Customer Reviews

High on a Mountain: A MacLachlainn Saga, Book One: Ailean

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This book is amazing -- the story of a Scottish man, a Highlander from the 1700s, written by an American woman of the 20th century who nevertheless captures the era, the culture, the events with amazing accuracy and clarity.

Don't look here for the romance-novel version of the Highland hero, the laird of the castle, the knight in shining armour. Ailean MacLachlainn is from a family of poor crofters -- what we might call tenant farmers or sharecroppers today. Highlander life is hard, sometimes wretched, and though Ailean's early life holds some promise, he will see everything he loves turn to ashes while he is still a young man.

Yet he manages to carry on through losses that would break a lesser man. Lyn's creation of her protagonist is the embodiment of the novel's dedication, "...to our Scottish ancestors, who suffered so much, yet endured it all without complaint and without succumbing to self-pity."

Written with the smooth, solid prose so lacking in much of today's popular fiction, High On a Mountain is a winner. I highly recommend it.

Just thinking about this book brings a lump to my throat! There are some books that are a waste of several hours of your life. There are others that you like but you only tell your friends "Yeah I read that" when they ask. Then there are those books that you can't stop telling people about. You bring those books up in random conversations because the story is stuck in your brain. You want your friends to read the book, too, just so you can talk about it.

"High on a Mountain" is this last kind of book. This book has the kind of characters that haunt your sleep, and a story that occupies your daydreams. The fast-paced story is hard to put down in an addictive way. I can't tell you how much I loved this epic; it's definitely Tommie Lyn's masterpiece.

Tommie Lyn obviously did a lot of research before writing this outstanding novel about life in Scotland during the 1700's. Thanks to the vivid word pictures, I can imagine the beauty of the land and the simple existence of the common man. It's hard to read about the painful events that destroyed the lives of so many innocent people, especially when you know that the story is based on actual history. I had so much compassion for the main character, as he suffered hardships that should never befall anyone. He is a fine example of a man who has every excuse to give in and give up, but somehow, with divine assistance, will survive instead, and eventually triumph against all odds. The writing is beautiful, beginning with the very first sentence, and the story will stay with me forever. Just be sure to have a box of tissues on hand when you read this book.

High on a Mountain by Tommy Lyn was an amazing Historical novel. From the High Lands of Scotland, to the plantations of old America, Tommy takes us on a journey of one man and his life. Physical battles as well as mental ones, plague the lead character. He lived while others around him died. He is pursued across two countries and an ocean by a man who wishes he could kill him more than once. His hatred so deep, he lived his life to kill the lead character. It finishes in a tremendous battle that heals one of them. But which one? Buy "High on a Mountain, by Tommy Lyn to find out. You will not be disappointed.

I loved this book, in fact I stayed up almost all night reading it even though it was in the middle of kidding season. A powerful book that will make you both cry and laugh, High on the Mountain held me transfixed until the last page.

This is a rare work of both historical accuracy as well as compelling action. Once I started reading it I couldn't put it down and kept on all night and in to the next day. That doesn't happen to me very often that I make cofee at 2 am to keep reading a novel! I'm a history buff and an American Scot who is active in the Scottish community in the US. Tommie Lyn has told OUR story in an emotional, yet historically accurate way. Far from being a dry history book, "High on a Mountain", brings the story of our families down to a personal level. Thanks for writing such a book!

Jim Walters
FSA Scot, KTJ

Suspense novelist, Tommie Lyn enters the historical fiction genre with her latest release, High on a Mountain. She delves into her ancestral roots setting the story in 18th century Scotland. The protagonist, Ailean MacLachlan, is a young man desperate to make a name for himself as a warrior before he locks eyes with the red-haired shepherdess, Muirne. While love conquers ambition, Ailean, as a new husband, remains restless.

