The Scots of Dalriada – Fergus Mor, by Rowena Kinread

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Scots-Dalriada-Rowena-Kinread/dp/1800164610

Good historical fiction draws you into a different world, a different time and, at its best, allows you to live vicariously the lives of people from points in history.

Rowena Kinread achieves this in many respects. The book is well-researched and is written in an accessible and entertaining style. The use of the present tense took a little time to get used to but while I wondered initially whether a more conventional narrative would have fitted better, my doubts did not impede my enjoyment of what was a fine novel. The historical period and the story of the early kingdoms of Scotland and Ireland was largely unknown to me and I emerged with a clearer understanding of the period and a mental image of the key protagonists. The story was gripping, with enough heroes and villains, intrigues, plots and counter-plots, betrayals, acts of savagery and cruelty, and loves lost and won to hold the attention throughout. I would, perhaps, have liked to see the characters fleshed out more. I only occasionally felt the kind of in-depth engagement that has you rooting for the main protagonists. However, there was more than enough happening to keep the pages turning.

So, would I recommend the book to readers of historical fiction? Most certainly. Does it create a world and a narrative which feels authentic. Certainly. Was I ever tempted to push the book aside and stop reading it? No. Would I keep a lookout for other books by Rowena Kinread. Yes.