This was a very good Nigel Tranter novel featuring the MacGregor clan. This is set earlier in time than MacGregor’s Gathering, which is similar to this novel with its dynamic of a nephew being mentored by an uncle in the clan leadership. And like The Captive Crown, the third book in the Stewart trilogy, this book features an assertive woman who know a fair deal about politics: Mary Gray, the illegitimate daughter of the Master of Gray, proves to be a diplomatic wonder through her position at court, despite her illegitimacy. Children of the Mist is also similar to The Captive Crown in its ending, which is well judged but melancholy. ( )