Michael Barnes
"They think they’ve killed the last of us…
981 AD. The Viking King of Dublin is dead. His young widow, Gormflaith, has ambitions for her son–and herself–but Ireland is a dangerous place and kings tend not to stay kings for long. Gormflaith also has a secret. She is one of the Fomorians, an immortal race who can do fire-magic. She has kept her powers hidden at all costs, for there are other immortals in this world–like the Tuatha Dé Danann, a race of warriors who are sworn to kill Fomorians. Fódla is one of the Tuatha Dé Danann with the gift of healing. Her kind dwell hidden in a fortress, forbidden to live amongst the mortals. Fódla agrees to help her kin by going to spy on Brian Boru, a powerful man who aims to be High King of Ireland. She finds a land on the brink of war–a war she is desperate to stop. However, preventing the loss of mortal lives is not easy with Ireland in turmoil and the Fomorians now on the rise…"
If you enjoyed stories set in this period of history (the turn of the millennium) in this part of the world (Ireland) and welcome the low magic of Irish myths of Tuatha Dé Danann then this is a debut novel for you. The narrative unfolds alternating between two different women Gormflaith and Fódla Gormflaith, one of the last of the Fomorians, will do anything to ensure her mortal son stays king. Fódla, one of the Tuatha Dé Danann who hunt and kill Fomorians, will do anything to protect her sister’s son and its these characters who give the heart to the story.
I welcomed the assemblage of true historical events with the elements of myths. In an epilogue the author explains the names and events history records. She discuss why she couldn't write a literary history novel, or a fantasy novel but required both elements to drive her writing. She alludes to the fact that it would have been easier for her publisher to market if it was one or the other.
Hild by Nicola Griffith is still my go to book on the middle ages but I look forward to reading the rest of this trilogy.
"They think they’ve killed the last of us…
981 AD. The Viking King of Dublin is dead. His young widow, Gormflaith, has ambitions for her son–and herself–but Ireland is a dangerous place and kings tend not to stay kings for long. Gormflaith also has a secret. She is one of the Fomorians, an immortal race who can do fire-magic. She has kept her powers hidden at all costs, for there are other immortals in this world–like the Tuatha Dé Danann, a race of warriors who are sworn to kill Fomorians. Fódla is one of the Tuatha Dé Danann with the gift of healing. Her kind dwell hidden in a fortress, forbidden to live amongst the mortals. Fódla agrees to help her kin by going to spy on Brian Boru, a powerful man who aims to be High King of Ireland. She finds a land on the brink of war–a war she is desperate to stop. However, preventing the loss of mortal lives is not easy with Ireland in turmoil and the Fomorians now on the rise…"
If you enjoyed stories set in this period of history (the turn of the millennium) in this part of the world (Ireland) and welcome the low magic of Irish myths of Tuatha Dé Danann then this is a debut novel for you. The narrative unfolds alternating between two different women Gormflaith and Fódla Gormflaith, one of the last of the Fomorians, will do anything to ensure her mortal son stays king. Fódla, one of the Tuatha Dé Danann who hunt and kill Fomorians, will do anything to protect her sister’s son and its these characters who give the heart to the story.
I welcomed the assemblage of true historical events with the elements of myths. In an epilogue the author explains the names and events history records. She discuss why she couldn't write a literary history novel, or a fantasy novel but required both elements to drive her writing. She alludes to the fact that it would have been easier for her publisher to market if it was one or the other.
Hild by Nicola Griffith is still my go to book on the middle ages but I look forward to reading the rest of this trilogy.