Hello everyone!
And also educational considering it teaches you a lot of useful little tidbits about the country, too.
Plus, I mean, it's written by Sam Heughan and Graham McTavish. Need I say more?
If you thought Men in Kilts was something to laugh at and something to enjoy, you're going to LOVE this adventure into writing that the two of them went through together, because there is nothing funnier than reading about the by-play these two men have with one another just on a general kind of basis, not even on screen.
Yes, the show was scripted and filmed, and you learn more about that in this particular book, but we all knew that! It's no secret.
The secret is how these two didn't end up mortal enemies, or more specifically, how Graham didn't murder Sam along the way.
So kilt up one more time - a quick look at Clanlands is up next.
At the bottom of this page you'll find the links to all Men in Kilt episodes for your reading pleasure, because why not?
As for us, let's hop straight into Clanlands.
Now considering I've reviewed and recapped the entire show, I'm not going to go into too many details of the book itself on just what, exactly, they did that's already written about elsewhere. I mean we all know they went climbing, tandem bicycling, basket weaving, weapons trying, and finally recreating some things out of Outlander through trying to teach us about the history of Scotland along the way.
All of that is in the book. All of it, and a little bit more since it's broken up into 16 chapters, of which 14 are their adventures, number 15 is the journey ahead and what we can hope to expect, and 16 is how they sold the show to Starz.
But what this book IS, is basically a roadtrip account and almost like a transcript of all that happened during it, because we see some stuff in there that didn't make it onto the screen.
Like, for instance, Graham and Sam on an old motorcycle together. Or the fact that Graham apparently needs to munch a lot so he doesn't get hangry. Or that the camper van actually wasn't built for two men of their height to sit in it for any amount of time while driving.
And that's only the beginning!
See not only do we learn about Scotland, but we learn more about the authors as well and where they grew up, their families (did you know Sam has an older brother named Cirdan? Yes, named after the character in The Lord of the Rings), their acting careers, and just what they were thinking when they first met each other for an Outlander screen test.
If you think that's funny, add in the fact that Graham is convinced this trip is solely for the purpose of silently killing him, as he adds that his epitaph will read 'It's Heughan's fault', and you've honestly got a bestseller.
The thing with these two is, they could have been speaking about selling beer or honey and you would be able to read it out of the transcript, because they have such distinct voices of their own in storytelling.
And because of the age difference between them there's also a lovely kind of older brother-younger brother relationship, or even father-son really, which is extra poignant since Sam grew up mostly without a father and I think that Graham secretly likes prodding him about like an actual parent would.
To top it all off, we're treated to some gems of photographs at the end of the book, showing off the two through the years (and Mr McTavish, may I say you look quite handsome throughout) and up until recently.
But my personal favourite is probably just the camaraderie that reads so clearly between the lines in Clanlands.
Of course they bicker and make fun of one another. That's what friends do.
But at the end of the day (if they're still standing and Duncan Lacroix didn't drink them into an early grave yet) when push comes to shove - for example when Graham's scarf gets caught in a motorbike wheel - you can see the deep and lasting bond between these two men who could just as easily have been Highlanders together.
Both of them are ambassadors for a free, independent Scotland, and both of them want us to know more about this country that gave us so much, and keeps on giving us - the story of Outlander included.
And most importantly, some of this stuff you couldn't make up even if you tried. It's basically two men on the adventure of a lifetime and taking us along for the ride.
I'd be taking all the fun out of it if I scripted this book word for word, so instead I'll tell you to go ahead and either buy it, or check it out of a local library, because you won't regret it one bit whatsoever. I was laughing so hard at times I had tears running down my face.
Until your next adventure, lads.
Slainte!
xx
*images not mine
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