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Freedom's Sword
Before William Wallace... before Robert the Bruce... there was another Scottish hero... In 1296, newly knighted by the King of the Scots, Andrew de Moray fights to defend his country against the forces of the ruthless invader, King Edward Longshanks of England. After a bloody defeat in battle, he is dragged in chains to an English dungeon. Soon the young knight escapes. He returns to find Scotland under the heel of a conqueror and his betrothed sheltering in the hills of the Black Isle. Seizing his own castle, he raises the banner of Scottish freedom. Now he must lead the north of Scotland to rebellion in hope of defeating the English army sent to crush them.
277 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 11, 2011
304 people are currently reading
1050 people want to read
About the author
J.R. Tomlin
38 books214 followersJ. R. Tomlin is the author of nineteen historical novels.
She has close ties with Scotland since her father was a native Scot, and she spent substantial time in Edinburgh whilst growing up. Her historical novels are set for the most part in Scotland. Her love of that nation is traced from the stories of the Bruce and Sir James her grandmother read to her when she was small, to hillwalking through the Cairngorms where the granite hills have a gorgeous red glow under the setting sun. Later, her writing was influenced by the work of authors such as Alexander Dumas and Victor Hugo.
When JR isn't writing, she enjoys hiking, playing with her Westie, and killing monsters in computer games. In addition to spending time in Scotland, she has traveled in the US, Europe and the Pacific Rim. She now lives in Oregon.
She has close ties with Scotland since her father was a native Scot, and she spent substantial time in Edinburgh whilst growing up. Her historical novels are set for the most part in Scotland. Her love of that nation is traced from the stories of the Bruce and Sir James her grandmother read to her when she was small, to hillwalking through the Cairngorms where the granite hills have a gorgeous red glow under the setting sun. Later, her writing was influenced by the work of authors such as Alexander Dumas and Victor Hugo.
When JR isn't writing, she enjoys hiking, playing with her Westie, and killing monsters in computer games. In addition to spending time in Scotland, she has traveled in the US, Europe and the Pacific Rim. She now lives in Oregon.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 82 reviews
April 14, 2011
This book follows the life of Sir Andrew de Moray, who was one the Scottish leaders at the battle of Stirling Bridge alongside the more famous William Wallace. The story takes us from the initial English invasion of Scotland, through Andrew's incarceration in an English cell, before he returns and helps to build an army to re-take Scotland and defeat the English at Stirling. If you have seen the movie Braveheart or know your Scottish History then you should already know the basic premise to be honest.
It mixes historical fact and fiction well and is quite simply, a very enjoyable and entertaining read. It captures the feeling of the age and the location well, with the use of Scottish dialect throughout the novel being a nice touch. Andrew and the supporting characters are also all developed enough to make them feel real and believable.
Overall, the story is a great piece of historical fiction, it is entertaining and I don't think anyone who reads it will be disappointed.
A full review can be found at my blog : Books & Things - http://killie-booktalk.blogspot.com/
It mixes historical fact and fiction well and is quite simply, a very enjoyable and entertaining read. It captures the feeling of the age and the location well, with the use of Scottish dialect throughout the novel being a nice touch. Andrew and the supporting characters are also all developed enough to make them feel real and believable.
Overall, the story is a great piece of historical fiction, it is entertaining and I don't think anyone who reads it will be disappointed.
A full review can be found at my blog : Books & Things - http://killie-booktalk.blogspot.com/
April 12, 2011
Four thousand mounted horsemen in the English army in the 13th century? It sounds a lot, and while J.R. Tomlin's novel, Freedom's Sword, rang true to the individuals, I found myself fact-checking and wondering at the events. To the author's credit, her novel is very well researched. I might choose to doubt the initial size of the army, and the love-making technique of the lord, but the art of war, of raising a rebellion, of dungeon, pike and sword, is very well-told. And the history of Scotland's fight against Edward Longshanks is filled with excitement, well-drawn characters, and plausible planning.
The story begins with King John Balliol's defeat at Dunbar. Young Andrew de Moray is knighted just before the battle and struggles to determine his allegiance afterwards. English brutality at Berwick and Andrew's cruel imprisonment result in a fierce determination to bow to no foreign ruler. The story, and the character, really come to life as Andrew patiently works towards his escape and begins to raise a Scottish army, taking, but never quite claiming his father's place.
The story is told in a mix of old language and names with occasional twists of the new. References to bodily functions switch from "making water" to "piss," and names sometimes retain, sometimes ignore the prefix "de," while cavalry is consistently referred to as "chivalry." The reminders of French influence on nation and title are certainly intriguing, and of mercenaries introducing new types of warfare to counter the old. For me, this story is at its strongest in descriptions of scenery and in well-orchestrated fight scenes. The author weaves convincing sensory detail into fast action without slowing anything down and catches the horror and desperation of warfare wonderfully. Andrew's character is filled with conflicting emotions, intelligence, honor and strength, and compels the sympathy of readers as well as the loyalty of followers.
