''Insurrection'' is the first novel in

Robyn Young Robyn Young (born in Oxford in September 1975) is an English people, English author of historical fiction. She is most widely known for her ''Brethren'' trilogy, set in the Middle Ages. Her books have been published in more than 15 languages. ...

's ''Insurrection'' trilogy, her fourth book overall, published on 14 October 2010 through

Hodder and Stoughton Hodder & Stoughton is a British publishing house, now an imprint of Hachette. History Early history The firm has its origins in the 1840s, with Matthew Hodder's employment, aged 14, with Messrs Jackson and Walford, the official publisher ...

. The story is based on the exploits of the historical

Robert the Bruce Robert I (11 July 1274 – 7 June 1329), popularly known as Robert the Bruce (Scottish Gaelic: ''Raibeart an Bruis''), was King of Scots from 1306 to his death in 1329. One of the most renowned warriors of his generation, Robert eventual ...

Plot

The novel is based around the

Scottish Wars of Independence The Wars of Scottish Independence were a series of military campaigns fought between the Kingdom of Scotland and the Kingdom of England in the late 13th and early 14th centuries. The First War (1296–1328) began with the English invasion of ...

and in particular the actions of Robert the Bruce, set in the late 13th and early 14th centuries.

Reception

''Insurrection'' was well received, with reviewers praising the novels successful evocation of this little-documented period of the Middle Ages. Toby Clements, in a review for ''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was fo ...

'', stated that the novel is "immaculately researched and carefully written, evoking a very particular – and largely unexplored – time and place." and also commented that "the fights are sensational, too.". Mark Scala, reviewing for Australia's ''

'', commented that "this tale captures the struggles of a tumultuous time.". Scott Wilson, of on-line review site ''The Fringe Magazine'' was more critical than most, citing the novels factual inaccuracies as a possible point of contention for readers. He states that "those who like their historical fiction to be 100% factual will find many points to complain about" and comments that his wife "likes historical fiction and could not get into this book because of this". Tempering that, however, Wilson states that the book is "well-paced, with visceral and believable battles scenes".

References

External links

* {{Robyn Young 2010 British novels Novels set in the Middle Ages English historical novels Novels by Robyn Young Wars of Scottish Independence Hodder & Stoughton books