The Wallace

by Nigel Tranter

William Wallace -- a man of violent passions and unquenchable spirit, the natural leader of a proud race. — Scotland at the end of the 13th century was a blood-torn country under the harsh domination of a tyrant usurper, the hated Plantagenet, Edward Longshanks. During the appalling violence of those unsettled days one man rose as leader of the Scots. That man was William Wallace. Motivated first by revenge for his father's slaughter, Wallace then vowed to cleanse his country of the English and set the rightful king, Robert the Bruce, upon the Scottish throne.

Though Wallace was a heroic figure, he was but a man -- and his chosen path led him through grievous danger and personal tragedy before the final outcome...

Genres: Historical Fiction, Scotland, Fiction, 13th Century, Historical, Medieval

448 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1975

About the author

Nigel Tranter OBE was a Scottish historian and writer. He was the author of a wide range of books on Scottish castles, particularly on themes of architecture and history. He also specialised in deeply researched historical novels that cover centuries of Scottish history.

Reviews

[Jan-Maat]

This is an example of very efficient writing in that that the author tells the same story as in the beginning of his Robert the Bruce trilogy, except from a slightly different point of view or to be explicit in this novel Robert the Bruce is an unreliable, lily-livered, unprincipled coward while in the Bruce trilogy he's a wily political survivor who could teach a fox a thing or two about cunning.

Apart from that minor difference the same historical ground is covered: King of Scots dies mysteriously, his heir is a little girl living in Norway, she is shipped to Scotland but dies in transit (medieval Maersk deny responsibility), enter rapacious English install John Balliol (his father had endowed the eponymous Oxford college) as King, he in a beautiful phrase is a toom tabard or an empty coat, one might say a suit, he's booted out were upon the serious fighting begins.

There was a Mel Gibson film of which one could say that any similarities with actual persons or events are unfortunately accidental which happens (perhaps coincidently) to be set in the right country at about the right time, but which otherwise drifts off on its own fantasy of violence as though there was enough and drama too in history as it is sometimes.

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Few writers ever were as well versed in the panoply of Scottish history as Nigel Tranter. And it is a remarkably rich history for a small country -- largely because of bad behavior by its neighbor to the south, England. The Wallace gives a far more believable picture of 13th century hero William Wallace than does the movie Braveheart. As much as I loved the movie, I recognized at once that it was intent on embellishing a myth. Tranter, on the other hand, concentrated on the problems with the nobility, which was of two minds about Wallace.

To date, I have read almost twenty of Tranter's historical novels and enjoyed every single one. They range from the dark ages to the present day. All are well written. My only fear is that Tranter was so prolific that I might not be able to read all of them. Without doubt, he was one of the two or three bestwriters of historical fiction who ever lived.

[Aaron Knowles · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great read

As I said in the title a great read and some very interesting stories. Much more historically accurate than the movie Braveheart obviously this makes it a must read for fans of the movie. I am from Northern Ireland and love learning and relearning Scottish history and this is the type of book that takes me to the time and place in great detail. I look forward to reading more of the authors books.

[Lars Wachsmuth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Die Geschichte von William Wallace ist hier geschickt als Roman aufbereitet. Die wenigen bekannten Fakten werden durch Fiktion in den "Lücken" ergänzt, bei der man aber immer das Gefühl hat, dass es so gewesen sein könnte. Nirgendwo wird übertrieben oder die sensationellste Variante gewählt. Einen Stern ziehe ich ab, weil ich mich mitunter sprachlich etwas schwer getan habe.

[Trudy Brasure · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very compelling and realistic account of William Wallace’s campaign against the English in the late 13th century. The amount of place names and character names was staggering. The author’s knowledge of his subject is impressive.

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

The real story of William Wallace is quite different from Braveheart but none the less heroic. He was an earnest and smart leader and seemed to have the best interest of the people at heart. I understand the dramatic license the movie took, although the princess love story was the most egregious. If anything it didn't capture his tactical brilliance. His tragic end did come from betrayal and roused The Bruce at last to actually lead the people to freedom after a further decade of war. The treatment of the people in the border lands in Scotland, England, and France is perhaps the biggest tragedy of this period (and from long before and for long after).

[Raimo Wirkkala · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you've seen "Braveheart" and think you know the story of William Wallace, think again! This novel, first published in 1975, is certainly speculative historical fiction in large part but it is written by a Scottish historian with more devotion to historical accuracy then Mel Gibson. Tranter sometimes gets bogged down in the kind of minutiae that would be of interest only to Scots but, then again, they are a large part of his readership.

[David Douglas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Our William kicking some English butt. Quite a coincidence that while reading about 'Stirling bridge" I was on holiday in Stirling and a few days later while reading the execution part, I was in St. Paul's which is right beside the Smithfield market.

[Pete Dewhirst · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely superb. What a gem Nigel Tranter is. How had I never heard of him before? This is historical fiction done properly, with an emphasis on the historical and, where there may be such, any gaps are filled in seemingly realistically and above all respectfully.

There's also something, especially in the scenes of lords and assorted gentry, that feels very Golden Age Hollywood. Villains you love to hate without them being caricatures. Think Claude Rains or Basil Rathbone.

Meanwhile, especially with the denouement, one can't help thinking a certain Randall Wallace may have read this ahead of penning a certain 1995 blockbuster. And damn it really does make you detest Longshanks (*shakes fist at Danny Dyer, Courtney Cox, and Charles III*).

[Barb Seaberg · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book because we caught the end of”Braveheart” on TV a little while ago and I got interested in Scottish history. This book was a good read, in spite of the complexity of the geography that Wallace and his cohorts covered. I decided early on to “go with The Flow” and get the gist of what happened without understanding the complexities of the territory and the relationships. Suffice it to say it is a different story than Braveheart and gave me a good overview of how the Scots eventually obtained their independence.

[Mike Dougherty · Rating 4 out of 5]

A story teller not a teller of tales.

The meat of this novel is the humanizing of a character mostly lost to recorded history. The author is adept at taking history and incorporating the more human elements that allows the reader to walk with the hero and understand the life of the period.

[doug.whatzup · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've read plenty of historical fiction and historical non-fiction, but NIgel Tranter's historical novels are a new and different kind of read for me. Tranter, it seems, knows as much about Scotland and its history as anybody, so he's probably as qualified as anyone to put flesh to the skeleton of history, and the fact that he's a terrific storyteller doesn't hurt one bit.

[Iain · Rating 5 out of 5]

The master of the Scots historical novel, Nigel Tranter's books provide enjoyable access to Scotland's history in a scrupulously researched and eminently readable form. "The Wallace" is no exception. If you're interested in Scotland's history, Tranter is your man.

[Rose Stanley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Number of times I said: OH HELL YEAH (re Wallace) or OH HELL NO (re pretty much everyone else): infinite. Gripping stuff. Also, Sir Alexander Scrymgeour deserved way more recognition and respect.

In conclusion: Braveheart Who? I don't know her.

[Hi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good but pales in comparison to the Bruce Trilogy—which is a masterpiece. Wallace’s story, while heroic, does not have the political intrigue or depth of the Bruce’s story (the first book which covers roughly the same period).

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun read that’s tied closely to the known history of William Wallace (sorry Braveheart, you’re kinda made up…). Tranter does a great job filling in historical blanks and adding dialogue. Looking forward to reading his series on Robert the Bruce.

[gerard mcdonald · Rating 4 out of 5]

William Wallace

William Wallace the non Hollywood version. Great story read and historical settings information. An enjoyable book that made me proud to be Scottish.

[Pat · Rating 4 out of 5]

14th chronologically in Tranter's historical novels tells the story of William Wallace. What a gift this man's books are.

[rabbitprincess · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[Bill Wallace · Rating 3 out of 5]

Took a while to get used to the author's writing style. So much detail about the topography and geography, but it grew on me. I will read another book by Nigel Tranter.

[Brian R · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book. Very informative and educational. Learn more from Tranter's 'faction' than any history lesson.

[Donald Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read it years show really good

[Eelyn Oliver · Rating 4 out of 5]

This a good book but very dated in terms of history. So do not use this as a historical guide.

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stops short of being openly hostile to those not intimately acquainted with Scottish history and geography. Still, it's fine fodder for armchair generals.

[Breanne Herrmann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super entertaining and lots of characters. Wallace’s life was a mess, but a necessary one. Boo Edward Longshanks. I hope he was a miserable man.

[Marion · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having read Tranter's 'The Bruce Trilogy' I knew I had to read this. For anyone with an interest in history - and especially the history of one of Scotland's most famous son's, this book is a must.
Tranter has a great way of incorporating dialogue into his books, which is great when you find facts/dates/figures fairly tiresome to get through.

This is the real Wallace story and a must for anyone who still believes Braveheart is an accurate depiction of Wallace. (I do enjoy Braveheart as a film, but it's seriously inaccurate).

[James Loftus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Immensely readerable. A tragedy. As Albert Einstein saw so far because he stood on the shoulders of giants so Robert The Bruce ... freed Scotland from England's grevious yoke by virtue of the heroism of The Wallace. He gave Bruce the path to follow as The Bruce did, nobly, and successfully.

[❆ Crystal ❆ · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a pretty dry read... I really struggled to read it. Full of facts but I would have enjoyed a little personal touch. I'm glad I read it, to learn more about The Wallace... but it was hard to read.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another Scottish hero -- "Braveheart."

[Marilyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic in-depth look at this hero of Scotland and the times in which he lived. Made me proud to have him as a namesake for two of my grandfathers!