Radcliffe's first novel, a very short and pacy romance set in Scotland. Much of the plot will appear familiar to anyone who has read Walpole's "The Castle of Otranto", but the novel has its own merits in that it holds the reader's attention throughout.

Interested in a gothic novel but not quite ready to plunge headfirst into "The Mysteries of Udolpho"? Ann Radcliffe's short novel "The Castles of Athlin and Dunbayne", provides the perfect first taste of a gothic novel. I first read Radcliffe after reading Austen's "Northanger Abby", which contains refrences to "Udolpho". I instantly became facinated by her work and have subsequently read most of her novels. Reading Radcliffe is definately an experience worth trying, and I reccomend "The Castles of Athlin and Dunbayne" as an excellent place to start.

One must not judge the gothic novel with the same standards as any work with more literary merit. The plots are trite, the devices are overused, the language is overblown, and the characters are decididly one dimensional. However, this is what is so great about Radcliffe. All of her work is throughly entertaining, highly amusing to a modern reader, and a source of excellent new vocabulary.

"The Castles Of Athlin and Dunbayne" is no exception. It only differs from Radcliffe's other work in two aspects: it is short (slightly over 100 pages), and it is set in Britian, not mainland Europe. Although it is her first novel and does not achieve the same greatness as later works, such as "Udolpho", it is still worth reading. The story centers around Mary, a Scottish nobelwoman, and her love affair with the low-born, but ever honorable Allyn. It contains an astounding number of chases across dark moors, mysterious noises, escapes from dungones, and passionate exchanges of lover's vows for its small size. What makes the novel so amusing and enjoyable is Radcliffe's serious, fervent tone as she earnestly describes the contrived and trite situations in the novel.

I am quite a fan of Radcliffe and admire her greatly for the prescedent she set in the history of fiction. "The Castles of Athlin and Dunbayne" is an entertaing read and a wonderful example of the gothic novel.

Lady Myrtle Prescott has arrived at haunted Castle Kilmarock to oversee the disposal of the estate of her late father's friend: Laird Ian Sinclair, who having been deposed as leader of his clan opted for death over banishment from Scotland, and took his own life by flinging himself over the castle's parapet into the churning sea hundreds of feet below. Unwilling to be frightened off by ghosts and death threats, Myrtle is determined to do her best by the poor clansmen left behind by their chieftain, whose diary leads her to believe that he was unjustly accused by the Hanoverian king. Soon Myrtle finds herself mourning a man she never knew and redoubles her efforts at finding some semblance of justice in his name.

Ian Sinclair, loyal leader of the clan Sinclair could not bring himself to leave his underlings, no matter what edict the English king might declare. Having staged his death, he continues to lurk around his castle, trying his best to lead his clan at night from behind a ghostly mask. A servant possessed of the "sight" warns him that a woman with sapphire-colored eyes will either save or destroy the clan.  Ian keeps wary watch on the lady sent to settle his estate and soon finds himself enthralled with the buxom girl, English though she is.

Can Myrtle be the blue-eyed lass of the prophecy, the one who holds the fate of the clan in her hands? Can Ian's devastating masculine charms sway Myrtle's decision and save the people from further suffering?

 What worked for me:

I always love a braw man in a kilt, and Ian made a fine hero, but I actually enjoyed disliking the villains in this story more than I did rooting for the protagonists.

Size-wise Myrtle was a tall, sturdy, girl but very uncomfortable in her body thanks to growing up with petite, dainty stepsisters who declared her as being "too broad in the beam" to be attractive.

What didn't work for me:

I had trouble swallowing the plotline wherein Ian was simultaneously portraying his own "ghost" and a masked, simple-minded servant. It ought to have been humorous, but was so far out of the realm of plausibility I really felt it just damaged Myrtle's characterization. Instead of coming across as sweet and naively trusting she appeared more as a bit of a slow-top for not catching onto the ruse sooner.

Overall:

    A solid read for fans of Highland romances if they can overlook the occasional extreme plotline.

Warning: There are some sexy scenes in this story.

If you liked "Highland Ecstasy" you might also enjoy "The Bride and the Beast", "The Accidental Bride", "The Last Days of a Rake", "Unmarriageable", "The Fire-Flower", "Suddenly You", or "Enchanting Pleasures".

I came upon this book by chance and started reading it because i had extra time on my hands. i had low expectations for the book but i was proved wrong. i thought the romance between Lady Myrtle and Ian was sweet. He was masquerading as a servant in his own home. Each day that he spent in her company, his admiration and desire for her grew but could not reveal his identity. All in all, it was a delightful read.

Due to an out-of-court settlement by Kensington Pub., this particular title "Highland Rogue" is not to be legally sold by any retail outlet.

This is my favorite book. I have read it many times and I'm still not tired of it. It's the greatest story and I look forward to reading more of Casey Stuart's work.

Birthright uses the battle system rules that are o.k. but they are not as fun as doing a mass battle by group.

