Move Up, John

by Fionn MacColla

When the priesthood of the 1570s is violently destroyed, John Todd finds himself the tool of treacherous warlords operating under the banner of the new doctrine. John has been chosen not for his love of his fellow men, but for his small body, enormous pulpit voice and pride.

224 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1994

About the author

Thomas Douglas MacDonald who wrote under the pen name Fionn MacColla, was a Scottish novelist closely associated with the Scottish Renaissance.

MacDonald was brought up as a member of the Plymouth Brethern. He trained as a teacher in Aberdeen and took up his first post at the age of 19, as a headmaster in Wester Ross. In 1926 he went to Palestine, where he taught in the United Free Church's College at Safed. Returning to Scotland in 1929, he turned towards the Catholic faith and studied Gaelic at Glasgow University for a year. After nearly 20 years living in the Western Isles, he moved to Edinburgh, where he died.

MacColla's best known novels are The Albannach (1932) and And the Cock Crew (1945). His strong views on Scottish Presbyterianism were given philosophical expression in his study At the Sign of the Clenced Fist (1962) and in his autobiography, Too Long in this Condition (1975). His novels The Ministers and Move Up John were published posthumously in 1979 and 1994 respectively.