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The Candlemass Road
George MacDonald Fraser wrote The Candlemass Road after completing his research and writing The Steel Bonnets, his nonfiction account of the Anglo-Scottish border Reivers. Young Lady Margaret Dacre was brought up in the genteel fashion at the court of Queen Elizabeth I. When her father is murdered, she inherits his lands in the English West March and is plunged into a world where violence and raiding are commonplace. Fraser’s characters are, as always, richly developed through vivid descriptions and witty dialogues. His novel is true to the spirit of the Anglo-Scottish frontier feud.
201 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1993
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390 people want to read
About the author
George MacDonald Fraser
116 books692 followersGeorge MacDonald Fraser is best known for his Flashman series of historical novels, purportedly written by Harry Flashman, a fictional coward and bully originally created by Thomas Hughes in Tom Brown's School Days. The novels are presented as "packets" of memoirs written by the nonagenarian Flashman, who looks back on his days as a hero of the British Army during the 19th century. The series begins with Flashman, and is notable for the accuracy of the historical settings and praise from critics. P.G. Wodehouse said of Flashman, “If ever there was a time when I felt that ‘watcher-of-the-skies-when-a-new-planet’ stuff, it was when I read the first Flashman.”
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews
July 20, 2011
This entertaining novella plus long end notes, as of June 2011, is available as a Kindle download for $1.99 from amazon.com
Subtract one star if you haven't read The Steel Bonnets by the same author, or possess a thorough knowledge of the Border region, because otherwise all this talk about Marches and evil Nixons might lead you to believe that this is some sort of obscure allegory about U.S. politics in the 1970s.
I'd file this under “excellent beach reads for the over-educated”, with a cross-reference in “shame it wasn't more commercially successful”. I don't know what film treatments are supposed to be like, but this seems a lot like one to me. To be clear, this is praise: you can see a film in your head, including details barely suggested in the narrative. I rather unimaginatively cast Russell Crowe (thief-turned-hero, handsome when covered in mud), Keira Knightly (well-born lady who must fight, frequent costume changes), and Ian Holm (priest with doubts, stealing the picture). Feel free to re-cast at will...
This book made me think about the strange sexual politics of book publishing in our times. Previously, I had read that Joanne Rowling became J.K. Rowling because the publisher thought boys wouldn't read a book by a woman. This didn't seem so bad to me because boys, well, they bring the very concept of childishness to life; you can't blame them for it any more than you can fault the rain for being wet. However, I also listened to a recent biography of Cornelius Vanderbilt, also by a poor soul who had to resort to the same wheeze with the two initials so that grown-up history geeks would not be seen in public reading a book by a presumably cootie-inducing woman historian.
So, what goes around comes around. Although I understand that there are successful male romance writers (sometimes writing under women's names), perhaps Fraser, best known as the creator of the unredeemable arch-cad Flashman, simply could not be marketed to the romance-reading demographic. As a result, I imagine that Fraser's publisher just didn't bother to tell him to beef up this volume with longer periods of heavy breathing and a more conventional ending (although Fraser is not known for this style of writing, I feel he had a healthy enough interest in money, and sufficient talent, to do so if asked). As a result, this novella as it came out of his typewriter falls between two stools, not mushy enough for the romance-reading public, but too talky for lovers of ultra-violence in historical novel form.
But I loved it. At a mere 190 pages, this is perfect for a weekend at the beach...
Subtract one star if you haven't read The Steel Bonnets by the same author, or possess a thorough knowledge of the Border region, because otherwise all this talk about Marches and evil Nixons might lead you to believe that this is some sort of obscure allegory about U.S. politics in the 1970s.
I'd file this under “excellent beach reads for the over-educated”, with a cross-reference in “shame it wasn't more commercially successful”. I don't know what film treatments are supposed to be like, but this seems a lot like one to me. To be clear, this is praise: you can see a film in your head, including details barely suggested in the narrative. I rather unimaginatively cast Russell Crowe (thief-turned-hero, handsome when covered in mud), Keira Knightly (well-born lady who must fight, frequent costume changes), and Ian Holm (priest with doubts, stealing the picture). Feel free to re-cast at will...
