The Castles of Athlin and Dunbayne

The Castles of Athlin and Dunbayne (1789) is a novel by Ann Radcliffe. Published anonymously, Radcliffe’s debut novel is a tragic story of love and murder set in the sublime landscape of the Scottish Highlands. Considered an essential work of Gothic fiction, The Castles of Athlin and Dunbayne is an early example of her prowess as a leading novelist of suspense and the supernatural. “This pile was venerable from its antiquity, and from its Gothic structure; but more venerable from the virtues which it enclosed. It was the residence of the still beautiful widow, and the children of the noble Earl of Athlin, who was slain by the hand of Malcolm, a neighbouring chief, proud, oppressive, revengeful; and still residing in all the pomp of feudal greatness, within a few miles of the castle of Athlin.” Raised in isolation in the high Castle of Athlin, Osbert and Mary have never known the rituals inherent to public life. As heirs to a once-mighty clan, they are haunted by the weight of their dead father’s legacy, shattered by his murderer Malcolm of Dunbayne. As sadness turns to rage, Osbert swears an oath to avenge his father, wandering off into the deep wilderness of the Highlands in search of men to aid him in his quest. Together with his clansmen and the peasant Alleyn, he launches an assault on Malcolm’s castle, risking everything to reclaim his honor. This edition of Ann Radcliffe’s The Castles of Athlin and Dunbayne is a classic of English literature reimagined for modern readers.

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