“Splendid! Wonderful!! Electrifying!!! The battle
scene is a thriller. You know the outcome, but you
will read it eagerly and find yourself caught up in
the battle as if you were there on horseback
with de Brus. Some of the best dialogue I’ve ever
read is between the book’s undermanned heroes and
those between the dreaded villains. By far
Rebel King, Book III, Bannok Burn is the
best of the [authors'] three volumes on Robert de
Bruce, and the first two are page turners in their
own right! The battle is over but the story is not.
Stay tuned.
LIMITED TIME OFFER ON ORDERS OF THE REBEL KING SERIES THROUGH THIS SITE.
Both authors will
autograph the Rebel King series of
books
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Rebel King -
Hammer of the Scots
This is the first in the critically acclaimed series that
illuminates the Chronicles of
Robert the Bruce, King of Scots. Based
closely on historical facts, the series concentrates on the
heroic and quite human
characters who willingly jeopardized their lives, limbs,
properties, titles, and their very souls to drive
their stories into Scotland's history.
With his rag-tag army, Robert takes his country's crown to battle Edward I, King
of England, the "Hammer of the Scots" who
commanded the greatest military in their world.
King Robert turns his genius for
guerilla warfare against the majority of his countrymen, who
have pledged their lives and considerable fortunes to the
English King and the task of killing the Bruce.
July 12th, while at the Grandfather Mountain
Highland Games with fellow author and
ofttimes tent mates, Jeanne Treat and
photographer R. Shane Davis, our next-tent
neighbor was Black Bear Books from nearby
Boone, NC. Scott Wheeler, the store's manager,
had invited Diana Gabaldon to the mountain
to sign her books. She graciously came to
our tent for a minute of conversation and a
couple of photographs before accumulating
fans demanded her presence back in the Black
Bear tent. It was a lot of fun and Diana is
charming. Another boon to us is that Black
Bear Books is now carrying our works as
well!
Diana Gabaldon is The New York Times'
best-selling author of the Outlander
series, which tells the story of Jamie
Fraser, a Scots Highlander from the 18th
century, and his time-traveling wife,
Claire.
WHAT OUR READERS HAVE SAID...
Having completed Bannok Burn, I await the next novel.
I am the one that purchased all three books at Orlando,... jokingly advising that I was from the Jewish chapter of St. Andrew.
I waited until March to start Book One, knowing that we were to take a Mediterranean cruise... and I would then take with me Book Two.
Came back and took 5 days to finish Book Three.
Now I am thirsty for more...
Even though I am Jewish, an Anglophile, I have loved the pipes for over 40 years and sometimes cry during certain melodys.
I have a recording of scottish drums and could feel them during the battle march AS WELL feel the climb to Edinburgh Castle. My wife and I... climbed straight up from the park below the castle and had to do so on our knees holding the grass.
Although you described the attack from the side, I felt the climb and what must have been utter fear. Did it occur exactly as you told was not important. Your novel followed history and all were superb reading.
SO--is there a fourth book to tell me about Robert's family and to fill in the blanks in my TimeLine book?
Regards
Steve
July 2009
I have really enjoyed your books. Love Scotland and especially King Robert. Your books put me right there. Lots of fun. Thanks,
---Laura Luciani June 2009
Just wanted you to know I finished the third book
and just loved it!!
The books just keep getting better and better! I am
really glad that
we ran into each other at Loon Mountain. Please let
me know when the
fourth book comes out. You really have put a lot
into these books and
it shows. My hat is off to you two. I forgot to
mention how much I
liked the drawings also. I have shown them to many
of our friends.
-- Dana A Shaw -Apr, 2009
Thank
you for your wonderful stories. I received Book 3
signed and in perfect shape. I am well into the
story and it lives up to the bar you all have set.
I really love the books. I am an avid Scottish
History and Historical Fiction reader and have a
modest little collection of books. I have to admit
that your books now have earned a place on my
favorites book shelf with Tranter, O’Brian, Barrow, Prebble, McNamee and Young.
Shawn Marchinek
Below is part of Mr. Marchinek's review he posted on
Amazon for our Rebel King,Book One,Hammer of the Scots...
Robert the Bruce, live and
raw, January 31, 2008
I am a huge Nigel Tranter fan
and hesitated to pick up another
historical fiction account of
the life of Robert Bruce and the
rest of the famous Scots and
English from the early 14th
century. I received the Hammer
of the Scots as a gift and now I
have no regrets. I could not put
the book down. I stayed up late
for a couple of nights until I
finished it... I went back to
read some chapters over again
just to re-live the experience.
In my opinion this is in a
different category from Tranter.
