Witch Wood by John Buchan

John Buchan sets his classic novel against the backdrop of civil war and religious conflict of 17th century Scotland. Witch Wood tells the story of David Sempill, a young minister, who struggles when his sympathies with the Covenanters are tested by the brutal treatment of Montrose’s men as they are hunted and slaughtered. When black magic is discovered in Melanudrigill, David is caught between religious and pagan ideologies. This book was Buchan’s own favourite among his many novels.

 

The New Road by Neil Munro

Neil Munro is best known for his comic character Para Handy, and The New Road is regarded as probably the best of his ‘serious’ novels. Set in the 1730s, the book’s title refers to General Wade’s military road. The main character, Aeneas Macmaster, journeys north to investigate the disappearance of his father 14 years earlier at the Battle of Glenshiel. There are some similarities with Stevenson’s Kidnapped, especially with regards to the characters and setting.

 

The Men of the Moss-Hags by S. R. Crockett

S. R. Crockett uses the persecution of the Covenanters as his theme in The Men of the Moss-Hags. Set in Galloway in the 17th century, he creates a thrilling adventure romance. The action stretches from the moss-hags (the peat bogs of Galloway), to Edinburgh and Holland. This classic Scottish novel was the first to examine this period of history from the Covenanter’s perspective and is the first book in a two-part story (along with Lochinvar).