Robert Louis Stevenson 
The Master of Ballantrae 

This daring tale of revenge and exotic intrigue is demonstrative of Stevenson’s broad range and unique genius. ‘The Master of Ballantrae’, first published in 1889, follows the conflict between two Scottish brothers of noble origins during the tumultuous Jacobite Risings of 1745. Greed and envy threaten to tear the brothers apart as a race for the family inheritance intensifies. James Durie, the protagonist and Master of Ballantrae, is as charming as he is evil. It is his relationship with the younger Henry Durie that drives this dark tale. The adventurous narrative sweeps across three continents, beginning in Scotland, through India, and finally to its dramatic conclusion in Northern America. Stevenson himself referred to the novel as a tragedy, with the reader glimpsing the malignant impulses found in fraternal competition. Considered by many to be Stevenson’s most polished work, ‘The Master of Ballantrae’ is an unrelenting tale of egregious conflict.