Castle Dangerous or Castle Chivalrous? More talking than fighting….

Douglas Castle, also known as Castle Dangerous, is the setting for Sir Walter Scott’s last book published during his lifetime. It tells the tale of a wandering English minstrel and his ‘son’, who are not exactly who they say they are. What is their connection to Sir John de Walton, the Governor sent to protect the castle from the hands of the Scottish outlaws? Sir Aymer de Valence, the young second in command, is he too trusting or is his instincts spot on?

It may help to know a bit of history before reading, James Douglas fought alongside Robert the Bruce in the 14th C. AS a child his family’s castle was taken away by the English King, his father died in prison and he was exiled in France. Upon his return to Scotland, James vowed to get his family’s home back. He was called James the Good by those in Scotland and The Black Douglas by the English. There are some historical truths in the book and there are also a couple inaccuracies but they can be overlooked as it is meant to be fiction, not non-fiction. That being said, the tale unfolds slowly; not an action-packed swash buckling tale as one would expect from the title. ( )