Two other stories weave through the tale; that of Caitrina, a second daughter expecting to be sent to a convent while her sister marries; and that of Donnchadh, the young friend who aids her, and later fights at Andrew's side. Caitrina's skills in the household are well-told, though her love for Andrew seems overly quickly declared and consummated, justified, perhaps, by the times but still abrupt.
An exciting tale that would make a good movie, Freedom's Sword is a good read about a period in history that's often ignored, but filled with interest and intrigue.
Disclosure: I was given an ecopy of this book by the author in exchange for an honest review.
The story begins with King John Balliol's defeat at Dunbar. Young Andrew de Moray is knighted just before the battle and struggles to determine his allegiance afterwards. English brutality at Berwick and Andrew's cruel imprisonment result in a fierce determination to bow to no foreign ruler. The story, and the character, really come to life as Andrew patiently works towards his escape and begins to raise a Scottish army, taking, but never quite claiming his father's place.
The story is told in a mix of old language and names with occasional twists of the new. References to bodily functions switch from "making water" to "piss," and names sometimes retain, sometimes ignore the prefix "de," while cavalry is consistently referred to as "chivalry." The reminders of French influence on nation and title are certainly intriguing, and of mercenaries introducing new types of warfare to counter the old. For me, this story is at its strongest in descriptions of scenery and in well-orchestrated fight scenes. The author weaves convincing sensory detail into fast action without slowing anything down and catches the horror and desperation of warfare wonderfully. Andrew's character is filled with conflicting emotions, intelligence, honor and strength, and compels the sympathy of readers as well as the loyalty of followers.
Two other stories weave through the tale; that of Caitrina, a second daughter expecting to be sent to a convent while her sister marries; and that of Donnchadh, the young friend who aids her, and later fights at Andrew's side. Caitrina's skills in the household are well-told, though her love for Andrew seems overly quickly declared and consummated, justified, perhaps, by the times but still abrupt.
An exciting tale that would make a good movie, Freedom's Sword is a good read about a period in history that's often ignored, but filled with interest and intrigue.
Disclosure: I was given an ecopy of this book by the author in exchange for an honest review.
January 29, 2025
1296, Scotland. OK historical novel about the first Scottish rebellion against the British. Ends at the 1297 Battle of Stirling Bridge. We saw the area from the walls of Stirling Castle when we were in Scotland (bridge has been replaced since then, but the setting is the same). Would have liked to have been reading about the battle while we were looking at it. Best thing about the book was learning about Andrew de Moray, who organized and led forces against the British. A contemporary of William Wallace and Robert Bruce, he isn't given as much air time in history.
October 1, 2011
Reading this book was a very unique experience. On the one hand, I really enjoyed the story. The characters are interesting. The setting is rich with such detail that I had no doubt Ms. Tomlin had not just done her research but had thoroughly enjoyed it. It's very obvious when an author has done research simply for the sake of showing it off to the reader versus when an author take the time to weave their knowledge delicately into the fabric of their tale. Ms. Tomlin definitely falls into the latter category with Freedom's Sword.
[** Ammended below ** It was therefore very surprising to find a phenomenal number of typographical if not orthographical errors. Chapter breaks were occasionally abrupt leaving me thinking that perhaps I had a bad copy of the book in which pages were dropped. I contacted Ms. Tomlin about this and she was kind enough to reply that the abrupt breaks were intentional, although she has received similar feedback from others. While she did not comment on the other errors, I read an interview where Ms. Tomlin says that she had professional editing done as well as beta reader critiquing. This continues to make me believe that I must have an early purchase and that perhaps if I re-download the ebook, all the errors will be gone.
I found the story compelling enough to overlook the errors and finish reading it. I just couldn't get immersed in it, and so it took me longer than usual to read it. While I would like to give the book 4/5 stars, I would have to be sure that there are newer versions with the plethora of errors fixed. As it is, I can only give it 3 or 3.5 at best. If I hear from others that the errors are fixed, I will gladly raise my rating.]
*** 10-1-11 – I was pleased to find out that I indeed had the first release version of the ebook and that there have been several revisions afterward that have corrected the errors I first found. I have therefore raised my rating to 4 stars.
[** Ammended below ** It was therefore very surprising to find a phenomenal number of typographical if not orthographical errors. Chapter breaks were occasionally abrupt leaving me thinking that perhaps I had a bad copy of the book in which pages were dropped. I contacted Ms. Tomlin about this and she was kind enough to reply that the abrupt breaks were intentional, although she has received similar feedback from others. While she did not comment on the other errors, I read an interview where Ms. Tomlin says that she had professional editing done as well as beta reader critiquing. This continues to make me believe that I must have an early purchase and that perhaps if I re-download the ebook, all the errors will be gone.
