Banquo's Son Trilogy
I have been teaching Shakespeare for twenty years (and first discovered him at high school - yay).
I've always wondered what happened after the play 'Macbeth' ended. It has been a question I've posed
to my students and myself many times. I have also been writing for about fifteen years and, with over
twenty books published from a range of genres (YA, plays, English text books, texts of Shakespeare,
parenting etc etc), I thought I would finally throw myself into this project.
So, what did happen after the play ended? You might think there was no one left of any interest but one
character came so vividly in a dream to my one night, I knew I had a story - and a big story it was going
to be.
This is the story of Fleance, Banquo's son, who escaped Macbeth's attempt to murder him. The novel begins
ten years later in the northern woods of England where Fleance has been living, not revealing to anyone
who is truly is. He is madly in love with Rosie but, just recently, he has been having terrible dreams
and visits from his dead father reminding him that the last words Banquo uttered before he died were
"Fly, good Fleance Fly that thou may'st revenge."
What's a boy to do?
“Yet my heart
Throbs to know one thing: tell me, if your art
Can tell so much: shall Banquo's issue ever
Reign in this kingdom?”
Macbeth, Act IV, Scene I
As Macbeth was posing the frantic question above to the Three Witches, the murdered Banquo’s young son, Fleance, was running for his life through the forest toward England. As a child of ten, ruling Scotland was less a priority to him than surviving the night. It is now ten years later, and Flea (as he is now called by those who know him), is living in England, no longer a child. He has been raised by a solid but loving family; has a beautiful first love, Rosie and an empty heart that will not be satisfied until he returns to Scotland to meet his destiny.
Tania Roxborogh’s extraordinary trilogy, BANQUO’S SON, BLOODLINES and BIRTHRIGHT does justice to its backstory.
It is filled with knights, battles, damsels (in distress and otherwise), the treachery of court and the desires of ambitious men. There is a hero you love, and another you mourn. Flea meets up with kings and Pretenders, makes alliances and sees terrible treachery. He fights to keep Rosie even as circumstances (and her father and Flea’s inability to ever say the right thing to him) keep them apart; and he is drawn to the lovely and virtuous Rachel, sister of his best friend (and King of Scotland) who may be more appropriate as a future wife for him. Flea grows up too quickly during the course of BANQUO’S SON, and his destiny remains tied to Macbeth’s frantic query to the Three Witches.
During 2010, BANQUO'S SON was shortlisted for the New Zealand Post Children's Book Awards (YA section), awarded a Notable Book Award by the Storylines Children's Literature Foundation and shortlisted for the LIANZA awards. It debut no. 3 on the best sellers list and has enjoyed its time jostling with other outstanding novels during the first eight months of publication. This is a series which will not be forced into a box because it appeals to young and old.
In Book Two, BLOODLINES, Fleance is the new king of Scotland, but he is the ruler of a divided nation. Rebels who dispute his claim to the throne are raiding villages throughout the country, spreading uncertainty and terror. According to the new king's advisers he must marry a woman from a royal blood line to strengthen his position. It seems that Rachel, sister of Fleance's dead friend King Duncan will be the next Queen of Scotland, although Fleance cannot forget Rosie, his first love. But when Rachel is abducted, Fleance's position becomes even more dangerous and a bloody civil war seems inevitable. In Blood Lines the epic story that began with Banquo's Son continues. In a world of honour and betrayal a young king must learn to put duty before his own desires. BIRTHRIGHT, book three, is already underway and promises to be an exciting and heart-stopping final in the trilogy.
"Roxborogh’s characters are complex; the emotions are real; the friendships, love affairs and heartbreaks transcend the 11th Century exactly as they should. It is absolutely clear to me that this is a book, and a series, with the potential to break through into the zeitgeist." Josh Getzler, representing agent, Russell and Volkening, Inc
Specific and updated reviews for books in the series can be found on the blog.