The End of the Line [Paperback]

Nigel Tranter (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2001

With Robert III ailing and weak, his brother siezed his chance to become Regent. George the Cospatrick was sent to London for help from Henry IV in order to avert civil war. In due course, Cospatrick's son was destined to pay the price of his father's links with the Plantagenets.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A wonderfully prolific author... He knows how to keep the plot spinning." -- KIRKUS REVIEWS

"A wonderfully prolific author... He knows how to keep the plot spinning." -- KIRKUS REVIEWS

From the Publisher

At the close of the 14th century, Scotland was plunged into chaos. With the new king ailing and weak, his younger brother, the Earl of Fife, as unscrupulous as he was ambitious, seized his chance to become Regent and Governor of the realm. Sent to London to appease the English King, Richard II, George the Cospatrick, 10th Earl of Dunbar and March, struck up a lasting friendship with Richard II's cousin, who was to become King Henry IV of England. On Henry's succession to the throne, Robert III's wife, Queen Annabella, asked Earl Cospatrick to use his influence with the English king in order to avert civil war. And so it was that Cospatrick found himself seeking help from the Auld Enemy to right affairs in Scotland.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 380 pages
• Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton (June 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0340739282
• ISBN-13: 978-0340739280
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,363,043 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not his best, November 24, 2001

By 

D. Murphy (Norfolk, UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The End of the Line (Paperback)

In comparison with some of his other books (especially the Brice trilogy) the characterisation is weak and story reads more like a history of the period rather than a novel set it in it. I found myself skimming rather than reading it. It had a few fairly standard romance scenes and other set pieces, but nothing to really grip the reader in the way that the Bruce and Wallace books had. For a Tranter fan its worth getting as a book to complete the series, but if you don't know tranter, I would suggest reading the Wallace, Bruce and Douglas books first (these are all great historical novels).

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Slow Burn, May 25, 2006

By 

Shawn Marchinek "McDonald" (Washington State, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The End of the Line (Paperback)

Not one of Tranter's finest novels. Out of all his books the newer ones seem to not live up to the Wallace and the Bruce Trilogy. The End of the Line is the Fourth book about the Cospatricks or Earls of Dunbar and March. The main character is George, Master of Dunbar and comes of age aiding his father and ultimately becomes the Cospatrick, 11th Earl of Dunbar and March. He lives thru 5 Kings, David II, Robert II, Robert III, James I and finally James II. The book reads as a history and is very short on the 1st person dialogue that I feel is part of the magic of Tranter books. We get to live life and breathe Scotland through his characters. End of the Line is more of an overview and tries to cover too much I feel. It starts out very slow, picks up some steam about three quarters of the way through when we see George take on the Regent, Robert Stewart, Duke of Albany but then the story goes flat and ends with a bit of a whimper. I feel the Cospatricks need more of an exit from the historical stage after reading the other 3 books, Sword of State, Envoy Extraordinaire, and Courting Favour. A must for the series collectors but requires some dedication to close this chapter on Tranter's view of history.