Publication Date: March 11, 2025
At the dawn of the second millennium, two royal Scottish children are swept away from their families—Macbeth to the perilous royal court of his grandfather, and Gruach to the remnants of the goddess-worshiping Picts. Macbeth learns that blood bonds are easily severed while Gruach finds her path only to lose it when she’s summoned back to the patriarchal world. Each struggle with gaining and losing power, guided and misguided by prophecy and politics as their paths converge in a fiery bid for royal succession. Upon the Corner of the Moon separates literary legend from reality, immersing readers in a story about the real rulers who changed the face of Scotland. Some legends are true, and the truth sometimes becomes a legend—or a lie. This novel masterfully dovetails the Macbeth legend and the truth without sacrificing either.
Throughout the ages, writers have been fascinated with the story of Macbeth. Shrouded in fantasy, myth, and legend, some accounts bear little resemblance to the real man.
However, author Valerie Nieman delivers a thought-provoking story illustrating an unusual perspective in Upon the Corner of the Moon. As the first installment in the Alba series, the author focuses on the individual characters and the forces that shaped them through time.
Both Macbeth and Gruach are presented as children who are mere pawns in the battle for power. Torn between pagan and Christian teachings, young Gruach has no control over her own fate. How she and Macbeth end up together is quite the interesting tale.
The author leverages rich historical details to build the backdrop as power-hungry leaders leverage their interpretation of various prophecies to seize control.
Upon the Corner of the Moon introduces Macbeth and Gruach before they become the power couple destined to inspire a legend.
Valerie Nieman’s In the Lonely Backwater won the 2022 Sir Walter Raleigh Award and was a Foreword INDIES Book of the Year finalist. Her critically acclaimed work includes To the Bones, Blood Clay (Eric Hoffer Award), and collections of poetry and short fiction. She has held state and NEA creative writing fellowships. A graduate of West Virginia University and Queens University of Charlotte, she is professor emerita at NC A&T State University.