I wouldn't say better but
different. Whereas Tranter saw
life through one character and
sometimes a little more
righteous than some would,
Charles and Carolyn Bruce give
us a raw look at believable
people. Each chapter is of a
specific day and from another
character's viewpoint. Most were
actual people but some are
fictitious. All the characters
are believable. They have human
problems, not perfect or
beautiful. They are cold, poor,
hungry or proud, arrogant and
strong. They seem REAL. This
book was a pleasure and a breath
of fresh air to read. The Hammer
of the Scots is full of equal
doses of action and emotion.
07/18/08 "I am reading a
borrowed copy of Book 1 and
decided at [Grandfather
Mountain Highland] Games to
get Book 2. When rains
interrupted and I got home
looked at your web site, I
decided to get all 3 since I
am enjoying my reading so
much. ...every time I put
[the] book down, I can not wait to
pick it back up."
Dave Henderson
3/18/08 "I was driving down
Kempsville [Road] on March
17th and ended up behind
someone in a black SUV with
RebelKing.com on the back
window. Being a lover of
Scots/Irish history I was
intrigued. Now I think I
might be hooked after
looking over the website for
the past two days."
3/30/08 "Reading it is
almost like being there and
I actually was in the cave
where King Robert watched
the spider when I vacationed
in Scotland in '94 and even
have a picture from being in
the cave and looking out
hanging in my living room.
I am so glad that I ended up
behind the black SUV with
the website advertised on
the back window."
Emalee
03/14/08 "I read the first
two and greatly enjoyed
them. Just by chance I
checked your web site and
found there was a third
book. I am looking forward
to reading it also."
Bruce McCord
03/03/08 "I picked up book
one at the North Florida
Games, it was absolutely
wonderful, thank you. Very
much looking forward to the
rest of the series."
Shannon
2/29/08 "I enjoy your books
immensely. Thanks for
autographing them. I
hope to buy your 4th book at
Grandfather Mountain this
summer!" (Sorry they
are not available yet --
We're working on them!!)
Kathryn Holley
02/22/08 "The books are
wonderful. Thank you for
the history lesson !! We met
you at the Celtic [Festival] in Hudson,
New York....Look forward to
your next book."
Diane Ludwig
02/01/08 "I love your
books!"
Michael Anderson
"I have read all three of your
books, just finished them spaced amongst my life's busy schedule. I find your
books enthralling... I appreciate [them so] that I have placed your books next to those of
Mario Puzo, an author who I have read and admire his work... I believe you have
written your books with the same level of absorption and detail retention that
Mr. Puzo did...
Of course, at least one of Mario
Puzo books was made into a classic film for movie goers and I would hope that
the same might happen to this series. The story of The Bruce is absolutely as
engrossing as that of the recent Scottish historical movie, Braveheart... in
fact this story should be more so because The Bruce was successful in the wars
for freedom.
Terrence R. Hohnhorst, P.E.,
L.M.ASCE
Charles Randolph Bruce and Carolyn Hale
Bruce were on C-Span2 on
April 19, 2008. The discussion was about "Successful
Self-Publishing" and was filmed at the Virginia Festival of the
Book in Charlottesville, VA.
Check Out Dark Birthright, a book
published by Ahead of the Hangman Press.
It has Mystery, Romance and Violence in
Seventeenth Century Scotland! Lots of great
reviews
Click Here for More Info
From our talk before the
Scottish Society of Tidewater (VA), here's
the short, but true telling
of William Wallace and Andrew Murray, and how
they shrewdly brought the English forces to
defeat at the 1297 Battle of Stirling
Bridge. (It is a far cry from the Hollywood
version in Braveheart).
King Robert the Bruce in
miniature! These were sent to me as a gift
from "EBOB", a person of enormous
talent. The full height of this pewter cast
sculpture from hoof to axe top is a mere two
and a quarter inches! Perhaps he will sculpt
more of the cast of characters from the
Rebel King chronicles. You can catch up to
him at
ebobminiatures.com and see his large
collection!
The 54th annual Grandfather Mountain Highland Games was one of variety... in entertainment, competitions, demonstrations, wares, and weather! But then, that's the norm for this event, one of the nation's finest. And of course the scenery is breathtaking, like the view at right of Grandfather Mountain after a storm.
We enjoy climbing the mountain to MacRae Meadows where we meet up with old friends, like balladeer Colin Grant-Adams (left) and goldsmith Rob Piland (right). Then too, one of the nicest parts of being there is making new friends as we chat with folks who stop by our tent to talk about our books, about Scots history, and especially about Robert the Bruce.
MEET ALBANNACH!!
Our good friends, the famous band
Albannach from Glasgow Scotland, are here shown posing with us and our
Rebel King books at the Middle Tennessee Games! Jamesie modeled for
one of the characters (at left) in our third book, Rebel King, Bannok Burn, and we hope to have the
rest of the band members in our next book!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsHqlGBVE6A
The first Albannach CD, much
sought after by collectors of Celtic Music, won Celtic Radio's
2006 Album of the Year Award!
-THEN CAME-
Albannach's Eye of
the Storm CD, all about Freedom, includes the song titled, "Rebel King"
