In the pre-dawn hours of August 24th, 1305, in London's Smithfield
Prison, the outlaw William Wallace - hero of all the Scots and deadly
enemy of King Edward of England - sits awaiting the dawn, when he is to
be hanged and then drawn and quartered. This brutal sundering of his
body is the revenge of the English. Wallace is visited by a Scottish
priest who has come to hear his last confession, a priest who knows
Wallace like a brother. Wallace's confession - the tale that follows -
is all the more remarkable because it comes from real life.
We follow Wallace through his many lives - as outlaw and fugitive, hero
and patriot, rebel and kingmaker. His exploits and escapades, desperate
struggles and victorious campaigns are all here, as are the high ideals
and fierce patriotism that drove him to abandon the people he loved to
save his country.
William Wallace is the first heroic figure from the Scottish Wars of
Independence, a man whose fame has reached far beyond his homeland.
Wallace served as a subject for the Academy Award - winning film
Braveheart. In The Forest Laird, Jack Whyte's masterful storytelling
breathes life into Wallace's tale, giving listeners an amazing character
study of the man who helped shape Scotland's future.
