Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Royal Road to Fotheringhay / Mary, Queen of Scotland: The Triumphant Year | 1955 | Victoria Holt | Buy |
| 2 | The Captive Queen of Scots | 1963 | Victoria Holt | Buy |
Victoria Holt’s Mary Stuart duology covers one of history’s most dramatic royal lives. The Royal Road to Fotheringhay (1955) follows Mary from her early years through her time as queen, while The Captive Queen of Scots (1963) picks up with her long imprisonment in England under Elizabeth I’s watchful control.
Mary Stuart’s story has all the elements of a great novel already built in: rival queens, religious conflict, political betrayal, and a tragic ending. Holt uses the dual-book structure to give both halves of Mary’s life the space they deserve, from the ambition of her early reign to the long years of captivity that followed.