I found the story compelling enough to overlook the errors and finish reading it. I just couldn't get immersed in it, and so it took me longer than usual to read it. While I would like to give the book 4/5 stars, I would have to be sure that there are newer versions with the plethora of errors fixed. As it is, I can only give it 3 or 3.5 at best. If I hear from others that the errors are fixed, I will gladly raise my rating.]
*** 10-1-11 – I was pleased to find out that I indeed had the first release version of the ebook and that there have been several revisions afterward that have corrected the errors I first found. I have therefore raised my rating to 4 stars.
January 3, 2013
FREEDOM'S SWORD, free ebook, was a wonderful read! This part of history I've not read much. The book is a prequel to the BLACK DOUGLAS TRILOGY regarding Scotland's wars for independence from England. The mechanics of good writing were good taking into account that ereaders seem prone to a glitch or two. Any such errors did not affect my enjoyment of this book.
From this book I felt the heart of Scotland's people. Good books make readers feel the books' subjects regardless of what those feelings may be. Andrew of Moray, a fighter for Scotland's independence, died as a result of injuries at the Battle of Stirling Bridge. The author wrote that Andrew knew the Scots won the battle, and I hope that is true. He fought along side Robert the Bruce and William Wallace, but Andrew created the remarkable strategy of the Battle of Stirling Bridge.
The author created the love interest between Andrew and a red headed girl. Andrew died before the birth of their child and his heir.
When the book opens, Andrew has been thrown into a dungeon by the English. How he kept his sanity in the eternal dark of the dungeon drew me in and had me hooked before I knew it. He counted the days by beans from his suppers. He counted daylight and dark by the number of meals he was given each day. He learned what he could not see through the sense of touch. He felt every square space of the dungeon, he had nothing else to do. Through these perceptions, he kept his sanity and made his escape. Again, I felt as if I were in the dungeon. Had I been, I would have given way to madness.
Dear Author, it is obvious that I hold your work in high esteem. You gave just the right amount of attention to everything that had to be said. Well done, Ms. Tomlin.
From this book I felt the heart of Scotland's people. Good books make readers feel the books' subjects regardless of what those feelings may be. Andrew of Moray, a fighter for Scotland's independence, died as a result of injuries at the Battle of Stirling Bridge. The author wrote that Andrew knew the Scots won the battle, and I hope that is true. He fought along side Robert the Bruce and William Wallace, but Andrew created the remarkable strategy of the Battle of Stirling Bridge.
The author created the love interest between Andrew and a red headed girl. Andrew died before the birth of their child and his heir.
When the book opens, Andrew has been thrown into a dungeon by the English. How he kept his sanity in the eternal dark of the dungeon drew me in and had me hooked before I knew it. He counted the days by beans from his suppers. He counted daylight and dark by the number of meals he was given each day. He learned what he could not see through the sense of touch. He felt every square space of the dungeon, he had nothing else to do. Through these perceptions, he kept his sanity and made his escape. Again, I felt as if I were in the dungeon. Had I been, I would have given way to madness.
Dear Author, it is obvious that I hold your work in high esteem. You gave just the right amount of attention to everything that had to be said. Well done, Ms. Tomlin.
June 2, 2011
Historical fiction is one of my favorite genres, and especially the medieval times. This story seemed to have an interesting premise, and the price was too good to resist.
It follows the trials and struggle of Andrew de Moray against the English invaders, and as a second POV character Caitrina, the youngest daughter of a lord, destined to become a nun against her will. The character development of Andrew is excellent, and I saw him grow and react to each obstacle life throws at him. The secondary characters are also more than mere cardboard cutouts, and I especially liked Andrew's uncle David.
The plot steadily develops with every chapter, and so does the well-painted picture of Scotland in that tumultuous time. The battle scenes are well-written and exciting. Andrew's resistance gains momentum, the stakes get higher and the reader gets immersed more in the storytelling, caring for the characters. Freedom's Sword ended to soon for me, and that is a clear indication of a great tale.
The writing is a bit rough and rushed at a few spots, and could use a bit more polish. Also, a bit more attention to Caitrina in the first half of the story may have given a bit more balance to the story. But overall, with a bit more attention to (historical) detail, J.R. Tomlin could easily become my one of my favorite authors of historical fiction, next to the likes of Bernard Cornwell and Simon Scarrow.
It follows the trials and struggle of Andrew de Moray against the English invaders, and as a second POV character Caitrina, the youngest daughter of a lord, destined to become a nun against her will. The character development of Andrew is excellent, and I saw him grow and react to each obstacle life throws at him. The secondary characters are also more than mere cardboard cutouts, and I especially liked Andrew's uncle David.
The plot steadily develops with every chapter, and so does the well-painted picture of Scotland in that tumultuous time. The battle scenes are well-written and exciting. Andrew's resistance gains momentum, the stakes get higher and the reader gets immersed more in the storytelling, caring for the characters. Freedom's Sword ended to soon for me, and that is a clear indication of a great tale.
The writing is a bit rough and rushed at a few spots, and could use a bit more polish. Also, a bit more attention to Caitrina in the first half of the story may have given a bit more balance to the story. But overall, with a bit more attention to (historical) detail, J.R. Tomlin could easily become my one of my favorite authors of historical fiction, next to the likes of Bernard Cornwell and Simon Scarrow.
September 17, 2014
Did you like Braveheart? Are you a fan of history? Love everything Scottish? Then this is the book for you. Freedom's Sword is a fictionalized account of the real life events of the Scottish fight against the British invaders under King Edward Longshanks in the 13th century.
Andrew de Moray is knighted by King John Balliol just before their defeat at Dunbar in 1296. De Moray is dragged in chains to an English dungeon, which he manages to escape. He returns to Scotland to find it under British control. De Moray musters support and leads northern Scotland in rebellion.
I always enjoy good historical fiction, but I was a little worried this book would be too full of battles and blood and guts. Not so! J.R. Tomlin manages to balance all the fighting and political drama with glimpses of personality and even a romance for Moray. She gives life to historical figures that normally lie flat on the textbook page.
It's obvious that J.R. Tomlin does extensive research for her novels. However, I never felt like I was reading a history book. The novel flows well and the action keeps you turning the pages. This is definitely a book you should give a try!
*Disclaimer: I received this book for free from the author through LibraryThing. I was not required to write a positive review.
Andrew de Moray is knighted by King John Balliol just before their defeat at Dunbar in 1296. De Moray is dragged in chains to an English dungeon, which he manages to escape. He returns to Scotland to find it under British control. De Moray musters support and leads northern Scotland in rebellion.
I always enjoy good historical fiction, but I was a little worried this book would be too full of battles and blood and guts. Not so! J.R. Tomlin manages to balance all the fighting and political drama with glimpses of personality and even a romance for Moray. She gives life to historical figures that normally lie flat on the textbook page.
It's obvious that J.R. Tomlin does extensive research for her novels. However, I never felt like I was reading a history book. The novel flows well and the action keeps you turning the pages. This is definitely a book you should give a try!
*Disclaimer: I received this book for free from the author through LibraryThing. I was not required to write a positive review.
July 24, 2011
The price of Scotland’s freedom from the King of England is paid for with blood, sweat and tears of those willing to sacrifice everything for love of country.
***
This is a fast paced adventure story that tells the struggle of those willing to fight to free Scotland from the rule of the King of England in the 13th century. Andrew de Moray is forced to fight for his life and country after he and other key players in the Scottish royalty and military are killed or taken prisoner fighting the English army. Caitrina, who ends up marrying Moray, provides a tender and humanizing balance to the violence of war. This fast paced tale includes descriptions and depth of character that make the readers believe that they are witnessing history as it is happening.
Author J.R. Tomlin researched culture, locations, language and participants to accurately portray events in this well written historical docudrama. The inclusion of strong male and female characters allowed the author to present the struggle for freedom and the personal toll that war in the middle ages had on Scotland’s population.
***
This is a fast paced adventure story that tells the struggle of those willing to fight to free Scotland from the rule of the King of England in the 13th century. Andrew de Moray is forced to fight for his life and country after he and other key players in the Scottish royalty and military are killed or taken prisoner fighting the English army. Caitrina, who ends up marrying Moray, provides a tender and humanizing balance to the violence of war. This fast paced tale includes descriptions and depth of character that make the readers believe that they are witnessing history as it is happening.
Author J.R. Tomlin researched culture, locations, language and participants to accurately portray events in this well written historical docudrama. The inclusion of strong male and female characters allowed the author to present the struggle for freedom and the personal toll that war in the middle ages had on Scotland’s population.
September 11, 2012
I liked the first in the series (A Kingdom's Cost), and the day after I finished it, the second was a freebie on Amazon, so I grabbed it. Sadly, this one's nowhere near as good. The characters seems to be wandering round aimlessly, and I couldn't make myself care about them enough to finish.
The quality of the editing is, as before, dreadful. It's as if the book was dictated to a computer which regularly confuses oak and oat, to and too, their, they're and there, horse and house, and so on. I struggled with the previous one because I was enjoying the story. This one, however, was just plain unreadable.
The quality of the editing is, as before, dreadful. It's as if the book was dictated to a computer which regularly confuses oak and oat, to and too, their, they're and there, horse and house, and so on. I struggled with the previous one because I was enjoying the story. This one, however, was just plain unreadable.
April 20, 2017
Excellent prequel to the Black Douglas trilogy, April 19, 2017
Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Freedom's Sword: Stand-Alone Prequel to The Black Douglas Trilogy (Kindle Edition)
A novel of Scottish freedom featuring the real life hero, Andrew de Moray. De Moray has not gotten as much notice as William Wallace, the Bruce and the Black Douglas but he too was a major figure in the fight for Scottish independence. This novel is well written with interesting characters. There is an afterward with historical information including the uncertainty surrounding de Moray's death.
Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Freedom's Sword: Stand-Alone Prequel to The Black Douglas Trilogy (Kindle Edition)
A novel of Scottish freedom featuring the real life hero, Andrew de Moray. De Moray has not gotten as much notice as William Wallace, the Bruce and the Black Douglas but he too was a major figure in the fight for Scottish independence. This novel is well written with interesting characters. There is an afterward with historical information including the uncertainty surrounding de Moray's death.
April 12, 2011
Fans of historical fiction will love this accurately researched, well written novel.
I really enjoyed the entire story line, repeatedly racing ahead to see what happens next. Filled with heroic heroes and villainous villains, Tomlin paints a picture of rugged Scotland at one of it's momentous turning points in history.
I'm already looking forward to the next book.
I really enjoyed the entire story line, repeatedly racing ahead to see what happens next. Filled with heroic heroes and villainous villains, Tomlin paints a picture of rugged Scotland at one of it's momentous turning points in history.
I'm already looking forward to the next book.
May 2, 2011
This book by Tomlin is an enjoyable one. It is a piece of Scottish history. The characters are well developed and you feel for and with them. The plot naturally has to do with history but it is well done so you feel a part of it. Enjoyable and a good read.
J. Robert Ewbank author "John Wesley, Natural Man, and the 'Isms'"
J. Robert Ewbank author "John Wesley, Natural Man, and the 'Isms'"
August 26, 2013
Every scot should know the name of Andrew De Moray, the unsung hero who begun the fight for our independence!
February 18, 2017
This is a historical fiction book about Andrew de Moray, a fighter for Scottish independence who is less popularly well known than his contemporary William Wallace. As I started this book, I was thinking that it would be about a 4 star book. The author writes battle scenes very well, and the book starts off briskly. However as it goes on, especially after the halfway mark, the pacing becomes erratic, and the grammar and spelling starts to get sloppy. There really needed to be a couple more proofreaders here. Also the characters seem to become less defined and more blurry as the book goes along and the romance seems forced and awkward. It was as if the author started with a good idea, but got tired of writing it and rushed to the end.
February 10, 2017
Interesting and Captivating Story
I read the books about Robert The Bruce that this book is a prequel to, and I loved reading those as well as this one. I think to be brave back in those times was putting your life and everything you had in the line. I'm fascinated by what life must have been like for these people who were at constant battle for their land and their rights and I love reading about it in a novel type setting. The only bad part about this book was there were a bunch typos and errors. That aside, I don't know anyone who would be as fierce and brave as these people were, especially nowadays - I would love to see 45 try on armor! Haha!
I read the books about Robert The Bruce that this book is a prequel to, and I loved reading those as well as this one. I think to be brave back in those times was putting your life and everything you had in the line. I'm fascinated by what life must have been like for these people who were at constant battle for their land and their rights and I love reading about it in a novel type setting. The only bad part about this book was there were a bunch typos and errors. That aside, I don't know anyone who would be as fierce and brave as these people were, especially nowadays - I would love to see 45 try on armor! Haha!
April 19, 2020
Starts out poorly but redeems itself
As I began this book it read somewhat like a “trashy romance novel” but once you get past the opening sections it manages to turn itself into a historical novel with a compelling protagonist who you grow to be interested in. While not on my shortlist of books to read, I might check out the series which follows after this prelude in the future.
As I began this book it read somewhat like a “trashy romance novel” but once you get past the opening sections it manages to turn itself into a historical novel with a compelling protagonist who you grow to be interested in. While not on my shortlist of books to read, I might check out the series which follows after this prelude in the future.
November 12, 2020
This is the worst book and the Author has dark energy. The read was boring and learning more about the author it’s evident in her interactions that she promotes violence and continuing one sided conversations. Encouraging violence and hatred. I would not support anything from this author nor would I recommend.
February 7, 2020
Great read
Amazing story, well written, great historical references that were not has well known but should be. I couldn't put it down. My only regret was how it ended but unfortunately that was predestined
Amazing story, well written, great historical references that were not has well known but should be. I couldn't put it down. My only regret was how it ended but unfortunately that was predestined
May 17, 2017
Grabbed My Attention
Enjoyed the read from start to finish. It peaked my interest in the history of Scotland's struggle for freedom from a tyrant.
Enjoyed the read from start to finish. It peaked my interest in the history of Scotland's struggle for freedom from a tyrant.
May 23, 2017
got bored with it so didn't finish
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 21, 2017
Excellent read! Quite a story.
September 23, 2018
Excellent historical fiction. Battle scenes remind me of Bernard Cornwell's descripive, colorful, and graphic writing.
December 15, 2018
Great account
A great novel of three fight against Edward Longshank's power hungry incursions into neighboring Scotland. Looking forward to the sequels.
A great novel of three fight against Edward Longshank's power hungry incursions into neighboring Scotland. Looking forward to the sequels.
April 18, 2019
Excellent story on one of Scotland's heroes for independence
January 3, 2022
Good historical fiction based on the war of Scottish independence
December 30, 2020
Freedom's Sword
A good read, meant for those who enjoy Scottish history. It was well written and we'll paced. Fiction but relied on facts
A good read, meant for those who enjoy Scottish history. It was well written and we'll paced. Fiction but relied on facts
July 10, 2011
I like historical fiction. I like military history. I like Scotland. So I was pretty sure I'd like Freedom's Sword, and as I turned off my kindle after reading the last word, I sat back, relaxed, and enjoyed my visit to the first Scottish War of Independence.
A little background: Scotland was once upon a time a completely free and independent entity from England. But back in the 1200's a squabble between potential claimants to the throne ended up with Edward I deciding he was in charge. This sparked the first Scottish War of Independence. Most Americans are vaguely familiar with this because we've seen Braveheart. Unlike Freedom's Sword, Braveheart played pretty fast and loose with the facts to make a romantic, compelling story. Tomlin thought the truth was compelling enough, and from what I can tell stuck pretty closely to it. Personally, I agree with her.
So, as the tale opens we meet Andrew Moray, brand new knight about to go off on his first battle. It goes horribly, he's taken captive, and after months of torment in an English dungeon and a breath-taking escape, he returns to Scotland with a burning desire to reconquer his homeland. From there we follow him as he rounds up a force of like minded men and retakes northern Scotland from the English.
It's a good story. And I read most of it over the Forth of July weekend, so a tale of booting out the English seemed especially resonant. Battle scenes are vibrant without being overblown. Details of place are in enough depth to give an image of what is happening, but not so dense that you need to hack through them with a machete to find the plot. Most of the secondary characters are well enough defined that you won't confuse them with each other. The history is well researched and alive. It's what moves the story along as opposed to being scenery.
If I wanted anything from Freedom's Sword, it was actually more history on what exactly was happening and why. I'm well versed on medieval history, weaponry, and tactics, so I was following along pretty well, but a bit more on how Edward I ended up in charge, why they were rebelling against him in the first place, how things were different under Toom Tabard, why Robert the Bruce was a natural claimant to the throne, and how the Scottish political system worked would have been useful. With Tomlin's obvious love of the subject and deft writing, I would have been well pleased by another fifty pages of background.
There was one jarring aspect of Freedom's Sword. For some reason it suddenly shifts point of view (POV) to Caitrina, Andrew's Lady. And while I thought more or less everything involving Andrew was interesting, I rapidly lost interest when the story shifted to Caitrina. (Fortunately it didn't happen too often.) It's not that her story was badly written, nor was it boring per se; it just didn't have a lot to do with the rest of the plot. There's nothing that happens from Caitrina's POV that couldn't be dealt with in a few lines of dialog with her talking to Andrew. There's nothing added by hopping to her head. She's so tangentially related to the plot that at one point twenty-seven chapters go by without a mention of her. It almost feels like there was a plan to do a secondary story line of life on the home front, but somehow it didn't make it into the final story. Personally I would have liked to have seen that sort of a storyline. I think Tomlin could have done many fine things with it, but that will have to remain in the wish stage.
Beyond that my only other complaint was the lack of idea of when thing happen. We get one date stamp in the beginning of the tale and another at the very end. Some in between would have made it easier to keep track of what was going on.
All in all I enjoyed Freedom's Sword quiet a bit, and look forward to seeing what else Tomlin will come up with.
A little background: Scotland was once upon a time a completely free and independent entity from England. But back in the 1200's a squabble between potential claimants to the throne ended up with Edward I deciding he was in charge. This sparked the first Scottish War of Independence. Most Americans are vaguely familiar with this because we've seen Braveheart. Unlike Freedom's Sword, Braveheart played pretty fast and loose with the facts to make a romantic, compelling story. Tomlin thought the truth was compelling enough, and from what I can tell stuck pretty closely to it. Personally, I agree with her.
So, as the tale opens we meet Andrew Moray, brand new knight about to go off on his first battle. It goes horribly, he's taken captive, and after months of torment in an English dungeon and a breath-taking escape, he returns to Scotland with a burning desire to reconquer his homeland. From there we follow him as he rounds up a force of like minded men and retakes northern Scotland from the English.
It's a good story. And I read most of it over the Forth of July weekend, so a tale of booting out the English seemed especially resonant. Battle scenes are vibrant without being overblown. Details of place are in enough depth to give an image of what is happening, but not so dense that you need to hack through them with a machete to find the plot. Most of the secondary characters are well enough defined that you won't confuse them with each other. The history is well researched and alive. It's what moves the story along as opposed to being scenery.
