Jennifer Roberson: The Highlander Universe

HIGHLANDER: SCOTLAND THE BRAVE

By Jennifer Roberson
Warner Aspect 1996
ISBN 0-446-60286-8

THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE...
He is Immortal. A Scottish warrior born four hundred years ago. He is not alone. For centuries he has fought others like himself. He can die only if a foe takes his head, capturing his life-force known as the Quickening. But his battles are eternal...for in the end, there can be only one. He is Duncan MacLeod, The Highlander.

SCOTLAND WILL BE FREED
MacLeod is drawn into a conspiracy of Immortals on a militant quest to win back the independence that Scotland lost, centuries ago, at Culloden. For her own reasons, Immortal Annie Devlin has already answered the ancient call of the clans. But if Duncan follows, he risks being drawn into a web of obsession, madness, and murder. For the Immortal who is masterminding the campaign will be satisfied with nothing less than Duncan MacLeod's heart and soul... and undying loyalty.

I saw the original movie when it first debuted in 1986, featuring Christopher Lambert and Sean Connery. I was entranced with the concept instantly: I adore things Scottish, and the fantasy elements-- immortal men and women having at one another with swords-- appealed to my personal tastes in viewing, reading, and writing. I stumbled across the spin-off television series within the first several episodes of the first season, and was utterly hooked. I very much liked Adrian Paul as Duncan MacLeod of the Clan MacLeod, Connor's kinsman and fellow Immortal, as well as the adventures and historical flashbacks. As media tie-in novels based on film and TV shows gained popularity, I wistfully said if anyone ever licensed the HIGHLANDER universe for novels, I'd dearly love to write one.

A number of months later I learned that Warner Aspect had indeed signed an agreement with Davis Panzer Productions and Gaumont Television, the producers of the movies as well as the series, and I contacted Betsy Mitchell at Warner, begging for a chance to write a HIGHLANDER novel. Betsy knew me by reputation-- I'd published twelve fantasy novels-- and I was given the go-ahead to write the novel. I met with Bill Panzer in Hollywood and discussed my plot, characters, and the canon, etc. After that I wrote the book, refined it with input from Davis Panzer and the production staff, and the end result is in bookstores. SCOTLAND THE BRAVE is a combination of three of my interests: the HIGHLANDER TV series, Shakespeare, and Scottish history.

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