The Islesman

by Nigel Tranter

This is the story of Angus Og MacDonald, Lord of the Isles. The semi-independent prince of the Hebrides and much of the West Highland mainland, he was a worthy representative of a notable line, living in dramatic and exciting times for Scotland, England, and Ireland. He took his part in it all, an active supporter of Robert the Bruce, encouraging trade, seeking to heal the feuding propensities of his people, allying the Isles with Orkney and Shetland and Norway, and travelling as far as the Baltic.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Scotland, Historical

400 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2002

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

[Mick Nicholson · Rating 1 out of 5]

Awful

I have always enjoyed Nigel Tranter's books but this one is awful. There are too many historical inaccuracies, King Roberts son was David not Rob, how could whoever wrote this book get that wrong. I know Nigel didn't write the final version of this work but you think the author would have at least read the Bruce Trilogy to keep some continuity

[Pat · Rating 4 out of 5]

15th book chronologically and interesting that he tells about the same time period from the point of view of different major players of the day. After reading the Wallace, this one, and then on to the Bruce trilogy.

I recommend having Google maps available to see where all of this took place.

[Bill Membery · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent follow up to Nigel Tranter's other books such as Columba

Great prose, great geographical descriptions, brilliant historical depiction of the people, alliances, economics and relationships of the period in the isles.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Kings of Scots would have done well to work with the Lords of the Isles from the times of the Canmore dynasty, through the Bruces and into the Stewarts. A navy is always helpful and the Lords of the Isles had one on hand to rein in their own unruly chieftains and show themselves throughout their extensive island holdings. Fortunately, Angus Og MacDonald had been raised by his grandfather so he had the example of how to be an effective Lord of the Isles, unlike his father and uncle who weren’t interested in the business of the Isles and the feuds between its chieftains. It’s also fortunate that he had a lot of energy as he had to patrol the Irish Sea and the seas from Outer Hebrides down to Northern England since Edward I of England had his eyes on the rest of Ireland, the Isle of Man, as well as Scotland. He and his chieftains deduced that if Edward I and Edward II managed to conquer mainland Scotland it wouldn’t be long before the Lordship of the Isles became their target. It was in the Lordship’s best interest to make Robert the Bruce, de facto King of Scots, by helping clear the English out of Scotland. Angus Og also opened up trade with the Earl of Orkney and Hanseatic merchants when he found that the oil of the petrels and fulmars in his lordship was highly prized by churches and was also considered to have healing properties. Captured English merchant vessels helped with its transport. A very interesting individual and book.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful read about Angus Og of the Isles, who became Lord of the Isles in the 1300's. He was a very interesting person and the story was good, but there was somuch travelling in his dragon ship. I also would have liked to know more of his later years.Recommended.