This book made me think about the strange sexual politics of book publishing in our times. Previously, I had read that Joanne Rowling became J.K. Rowling because the publisher thought boys wouldn't read a book by a woman. This didn't seem so bad to me because boys, well, they bring the very concept of childishness to life; you can't blame them for it any more than you can fault the rain for being wet. However, I also listened to a recent biography of Cornelius Vanderbilt, also by a poor soul who had to resort to the same wheeze with the two initials so that grown-up history geeks would not be seen in public reading a book by a presumably cootie-inducing woman historian.
So, what goes around comes around. Although I understand that there are successful male romance writers (sometimes writing under women's names), perhaps Fraser, best known as the creator of the unredeemable arch-cad Flashman, simply could not be marketed to the romance-reading demographic. As a result, I imagine that Fraser's publisher just didn't bother to tell him to beef up this volume with longer periods of heavy breathing and a more conventional ending (although Fraser is not known for this style of writing, I feel he had a healthy enough interest in money, and sufficient talent, to do so if asked). As a result, this novella as it came out of his typewriter falls between two stools, not mushy enough for the romance-reading public, but too talky for lovers of ultra-violence in historical novel form.
But I loved it. At a mere 190 pages, this is perfect for a weekend at the beach...
July 31, 2022
Not one of GMFs finest. He obviously loves the era and location - the English/Scottich borders in the 16C. A lawless place.
April 3, 2020
Miss Dacre, the protagonist returns to her late Grandfather's lands/estate to be faced with a crisis almost instantly. (One of her tennant families is being blackmailed.)
The setting is the lawless Borders region near Carlisle in Northwest England, and a fragile balance exists between the landholders and the Reivers who have been plundering the region for decades. The Grandfather had somehow managed to stay out of this nonsense (although we are given to figure out for ourselves how he did this) It is now up to Miss Dacre to protect her holdings against what seems to be an expectation that she is not going to measure up ... too young, too pretty, Too much "of London," wrong gender; that stuff.
As the story plays out, we learn that a kind of "Code of the Borders" exists ... understood clearly by all but the narrator (a Portuguese Priest) and in my case, the reader. This code sets in motion a series of conflicts reminiscent of those I had encountered in "Billy Budd," or "The Caine Mutiny."
The moral ambiguity is ever so tantalizing and in the end, we are left to make our own judgments.
My only caution is that this is a bare-bones telling. There were any number of subplots or back-stories that could have been elaborated upon. It appears that the author decided to let us be guided by our intuition, and in the end this worked just fine.
February 27, 2014
Completely different from any of the books I've read in a long time!
It's hard to imagine that an author who passed away comparatively recently (in 2008) could write a book like this one. It takes place during the reign of Queen Elizabeth when apparently the area called the Border between England and Scotland was completely at the mercy of a wild bunch of outlaws who made their own law. They also made their living by extorting "protection" money from the poorest of the poor, the peasants who lived in pitiful cabins and were at the mercy of all the brigands who came along. This story tells of one who defies a gang of these outlaws at the behest of Lady Margaret Dacre who has inherited a large property that contains the homes of the unfortunate peasants who live at the mercy of the outlaws as the government is unable to provide any protection. It is written in a style that caused me to go back and reread sentences often in order to understand what was being said. I believe that the author's intention was to write in authentic period style. It was a well told story which I would recommend to anyone interested in a fictional account of the events on the Border during this time period.