Birthright is a unique and enjoyable campaign centering, this time, on mass combat and diplomacy, rather than hack-and-slash of standart dungeon crawls. Surprisingly, the settings, cultures, and characters are fresh and lifelike, despite the system's overall age ( 25 years). Some of the areas haven't been described in optimal detail, but perhaps this is best for those who want to be able to expand upon store-bought accessories. This campaign is very interesting, with many things going for it, albeit it is somewhat taxing on the role-playing abilities of some beginners.

I bought this book to read to my young son who is learning to play the bagpipe (chanter lessons).

The book went into too many areas of the family that were not only unnecessary, but not for the younger reader. For instance, why did we need to hear about Protestant vs. Catholic issues in the classroom, as well as Sandy's parents financial condition, other than having to sacrifice to pay for lessons and a chanter. Although set in the 50' or 60's, the end was so syrupy that I couldn't stand it.
I read this myself , and upon finishing it, I threw it away, something I've never done before.

I'm 57 years old and a long-time piper. I've just completed reading "Sandy Chisholm's Chanter Lessons" by Scott Williams for the fourth time and being perfectly honest, I must say I enjoy the story more each time I read it through. Having grown up in the late 40's and early 50's in a small, rural town I was able to identify with Sandy, his friends, (and enemies), and the town itself. Then, kids were kids, and not subjected to pre-adolescent grooming by "concerned" parents who strive to boost their offspring's GPA and "self-esteem" by forcing them into so many extracurricular activities, appointments must be made in advance just to play with friends. Sandy and his friends enjoy the reality of being kids. Their entertainments are active, created by themselves (e.g. the car top rafts, stomach surfing through the snow banks) and their imaginations are nurtured by King Robert's Men constantly on the outlook protecting the disembarking train passengers from the clutches of the evil Black Prince. No passive sitting in front of the TV or mindless video games for Sandy and his friends. Their playground is the great outdoors and all the wonders it holds. Sandy's parents both have to work but everybody makes do with what they have (there's no whining or cronic complaining or need for professional counseling). Affection between parents and children is quite obvious. Sandy's fears are real (in the guise of the evil Andy Gillis) but revenge is sweet (who hasn't longed to dance a victory dance following a successful mudball fight)? Add to all of the above the challange of learning to play the Great Highland Bagpipe and you have a recipe for an entertaining and heartwarming story. I highly recommend "Sandy" and am anticipating, perhaps, a "Sandy II". "Sandy Chisholm's Chanter Lessons" is definitely worth the read and you don't have to be a kid to enjoy it - just a kid at heart. In fact, I enjoyed the book so much, it inspired me to write and publish a book of my own.

If You want to know how to take care of your West Highland White Terrier this is not the book for you!!! It is all about the history of the breed. If you want to know about the history this is the book for you.

This 1998 book is a historical introduction to the West Highland White Terrier & is a reprint of the 1911 original by Holland Buckley, who was a turn-of-the-century canine expert. The history of the early Westie is very interesting for all lovers of the breed. There were many differences between today's Westie & the early Westie. This book tells the whole story of how & why they wanted to breed white dogs rather than the original brown; the early breeders; the first West Highland champions; the early sponsors of the dog--in fact the book is dedicated the Countess of Aberdeen who was a staunch supporter of the "little Highlander." As Buckley would say, "Breed them hardy, and breed them game, that they may ever uphold the reputation of their ancient home, the West Highlands of Scotland." As an added bonus, this book is a nice gift book with its plaid endpages & Westie bookmark! A 5 star gift!

I ordered this book with the expectation that it would provide me with more specific information on the breed itself. Instead, there's only one chapter at the beginning of the book devoted to the history and temperment of the breed and the remainder of the book is buying, training, feeding, etc. (Note: many pages are very specific on treats and toys which I found overdone.) I had already ordered books that cover those issues and they were more helpful than this one. The title is misleading......I was disappointed in the book.

This was the first book I bought when we bought our Westie. This was a good book for first time dog owners but it lacked in depth explanations. The book gives very general "dog-raising" advice. If your looking for information specific to Westies-this is not the book. I did, however, enjoy the high-gloss pictures. It gave me an example of how I am going to cut my Westie's hair.

as usually this book was too short for my taste but what can we expect. this book was very nice and charming. a type of fairy tale plot and ending. I was very captivated and i did not put it down until i was done. i love the way ms. cartland uses the word to get to my emotions. the only problem was that it was too short and i wanted more time on the story.

"Ceol Mor" uses a unique and difficult notation. It is perhaps best known for its errors and omissions in the extensive tune section. Today, the Piobaireachd Society's scores and notation are the standard, "Ceol Mor" being considered unreliable when compared to the original source manuscripts. It does have several tunes which have not been subsequently published.

I ordered this edition as a text for a graduate school course I am taking. When I received the text, I learned that it is not the complete work. The complete text includes a narrative frame, two short stories and a novella. This edition contains only the frame and one of the stories. This fact is not obvious from the title unless one is very familiar to with the original text. It also makes the cover price seem extravagant. Even if the title or description had mentioned that this was a "volume one," I would have been better informed. If you need or want the complete text, spent the extra money and buy the Edinburgh hardcover edition. If you are buying the text for pleasure reading, this is still a good purchase.