If I wanted anything from Freedom's Sword, it was actually more history on what exactly was happening and why. I'm well versed on medieval history, weaponry, and tactics, so I was following along pretty well, but a bit more on how Edward I ended up in charge, why they were rebelling against him in the first place, how things were different under Toom Tabard, why Robert the Bruce was a natural claimant to the throne, and how the Scottish political system worked would have been useful. With Tomlin's obvious love of the subject and deft writing, I would have been well pleased by another fifty pages of background.
There was one jarring aspect of Freedom's Sword. For some reason it suddenly shifts point of view (POV) to Caitrina, Andrew's Lady. And while I thought more or less everything involving Andrew was interesting, I rapidly lost interest when the story shifted to Caitrina. (Fortunately it didn't happen too often.) It's not that her story was badly written, nor was it boring per se; it just didn't have a lot to do with the rest of the plot. There's nothing that happens from Caitrina's POV that couldn't be dealt with in a few lines of dialog with her talking to Andrew. There's nothing added by hopping to her head. She's so tangentially related to the plot that at one point twenty-seven chapters go by without a mention of her. It almost feels like there was a plan to do a secondary story line of life on the home front, but somehow it didn't make it into the final story. Personally I would have liked to have seen that sort of a storyline. I think Tomlin could have done many fine things with it, but that will have to remain in the wish stage.
Beyond that my only other complaint was the lack of idea of when thing happen. We get one date stamp in the beginning of the tale and another at the very end. Some in between would have made it easier to keep track of what was going on.
All in all I enjoyed Freedom's Sword quiet a bit, and look forward to seeing what else Tomlin will come up with.
January 16, 2013
J. R. Tomlin has been writing epic fantasy for a good while, but, from what I can tell, is recently making forays into historical fiction. A Kingdom's Cost was the first book written in the Black Douglas trilogy, and was an exciting, engrossing read. James Douglas' father sent him to France to keep him safe from England's King Edward I, aka Longshanks. Soon after his arrival in London, he witnesses and is profoundly affected by the execution of William Wallace, strengthening his resolve to take back Scotland from the English.
Freedom's Sword is the prequel to the story of James Douglas. Tomlin takes the reader back some years to the rise of William Wallace and the early days of Robert the Bruce. A little-known figure, Andrew de Moray, is knighted by Scotland's King John de Balliol, goes into a battle the Scots lose, and gets captured by the English. Typical teenager that he is, he is unable to keep quiet in the face of his captors. King Edward and his minions find nothing "precocious" in young Andrew's outspokenness, causing young Andrew to be taken to perhaps the worst dungeon in all of England. He escapes, returns to his home, and proceeds to show the occupying English exactly what he thinks of their "expansion plans." He escapes, returns home, brings hope and renewed resolve to his people, and the battle begins. I must stop here, or risk giving the away the ending to the non-English-history-expert readers.
Freedom's Sword's storyline is orderly, cohesive, concise - there is no jumping back and forth in time as seems to be popular now. Tomlin seems to adhere to historical accuracy, and I appreciate the "Historical Notes" and citations included.
As in A Kingdom's Cost, the characters in this story are developed very well. The reader easily learns the relevant backgrounds and understands the motivations of the main historical characters. In Andrew de Moray, the young knight is an impetuous, hotheaded youth who becomes, in a very short time, a deliberating, calculating war strategist who keeps his family life separate from his work.
Tomlin's skill is quite evident in the writing of Freedom's Sword. Vivid descriptions tell of the battles with sound and fury, of the surface features of the land seen from the eyes of the warrior, of the scents and sounds and sceneries of a young man's more innocent days. The story flows so seamlessly that I often lost track of chapter counts. Editing was thorough and as complete as I have seen in too long of a time.
I would give the book 4.5 stars but, alas, I haven't figured out how to do that here. Suffice it to say, the 4 stars I give it are less than I would like. It is definitely one I will read again.
Freedom's Sword is the prequel to the story of James Douglas. Tomlin takes the reader back some years to the rise of William Wallace and the early days of Robert the Bruce. A little-known figure, Andrew de Moray, is knighted by Scotland's King John de Balliol, goes into a battle the Scots lose, and gets captured by the English. Typical teenager that he is, he is unable to keep quiet in the face of his captors. King Edward and his minions find nothing "precocious" in young Andrew's outspokenness, causing young Andrew to be taken to perhaps the worst dungeon in all of England. He escapes, returns to his home, and proceeds to show the occupying English exactly what he thinks of their "expansion plans." He escapes, returns home, brings hope and renewed resolve to his people, and the battle begins. I must stop here, or risk giving the away the ending to the non-English-history-expert readers.
Freedom's Sword's storyline is orderly, cohesive, concise - there is no jumping back and forth in time as seems to be popular now. Tomlin seems to adhere to historical accuracy, and I appreciate the "Historical Notes" and citations included.
As in A Kingdom's Cost, the characters in this story are developed very well. The reader easily learns the relevant backgrounds and understands the motivations of the main historical characters. In Andrew de Moray, the young knight is an impetuous, hotheaded youth who becomes, in a very short time, a deliberating, calculating war strategist who keeps his family life separate from his work.
