A fictional recreation of the life and times of the great Scottish Romantic writer, Sir Walter Scott. Through Scott's own eyes, the reader is offered an intimate view of his public and private lives, and finally, the picture of a man aware of his declining powers, disturbed by dreams and fantasies.
Allan Massie was a Scottish journalist, sports writer and novelist. He was one of Scotland's most prolific and well-known journalists, writing regular columns for The Scotsman, The Sunday Times (Scotland) and the Scottish Daily Mail. He was the author of nearly 30 books, including 20 novels. He is notable for novels set in the distant past and Vichy France.
Usefully joins up the dots of a lot of half known (by me) Scottish history, and literary/political figures such as Byron, Wordsworth, George IV etc. Also gives ideas for one's Scott novel to embark upon. The description of the king's visit to Edinburgh, Scott's visit to occupied Paris and castle Douglas were all good bits.