It's hard to imagine that an author who passed away comparatively recently (in 2008) could write a book like this one. It takes place during the reign of Queen Elizabeth when apparently the area called the Border between England and Scotland was completely at the mercy of a wild bunch of outlaws who made their own law. They also made their living by extorting "protection" money from the poorest of the poor, the peasants who lived in pitiful cabins and were at the mercy of all the brigands who came along. This story tells of one who defies a gang of these outlaws at the behest of Lady Margaret Dacre who has inherited a large property that contains the homes of the unfortunate peasants who live at the mercy of the outlaws as the government is unable to provide any protection. It is written in a style that caused me to go back and reread sentences often in order to understand what was being said. I believe that the author's intention was to write in authentic period style. It was a well told story which I would recommend to anyone interested in a fictional account of the events on the Border during this time period.
November 1, 2011
Nicely written, good characters and atmosphere. It's essentially a "one-event novel" with the good (brevity, concision, focus) and bad (brevity, lack of character development) that that brings. I would have given three and a half stars if I could have.
May 25, 2021
A stirring little adventure story, The Candlemass Road possesses all the usual George MacDonald Fraser hallmarks of colourful prose, strong characterization and detailed research to bring the historical period to life. What is unusual for Fraser – but not unwelcome – is that it is also a novel with a single clear theme running throughout. Fraser has always had a love of rogues and knaves, but this short novel addresses the grey morality of such a love (indirectly querying why we instinctively admire them) and the impact such individuals can have on their environments: "the good that evil men may do, by design or more commonly by chance", as his narrator puts it on page 5. Indeed, right from the off, Fraser expertly deconstructs the clichéd thought experiment about which historical figures you would invite as the 'perfect dinner party guests', positing that if ruffians were about to gatecrash the party you'd be kicking yourself for having invited Aristotle and not Attila the Hun. "From which pair, in your sore need, shall you hope to have the greater good, the saintly philosophers or the lusty men of war?" (pg. 3).
It's a great introduction to the theme of The Candlemass Road, a variation on the 'it takes a thief to catch a thief' argument. It is the knife-edge between civilization and barbarity – the easy sleep we have only because rough men are ready to do violence on our behalf, as George Orwell put it. And Fraser provides us the perfect setting for this meditation: the lawless borderland between England and Scotland in the Elizabethan Age. Here, Fraser provides us with his own take on the classic wandering-knight-come-to-defend-a-village adventure trope, with a noblewoman employing a rogue to defend one of her settlements from a gang of even blacker rogues. It's not quite a parable and it doesn't pontificate, but it is a tidy little story and the clear theme only sweetens the deal.
It is enjoyable to read; I've long since become used to Fraser's penchant for regional dialect in his novels but, thankfully, it's not overdone here and the story flows easily whilst still retaining its flavour. If I have one mark against The Candlemass Road, it is still one I am unsure about marking. I read The Steel Bonnets, Fraser's detailed history of the Borderlands, not too many months ago and it is still fresh in my mind. I am not sure how much of Candlemass I understood only because of this background knowledge; I have a suspicion readers who are less familiar might perhaps become more lost reading Candlemass. This short novel is an excellent complement to that earlier book but serves well as an adventure in and of itself (The Reavers, which takes the plot of Candlemass and provides an absurdly comic spin, is also very enjoyable but for different reasons).
In his Postscript, Fraser says he wanted Candlemass to provide "an echo of events which happened every day along the border" at that time, and believes historical fiction is the most evocative way of doing so. He succeeds in doing this; The Steel Bonnets made a point of how violence of this sort was seen as a normal way of life in the Border regions at that time, and The Candlemass Road achieves the impressive effect of both showing us how normal it was considered whilst also cutting it through with dash and romance.
It's a great introduction to the theme of The Candlemass Road, a variation on the 'it takes a thief to catch a thief' argument. It is the knife-edge between civilization and barbarity – the easy sleep we have only because rough men are ready to do violence on our behalf, as George Orwell put it. And Fraser provides us the perfect setting for this meditation: the lawless borderland between England and Scotland in the Elizabethan Age. Here, Fraser provides us with his own take on the classic wandering-knight-come-to-defend-a-village adventure trope, with a noblewoman employing a rogue to defend one of her settlements from a gang of even blacker rogues. It's not quite a parable and it doesn't pontificate, but it is a tidy little story and the clear theme only sweetens the deal.