Tomlin's skill is quite evident in the writing of Freedom's Sword. Vivid descriptions tell of the battles with sound and fury, of the surface features of the land seen from the eyes of the warrior, of the scents and sounds and sceneries of a young man's more innocent days. The story flows so seamlessly that I often lost track of chapter counts. Editing was thorough and as complete as I have seen in too long of a time.
I would give the book 4.5 stars but, alas, I haven't figured out how to do that here. Suffice it to say, the 4 stars I give it are less than I would like. It is definitely one I will read again.
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March 3, 2017Brilliant writing
This is an informative story to learn about this time period and the file of royalty. And the story is solid, historical, and scene accurate. But I most enjoyed this book for the author's flowery, well-researched language. Yes, truly a five-star book.
This is an informative story to learn about this time period and the file of royalty. And the story is solid, historical, and scene accurate. But I most enjoyed this book for the author's flowery, well-researched language. Yes, truly a five-star book.
February 3, 2012
The central Character is Andrew de Moray, a very real knight who fought along side William Wallace (yes, the Braveheart guy) for Scottish Independence way back in the 1200s, though he has largely been forgotten, though I’m sure there are some history buffs who would disagree with me. Ms. Tomlin added several appendixes at the end, citing where most of her research came from and how she tried to stay mostly historically accurate, though there were some instances where she had to make things up, particularly when it came to Andrew’s wife, all known records of her identity have been lost. I must admit, I googled Andrew de Moray before I finished the novel, I had never heard of him, but some of the information contained in the story seemed like it had to have come from some documented events so I thought the main character just might have been real. He was, but said research also made the ultimate end known to me, so I almost wished I would have held off until after I finished the novel.
I liked how it was based on a real person, and much of the text was rich and really brought you into the world. However, I did notice a couple minor typos, mostly subject-verb agreement type things, but they may have also been fixed since I downloaded my copy a couple months ago on a free promotion. The wonder of indie-published e-books is that sometimes they improve a bit as readers pick up on errors and let the author know they exist.
One thing that really bothered me in Freedom’s Sword is the role of Caitrina, Andrew’s wife. I don’t mind her existence, just how she was handled. the second or third chapter switched from Andrew’s perspective to Caitrinas, I thought, cool, it’s going to be one of those dual-storyline deals, which I like, but after two Caitrina chapters, the dual line seemingly dropped entirely bringing everything back to solely Andrew. Caitrina later appears and suddenly they fall in love, and consummate their relationship. I was kind of expecting Caitrina and her friend Donnchadh to meet Andrew on the road and have some sexual tension before they ultimately got together, like many a well-known romance. Alas, that did not happen so I wish we hadn’t gotten the Caitrina perspective tease when she was going to end up with Andrew only a chapter or so after meeting him. It would have been cool to have the dual perspective, but having just Andrew’s perspective would have been good as well and then Caitrina’s tale could have been revealed in dialogue. Seemingly starting out as a dual-perspective story and then more or less less dropping that idea (save for a couple short sections later on) was a poor style choice in my opinion.
In spite of this, I did mostly enjoy the story, I do enjoy some fiction based on real people sometimes and I do like how J. R. Tomlin’s writing could elicit emotions. I just wish the perspective style would have remained consistent throughout the whole novel.
I liked how it was based on a real person, and much of the text was rich and really brought you into the world. However, I did notice a couple minor typos, mostly subject-verb agreement type things, but they may have also been fixed since I downloaded my copy a couple months ago on a free promotion. The wonder of indie-published e-books is that sometimes they improve a bit as readers pick up on errors and let the author know they exist.
One thing that really bothered me in Freedom’s Sword is the role of Caitrina, Andrew’s wife. I don’t mind her existence, just how she was handled. the second or third chapter switched from Andrew’s perspective to Caitrinas, I thought, cool, it’s going to be one of those dual-storyline deals, which I like, but after two Caitrina chapters, the dual line seemingly dropped entirely bringing everything back to solely Andrew. Caitrina later appears and suddenly they fall in love, and consummate their relationship. I was kind of expecting Caitrina and her friend Donnchadh to meet Andrew on the road and have some sexual tension before they ultimately got together, like many a well-known romance. Alas, that did not happen so I wish we hadn’t gotten the Caitrina perspective tease when she was going to end up with Andrew only a chapter or so after meeting him. It would have been cool to have the dual perspective, but having just Andrew’s perspective would have been good as well and then Caitrina’s tale could have been revealed in dialogue. Seemingly starting out as a dual-perspective story and then more or less less dropping that idea (save for a couple short sections later on) was a poor style choice in my opinion.
In spite of this, I did mostly enjoy the story, I do enjoy some fiction based on real people sometimes and I do like how J. R. Tomlin’s writing could elicit emotions. I just wish the perspective style would have remained consistent throughout the whole novel.
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