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Scotland: A Journey through Scottish History, Battles, Clans, Highlanders, Myths, Legends & More
Discover The Epic Legends & Untold Stories of Scotland's Past
Step back in time and explore the captivating battles, clans, highlanders, myths, and legends that have shaped Scotland from ancient times to the present day.
Through vivid storytelling, you'll be transported to the heart of Scotland's past to discover the customs and traditions of its clans. From the fierce Highland warriors to the cunning Lowland politicians, and how their actions shaped Scotland's identity.
This book has been meticulously researched and is packed with historical facts.
Plus, you'll discover the intriguing myths and legends that continue to captivate Scots and visitors alike, such as the “Loch Ness Monster” and the “Ghost of Glamis Castle”.
All of this and much more
The Ancient Origins of Scotland, including The Arrival of the CeltsThrilling Tales of the Roman Invasion + it’s Lasting ImpactChaos, Conquest, & Kings - Exploring The Mediaeval Period of Anglo-Saxons, Viking Invasions & moreThe Heroic Story of Robert the Bruce and His Quest to Unite ScotlandWilliam Wallace - The Real Braveheart Behind the “Hollywood Legend"Exploring the Renaissance Period of Scotland's Politics, Religion & CultureLives & Legacies of Scotland's Kings & Queens - Featuring Margaret Tudor, Mary Queen of Scots and many moreThe Bloody Chronicles of Scotland's Major Battles & Wars - from Braveheart to the Jacobites and BeyondModern Scotland - A Tale of Industry, Heartbreak, and NationalismAnd much, much more…
Whether you're an avid history buff or simply interested in exploring the land of kilts, bagpipes, and whisky, this book is an essential read.
Unlock the secrets of Scotland's past and order your copy of "History of Scotland" now!
Step back in time and explore the captivating battles, clans, highlanders, myths, and legends that have shaped Scotland from ancient times to the present day.
Through vivid storytelling, you'll be transported to the heart of Scotland's past to discover the customs and traditions of its clans. From the fierce Highland warriors to the cunning Lowland politicians, and how their actions shaped Scotland's identity.
This book has been meticulously researched and is packed with historical facts.
Plus, you'll discover the intriguing myths and legends that continue to captivate Scots and visitors alike, such as the “Loch Ness Monster” and the “Ghost of Glamis Castle”.
All of this and much more
The Ancient Origins of Scotland, including The Arrival of the CeltsThrilling Tales of the Roman Invasion + it’s Lasting ImpactChaos, Conquest, & Kings - Exploring The Mediaeval Period of Anglo-Saxons, Viking Invasions & moreThe Heroic Story of Robert the Bruce and His Quest to Unite ScotlandWilliam Wallace - The Real Braveheart Behind the “Hollywood Legend"Exploring the Renaissance Period of Scotland's Politics, Religion & CultureLives & Legacies of Scotland's Kings & Queens - Featuring Margaret Tudor, Mary Queen of Scots and many moreThe Bloody Chronicles of Scotland's Major Battles & Wars - from Braveheart to the Jacobites and BeyondModern Scotland - A Tale of Industry, Heartbreak, and NationalismAnd much, much more…
Whether you're an avid history buff or simply interested in exploring the land of kilts, bagpipes, and whisky, this book is an essential read.
Unlock the secrets of Scotland's past and order your copy of "History of Scotland" now!
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163 pages, Paperback
Published June 3, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
June 12, 2024
Let’s start with the positives for the book. If you’re looking for a very basic, broad strokes overview of the history of Scotland, you can find that here, to an extent. You’re going to mostly get information about the early tribes and groups, the Roman occupation, and then a summary of what each of the monarchs did during their reign, with little sprinkling of daily life, religion and technology thrown in. So if that’s what you’re looking for, this might be useful.
Now on to the negatives. Given the current state of things and the fact that this book is produced by a group without a named author, I have to question who was responsible for this. Was it multiple people? Who actually did the writing and the researching? The writing was odd and so bland and straightforward that it belongs in the driest of history books. For all the group being called “History Brought Alive”, I have never found a history book so dull as this one, making it very much not brought to life on the page. Here are some of the things that stood out as being strange or difficult to get through.