It is enjoyable to read; I've long since become used to Fraser's penchant for regional dialect in his novels but, thankfully, it's not overdone here and the story flows easily whilst still retaining its flavour. If I have one mark against The Candlemass Road, it is still one I am unsure about marking. I read The Steel Bonnets, Fraser's detailed history of the Borderlands, not too many months ago and it is still fresh in my mind. I am not sure how much of Candlemass I understood only because of this background knowledge; I have a suspicion readers who are less familiar might perhaps become more lost reading Candlemass. This short novel is an excellent complement to that earlier book but serves well as an adventure in and of itself (The Reavers, which takes the plot of Candlemass and provides an absurdly comic spin, is also very enjoyable but for different reasons).
In his Postscript, Fraser says he wanted Candlemass to provide "an echo of events which happened every day along the border" at that time, and believes historical fiction is the most evocative way of doing so. He succeeds in doing this; The Steel Bonnets made a point of how violence of this sort was seen as a normal way of life in the Border regions at that time, and The Candlemass Road achieves the impressive effect of both showing us how normal it was considered whilst also cutting it through with dash and romance.
December 14, 2016
Ten years ago, in the midst of some mad genealogical research, I discovered some of my ancestors were of English stock, and they came from the English/ Scottish border, and the clan was "reivers."
This lead to a long spell of research and reading. Among the books about "reivers" which I read, and my spellchecker does not even recognize, was "The Steel Bonnets," by George MacDonald Fraser.
This book, "The Candlemass Road," is by Fraser. A fictional account of a few days in the times when the reivers ruled. I loved the book. It was a very accurate account of what life was like in the days when both England and Scotland claimed the border country, and neither of them really ruled it. The result was about 300 years of feud, raid, killing and chaos. Survival was the only law, and outlaws in one county were law enforcement officials in another.
This is a great story, but is made into a slow read because the narrator, a Catholic priest, in a country where Catholicism is illegal, does all the narrating in the language of the time. Which adds some feel to the piece, at the price of clarity. It is damned hard to understand sometimes.
But a great, authentic read. Reading, "The Steel Bonnets," first is recommended.
This lead to a long spell of research and reading. Among the books about "reivers" which I read, and my spellchecker does not even recognize, was "The Steel Bonnets," by George MacDonald Fraser.
This book, "The Candlemass Road," is by Fraser. A fictional account of a few days in the times when the reivers ruled. I loved the book. It was a very accurate account of what life was like in the days when both England and Scotland claimed the border country, and neither of them really ruled it. The result was about 300 years of feud, raid, killing and chaos. Survival was the only law, and outlaws in one county were law enforcement officials in another.
This is a great story, but is made into a slow read because the narrator, a Catholic priest, in a country where Catholicism is illegal, does all the narrating in the language of the time. Which adds some feel to the piece, at the price of clarity. It is damned hard to understand sometimes.
But a great, authentic read. Reading, "The Steel Bonnets," first is recommended.
February 8, 2013
Interesting book. The language, which is very much of the 16th. century when the book is set, is at first a little slowing, but you quickly get used to it and the pace is fast. The plot is really an episode in Border history (border between England and Scotland), based on a few facts and expanded into fiction, written from the point of view of a foreign priest who is an outsider in a nominally Protestant border country, appalled at the violence and cruelty of the region. George MacDonald Fraser was a writer who built action and plot brilliantly, and had enough interest in history and historical accuracy to set them well.
January 20, 2013
Lord Dacre has kept the peace in the borderlands by ruthlessly punishing bandits. When he dies, his threat dies with him, leaving the Anglo-Scottish borders vulnerable to the outlaws. His daughter, Lady Dacre, has been raised in genteel fashion in the court of Queen Elizabeth I, but she now returns to claim her inheritance and attempt to reclaim the peace that her father had maintained.
