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REVIEW BY ROBBIE MACNIVEN
It is sometimes best to start a review with a comment on what a book is not: War Paths is not an academic work, as the lack of footnotes or a proper bibliography make clear. Fortunately, this work is not interested in pandering to the staid academic market. Moffat has blended solid history with a readable style and elements of a travelogue to create an engaging piece that spans genres and should interest a wide audience.
At face value, the subject matter is well known. Moffat traces the Highland warrior from the late 15th century to the infamous terminus of Culloden, using battles as case studies to examine this figure’s military prowess and culture. This is not merely a retelling of battles by rote, because Moffat combines traditional accounts with his own personal experiences following in the literal footsteps of his subjects. His travels take him across Scotland, and in doing so he recounts the rugged landscape and the encounters he has with locals, tourists, pets, and wildlife. In doing so he creates a unique narrative, at times charming and consistently engrossing.
The book’s biggest failing is probably the way it slips into romanticisation of Highland warriors. They are lionised as men out of time, straining not only against their enemies but the rising tide of modernity. Their bravery is espoused repeatedly, and they are declared to be likely the finest warriors in Europe. Culloden is the nadir of Highland culture. This familiar story largely leaves out the brutalities of the Highland clan system, and the many factors besides one battle – no matter how dramatic – that led to what some might call an inevitable dissolution.
Still, the author can hardly be faulted for following a traditional narrative, given how gripping said narrative is. The battle scenes in particular flow as well as something written by an experienced historical novelist, and Moffat has done well to condense descriptions of the tumultuous 17th and early 18th centuries without sacrificing accuracy. Mistakes – at least as many Highlanders at Culloden, for example, fought with bayonets and muskets as with bladed weapons – are minor.
Some of the battlefields featured, such as Culloden or Prestonpans, I have visited many times. Others, like Dunkeld or Killiecrankie, I have been to only once or twice, while some, like Sheriffmuir, I have yet to visit. When I do, I will take a copy of War Paths.
Alistair Moffat Birlinn, £18.99 ISBN 978-1780278247
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