His refuge is being high on a mountain where he "surveyed the land below like a king on a throne." Yet Ailean's father warns him about the danger of clinging to fantasies telling his son, "It looks beautiful from up here on the mountain, but you must remember that your life is lived down there in the glen. And sometimes, life isn't so lovely when you're in the midst of it."

Death and sacrifice are inseparably linked with glory in the life of a warrior - a heartbreaking lesson Ailean comes to learn firsthand. A runner carrying a fiery cross summons the members of Clan MacLachlan to fight for the deposed Scottish heir, Prince Charles Edward Stuart. The clan suffers heavy losses at home and on the battlefield thanks in part to traitors such as Ailean's arch rival, Latharn Cambeul. As boys they battled playing the Scottish game, camanachd; as young men they fought for the heart of Muirne and as warriors they each seek the death of the other. Yet it is Ailean's words to Muirne that ultimately shatter his soul, "If I hadn't married you, I'd be free to do my duty without worries. I wouldn't have become this ... this half way warrior."

Part II takes place in the New World when Ailean is sold into slavery. After a harrowing journey, he arrives at a South Carolina rice plantation. He escapes into the northern mountains residing with a tribe of Native Americans. After employing his camanachd skills during a similar native game, he wins the respect of the people. A tribeswoman named Kutahyah guides Ailean to the summit of a nearby waterfall where he is once again able to find a lofty place where he can think clearly. It is on this precipice that he is forced to confront his pent-up guilt over Muirne and the blood lust of Latharn's revenge.

Overall, historical fiction readers will welcome Tommie Lyn's entry into the genre with the traditional Scottish greeting "Hello, the house!"

When Ailean MachLachlainn was a young boy he dreamed of being the hero he couldn't be in real life. Fighting for his fathers approval, he struggled with the people of his dreams, and was victorious. But victory came to him only in the annual game of camanachd that his clan played against the Cambeuls. When he fought with Latharn Cambeul, and won the game for his clan.




Marriage wasn't a part of his plan till after he won battles, and the honor and admiration of his clansmen. But life didn't happen like it did in his dreams. Before long, love and cares came to him. He found himself with a wife named Muirne and child named Coinneach-og. A part of the croft to till on his own. And an enemy who still stalked his footsteps in the form of Latharn Cambeul. The man who had loved Muirne before Ailean had even met her




Then Bonnie Prince Charlie visited Scotland. He came to take back his father's throne. Owing to the loyalties of his clan, Ailean was able to do what he'd always dreamed of doing.




But can war and fighting ever be the same in real life as it is in the imagination? After much pain, loss, and hardship, Ailean returns home. But finds that he has lost everything that ever mattered to him.




In the midst of loss can Ailean find anything worth living for? Can he learn to live and love again? Can he survive the ever growing threat of Latharn, who still hates him with a bitterness that is destroying his life? And most of all, can Ailean find the peace that always came to him...High on a Mountain?




This book will keep you in it's grasp. You will laugh and cry with the people as they come alive, and tell you their story for themselves. Tommie Lyn writes with an effect of bringing the story and all the characters into your life, till you become one of them. And their victories and defeats are your own.

Oh goodness, where do I begin?

Such. An. Amazing. Story! This saga starts in the highlands of Scotland where we are introduced to a boy with a yearning for adventure. The monotony of his highland life chafes and bores. But when his clan is thrust into battle, and Adventure bares her fangs and reveals her full gory fury, Ailean realizes the joys of the plain life he's always taken for granted. And he becomes a man. A man who's had everything stripped away but his faith in God and his stubborn Scottish pride. His pride keeps him putting one foot in front of the other, even when his mind begs for the sweet release of death. His faith in God... well, he's not sure that even exists anymore.

I don't want to say more, lest I give too much away, but this is such a beautiful saga! The character arc in Ailean MacLachlainn is superbly created as he matures into manhood. And you'll be transported back to the highlands of Scotland so expertly, that you'll almost be able to taste the bonny clabber and feel the rough weave of the plaid feileadh-mor against your skin.

Highly recommended!