• No language or sexual issues
• Narrated by the priest, who uses Elizabethan-era language. This includes unfamiliar words and complex sentences, which requires a strong reader.
• Slow plot, stiff and formal narration
• No language or sexual issues
• Narrated by the priest, who uses Elizabethan-era language. This includes unfamiliar words and complex sentences, which requires a strong reader.
• Slow plot, stiff and formal narration
July 5, 2013
This is a novel based in the same time and place as the Steel Bonnets, also by George MacDonald Fraser. Steel Bonnets is a history, but Fraser is a novelist as well as an historian and it is no surprise that he would base a novel upon the research he did for the history. Based on reviews I have read by others, I suspect it helps to read Steel Bonnets first because it gives the reader a lot of context to understand the social and political pressures of the 16th century in the Debatable Lands.
August 30, 2014
Vivid characters in violent times - what more could a reader ask for? This is story telling at its best, packed with tension from beginning to end, spiced with humor and a faint touch of romance. The Elizabethan-style English may be a barrier for some readers, but for me the authenticity of the language made the story more enjoyable. There is also a fair amount of violence, so be warned. Highly recommended for all fans of historical fiction.
June 28, 2016
My favourite GMF novel and perhaps favourite novel. It deals with the lawless land between Scotland and England and has some archaic language (which I think is explained in a glossary at the back of the book). The protagonist is a Roman Catholic Priest whose parishioner was the local-nob cum warlord-sheriff and his liege-lord before he died. Now that the nob is dead, his granddaughter, recently returned from peaceful Surrey or Bucks inherits the anarchy ...
March 23, 2010
Short...But brutal, nasty, and full of betrayal.
As this was one of his pet topics I was surprised that GMcDF didn't do more with the period.
Lost a star purely due to it's brevity. Great stuff though.
As this was one of his pet topics I was surprised that GMcDF didn't do more with the period.
Lost a star purely due to it's brevity. Great stuff though.
September 5, 2013
This started off as a great story- although a bit gory, and then, just when it got going, and everything was set up for a great novel- IT ENDED! Yep, just like that! That's why I'm giving it a 2. Sad thing is, the author is deceased, so no chance of the story being continued in another book...
February 20, 2018
Fraser writes like nobody else
This is a fun and well researched story but the real draw is GMF’s writing. He was a rare master and this book is incredibly pleasurable to read as a result of his phrasing.
This is a fun and well researched story but the real draw is GMF’s writing. He was a rare master and this book is incredibly pleasurable to read as a result of his phrasing.
July 27, 2019
Really short read - less than a day. The lack of chapters mean that it all goes by in a bit of a stampede, but it’s worth a read.
October 27, 2019
A work of fiction that has its roots firmly in history. I loved this book.
February 5, 2020
A lovely (but oh so gruesome!) little novel!
September 3, 2020
You can see the beginnings of the idea of The Reavers here. It was a fascinating glimpse a the Borderlands and while not a conventional "happy" ending, definitely an appropriate one.
March 10, 2021
Excellent story that describes the reality of the borders between Scotland and England for centuries. Read the historical post-script after the story itself.
March 22, 2022
This is a re-read whilst awaiting the new books I have on order. I enjoyed it the first time and did so again this time. Before buying the book I had already read MacDonald-Fraser's "Steel Bonnets"https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9... , which many regard as the definitive book on the topic of the lawless Borderland, the English/Scottish marcher country where one country's law enforcer is the other's reiver, moss trooper, and yet, at times, ally and even friend (though you wouldn't want to shew your back to them). Treason, betrayal, raid, murder blackmail (in its original meaning of "protection racket"), feud and vengeance - a place where only the brave and the violent survive.
