[This is a review I wrote in 2009]

**A darkly compelling medieval tale of a Scottish Laird beset by tragic memories**

In medieval Scotland Bruce McLennan has risen up through the ranks from his humble beginnings as a fisherman's son, to become a powerful landowner with tenants at his disposal. Characters around him hint at the likeable man he used to be, but a tragic event changed him into a hard, brutal and at times cruel man. He believes himself devoid of the ability to feel affection for another human being ever again.

Hatred and a deisre for revenge drive McLennan off on a wild journey across to the other side of the world, following the Silk Road to China, whilst his tenants carry out his orders to build a strong and impressive castle fortress, with a terrifying dungeon for captives.

China is a dangerous place and this immediately appeals to the reckless McLennan. Ruled by the warring Mongols, skirmishes are a daily occurence. McLennan falls in with a band of private army soldiers and becomes renowned for his prowess on the battlefield. Along the way he buys himself a very young slave girl, Peony, to make and pour his tea and attend to his wounds and other needs. When he sees she has trouble walking and his comrades explain to him the practice of binding the feet of some girls to stunt their growth and make them attractive as ornaments to men, McLennan's heart is perhaps softened a notch or two... but this is something he hates to acknowledge even to himself. He also hates that something about her reminds him of what he has lost and cannot regain...

Peony proves pivotal to McLennan as he travels with the band of soldiers, and he decides to take his slave girl with him on the perilous journey back to Scotland. He begins to think of her as his lucky talisman, but when a bloody battle doesn't quite go according to plan his cruelty takes a new twist. Perhaps there is no redemption for the brutal McLennan...

I promise there are no plot spoilers in my review and there are plenty more twists and turns in the tale. The background is necessary to describe how dark and powerful this novel is. Love and hate are powerful themes. A compelling story, I can recommend it for readers aged 11+, though possibly for mature slightly younger readers as well. ( )

A quick fairly easy read despite some violent scenes (including domestic violence and self-harm). A bitter and sometimes grim medieval story of a Scottish laird, Bruce McClennan, obsessed by the wrong that was done to his family, and the lengths he will go to, in pursuit of revenge. The narrative is lightened by the optimism of Peony, a chinese slave McClennan takes on as a servant.
Some dialogue and vocabulary is in Scots dialect, e.g. "Have ye no clothes but these?", the meaning is obvious from context mostly.
( )

After becoming a laird in Scotland, a large man is wronged by another laird and becomes cold hearted with nothing but revenge on his mind. He builds a castle and during its construction travels the world where he purchases a young Chinese girl. He treats her poorly and is regarded as cruel. Finally he prepares for the final step to his master plan of revenge, which doesn’t go as planned.

As a reader I had a hard time putting this book down. It was written so as to give the reader subtle hints as to what might happen but kept you intrigued enough to keep reading further. ‘One more chapter before bed’ quickly became 4 and before I knew it I had finished the entire book. I was somewhat disappointed with the ending as it seemed abrupt, but found it to be a good read.

This novel flowed together nicely and did a great job of building complex characters and descriptive scenes. As a teacher this would be an ideal book for students who enjoy history and medieval times.

I love this type of historical fiction. ( )

Bruce McLennan, a Scottish laird in the 15th c, orders a huge castle built with a terrible dungeon in which he plans to keep his mortal enemy. It takes years for this to happen and so he travels – hitching rides with traders until he ends in China where he buys Peony ( a girl who has had her feet bound) to be his tea slave. He returns to Scotland with P (no-one there has ever seen a Chinese person before) & P must endure stares and a new language & culture until McLennan’s need for revenge on McInnes ( the man who killed his wife & children) drives him to madness. p.103 – 108The laird comes home & P meets Fin (her true friend) for the first time.