{"id":29296,"date":"2024-01-25T09:00:25","date_gmt":"2024-01-25T09:00:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/?p=29296"},"modified":"2024-01-25T10:17:55","modified_gmt":"2024-01-25T10:17:55","slug":"highlands-books-1-2-of-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/2024\/01\/25\/highlands-books-1-2-of-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Highlands Books 1 & 2 (of 2)"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\" \"\"
\nBy Philippe Aymond<\/strong>, translated by Jerome Saincantin<\/strong> (Cinebook)
\nISBN: 978-1-80044-110-1 (Album PB\/Digital edition Bk 1) 978-1-80044-111-8 (Album PB\/Digital edition Bk 2)<\/p>\n

Robert Burns was born on January 25th<\/sup> 1759 in Alloway. His father was a farmer who went to great lengths to ensure his children were properly educated. Schooled in Classics, French and Latin, Robert began his creative writing at age 15. He led a successful, tempestuous life – particularly favouring boozy carousing and roistering escapades with the ladies – and died in 1796 aged 37. As well as dialectical and vernacular poetry, Burns preserved traditional Scottish songs and folklore and is more popular today than he has ever been. He is the only poet in history to have his own globally celebrated holiday, with his birth anniversary an affair universally honoured by food, drink, recitations and well-loved scary stories. <\/em><\/p>\n

Of course, he\u2019s just the tip of a vast iceberg of Scots raconteurs who have used their cultural and historical heritage to tell astounding stories: ranging from Walter Scott and John Buchan to Alexander McCall Smith, Ian Rankin and Val McDermid. Their collective efforts have created an Hibernian meta-reality inspiring countless others\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n

One such is the epic historical drama under review today\u2026<\/p>\n

Born in Paris on February 3rd<\/sup> 1968 Philippe Aymond studied visual arts at the University of Paris. In 1989, after taking a Master\u2019s Degree, he was pushed by comics veteran Alexandre-Nicholas Coutellis (Goimbax, le VRP Masqu<\/em><\/strong>\u00e9<\/em><\/strong>, La dame de Singapour<\/em><\/strong>, Chuck Dougherty, le Priv<\/em><\/strong>\u00e9<\/em><\/strong>, Tanguy et Laverdure<\/em><\/strong>, Le Vagabond des Limbes<\/em><\/strong>, Man, Super-h\u00e9ros Polyvalent<\/em><\/strong>, Bienvenue \u00e0 Welcome Land<\/em><\/strong>) toward a career in bande dessin\u00e9e.<\/p>\n

Aymond met Jean-Claude M\u00e9zi\u00e8res (Valerian<\/em><\/strong>, Bill le Sheriff<\/em><\/strong>, Valerian et Laureline<\/em><\/strong>, Les Aventures de Latex<\/em><\/strong>, Lady Polaris<\/strong>, and Valerian<\/strong>!!) who offered him a place in the studio he shared with Pierre Christin (who also did the world-changing Valerian<\/strong> and so much more). Aymond worked with Hughes Labiano, Philippe Chapelle & Christin on Canal Choc<\/em><\/strong> until 1992 and two years later he & Christin co-created L\u2019Homme qui Fait le Tour du Monde<\/em><\/strong>, following up in 1997 with Le Voleurs de Villes<\/em><\/strong> and adventure series Les 4X4<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

He teamed with Laurent-Fr\u00e9d\u00e9ric Boll\u00e9e on Apocalypse Mania<\/em><\/strong> from 2001-2010, all the while supplementing his illustration career as colourist on other features and one-offs. Aymond has drawn political thriller Lady S<\/em><\/strong> since 2005 and graduated to writing with this historical drama in 2012. He has since expanded his oeuvre by adding to the canon of continental legend with Les Nouvelles Aventures de Bruno Brazil<\/em><\/strong> and his own creation Black Program<\/strong> (tomes 1 & 2 released in 2019 and 2020 respectively).<\/p>\n

Written drawn and coloured by Aymond, Highlands Book 1: The Portrait of Amelia<\/strong> plunges head-on into epic romance territory as a young artist freshly back from Italy is hired by Gordon Menmuir<\/em>, Duke of Paxton. Joseph Callandar<\/em> is in fact returning to his Highlands home, but his abrupt arrival stirs up long-stewing animosities amongst powerful clan lords.<\/p>\n