Into this maelstrom of malevolence comes Lady Margaret Dacre, born on the border, but since raised at the Court of Queen Elizabeth I. An heiress of her grandfather who had kept his land and his folk free of predator riding families by sword, lance and fire. With his death his own troop of hardened men had left. Who will save Lady Madge? Will the broken man held in her cellar be her saviour or her bane? If she gets help will she stay true to her helper or will she follow the ways of the country and betray?
Answers to the above can be gained by buying this short novel (with its 21 page historical postscript): you will not regret it!
One thing I should mention: many reviewers say the author has used Elizabethan English, whereas I think that to be untrue and that it is written, as with, say, MacDonald-Fraser's McAulan stories or his "Stationed Safe Out Here", use of local dialect.
Into this maelstrom of malevolence comes Lady Margaret Dacre, born on the border, but since raised at the Court of Queen Elizabeth I. An heiress of her grandfather who had kept his land and his folk free of predator riding families by sword, lance and fire. With his death his own troop of hardened men had left. Who will save Lady Madge? Will the broken man held in her cellar be her saviour or her bane? If she gets help will she stay true to her helper or will she follow the ways of the country and betray?
Answers to the above can be gained by buying this short novel (with its 21 page historical postscript): you will not regret it!
One thing I should mention: many reviewers say the author has used Elizabethan English, whereas I think that to be untrue and that it is written, as with, say, MacDonald-Fraser's McAulan stories or his "Stationed Safe Out Here", use of local dialect.
December 8, 2022
It's just a one event novella, not a true novel, and so a quick read. Couched in 16th century English it tells a story of raids, defence and political machinations in the lawless border region between England and Scotland. Strongly drawn characters ring true and engage our sympathy despite their brief introduction. The action scenes are portrayed in grisly realism. As noted there are extensive end notes that give a lot of background history of the region and interestingly tell where Fraser got his inspiration. Well written and entertaining but be aware some will find the language difficult.
December 31, 2020
Fraser makes an attempt to use period and regional language for this story, so it took me a bit to fall into the rhythm. Now, I am the ideal audience for this having already read Fraser's The Steel Bonnets so I knew the dark and dangerous history of the border reivers, which he does a nice gloss of the the notes at the end of the book, but others might find the situation a bit more confusing. Still, a wonderful story, if grim at times.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 19, 2019
This was a bizarre read. I think it was probably the work of a brilliant mind but it read like a diary from 1570. I enjoyed the characters but it was so hard to discern what they were saying and feeling with the antiquated language. Read a sample before you commit.
April 22, 2020
Fun to read
The Olde English and the action made this book exciting and entertaining. Years ago action took place and people reacted or overreacted. What a wild time was had by all!
The Olde English and the action made this book exciting and entertaining. Years ago action took place and people reacted or overreacted. What a wild time was had by all!
November 5, 2025
Splendid little novella which gives a great insight into the small and regular incidents of life in the Elizabethan Borders. Having read MacDonald Fraser's "Steel Bonnets", this is a really satisfying follow-up. Could be read in a day (but I dragged it out over a few).
July 25, 2017
Though well written, the book lacks a satisfactory conclusion.
April 11, 2018
Pretty pedestrian Fraser, albeit with interesting historical references.
May 10, 2020
An historical novel, based on possible happenings and real figures. The borders of Scotland and England in the late 1500s.
July 13, 2020
I noticed this audio book was read by the author himself, who was a Borderer and had a fantastic reading voice, so I knew it would be good - and it is.
In fact, I enjoyed it more the second time round (which is very rare) because of it.
He was a wonderful wordsmith who over his career, particularly the Flashman novels, crafted clever plot lines and he was literally the definitive authority on the Border Reivers.
In the generous afterword he explains that this book should be considered as a companion to his more famous non-fiction work ‘The Steel Bonnets’.
To get a full flavour of the 16TH century Borders read them both.
Borderers, Scots and those from Northern England will find the dialogue easy to follow, others may have to puzzle out some words though context. But there are some fantastic dialectic words if you do.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews