The Dryburgh Chronicles
L.P. Halliday
Independently Published (2024)
ISBN: 979-8327237971
Reviewed by Dawn Colclasure for Reader Views
They say the best way to understand a culture and its people is to live among them. This novel takes that notion seriously. In “The Dryburgh Chronicles, Part 1: The Existence of Shadows” by L.P. Halliday, Lilian and Edgar are two Oxford professors studying witchcraft trials in 15th-century Scotland. Their studies lead them to a mysterious book that takes them back through time and soon they must find a way to get past the fact that they actually traveled through time in order to save people – and themselves.
How often do you set out on a research expedition to a landmark in the UK, only to end up in the year 1596? That’s what happens to Lilian and Edgar. When Edgar finds a mysterious book that Lilian knows more about than he does, they become caught up in a mysterious spell thanks to a friend of Lillian’s who has other plans for the book.
While Edgar and Lilian share the same interests and academic pursuits, they are otherwise complete opposites. Lilian is aloof, standoffish, and all about sticking to a schedule. Schedules, routines, and punctuality are everything to her. Meanwhile, Edgar is more laid-back, gregarious, and affectionate. Plus, he has a crush on Lilian, something which she seems not to be interested in pursuing. Lilian is all about her academic life, paying little attention to social nuances or even romance. Edgar senses that she doesn’t have the same feelings for him, so he keeps his feelings for her to himself. It is obviously difficult for him, though he tries.
And then there is Lilian. Although she is cast in a negative light and does something horrible, she is not the cold-blooded monster portrayed in the story. I was so furious over what she did in the story that I was not willing to give her a chance to redeem herself or even explain away her why and how. But, yes, I did give this character that chance, and I am glad I did! It’s so worth it to keep reading this story after Lilian’s terrible mistake. Characters have a way of redeeming themselves and pressing onward rewards the reader with a well-rounded, captivating tale that takes a huge turn and becomes all the more engaging and entertaining.
There is quite a lot readers can take away from this story. There’s a lot of history about how witches were treated in Scotland in the 15th century, yes, but there are also important lessons to be learned in this story. Lessons about love and friendship. Especially about friendship. Lilian and Edgar are friends, but because of Lilian’s mistake, a wedge is driven into their friendship. Lilian realizes just how important Edgar is to her as a friend, but she struggles with her own faults and especially the huge mistake that she made. But wisdom comes to her in the form of a new friend she makes, one who helps her. And this wisdom is when he tells her, on page 210:
“We all get it wrong sometimes, lass. That’s the nature of being human … Friends argue, they hurt each other, but true friends also forgive. When you find him again, I’m sure you’ll see friendship can transcend.”
Lilian is so bent and focused on the Bad Thing she did that she forgets the fragility of being human. She forgets that we all make mistakes and that it is the friends who forgive and stay with us that truly matter. And she knows that Edgar really is such a friend, even though it is hard for her to see it that way at that time. In any event, I clung to the hope that there would be a shared romance between the two of them. I also wondered if they would find a way to return to their own timeline.
“The Dryburgh Chronicles” by L.P. Halliday is a captivating tale of friendship, history, love, and excitement. With its time travel and sense of adventure, it’s an entertaining and delightful story. As I read further in this book, I became hooked on the story and carried away by the goal the main characters were trying to achieve. Readers of historical fiction, science fiction, and romance are sure to find in this novel a story to be enjoyed and cherished.