters), and they now prove to be the real protagonists. These are Maltise Kim, the finest blacksmith in Scotland and quite a good fighter in his own right, and his two sons, Sholto and Laurence MacKim. They vow to avenge William, and travel to France to do so, by ending the life of one Marshal Gilles de Retz, the head plotter, who has, along his way back to France, kidnaped the last Black Douglas -- a child by the name of Margaret -- and her nurse Maud, who is beloved of Sholto.
Did I mention fantastic elements? Well, there are a few such elements: Satanic black magic, which is actually effective; werewolves; and (seemingly-)magical armor and weaponry, to name the most obvious. The aforementioned Sybilla is a "witch-woman" with second sight and other powers; indeed, in her first apperance, she is succesfully ... I'm not sure of the right word: banished? Exorcized? Anyway, made to vanish into thin air by Maltise Kim and an Abbot (who is William's uncle).
Crockett spins a pretty good yarn here. At times some of his Scots characters speak in a nearly incomprehensible dialect, and the frequent use in narrative as well as dialog of obscure fifteenth-century Scottish words; even with the help of Google, I was unable to trace some of them. Anyway, I found it a good book, though not quite the page-turner JRRT seems to have thought it.
Read
April 2, 2021The language will be a problem for many readers.
JRR Tolkien was a fan, I thought it was just OK. Historical characters in a fantasy (assuming that werewolves may not be strictly factual), great arcane language to stretch vocabulary, and plenty of tropes that are still in use today make this early twentieth century precursor to modern fantasy books well worth reading. Reasonable expectations are in order. I received this book through Kindle Unlimited's Read for Free program. It was well worth the time and price to read.
JRR Tolkien was a fan, I thought it was just OK. Historical characters in a fantasy (assuming that werewolves may not be strictly factual), great arcane language to stretch vocabulary, and plenty of tropes that are still in use today make this early twentieth century precursor to modern fantasy books well worth reading. Reasonable expectations are in order. I received this book through Kindle Unlimited's Read for Free program. It was well worth the time and price to read.
Read
February 10, 2022A pleasant surprise. Tis a pity that Mr. Crockett is not as well known as R.L. Stevenson or J.M. Barrie.
September 22, 2016
Pretty good, not as good as The Grey Man. To me, there's not one clear protagonist. Most often it's Sholto. And he's not particularly well-defined.
September 27, 2008
pretty interesting- but unfortunately a bit unmemorable. i liked the setting, and the characters were pretty well developed... again. unmemorable. i can't think of anything else to say about it.
Want to read
April 21, 2015Read 2 chapters for Mythgard's Roots of the Mountains course.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews