Hammer of the Scots

Rebel King #1

by Carolyn Hale Bruce, Carolyn Hale Bruce

Robert de Brus, scion of one of the most noble houses in Scotland, is propelled into rebellion by the "Hammer of the Scots." Edward Plantagenet, king of England, who uses Scotland's inherently unstable clan system to seize power and claim the disunited country as his own.

Genres: Historical Fiction

448 pages, Hardcover

First published December 1, 2002

Reviews

[Rob Mahan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hammer of the Scots is the first book in Charles Randolph Bruce and Carolyn Hale Bruce's historical fiction trilogy, Rebel King, Chronicles of Robert de Brus, King of Scots. Book one begins with a brief, historical background and is a well-written story of the struggle by Scottish patriots to regain their sovereignty, after England had taken advantage of Scotland's inherently unstable clan system to seize power and claim the country as its own.

Book one chronicles struggles, skirmishes, and major battles in 1306 and 1307, with Robert de Brus leading the Scots against England's King Edward Plantagenet, a.k.a. 'Longshanks'. In 1305, the powerful English king had captured and cruelly executed Sir William Wallace, thus creating the Scottish martyr celebrated in the movie, Braveheart.

Books two and three hold the promise of more bloody battles, more heartache, and more struggle, atop a valuable lesson in history. As I watch King Robert de Brus battle against the aging King Edward's agent, the Earl of Pembroke, risking his lands, his family, and his own life to free his homeland from tyranny and reclaim Scotland's crown, my admiration for this brave and bold warrior continues to grow.

[Paul Mccauley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was another book about the fight for Scottish independence from Edward I of England. It focused more on Robert the Bruce instead of William Wallace (understandable considering the author's name!).
The overall story was good, but personally, I found it difficult to get into the book from the very beginning. I truly wanted to love this book because I'm Scottish. I haven't yet decided whether I'll get the following books to read or not.

[Andy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good read. It could use some proof-reading and a little more editing, but I enjoyed it overall. The reason I gave it three stars is because of the inconsistency of much of the volume. There are sections that are written very strongly, with great descriptions and emotionally engaging characters. There are other sections where it feels like an event or character which deserves some reaction gets almost no treatment by the authors. A little more consistency in how the characters are handled would have boosted this book to a five star.

[Brett · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was really looking forward to reading this. The prologue was a very interesting condensed history of the kings of scotland from MacBeth on down. It really got me excited to read the story.

Unfortunately, as soon as the story started my excitement waned. The characters were one-dimensional caricatures of stock stereotypes. And frankly, the prose was embarrassingly amateurish.

I didn't finish it.

[William Shep · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dramatic, witty, and occasionally heart wrenching account of Scotland's greatest king, Robert the Bruce, and his battle to gain and keep the Scottish throne against all odds. The use of portraits of regular people, people known to the authors, as models for the various characters is a compelling feature.

[deborah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fa

For those whose main interest in Historical Fiction books is learning history, this book does not disappoint. While being a great lesson in history it is an enjoyable read. Not dry or boring. Personally, this book ranks in my favorites. While history is my favorite subject, reading dry history texts is something I dislike enough as to never do it.

[Laura Trombley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have never read a self published book that I thought should make the New York best sellers list but I have read many self published books and quite frankly they are better than SOME of the published books. This would be one of those. If you love Scotland or history or both, or you just want a medieval adventure, look this book up.

[Constance · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great historic fiction... written by Carolyn and Charles Bruce... descendants of the Clan Bruce... love this series!