Menmuir of Clan Grant is politely genteel but adamantly neutral politically, whilst generally in opposition to powerful, violently pro-English laird Robert MacTallan<\/em>. It is the summer of 1743 and the clans are in turmoil: split between support of Jacobite Pretender \u201cBonnie Prince Charlie\u201d and obeisance to King George II of England, sovereign of a Kingdom officially United since the Act of Union in 1707.<\/p>\n

As Paxton\u2019s artist in residence had joined King George\u2019s Court in London, MacTallan planned to plant his own son Angus<\/em> as a replacement at the Duke\u2019s castle, gaining an advantageous position to glean secrets. Instead Paxton belatedly and covertly dragooned Callandar for the post, with his new position at Blackwater Castle delaying exposure of Paxton\u2019s son-&-heir William<\/em> as a passionate Jacobite activist. There reluctantly at best, Joseph meets Menmuir\u2019s daughter Amelia <\/em>and his life is forever changed\u2026<\/p>\n

The commoner is a gifted artist who has come home concealing secrets of his own, and as he reacquaints himself with old friends – like former patron Dr Murdoch<\/em> – he can\u2019t help but feel the tense undercurrent of rebellion festering in the beautiful hills and Lochside villages. When he stumbles into Amelia being kidnapped he becomes an inadvertent hero by rescuing her\u2026 and then drawing a portrait\/wanted poster of the perpetrator.<\/p>\n

By January 1744, Callandar is fully ensconced at Blackwater Castle, working on Paxton\u2019s official portrait, but blithely unaware that more than one of the close family retinue has dark plans for him. By May, myriad tensions build as petty plots spiral and converge after Amelia makes amorous overtures to the painter but can\u2019t get past his tragic secret grief. When William shames and endangers the whole family by declaring his Jacobin loyalties at a Royal party, \u201cbelow stairs\u201d a loyal retainer sets in motion a scheme that will see both Joseph Callandar and Lady Amelia face trial for sedition, seduction and treason with horrific consequences for all concerned\u2026<\/p>\n

Highlands Book 2: The Survivors of Blackwater<\/strong><\/p>\n

After a shocking cliffhanging denouement, the end of the saga opens at Loch Lochy on March 22nd<\/sup> 1745. English troops are on the move through the Highlands and death trails in their wake. William Menmuir leads a band of rebel\/outlaws and prepares for the imminent landing of \u201cThe King across the water\u201d. Dr Murdoch dutifully attends Lady Amelia, as she languishes in a cell at St Andrews\u2019 Hospital in Glasgow. She has been alternately violent or silent and semi-catatonic since she was publicly shamed as a wanton during the trial.<\/p>\n

Everyone believes Joseph Callandar was killed that day by her brother William, but as the Highlanders plans to liberate Scotland proceed and the English fortify and advance into clan heartlands, that proves to be merely another fallacy. As the fateful summer unfolds and the liberation war falters and crashes to doom, a dead man goes out, having at last deduced how he was framed and who mut pay for the cruel manipulation and betrayal of poor Amelia\u2026<\/p>\n

Packed with intrigue and passion, epic action and intimate confrontations play out against a backdrop of nigh-mythic scenarios where love and vengeance drive the tale to a shattering climax on April 16th<\/sup> 1746, at a sodden field called Culloden\u2026<\/p>\n

Life goes on, however, and for Joseph and Amelia, the aftermath affords them not just final payments of debts due in moments of quiet justice, but also a fresh start in a New World\u2026<\/p>\n

Bold in scope and classical in delivery, Aymond\u2019s story of love and death in war and peace is subtly engaging and crafted with powerful authenticity and visual veracity: a properly tasty scotch broth of gallic verve and panache.
\n\u00a9 Dargaud 2012, 2013 by Aymond. All rights reserved. English translations \u00a9 2023 Cinebook Ltd.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Philippe Aymond, translated by Jerome Saincantin (Cinebook) ISBN: 978-1-80044-110-1 (Album PB\/Digital edition Bk 1) 978-1-80044-111-8 (Album PB\/Digital edition Bk 2) Robert Burns was born on January 25th 1759 in Alloway. His father was a farmer who went to great lengths to ensure his children were properly educated. Schooled in Classics, French and Latin, Robert … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “Highlands Books 1 & 2 (of 2)”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[191,214,122,93],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-29296","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-adventure","category-european","category-historical","category-war-stories"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4AFj-7Cw","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29296","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29296"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29296\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29299,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29296\/revisions\/29299"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29296"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29296"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29296"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}