Allan Massie je skotský autor, který se vyznačuje zájmem o vzdálenou minulost. Jeho bohatá a rozmanitá tvorba zahrnuje přes dvacet románů, v nichž mistrně propojuje historická témata s osobitým literárním stylem. Massieho psaní je ceněno pro hloubku vhledu do lidské povahy a historických událostí.
Historický román o zavraždění Julia Caesara v podobě fiktivních vzpomínek Caesarova vraha Bruta. Fiktivní vzpomínky Caesarova vraha Bruta na okolnosti vraždy. Čtenář se z románu dovídá podrobnosti z historie Římské říše, z Caesarovy politické kariéry, ze setkání s egyptskou královnou Kleopatrou aj.
První část volné trilogie z prostředí starověkého Říma líčí děj od vraždy Julia Césara po konec vlády Augusta. Román je psán formou vlastních pamětí tohoto císaře, které autor „rekonstruuje“ po objevení rukopisu. Vyprávění je psáno velmi přístupně a barvitě přibližuje čtenáři dávné děje.
There are days, even in the bad times, even the worst, when you can still
believe in the future, like that six o'clock in the morning three weeks ago
when the bell rang and Dominique was there. Dominique, pale, wretchedly thin,
exhausted, his hair cropped, but nevertheless Dominique. Lannes held him in
his arms, neither able for a moment to speak.
'David comes alive in this novel as a fascinating, divided self, but you also feel on finishing it that you have understood a little more about the extraordinary world of the Middle East from which so much of our own Judaeo-Christian religion and civilisation spring. Modern parallels are never forced - Massie to too subtle a writer for that - but this world of sex, intrigue, war and religious mania suggests constantly to the reader not memories of the Bible but events in the newspapers in that very Hebron where David ruled as king' AN Wilson, Evening Standard
Death in Bordeaux is the first in a trilogy that will take Lannes through the
war and up to the grisly, but inevitable purge of those found guilty of German
collaboration. However, this is also a novel that explores the moral
complexity of France's time of trial, and the reasons why it has taken its
people so long to emerge from the shadow of war.
"Compelling...A masterly feat...A magnificent, sweeping, authoritative, warm yet wry history." --The Wall Street Journal In this fascinating and intimate portrait of the Stuarts, author Allan Massie takes us deep into one of history's bloodiest and most tumultuous reigns. Exploring the family's lineage from the first Stuart king to the last, The Royal Stuarts is a panoramic history of the family that acted as a major player in the Scottish Wars of Independence, the Union of the Crowns, the English Civil War, the Restoration, and more. Drawing on the accounts of historians past and present, novels, and plays, this is the complete story of the Stuart family, documenting their path from the salt marshes of Brittany to the thrones of Scotland and England and eventually to exile. The Royal Stuarts brings to life figures like Mary, Queens of Scots, Charles I, and Bonnie Prince Charlie, uncovering a family of strong affections and fierce rivalries. Told with panache, this is the gripping true story of backstabbing, betrayal, and ambition gone awry.