Customer Reviews

The Return of John MacNab

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a wonderful read if you're a bit down and bored. That's how the central characters feel until they take on the poaching wager from John Buchan's book 'John Macnab' and decide to do it for real. Very soon they're twigged by the wonderful Kirsty, an alarming, irresistible, inventive character on the run from her past. Then the action really starts. It's all set in three Scottish Highland estates, including the Royal one at Balmoral. The writer clearly knows his highlands, and poaching, and the hearts of men and women. It's exhilarating, uplifting, way beyond any pastiche of the rather stiff and dates Buchan yarn. In fact, it's an affectionate critique of it. Read this and join the adventure!

This is an epic yarn, set in the Highlands of Scotland. It makes great summer reading and is full of good escapades. It is a fitting tribute to those that inspired this tale - whose lives were always filled with adventure or dreams of it.

For those of you who have read the original John Buchan this book is a wonderful treat. It has the same pace as the original and the description of the hills is equally accurate. While it has the same flavour of the original, it takes place in modern day Scotland with a wonderful set of characters. The story line is similar to the original, but difeerent enough to keep your attention. A definite read for those suffering from the "ennui"!

Greig has an incredible facility with language - he's actually a poet - and this, like his earlier book, The Electric Brae is beautifully and fluently crafted.

In contrast to his first novel, it's a much lighter more entertaining read set in the Scottish Highlands and harking back to John Buchan's original. Not massively serious, but what used to be called a damn good yarn.

If you want something with bigger, darker teeth try the Electric Brae. It doesn't seem to be listed on amazon.com, but it should be at amazon.co.uk and is simply one of the most amazing books I've read, full stop.

Poachers announce what they will be poaching and which landowner the victim will be. From there it is a cat-and-mouse game: will they get away with the goods or will the estate owner protect his property and territory. Set in contemporary Scotland with Prince Charles and Balmoral as a potential "victim" and an assortment of characters, some more likeable than others. John Buchan's wonderful classic novel gets a retelling here but to what purpose? It certainly isn't as good as the original (though the writing isn't bad and the text is quite readable). I assumed there would be some "building" upon the original novel and that is why I invested my money and time. Alas, in that I was to be disappointed. Read this if you must, but you would be better off with the original.

This well written novel features the adventures of a group trying to pull-off a spectacular series of game thefts (aka "poaching") from various estates in Scotland. They do so in commemoration of the famous poacher John Macnab.

The text has many Scottish dialect words that will be unfamiliar to American English readers, but most can be figured out from context and none of them stop the easy flow of the novel as it rushes to its rather profound conclusion.