“The Legacy” by Michael Phillips

Most of the narrative action of the three-part novel Secrets of the Shetlands by Michael Phillips takes place in the first two books, The Inheritance and The Cottage. By the end of the second book, we know that David Tulloch, the chief of the small island called Whale’s Reef, and Loni Ford, the new American laird (or lord) of the island, are falling in love. Hardy Tulloch, David’s cousin and one-time rival for the lairdship before Loni was found, has been arrested for murder. There’s not much left to tell in the story.

Or is there?

The Legacy concludes the three-part novel. I wasn’t quite sure how much of the story was left – a wedding, perhaps? But Phillips didn’t disappoint. The Legacy is both a continuation of the contemporary story of David and Loni and almost a novel within a novel – the story of Loni’s great-grandparents, Brogan Tulloch and Emily Hanson, and how they met and fell in love in 1924. It also explains how and why Brogan, the eldest son and the expected next laird, gave up his position, moved to America, and married Emily. In other words, it explains where Loni came from and how she ended up inheriting Whale’s Reef.

Are The Legacy and its two predecessors literary creations or great literature? No. Are they good stories? Absolutely. Are they addictive? You bet – they are the kinds of books that makes it almost irritating to have to stop to eat a meal, run an errand, or talk to other people in the house.

In addition to telling the story of Loni’s great-grandparents, The Legacy also explores the meaning of faith, the idea of being centered in faith, why the idea of land is important (the idea, not the land itself), the transmission of values from generation to generation, and even the idea of redemption (Hardy Tulloch is a character that is so obnoxious that the reader almost wishes he can’t be redeemed).

Michael Phillips

Phillips is the author of 23 works of non-fiction. He’s edited 27 works of the Scottish writer George MacDonald, whose books had such an impact on C.S. Lewis. He’s edited five works of Harold Bell Wright and Ralph Connor. He’s also co-authored 13 novels with his wife Judith Pella, and written more than 40 original novels on his own.

The Secrets of the Shetlands is a wonderful series, but be warned – you won’t be satisfied with a sip here and a sip there. You will want to take great big gulps of this big story. And now it’s entirely possible to do that, since The Legacy was published July 4 and all three can be read together.

Related:

My review of The Inheritance.

My review of The Cottage.

Top photograph: A view of Lerwick, capital of the Shetland Islands, via Shetland.org.

“The Cottage” by Michael Phillips

In The Cottage, Book 2 (of 3) in the Secrets of the Shetland Series by Michael Phillips, American Loni Ford arrives in the Shetland Islands to learn about her inheritance of the island Whale’s Reef. It’s a small island, some three by four miles, but most of it comes to her as a descendent of Ernest Tulloch. The island includes a wool factory, a village of small shops and homes, and “The Cottage,” the home of the “laird” of the island that is less of a cottage ad far more of a rather large mansion.

Loni’s first thought is to sign away her rights and give her inheritance to one of two potential heirs, fisherman and bully Hardy Tulloch or the island’s “chief,” David Tulloch, an author, naturalist, and devout Christian. Loni works for an investment firm in Washington, D.C., and living on a remote island some 5,000 miles away isn’t on her to-do list.

Much of the story of The Cottage centers on these three characters, who they are, where they come from, their families and their histories. While it is clearly becomes a love story, it also is the story of family, ancestry, and the importance of recognizing and accepting one’s duty.

The Secrets of the Shetlands series is published as a trilogy, but it is more of one novel published in three installments. Using a small island, Phillips writes a sweeping story of love, history, and faith. The “canvas” of three parts allows him to include side stories, sub-plots (including a scheme by a fake Texan to take control of the island), and a rather rich selection of minor characters.

Michael Phillips

Phillips is the author of 23 works of non-fiction. He’s edited 27 works of the Scottish writer George MacDonald, whose books had such an impact on C.S. Lewis. He’s edited five works of Harold Bell Wright and Ralph Connor. He’s also co-authored 13 novels with his wife Judith Pella, and written more than 40 original novels on his own.

I was resistant to the idea of a three-installment novel, but the story in The Inheritance (Book 1) hooked me. Book 3, The Legacy, was published this month, so all three parts are now available. I should point out that I didn’t actually read the first two in the series. I inhaled them – the story and characters were that compelling.

Related: My review of The Inheritance.

Top photograph: Winter gale at Door Holm in the Shetland Islands, via Shetland.org.