King Hereafter — Dorothy Dunnett

In the early years of the eleventh century, the young warlords of northern Europe, divided between pagans and followers of the White Christ, grappled endlessly for power. Many of them lost their heads in the process. Among those who didn't was an ungainly boy called Thorfinn who would grow to become one of the great kings of history, under his baptismal name of Macbeth.

In this stunningly realized novel, the celebrated author of The Lymond Chronicles peels away a thousand years of legend to uncover the historical figure of Macbeth. Reconstructing his wild, adventurous reign, ranging from the Viking world of the north to the jewelled splendors of papal Rome, Dorothy Dunnett brings from the shadows a greathearted man, growing in stature to meet his inescapable destiny as ruler of a united Scotland. And, true to history, partnering him on the long journey is his wife Groa, who comes to him as a war prize and remains with him to the end of his life. Brilliantly researched and grippingly told, King Hereafter elevates historical fiction to a high art.