Queen Macbeth: Darkland Tales

Val McDermid's novel "The Last Queen" reveals the truth about the Macbeths, exposing the patriarchal prejudices of history. It follows a woman on the run with her companions, married to Macbeth, and facing a bloody massacre.

Format: Hardback
Length: 152 pages
Publication date: 02 May 2024
Publisher: Birlinn General

Shakespeare's portrayal of the Macbeths as murderous conspirators has been challenged by Val McDermid, who has brought the truth to light, revealing the patriarchal prejudices of history. In a thousand years ago in an ancient Scottish landscape, a woman is on the run with her three companions – a healer, a weaver, and a seer. The men hunting her will kill her because she is the only one who stands between them and their violent ambition. She is no lady: she is the first queen of Scotland, married to a king called Macbeth. As the net closes in, we discover a tale of passion, forced marriage, bloody massacre, and the harsh realities of medieval Scotland. At the heart of it is one strong, charismatic woman, who survived loss and jeopardy to outwit the endless plotting of a string of ruthless and power-hungry men. Her struggle won her a country, but now it could cost her life. Part of Polygon's DARKLAND TALES series.

Weight: 228g
Dimension: 136 x 210 x 20 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781846976759