The Old Man of Lochnagar

We meet the eponymous hermit in his cosy lochside cave, and travel with him through a series of surreal adventures featuring the natural and supernatural fauna of the Highlands. He endures a Sinbad-like flight in the claws of a pig-eagle, an underwater Loch-haggis hunt, and a sojourn in a cairn as a miniaturised guest of the Gorms. If you appreciated the pun lurking in that last phrase, then you'll probably enjoy this chestnut-seasoned gallimaufry. I found it underdone. Had the story spent a little longer simmering in the slush-pile and the author been given the opportunity to hone his wit on the cold steel of a rejection slip or two, then the imaginative flavour of these amusing episodes might have been more fully realised. As for Sir Hugh's watercolours - well, they could do with less water and more colour.