Library Journal
Tranter continues the story of Scotland's King James V begun in his novel The Riven Realm. James, whose father, James IV, died when he was a baby, is 12 years old when this tale begins. For the warring nobles, control of the boy-king is a much sought after prize. Still, one man, Da vid Lindsay, remains faithful to his king and seeks to protect him from those who would keep him prisoner while rul ing in his name. Later, when James reaches his majority, David tries (not always successfully) to keep the im pressionable young man from heeding the advice of some of the more unscru pulous courtiers. As in his other works, Tranter writes knowledgeably of the in tricate and often brutal politics of the era. Patricia Altner, Dept. of Defense Lib., Bolling Air Force Base, Washington, D.C.