Böcker av Stuart McCabe

Set in the Medieval Scotland of James V. Anster Fair is a comic poem of magic and romance and tells the story of Maggie Lauder, a rich heiress from the Fife coastal town of Anstruther. Maggie is beautiful and the subject of many suitors and admirers. One day she decides its time she found herself a husband but did not know what was the best way to choose. She encounters a Fairy called Puck who suggests she organise a competition at the next market fair, in which all the admirers can display their skills and win her hand. From all over Scotland, suitors arrive, and in the presence of James V and his Royal Court the suitors take part in a range of competitions; a donkey race, a sack race, a piping competition, and a reciting of stories. One popular competitor is Rob the Ranter, a laird from the borders who has his own connection with the world of magic and the infamous Wizard, Michael Scott, and as the story unfolds it is learned that the paths of Maggie and Rob have been laid by Puck and his wife who have both been trapped by the cruel Wizard. In seeking to win their escape they need the help of Maggie and Rob.William Tennent was a Scottish poet and scholar (1784-1848) born in Anstruther East, Fife. It was his knowledge of Italian verse and structure that gave William the ability to compose his first published work, Anster Fair (1812), a mock-heroic, humorous poem with classical aspirations, covering the marriage of Maggie Lauder. It was in the style of ottava rima, a verse form made up of eight lines in iambic pentameter with the rhyme scheme abababcc. This style was the first adopted by a British writer, and it would gain good reviews with six editions appearing in his lifetime. The poem is in the English language using the spelling of the time and with many Scots words included.

The following book covers the period from 1286 to 1488, and examines the key characters and events that would carve out the path of Scottish history. Focus is concentrated on acts of violence and treachery that would either lead to war and instability, or would cause a change of government. As was the political nature of Scotland or perhaps any medieval nation, leaders were meant to be respected and feared, and their laws and instructions to be obeyed, but as often was the case there would be factions willing to question the fitness of a king, queen or regent to rule. During the period studied, a high percentage of rulers and royal heirs would meet with violent ends, or unexplained or unusual deaths, and conspiracy and treason plots became part of the political landscape.

Tobias Smollett (1721-1771) dramatizes the events of February, 1437. During that period James I of Scotland is at war against his rebel uncle, the Earl of Athol. Inside the walls of Perth, the brave Dunbar, son of the Earl of March, is in love with Eleonora, the daughter of the Earl of Angus, and asks the father for her hand. Yet Eleonora is perplexed, her heart had been won by the advances of the gifted suitor Robert Stuart, who now reveals himself to be a traitor, conspiring to murder the king. Despite the betrayals and heartbreaks, Eleonora is unsure whether she still loves Stuart, and Robert Stuart, the traitor, he too is no owner of his heart. Whilst set on a murderous mission to kill the king he cannot abandon his love for Eleonora. As the three pursue twisting paths to fulfil their desires, their convergence will lead to treason and tragedy.