In the aftermath of the murderous savagery between two rival Scottish lairds, Bruce MacLennan commands the building of a castle with a dungeon below. During its construction, he travels to the faraway and then almost unknown land of China, where he joins a troop of mercenary soldiers -- all to distract him from his memories.

In a poor teahouse, he encounters the child Peony, and, on impulse, buys her to be his attendant. Despite his harshness toward her, she serves him faithfully. After many adventures, they return to Scotland, where MacLennan's castle -- and his planned revenge -- await him.

Within these dark walls, Peony finds a new life and unexpected happiness. For MacLennan the time has come to fill the dungeon with its destined prisoner. But he does not dream of the terrible twist of fate -- one that will not lock away his old enemy -- but the most precious person in his life.

Celebrated author Lynne Reid Banks takes us back to the fourteenth century in this compelling epic of one lord's bitter struggle, his quest for vengeance, and the tragic awakening of his frozen heart.

ANNOTATION

Note to Adobe Customers: The Adobe Acrobat eBook Reader version is printable, but there is a known problem printing to printers that do not use the PostScript page description language. This problem occurs with some HP LaserJet, Epson Stylus inkjet, and Epson impact printers. Consult your printer¿¿¿s documentation to find out if it is PostScript compatible. This does not affect your ability to read the book on screen.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

In the aftermath of the murderous savagery between two rival Scottish lairds, Bruce MacLennan commands the building of a castle with a dungeon below. During its construction, he travels to the faraway and then almost unknown land of China, where he joins a troop of mercenary soldiers — all to distract him from his memories.

In a poor teahouse, he encounters the child Peony, and, on impulse, buys her to be his attendant. Despite his harshness toward her, she serves him faithfully. After many adventures, they return to Scotland, where MacLennan's castle — and his planned revenge — await him.

Within these dark walls, Peony finds a new life and unexpected happiness. For MacLennan the time has come to fill the dungeon with its destined prisoner. But he does not dream of the terrible twist of fate — one that will not lock away his old enemy — but the most precious person in his life.

Celebrated author Lynne Reid Banks takes us back to the fourteenth century in this compelling epic of one lord's bitter struggle, his quest for vengeance, and the tragic awakening of his frozen heart.

About the Author

Lynne Reid Banks was born in London. After studying at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, she acted and wrote for the repertory stage. Later, she turned to journalism, becoming one of Britain's first female television news reporters. In 1962 she emigrated to Israel, where she married a sculptor, had three sons and taught for eight years in a kibbutz. She now lives with her husband in England. She writes, travels, and visits schools, at home and abroad, full-time. Among Lynne Reid Banks's popular novels for young readers areAngela and Diabola; Harry the Poisonous Centipede; The Fairy Rebel; The Farthest-Away Mountain; The Adventures of King Midas; The Magic Hare; Maura's Angel; and the award-winning Indian in the Cupboard books.

SYNOPSIS

In the aftermath of a murderous savagery between two rival Scottish lairds, Bruce MacLennan commands the building of a castle with a dungeon below. During its construction, he travels to the faraway and then almost unknown land of China, where he joins a troop of mercenary soldiers -- all to distract him from his memories.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

Tinged with Buddhist notions of karma and reincarnation, Banks's (The Indian in the Cupboard) riveting tale of reprisal and redemption centers on a Chinese slave girl and her fierce, embittered master, the Scottish laird Bruce MacLennan. After a feud with a neighboring warlord results in the bloody deaths of his cherished wife and children, MacLennan sets in motion his plans for a huge fortress, complete with dungeon, and then decamps to the fabled land of China in search of adventure. Working as a hired fighter, MacLennan encounters young Mudan (Peony) and, on impulse, buys her as his tea slave. The child's presence begins to reawaken feelings of tenderness in MacLennan, which he does his best to squelch. In another, more conventional novel, this softening might be the start of the warrior's re-entry into the world of the loving; here, it is simply the beginning of a heart-wrenching struggle between compassion and vengeance. For her part, Peony takes scraps of happiness where she can, gleaning wisdom and courage from the teachings of the Buddhist soldier with whom MacLennan travels; some years later, when she accompanies MacLennan back to Scotland, she finds something like familial love in her friendship with a kind stable boy. As the novel moves toward its conclusion, it conveys a powerful message about the terrible price of unswerving revenge. A poignant epilogue offers a spark of hope, especially welcome after all the sorrow that precedes it. Ages 12-up. (Oct.) Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

School Library Journal

Gr 5-9-Set in feudal Scotland, this book focuses on an adult character and his unremitting desire for justice while two children weave in and out of the story. It begins with Laird Bruce MacLennan standing at the edge of a deep, square pit that will be used to incarcerate his nemesis, Archibald MacInnes, who captured and killed MacLennan's wife and children. While construction of the dungeon and the castle that will stand around it proceeds, the obsessed MacLennan travels to China and, while there, buys a child named Peony as his servant. Back in Scotland, she is befriended by a kind stable boy, Fin. MacLennan is foiled in his attempt to mete out vengeance and places full blame on the girl's shoulders. In a rage, he throws her into the dungeon with no food or water. She slips away only to be discovered too late by the cruel laird but Fin cunningly locks him in his own oubliette and throws away the key. Though brutal and graphic at times, this dark novel of blind retribution is resolved through the touch of a child. Banks plays out the plot perfectly and keeps reader interest high throughout. Her deft use of archaic, Scottish terms adds to the overall flavor, as well. Peony's abduction is described, "She's been taken frae her mither too young." This book, though compelling for a smaller audience, is an interesting departure for Banks.-Daniel L. Darigan, West Chester University, PA Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

Fourteenth-century Scottish laird Bruce MacLennan commissions a castle complete with dungeon, then embarks on a trip following the path of Marco Polo. MacLennan has suffered a tragedy at the hands of an enemy, revealed in full only near the story's end, and he hopes to blunt his pain through travel. A fierce fighter, he quickly becomes part of a private army when he reaches China, where he also buys Peony, a young Chinese girl, to be his slave. The omniscient narrator then observes the child's thoughts and emotions as she serves her seemingly cold-hearted master, encounters new lands and, on their return to Scotland, becomes friends with a stable boy. During their trip back, Banks (Harry the Poisonous Centipede's Big Adventure, 2001, etc.) hints heavily that Peony might be softening MacLennan's heart, and refers all too often to the tragic demise of his family. Intent on getting revenge, MacLennan throws himself and his people into an ill-considered attack on his enemy, then vents his rage at losing on Peony. The story moves along at a good clip with the excitement of travel and battle, combined with strong descriptive writing about China and Scotland. But MacLennan is so self-absorbed and has so little regard for Peony as a person that, even with the full revelation of his tragedy, readers will have a hard time finding him sympathetic. Peony, though far more agreeable, seems distant and, especially at the conclusion, romanticized. Nevertheless, those who don't object to some melodrama, may enjoy the journey and the ample historical detail. (Fiction. 12+)