Historical fiction book · Curated
The Game of Kings
Dorothy Dunnett · historical fiction
Series: Lymond Chronicles
In 1547, during the Rough Wooing, Francis Crawford of Lymond comes back to Scotland an outlaw accused of treason, with the English army already in the kingdom and his brother Richard still at Culter. Dorothy Dunnett’s 1961 novel is early-modern adventure historical fiction of the double game he plays from the Borders to Edinburgh, and of the trial that has to name what he has actually been doing.
Why read it: A widely searched Scottish historical novel—the Dunnett title readers look up by name (Lymond Chronicles, book one), and a Rough Wooing counterpart to The Other Boleyn Girl already on the shelf (not Queen’s Play).
About this historical novel
The Game of Kings by Dorothy Dunnett is historical fiction set around 1547–1548 in the Early modern period with key settings including Scotland, the Borders, Edinburgh, Culter. In 1547, during the Rough Wooing, Francis Crawford of Lymond comes back to Scotland an outlaw accused of treason, with the English army already in the kingdom and his brother Richard still at Culter. Dorothy Dunnett’s 1961 novel is early-modern adventure historical fiction of the double game he plays from the Borders to Edinburgh, and of the trial that has to name what he has actually been doing.
On HisFic we tag it under 6. Adventure & epic and 1. Literary historical fiction so you can pair it with similar story types. Recurring themes include the Rough Wooing, treason, outlaws, loyalty, and wit. A widely searched Scottish historical novel—the Dunnett title readers look up by name (Lymond Chronicles, book one), and a Rough Wooing counterpart to The Other Boleyn Girl already on the shelf (not Queen’s Play).
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Plot summary
In 1547, during the Rough Wooing, Francis Crawford of Lymond comes back to Scotland an outlaw accused of treason, with the English army already in the kingdom and his brother Richard still at Culter. Dorothy Dunnett’s 1961 novel is early-modern adventure historical fiction of the double game he plays from the Borders to Edinburgh, and of the trial that has to name what he has actually been doing. A widely searched Scottish historical novel—the Dunnett title readers look up by name (Lymond Chronicles, book one), and a Rough Wooing counterpart to The Other Boleyn Girl already on the shelf (not Queen’s Play).
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Eras
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Regions & places
Britain & Ireland
Scotland · the Borders · Edinburgh · Culter · England
Themes
- the Rough Wooing
- treason
- outlaws
- loyalty
- wit
Tags
adventure · series · classic