-The introduction gave off weird vibes. For example, these final lines stating, “Don’t waste your time and energy on confusing and ineffective books. You have the answers you need right here.” In studying history, should we not be encouraging people to find diverse sources and perspectives? This feels very much like a “trust me, I know best” line that I don’t care for.
It also says, “Information that’s devoid of myth as much as possible to debunk misconceptions is provided.” While I appreciate that we’re going for factual information here, the title of the book mentions legends and myths, both of which are indeed integral to the understanding of a country’s history. Neither is really even mentioned in the book.
-It never indicated whether the year was C.E., even in sentences that mentioned a span of years including B.C.E., which makes things slightly uncertain on dates. For example, we have “The Iron Age followed the Bronze Age, from around 800 B.C.E. to 400.” I’ve never seen anything historical refer to such early years in the common era without mentioning something like “in the year” or without C.E., which led to awkward sentences like “The Romans arrived in the middle of this Celtic period—around 43,” and “The lack of defense made them a soft target, resulting in Roman conquest in 84.”
-It was also often repetitive in the vocabulary it used in consecutive sentences, or even within the same sentence, such as “When Septimius Severus’s son was sent to destroy them once and for all in 211, his own troops refused as they refused to acknowledge him as their emperor.”
-This may just be a me-thing, but I also would have appreciated some maps, especially as it discussed the areas that different groups had control over. Since it was discussing Medieval times and before, just looking up certain areas on current maps is not always helpful because they don’t fully correspond. Some maps created specifically for what this book described would have been helpful. Similarly, some actual pictures or paintings of the events described would have been nice. The pictures included were generic and sometimes didn’t even correspond to the time period being described on the page.
-When I got to the section on the kings during the Medieval Period, I thought I was finally getting into some more interesting information. Unfortunately, as it described every single king in order, it often repeated itself from one to the next. For example we get this in the section about Duncan I: “Further, when Malcolm II died, he nominated Duncan as his heir, which further violated custom. The system in place at the time would have given the rule to someone in an alternate branch of the royal family, which is one of the reasons Macbeth rose up against Duncan within the first few years of his rule—Macbeth being from the other branch.” And then, on the very next page in the section on Macbeth: “He had a claim to the Scottish throne when Malcolm II died, but his cousin (Duncan I) inherited it instead due to breaking the customs that were in place about who should get the throne. As a result, conflict broke out between the two factions of the family.” Not to mention that in the section before Duncan I about Malcolm II it said this: “He tried to get around the succession process for his successor so that the throne would go to his grandson as well. He succeeded, but in doing so, it laid the groundwork for the violence that ensued with Macbeth and Duncan’s son, Malcolm III Canmore.” By the end of this section, I had read the same information rephrased slightly so many times I almost gave up this book.
-We get this interesting line when we get to the section on the Stewarts: “Robert II’s sex life contributed to later stability of the kingdom.” Was there no other way to put this? Up until this time, it’s been a pretty dry, straightforward way of writing, but then this?
-I have no idea what’s going on in this section on the Renaissance: “Even the royal family’s status shifted from their right to rule to their capacity to hold the ruling position. While their position had elevated because of the Renaissance, the use of mathematics to get better weapons was of more importance.” Weird, and then interesting how we go on to show how the Stewarts just kept ruling for centuries, as if it all came down to the weaponry they had and not the line of succession and their name.
-I’m not familiar enough with the rest of the history mentioned in this book, but I do know enough about Mary, Queen of Scots to know that this information about her is inaccurate: “His daughter, Mary, Queen of Scots, was born six days after his death.” The truth is that James V died six days after she was born, so she became queen at six days old.
