Review of Freedom's Sword

JRTomlin · Post by **JRTomlin** » Thu April 14th, 2011, 10:30 pm

I was really pleased with this review coming as it does from a blogger in Scotland:
Freedom's Sword Review

He has some pretty nice things to say which an author always appreciates.

annis · Post by **annis** » Fri April 15th, 2011, 3:55 am

Must be encouraging

Great to see an author tackle the subject of Sir Andrew Moray, who was a significant figure during the First War of Scottish Independence, but generally gets little of the glory attached to Wallace and Robert the Bruce.

I've recently read both Robyn Young's Insurrection and Robert Low's Lion Wakes, so feel reasonably up on the Wars of Scottish Independence currently. Enjoyed both very much and they complement each other well. Low uses Scottish dialect in his novel too and I felt it added greatly to the atmosphere, though don't doubt that there will be some readers who grizzle about it!

LoveHistory · Post by **LoveHistory** » Fri April 15th, 2011, 1:21 pm

Congratulations, JR!

fljustice · Post by **fljustice** » Fri April 15th, 2011, 3:59 pm

Very nice review, JR. Congrats!

JRTomlin · Post by **JRTomlin** » Mon April 25th, 2011, 5:29 am

Thanks. I've gotten good reviews on it but this one really pleased me.

To be accurate about it, Scots is not a dialect but a language. Admittedly, I don't know exactly how Low used it in his new novel. Of course, some people say the difference in a dialect and a language is who has an army, and that would make Scots a dialect.

I do like Low but because I'm currently writing in exactly that period and about the same characters, I will wait to read his Scottish novels. I did very much enjoy his Oathsworn series. I hope more Americans discover him, because he's an excellent writer.

Edit: Thought you might be interested in a news article written in modern Scots: http://www.newsnetscotland.com/arts-and ... haiti.html It is very closely related to Norwegian.

annis · Post by **annis** » Tue April 26th, 2011, 7:52 pm

Language is a fascinating subject. I believe that Scots was heavily influenced by the Old English and Old Norse which entered Scotland with the influx of Anglo-Saxon and Anglo-Danish refugees following the conquest of England by William I, so perhaps not surprising that it has a Norwegian sound. OE and ON have similarities- for example the Scottish word dreich, usually applied to endlessly dreary weather, could equally have come from the OE drēog or the ON drjugr, which both have the meaning "lasting".

Thanks for the article- handy to have a list of words the reader might not ken

I'm rather fond of the Scottish group The Old Blind Dogs. Here is one of their songs - a cracking version of the Battle of Harlaw sung in Scots. I noticed that one person added a comment that it sounded like Norwegian.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6KSE7CwK2Zc

JRTomlin · Post by **JRTomlin** » Tue May 3rd, 2011, 5:22 am

Thanks. That's a great piece by Old Blind Dog, a group I also enjoy.