Legend of the Celtic Stone

First in a series about Scotland, although as of this date, only one additional book has been published.

Positives: interesting juxtaposition of modern story and prehistory/history of Scotland; exhaustive research; overall, written in a good “story-telling” voice.

Negatives: heavy-handed doses of Christianity-slanted perspectives and the probably unintentional diminishment of the history of the Celts (or any other people) as mere reflections of the stories of the Hebrews/early Christians; role of women in the story largely relegated to mother, whore, nun, or damsel in distress.

I chose to read this book and will read its sequel because of an upcoming trip to the Scottish highlands.

The subtitle of the book is, "An Epic Saga of Scotland and Her People". The book is dedicated to, "To the memory of James A. Michener, Master of the Historical Novel". My first comment would be to take note of the words 'epic', 'saga' in the subtitle and note the dedication clearly before picking up this novel. You need time to digest this historical novel. I thoroughly enjoyed the parts I read but to get through it - about half way through I started skipping the historical tales presented in a different font. I will not continue the read of the series but I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in Scottish heritage. I would then think this series would be a true gift from the author to you and my impression is that Michael show more Phillips has easily surpassed James Michener - his own definition of the Master of the Historical Novel. I'm glad I didn't miss it among my reading selections but to continue this series would be overwhelming to me at this time as my reading time is limited. show less

The subtitle of the book is, "An Epic Saga of Scotland and Her People". The book is dedicated to, "To the memory of James A. Michener, Master of the Historical Novel". My first comment would be to take note of the words 'epic', 'saga' in the subtitle and note the dedication clearly before picking up this novel. You need time to digest this historical novel. I thoroughly enjoyed the parts I read but to get through it - about half way through I started skipping the historical tales presented in a different font. I will not continue the read of the series but I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in Scottish heritage. I would then think this series would be a true gift from the author to you and my impression is that Michael show more Phillips has easily surpassed James Michener - his own definition of the Master of the Historical Novel. I'm glad I didn't miss it among my reading selections but to continue this series would be overwhelming to me at this time as my reading time is limited. show less

The Legend of the Celtic Stone is a book full of the legends and mysteries of ancient Scotland intertwined with a present day mystery. The main character is Andrew Trentham, a prominent Member of Parliament. As Andrew struggles to discover who he really is and to put together the puzzles of his past, he becomes more and more drawn to the land and history of the Scots. At the same time, the theft of the Stone of Scone is keeping Scotland Yard on its toes.

It is easy to tell that the author is much enamored of his subject. His descriptions of the land and people of Scotland bring their colorful heritage to life. However, his style of interrupting the present plot with tales of ancient Scotland often seems a bit abrupt. Also, the pace of show more the story is very slow and the plot seems a bit weak. Phillips seems more focused on the bits of Scottish lore than on the main plot of the story. Each storyline has its own appeal, and readers who are enamored of Scotland will especially enjoy them, but I think the trouble for me lies in the difficulty of seeing this book as a united whole. show less

Michael Trentham is involved as a member of Parliament through the machinations of his mother, through her disappointment in the death of her daughter. The book opens with the theft of the Stone of Scone from Westminster Abbey before Charles is crowned king. An unlikely relationship begins with Paddy, an American journalist for BBC, which involves them in the mystery of the death of a member of Parliament and the solving of the theft of the Stone of Scone. Andrew must learn more about himself, which he does through the old Scotsman who lives on his estate, with flashbacks to Scottish history and family members. Thoroughly first rate reading for fans of Scotland and Scottish history.

I had bought this book and just could not even get a third of the way through it. I gave it to my sister-in-law and I think she donated it to the church library. I have read a couple reviews on it now that talk about how spectacular it was. I just put it on hold from the library and I'm going to try to read it again... maybe it was just not the right time in my life. It just seems to be very in cohesive and to jump back and forth between different tales that did not make any sense. We shall see what a second attempt may do...