Finally, the link in the ebook at the beginning advertising their site and a free download of other books took me to a phishing pop-up, which immediately made me suspicious and turned me off. Part of the reason I even bothered to finish this book was so I could write this review and warn other readers off. I was really excited to get a quick review of Scottish history before a trip there, and was hoping to learn more about other topics with the other books from this group, but I was so turned off by this, I just can’t.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Now on to the negatives. Given the current state of things and the fact that this book is produced by a group without a named author, I have to question who was responsible for this. Was it multiple people? Who actually did the writing and the researching? The writing was odd and so bland and straightforward that it belongs in the driest of history books. For all the group being called “History Brought Alive”, I have never found a history book so dull as this one, making it very much not brought to life on the page. Here are some of the things that stood out as being strange or difficult to get through.
-The introduction gave off weird vibes. For example, these final lines stating, “Don’t waste your time and energy on confusing and ineffective books. You have the answers you need right here.” In studying history, should we not be encouraging people to find diverse sources and perspectives? This feels very much like a “trust me, I know best” line that I don’t care for.
It also says, “Information that’s devoid of myth as much as possible to debunk misconceptions is provided.” While I appreciate that we’re going for factual information here, the title of the book mentions legends and myths, both of which are indeed integral to the understanding of a country’s history. Neither is really even mentioned in the book.
-It never indicated whether the year was C.E., even in sentences that mentioned a span of years including B.C.E., which makes things slightly uncertain on dates. For example, we have “The Iron Age followed the Bronze Age, from around 800 B.C.E. to 400.” I’ve never seen anything historical refer to such early years in the common era without mentioning something like “in the year” or without C.E., which led to awkward sentences like “The Romans arrived in the middle of this Celtic period—around 43,” and “The lack of defense made them a soft target, resulting in Roman conquest in 84.”
-It was also often repetitive in the vocabulary it used in consecutive sentences, or even within the same sentence, such as “When Septimius Severus’s son was sent to destroy them once and for all in 211, his own troops refused as they refused to acknowledge him as their emperor.”
-This may just be a me-thing, but I also would have appreciated some maps, especially as it discussed the areas that different groups had control over. Since it was discussing Medieval times and before, just looking up certain areas on current maps is not always helpful because they don’t fully correspond. Some maps created specifically for what this book described would have been helpful. Similarly, some actual pictures or paintings of the events described would have been nice. The pictures included were generic and sometimes didn’t even correspond to the time period being described on the page.
-When I got to the section on the kings during the Medieval Period, I thought I was finally getting into some more interesting information. Unfortunately, as it described every single king in order, it often repeated itself from one to the next. For example we get this in the section about Duncan I: “Further, when Malcolm II died, he nominated Duncan as his heir, which further violated custom. The system in place at the time would have given the rule to someone in an alternate branch of the royal family, which is one of the reasons Macbeth rose up against Duncan within the first few years of his rule—Macbeth being from the other branch.” And then, on the very next page in the section on Macbeth: “He had a claim to the Scottish throne when Malcolm II died, but his cousin (Duncan I) inherited it instead due to breaking the customs that were in place about who should get the throne. As a result, conflict broke out between the two factions of the family.” Not to mention that in the section before Duncan I about Malcolm II it said this: “He tried to get around the succession process for his successor so that the throne would go to his grandson as well. He succeeded, but in doing so, it laid the groundwork for the violence that ensued with Macbeth and Duncan’s son, Malcolm III Canmore.” By the end of this section, I had read the same information rephrased slightly so many times I almost gave up this book.
-We get this interesting line when we get to the section on the Stewarts: “Robert II’s sex life contributed to later stability of the kingdom.” Was there no other way to put this? Up until this time, it’s been a pretty dry, straightforward way of writing, but then this?
-I have no idea what’s going on in this section on the Renaissance: “Even the royal family’s status shifted from their right to rule to their capacity to hold the ruling position. While their position had elevated because of the Renaissance, the use of mathematics to get better weapons was of more importance.” Weird, and then interesting how we go on to show how the Stewarts just kept ruling for centuries, as if it all came down to the weaponry they had and not the line of succession and their name.
