Celtic Fiction

Chaos International, # 22, spring 1997
"Written with great passion and no small understanding of the magic of Northern Europe. A rollicking good yarn, well worth a read."

Book Description
In this trilogy's first novel, The Rhymer and the Ravens: The Book of Fate, the Nordic-Celtic bard Tomas's encounter with Moira, the Elf Queen, catalyzed his recognition of his true nature and his initiation into the Ars Magica--the magic arts. In The Elves' Prophecy, Tomas the Rhymer learns to use his magecraft. Accompanied by his new raven-allies, he's going his own way and finding his own teachers now, yet there's something that Moira hasn't told him...

En route to the scene of the crime that opens the story, Sister Fidelma encounters a second curiosity, a ship foundering in the waves without a person on board. What Fidelma does discover are hints that an old and trusted friend was aboard and seems to have met the same mysterious fate as the rest of the crew and cargo, whatever that might have been. The novel proceeds as Fidelma sets out to determine the cause of each of her mysteries, and what if any is the connection between them. Tremayne is a careful and engaging storyteller; his characters are thoughtfully drawn, and he uses the central mystery for them to discuss and reflect upon the differences between the native Irish church and that of Rome (which is becoming the more powerful--and whose ultimate success will keep women like Fidelma out of the halls of power which she has confidently and capably strode.)

The ecclesiastical period setting may remind readers of the work of Ellis Peters, but the 7th century is distinct from the 12th and Ireland distinct from England. Tremayne relishes those differences, creating a tale that has much to enlighten and intrigue his readers and make them anxious for the next time Sister Fidelma is called to perform her duties.

From Booklist , July 19, 1998
Seventh-century sleuth Sister Fidelma employs her considerable powers of reasoning and deduction to solve another perplexing homicide steeped in avarice and intrigue. When the decapitated body of a young woman is found in the well of the Abbey of the Salmon of the Three Wells, Sister Fidelma travels to western Ireland in her capacity as an advocate of the Brehon law courts. En route to the Irish kingdom of Muman, she encounters a drifting merchant ship whose crew and cargo have evidently disappeared. Tying these seemingly unrelated incidents together, Sister Fidelma unravels a tangled mystery rooted in the legend and lore of ancient Ireland. A treat for history buffs who devoured Thomas Cahill's How the Irish Saved Civilization and historical mystery fans who appreciate strong and highly intelligent female protagonists, such as Sharan Newman's Catherine LeVendeur and Kathy Lynn Emerson's Lady Susanna Appleton. Margaret Flanagan
Copyright© 1998, American Library Association. All rights reserved

Synopsis
Set against the barbaric splendors of eleventh-century Ireland, a sweeping historical epic recounts the spectacular life and loves of Brian Boru, the legendary Irish king who united his realm.

Synopsis
Brian Boru was stronger, braver, and wiser than all other men--the greatest king Ireland has ever known. Out of the mists of the country's most violent age, he emerged to lead his people to the peak of their golden era. Set against the barbaric splendors of the tenth century, this is a story rich in truth and legend--in which friends become deadly enemies.

In a land ruled by war and love and strange enchantments, Cuchulain -- torn between gentleness and violence, haunted by the croakings of a sinister raven -- fights for his honor and his homeland and discovers too late the trap that the gods have set for him in the fatal beauty of Deirdre and the brutal jealousy of King Conor.

Synopsis
Cuchulain was a fatherless boy, yearning to join the warrior elite--the Red Branch. He was protected from above by the bloodthirsty raven god of war and destined to become the Champion of Champions. But he faced the ultimate foe in the murderous Lady Maeve and was pushed to the ultimate sacrifice--his best friend! HC: Morrow.

Synopsis
Taken in by the chief druid of the Carnutes in Gaul, the orphan Ainvar learns to master the druid mysteries of thought, healing, and magic, and learns of his destiny with Vercingetorix, the warrior king. Reprint. BO.

Synopsis
The author of the international bestsellers Lion of Ireland and Red Branch delivers a rich, magical epic of Druid destiny during the Gallic Wars. Ainvar, "The Traveler," possesses amazing mystical powers that will help to unify the free Gauls to fight the invading Romans. "Vividly portrays the Druid rituals."--Publishers Weekly. HC: Morrow.

Synopsis
Bard is the sweeping historical tale of the coming of the Irish to Ireland, and of the men and women who made the Emerald Isle their own. Morgan Llywelyn is the internationally bestselling author of The Lion of Ireland and The Elementals.