-I’m not familiar enough with the rest of the history mentioned in this book, but I do know enough about Mary, Queen of Scots to know that this information about her is inaccurate: “His daughter, Mary, Queen of Scots, was born six days after his death.” The truth is that James V died six days after she was born, so she became queen at six days old.
Finally, the link in the ebook at the beginning advertising their site and a free download of other books took me to a phishing pop-up, which immediately made me suspicious and turned me off. Part of the reason I even bothered to finish this book was so I could write this review and warn other readers off. I was really excited to get a quick review of Scottish history before a trip there, and was hoping to learn more about other topics with the other books from this group, but I was so turned off by this, I just can’t.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
March 10, 2025
This book was clearly written by AI. The illustrations provided make no sense. Random misspelings…
The information is written like a Wikipedia page. All fact no feeling.
The summations throughout feel like a mediocre undergrad paper.
The information is, at least, correct. I’ve read enough Scottish history to be able to know the line of history, but without that context, even as a sort of “Cliff’s Notes,” this is rough.
The information is written like a Wikipedia page. All fact no feeling.
The summations throughout feel like a mediocre undergrad paper.
The information is, at least, correct. I’ve read enough Scottish history to be able to know the line of history, but without that context, even as a sort of “Cliff’s Notes,” this is rough.
July 15, 2024
Although there were many interesting sections in this book, I largely found it too choppy and difficult to read. The longer sections where the writer spent some time going into details on an event were much easier to follow and as a result, more enjoyable to read. It would have also been beneficial to have either endnotes or footnotes to further explain certain events. I found the early sections slightly confusing because the writer jumps quickly from one group to another without enough information or connection between the groups. I realize that there is not a lot of information on certain areas of Scottish history, particularly in the early history of Scotland, however, these sections should probably have been combined altogether into one chapter, without being divided into different sections for each of the tribes. It would have had a better flow to it and been easier to read without these headings. The writer also starts to talk about a monarch under a heading and then jumps back in time with a section on a certain event that took place around the same time but sometimes beginning with the previous monarch. Again, focusing on the individuals/groups associated with certain events and a detailed explanation of events rather than the reigns of certain monarchs would have been better. If order to focus on monarchs, there needs to be much more detail, coherency, and transition between them. I do appreciate the effort that the writer put into researching the topics covered in this book. However, the way in which the information is organized needs to be restructured for a better, less confusing read. Maybe having less information and trying to cover less topics and dividing the information into more than one book, would have been beneficial as trying to cover the entire history of Scotland in 150 pages is also part of the problem. The last section of the book barely explained anything about "The Modern Era". I also found the blurb about this book a little misleading, mentioning topics that were never actually covered in the book. Overall, there was some interesting information in this book but a restructuring of this information would make it a much more enjoyable read.
June 27, 2024
I received an advanced review copy for free, and I'm leaving this review voluntairy.
After a recent DNA test I found out that I'm almost half Scottish! And while I have always been interested in Scottish culture and folklore I have never really taken the time to learn anything about it. However, when the opportunity to read "Scotland: A journey through Scottish History, Battles, Clans, Highlanders, Myths, Legends & More" I jumped on it.
This book is relatively short so I wasn't intimidated to take a deeper dive into history. A subject that, admittedly, isn't my favorite (especially more recent history). I think it does a good job of touching many of the important aspects of Scottish history! The book doesn't go into great detail about time period, but it introduces you to many of them and you then have the opportunity to go find more literature about the aspects you find most appealing!
The writing was a little dry (this is coming from someone who usually reads epic fantasy) but I'm also not sure how you make history writing exciting! Especially when not going into great detail about anything. I was hoping for a bit more as far as folklore and mythology goes, but overall I was very pleased with this book!
For anyone that wants to learn about Scottish history but doesn't want to spend hours researching and doesn't want to read a solid textbook, this book is for you! Its a great, brief dive into the country, touching on all the most important aspects! I definitely recommend it!
After a recent DNA test I found out that I'm almost half Scottish! And while I have always been interested in Scottish culture and folklore I have never really taken the time to learn anything about it. However, when the opportunity to read "Scotland: A journey through Scottish History, Battles, Clans, Highlanders, Myths, Legends & More" I jumped on it.
This book is relatively short so I wasn't intimidated to take a deeper dive into history. A subject that, admittedly, isn't my favorite (especially more recent history). I think it does a good job of touching many of the important aspects of Scottish history! The book doesn't go into great detail about time period, but it introduces you to many of them and you then have the opportunity to go find more literature about the aspects you find most appealing!
The writing was a little dry (this is coming from someone who usually reads epic fantasy) but I'm also not sure how you make history writing exciting! Especially when not going into great detail about anything. I was hoping for a bit more as far as folklore and mythology goes, but overall I was very pleased with this book!
For anyone that wants to learn about Scottish history but doesn't want to spend hours researching and doesn't want to read a solid textbook, this book is for you! Its a great, brief dive into the country, touching on all the most important aspects! I definitely recommend it!
October 1, 2024
A concise but well organized and complete history of Scotland
Audiobook version: 5 stars overall, 5 stars story, 5 stars narration
This lovely history audiobook has given me a much better understanding of the prehistory and history of Scotland. It is very well organized and the excellent narrator enhances the experience. He has an English accent with superb enunciation and a lovely musical tone to his voice.
The text contains abundant detail and covers every age of the formation and development of the Scottish state, including prehistory, Roman, medieval, Renaissance, Industrial Revolution, and modern times. It was fascinating learning how various famous Scottish historical figures fit into the historical timeline and the complicated past politics of Scotland. I especially liked hearing about Macbeth, William Wallace, and Mary Queen of Scots. Due to this cool audiobook I now know why the Jacobite Uprisings started, which gave me useful context for fiction books and TV series that I watch.
I requested and received a free audio copy from the publisher, and I voluntarily wrote this honest review.
Audiobook version: 5 stars overall, 5 stars story, 5 stars narration
This lovely history audiobook has given me a much better understanding of the prehistory and history of Scotland. It is very well organized and the excellent narrator enhances the experience. He has an English accent with superb enunciation and a lovely musical tone to his voice.
The text contains abundant detail and covers every age of the formation and development of the Scottish state, including prehistory, Roman, medieval, Renaissance, Industrial Revolution, and modern times. It was fascinating learning how various famous Scottish historical figures fit into the historical timeline and the complicated past politics of Scotland. I especially liked hearing about Macbeth, William Wallace, and Mary Queen of Scots. Due to this cool audiobook I now know why the Jacobite Uprisings started, which gave me useful context for fiction books and TV series that I watch.
I requested and received a free audio copy from the publisher, and I voluntarily wrote this honest review.
June 28, 2024
I am an ARC reader and this is my honest opinion. Scotland has a fascinating history and there have been many books written about it, often with a certain slant from the author's point of view. This book, by History brought alive, is purely factual - no romanticism or opinions, just facts. It's written very clearly, no obfuscation, just recounting the facts of history in chronological order, from the first evidence of human life on the part of the island that came to be called Scotland through the names of the two tribes who became the most prominent. I have to admit that at times I was tempted to skip bits and get to the bits I'd already heard of, but then went back to recap something - which is what makes reading a book like this for one's own interest so much more pleasurable than a text book would be. I found it informative and in parts illuminating, right up to the last chapter about modern day Scottish nationalism. I feel I now understand Scotland a bit better than I did.
June 19, 2024
Punctual. Strict. Interesting.
I find this book really interesting. I was always fascinated by Scottish history and people and yet I'd never had the opportunity to dig deeper in the major events and understand linking between them, which lead us to the modern Scotland.
You'll find a summary of the Scotland history, since its prehistorical tribes and settlements, leading to Celts, Picti, Brittons and Scotti peoples and then to a general view on the Middle Age, Modern Era, Industrial Era 'till its recent past.
The only thing I dislike of this book is the focus on events and not on social, cultural, literature documents. I'd imagined to find references to Scottish literature, culture, and to look deeper in its folk.
That said, it is a good book for history lovers.
I received an advance review copy, I'm leaving this review voluntarily.
I find this book really interesting. I was always fascinated by Scottish history and people and yet I'd never had the opportunity to dig deeper in the major events and understand linking between them, which lead us to the modern Scotland.
You'll find a summary of the Scotland history, since its prehistorical tribes and settlements, leading to Celts, Picti, Brittons and Scotti peoples and then to a general view on the Middle Age, Modern Era, Industrial Era 'till its recent past.
The only thing I dislike of this book is the focus on events and not on social, cultural, literature documents. I'd imagined to find references to Scottish literature, culture, and to look deeper in its folk.
That said, it is a good book for history lovers.
I received an advance review copy, I'm leaving this review voluntarily.
June 22, 2024
This book was heavy slogging for me. The pacing is uneven- it oversimplifies some aspects of Scottish history, while spending too much space on the details of others. The early section on Scotland’s prehistory seems full of unhelpful assumptions and generalizations. The later sections on kings and rulers has many redundancies, covering the same ground two or three times. Throughout the book there are numerous typos, such as “night” for “knight,” or “Charlies” for “Charles.” Finally, the book wraps up with a conclusion telling readers what a wonderful job it did conveying a broad view of Scotland’s great history! I have to disagree. I received a copy of this book from Book Sirens, and was not required to post a review. I regret I cannot recommend this publication on an otherwise fascinating country.
July 7, 2024
History Brought Alive does a great job of summarizing Scotland's history with this book. It was interesting to see how the nation grew and developed over the past two millennia. As someone with Scottish heritage, I appreciate the time and effort of History Brought Alive and their team in researching, compiling the facts, and presenting them to the world.
What I found disappointing was the misleading title. The book speaks nothing of the myths or legends of Scotland's rich history, so if that is what you hope to find, you will need to look elsewhere.
Overall, from a purely historical perspective, this book is a lovely introduction for those who find the study of history to be daunting but wish to learn a bit more about the nation of Scotland and her people.
What I found disappointing was the misleading title. The book speaks nothing of the myths or legends of Scotland's rich history, so if that is what you hope to find, you will need to look elsewhere.
Overall, from a purely historical perspective, this book is a lovely introduction for those who find the study of history to be daunting but wish to learn a bit more about the nation of Scotland and her people.
July 30, 2024
Book: **
Performance: ***
This was a fairly decent introduction to the history of Scotland that most pretty quickly from prehistoric to the industrial age. The narration was easy to listen to and entertaining, if a bit like a used car sales pitch, and was for the most part accurate in the broad strokes (although some details might be debatable). There certainly was not much detailed research presented to defend the narrative. There also was not much in the myth and legend department aside from some prehistoric and bronze age speculation (which was a pity as that would have added so much more to this very short book).
I was given this free advance review/listener copy (ARC) audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
Performance: ***
This was a fairly decent introduction to the history of Scotland that most pretty quickly from prehistoric to the industrial age. The narration was easy to listen to and entertaining, if a bit like a used car sales pitch, and was for the most part accurate in the broad strokes (although some details might be debatable). There certainly was not much detailed research presented to defend the narrative. There also was not much in the myth and legend department aside from some prehistoric and bronze age speculation (which was a pity as that would have added so much more to this very short book).
I was given this free advance review/listener copy (ARC) audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
June 11, 2024
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
This book was well researched and very thorough; however, I was thinking this would read less like a history textbook. I guess I hoped it would read more like legends and myths, in that they provide more entertainment. This felt kind of dry, but again… very well researched. If you’re a history buff with a love for learning names, places and dates, you’ll enjoy this.
This book was well researched and very thorough; however, I was thinking this would read less like a history textbook. I guess I hoped it would read more like legends and myths, in that they provide more entertainment. This felt kind of dry, but again… very well researched. If you’re a history buff with a love for learning names, places and dates, you’ll enjoy this.
September 9, 2024
This is not a book for the frowning serious scholar but for those of us who are not Scottish but are interested in how Scotland went from Stone Age to the 21st century. This is also not a book larger than the OED, but something much more manageable to absorb. I liked it a lot. The excellent narration by Christian Neale really added to my appreciation of the material.
I won this audiobook in a giveaway without expectations.
I won this audiobook in a giveaway without expectations.
January 10, 2026
I received this book as a Christmas present to read before a trip to Scotland later this year.
Unfortunately, It’s not as cool as it looks. It read like bullet points on a rough draft. I don’t recall any myths or legend stories anywhere in the book. It certainly gives a brief run down of history but not what I was expecting. During the ruler history section the way they phrased some sentences I wasn’t entirely sure who they were referring to.
Disappointed but glad I finished it.
Unfortunately, It’s not as cool as it looks. It read like bullet points on a rough draft. I don’t recall any myths or legend stories anywhere in the book. It certainly gives a brief run down of history but not what I was expecting. During the ruler history section the way they phrased some sentences I wasn’t entirely sure who they were referring to.
Disappointed but glad I finished it.
June 5, 2024
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
This book was presented as a "A Journey through Scottish History, Battles, Clans, Highlanders, Myths, Legends & More." It's actually missing legends, myths and more. The review referenced Loch Ness among other things, but this wasn't mentioned in the book either. It failed to bring history alive for me. Instead it reads like a history book. Lots of dates. Lots of names of places, battles, and kings/leaders. Lots of repetition. If you don't have a love of history, you will probably hate this book. Sometimes history tends to be dry and this book was no exception.
I learned that Alba was the name of Scotland in ancient times. I also learned that MacBeth was a real person, when I always thought he was just a fictional character created by Shakespeare. I learned a bit more about Gaels, Picts, and the Celtic people so I gave this a three star review.
This book was presented as a "A Journey through Scottish History, Battles, Clans, Highlanders, Myths, Legends & More." It's actually missing legends, myths and more. The review referenced Loch Ness among other things, but this wasn't mentioned in the book either. It failed to bring history alive for me. Instead it reads like a history book. Lots of dates. Lots of names of places, battles, and kings/leaders. Lots of repetition. If you don't have a love of history, you will probably hate this book. Sometimes history tends to be dry and this book was no exception.
I learned that Alba was the name of Scotland in ancient times. I also learned that MacBeth was a real person, when I always thought he was just a fictional character created by Shakespeare. I learned a bit more about Gaels, Picts, and the Celtic people so I gave this a three star review.
June 14, 2024
The contents and synopsis wildly differ. Discussion of myths and legends are non existent. Content is frequently reiterated without further development. To keep factual there is no background or rationale provided. It reads as a well wrote history project, this happened and then that happened.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
August 1, 2024
Perfect Complete History of Scotland to Prepare for your Scottish Trip
Whether your desire to learn more about the history of Scotland is fueled by an upcoming trip to Edinburgh or your fantasy love affair with Jamie Fraser of Outlander, this audiobook is a delightful, fun, engaging history of Caledonia. Well narrated.
Whether your desire to learn more about the history of Scotland is fueled by an upcoming trip to Edinburgh or your fantasy love affair with Jamie Fraser of Outlander, this audiobook is a delightful, fun, engaging history of Caledonia. Well narrated.
June 7, 2024
This is so informational and historic! It’s written in a way that makes it hard to put down. Great job!
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
June 14, 2024
I'm voluntarily leaving a review after receiving a free copy. I found it to be a wealth of information that helped me understand Scotland better.
September 19, 2024
I found this book an excellent overview of Scotland's history, it really gave it life.
October 4, 2024
Loved this book and it was immensely informative and being from Scotland myself I was learning things I hadn’t realised slipped through my research into my country.
November 19, 2024
Quick overview - good introduction to Scotland’s history.
January 31, 2025
Not as advertised... very limited information on clans, highlanders, myths.
March 4, 2025
It was good for what it was. An overview of the history of Scotland.
January 22, 2026
Odd book. Seems like a Reader’s Digest version of history. I’ve read a lot of history, this book was a waste of time.
March 14, 2026
Basic and dry. But it hits the highlights.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews