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The Hound of Ulster
This saga of the Irish Celts is re-told by Rosemary Sutcliff with a magical weaving together of passion and poetry. The boy who takes up the spear and shield of Manhood on this day will become the most renowned of all the warriors of Ireland, men will follow at his call to the world's end, and his enemies will shudder at the thunder of his chariot wheels. So the prophecy went, and as the boy Cuchulain heard it, he went forward to claim the weapons of his manhood. This is the story of how he became the greatest of heroes—the Hound of Ulster.
192 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 1963
22 people are currently reading
390 people want to read
About the author
Rosemary Sutcliff
107 books679 followersRosemary Sutcliff, CBE (1920-1992) was a British novelist, best known as a writer of highly acclaimed historical fiction. Although primarily a children's author, the quality and depth of her writing also appeals to adults. She once commented that she wrote "for children of all ages, from nine to ninety."
Born in West Clandon, Surrey, Sutcliff spent her early youth in Malta and other naval bases where her father was stationed as a naval officer. She contracted Still's Disease when she was very young and was confined to a wheelchair for most of her life. Due to her chronic sickness, she spent the majority of her time with her mother, a tireless storyteller, from whom she learned many of the Celtic and Saxon legends that she would later expand into works of historical fiction. Her early schooling being continually interrupted by moving house and her disabling condition, Sutcliff didn't learn to read until she was nine, and left school at fourteen to enter the Bideford Art School, which she attended for three years, graduating from the General Art Course. She then worked as a painter of miniatures.
Rosemary Sutcliff began her career as a writer in 1950 with The Chronicles of Robin Hood. She found her voice when she wrote The Eagle of the Ninth in 1954. In 1959, she won the Carnegie Medal for The Lantern Bearers and was runner-up in 1972 with Tristan and Iseult. In 1974 she was highly commended for the Hans Christian Andersen Award. Her The Mark of the Horse Lord won the first Phoenix Award in 1985.
Sutcliff lived for many years in Walberton near Arundel, Sussex. In 1975 she was appointed OBE for services to Children's Literature and promoted to CBE in 1992. She wrote incessantly throughout her life, and was still writing on the morning of her death. She never married.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/rosema...
Born in West Clandon, Surrey, Sutcliff spent her early youth in Malta and other naval bases where her father was stationed as a naval officer. She contracted Still's Disease when she was very young and was confined to a wheelchair for most of her life. Due to her chronic sickness, she spent the majority of her time with her mother, a tireless storyteller, from whom she learned many of the Celtic and Saxon legends that she would later expand into works of historical fiction. Her early schooling being continually interrupted by moving house and her disabling condition, Sutcliff didn't learn to read until she was nine, and left school at fourteen to enter the Bideford Art School, which she attended for three years, graduating from the General Art Course. She then worked as a painter of miniatures.
Rosemary Sutcliff began her career as a writer in 1950 with The Chronicles of Robin Hood. She found her voice when she wrote The Eagle of the Ninth in 1954. In 1959, she won the Carnegie Medal for The Lantern Bearers and was runner-up in 1972 with Tristan and Iseult. In 1974 she was highly commended for the Hans Christian Andersen Award. Her The Mark of the Horse Lord won the first Phoenix Award in 1985.
Sutcliff lived for many years in Walberton near Arundel, Sussex. In 1975 she was appointed OBE for services to Children's Literature and promoted to CBE in 1992. She wrote incessantly throughout her life, and was still writing on the morning of her death. She never married.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/rosema...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
June 6, 2020
Prolific English children's author Rosemary Sutcliff, perhaps best known for her novels set in Roman Britain, here retells the life story of Cú Chulainn, one the greatest figures of Irish myth and folklore. The son of Dectera (Deichtire), here a half fairy woman, the boy Setanta is sent to be raised by his kinsman, Conor Mac Nessa, and gains his true name - Cú Chulainn, the "Hound of Cullan" - through an act of boyhood bravery, in which he slays a fearsome dog. The narrative follows him through his wooing of Emer, his youthful training with the woman warrior Skatha (Scáthach), and his many battles and heroic deeds. The book climaxes with the great war between Ulster and Connacht, in which Cú Chulainn, the champion of Ulster, kills his own son, Connla, before realizing who he is. The story concludes with the death of the hero, at the hands of the three Witch Daughters of Calatin...
Although quite familiar with the character of Cú Chulainn, who is the hero of the ancient Irish epic, The Táin Bó Cúailnge ("The Cattle Raid of Cooley"), which has been described as the Irish Iliad , and which chronicles the events of the ancient war between Connacht and Ulster, I had never read anything that took all of the stories about him and tied them together into one narrative of his life. I was therefore pleased when Sutcliff's The Hound of Ulster was assigned as a text in the course I took on the history of children's literature, while getting my masters, particularly as I had already read and greatly enjoyed her historical novel, The Eagle of the Ninth . I found this telling immensely engaging, and was interested to see Sutcliff's take on this famous tale. I do wish that she had discussed her specific sources, in her too-brief foreword, but leaving aside that criticism, this is one I would highly recommend, to any middle-grade reader (or older reader of middle-grade books) who enjoys fantasy and/or mythology.
Although quite familiar with the character of Cú Chulainn, who is the hero of the ancient Irish epic, The Táin Bó Cúailnge ("The Cattle Raid of Cooley"), which has been described as the Irish Iliad , and which chronicles the events of the ancient war between Connacht and Ulster, I had never read anything that took all of the stories about him and tied them together into one narrative of his life. I was therefore pleased when Sutcliff's The Hound of Ulster was assigned as a text in the course I took on the history of children's literature, while getting my masters, particularly as I had already read and greatly enjoyed her historical novel, The Eagle of the Ninth . I found this telling immensely engaging, and was interested to see Sutcliff's take on this famous tale. I do wish that she had discussed her specific sources, in her too-brief foreword, but leaving aside that criticism, this is one I would highly recommend, to any middle-grade reader (or older reader of middle-grade books) who enjoys fantasy and/or mythology.
June 21, 2011
Reading Sutcliff's forward is, I think, necessary for a full adult understanding of the tale she's retelling. Cuchulain was my favorite of the Irish hero legends/fairy stories as a child, and in the intervening time I really haven't read anything about them. So rediscovering the story, so well written, was fascinating.
Not to put too fine a point on it, but everyone's kind of an asshole in these stories, which is great because Sutcliff never shies away from describing the awful things people do to one another. The greatness of the Irish legends was that they retained so much of their humanity even in their hero-lights, making them easy to relate to as grand figures. (Kind of like the Greek gods, I think. Not infallible.)
Anyway, this is something I would love to go back into time and hand to my twelve year old self; in lieu of that, though, I'm going to stick it into the hands of every kid I meet.
She's just so damn talented.
Not to put too fine a point on it, but everyone's kind of an asshole in these stories, which is great because Sutcliff never shies away from describing the awful things people do to one another. The greatness of the Irish legends was that they retained so much of their humanity even in their hero-lights, making them easy to relate to as grand figures. (Kind of like the Greek gods, I think. Not infallible.)
Anyway, this is something I would love to go back into time and hand to my twelve year old self; in lieu of that, though, I'm going to stick it into the hands of every kid I meet.
She's just so damn talented.
October 7, 2018
Irish, violent, heroic, pagan, and in general, reminiscent of Beowulf, knights, and stories of honor and revenge.
About half the women suffer and the other half are bad-asses. Maeve and the witches make some great antagonists. Cuchulain himself seems to be positioned against women and they end up being his downfall.
A few of the episodes are definitely borrowed from other tales - the Champion chapter in particular is just a recycled version of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.
I'm not one for a violent masculine hero tale, but this was okay.
About half the women suffer and the other half are bad-asses. Maeve and the witches make some great antagonists. Cuchulain himself seems to be positioned against women and they end up being his downfall.
A few of the episodes are definitely borrowed from other tales - the Champion chapter in particular is just a recycled version of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.
I'm not one for a violent masculine hero tale, but this was okay.
December 13, 2020
Cuchulainn is the great hero of the Ulster cycle of hero tales, some dating back to at least the 7th century CE. There has been much discussion about how much they owe to historical events and how much to myth, legend and folklore. In Rosemary Sutcliff's retelling of the saga she treats the main characters as real humans with real emotions, albeit often with superhuman and even supernatural attributes.
She follows the traditional episodes of many hero cycles across many ancient cultures: conception, birth, childhood feats, weapon training, wooings, then the apogee of a career followed by the inevitable descent towards tragedy.
Throughout her version of the saga she brings her telltale skills as a storyteller -- sympathy with her material, a poetic sensibility, a fine sense of pace, and the ability to delineate key personages in a huge cast and imbuing them with distinctive traits and appearances. Despite a preponderance of male warriors, druids and giants, several females make their mark, and not merely to weep for fallen warriors.
This is a novel to enjoy for its evocation of an ancient warrior society, when slights to one's honour can have tragic consequences, prognostications must be taken seriously, and cattle raiding is a way of life as much as full-scale invasions. While the ancient province of Ulster is the focus of all that happens, the other provinces -- Munster, Leinster, Tara, and particularly Connacht -- are also drawn into the orbit of the tales. Into this legendary Ireland is born Setanta, son of a human mother and the Irish God Lugh, who gains his new name of Cu Chulainn, the Hound of Cullen, after he takes the place of the mastiff he's killed and becomes the guard dog at the gate of Cullen the Smith.
Thereafter we learn of his martial training under the Amazonian Skatha, his affair with the Princess Aifa, and his wedding with Emer; then occur the first initimations of tragedies to come with the feast held by the troublemaker Bricrieu, with episodes of a type familiar to students of the Arthurian poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Then we hear of Deirdre who will become the cause of great strife in the household of Connor the Ulster King, with ramifications that, via a cattle raid ordered by Maeve Queen of Connacht, will eventually result in Cuchulain's dramatic death.
Sutcliff skilfully weaves together episodes of different dates from sagas and folktales that may be inconsistent with or even disagree with each other, managing to form a lucid chronology. She adopts a poetic voice which successfully mimics a timeless oral tradition which -- apart from the occasional faux archaism (such as "'twas") -- is fluent and convincing. She doesn't flinch from the bloodletting but uses it to point up the inevitable tragedy that comes from rash promises, unhealthy passions and the espousal of a rigid code of honour. Especially we learn that if a geise or personal prohibition is ever broken (even if involuntarily) then an individual's fortunes must take a turn for the worse.
I haven't read any Sutcliff for half a century and I'd forgotten what her true strengths were: yes, she rarely gives us light touches, her historical and mythical subjects tending more towards conflicts, triumphs and tragedies, but against the serious themes we can relish her wonderful way with words. If I had a criticism it would be concerning the anglicised names of places and people: a bit of mix 'n' match where Gaelic and Englished spellings are concerned and not even always consistent -- King Conchobar for example appears both as Connor and as Conor.
But this is a minor quibble because the virtue of The Hound of Ulster is to serve as an introduction to this branch of Irish saga. Specialists may baulk at Sutcliff sometimes playing free with the sources, but bearing in mind they don't always agree with each other she has done a good job with collating what tells a good story. Assisted by atmospheric line drawings from Victor Ambrus this was a good way to reacquaint myself with Sutcliff's work and her ability to transport the reader to a credible past.
She follows the traditional episodes of many hero cycles across many ancient cultures: conception, birth, childhood feats, weapon training, wooings, then the apogee of a career followed by the inevitable descent towards tragedy.
Throughout her version of the saga she brings her telltale skills as a storyteller -- sympathy with her material, a poetic sensibility, a fine sense of pace, and the ability to delineate key personages in a huge cast and imbuing them with distinctive traits and appearances. Despite a preponderance of male warriors, druids and giants, several females make their mark, and not merely to weep for fallen warriors.
This is a novel to enjoy for its evocation of an ancient warrior society, when slights to one's honour can have tragic consequences, prognostications must be taken seriously, and cattle raiding is a way of life as much as full-scale invasions. While the ancient province of Ulster is the focus of all that happens, the other provinces -- Munster, Leinster, Tara, and particularly Connacht -- are also drawn into the orbit of the tales. Into this legendary Ireland is born Setanta, son of a human mother and the Irish God Lugh, who gains his new name of Cu Chulainn, the Hound of Cullen, after he takes the place of the mastiff he's killed and becomes the guard dog at the gate of Cullen the Smith.
Thereafter we learn of his martial training under the Amazonian Skatha, his affair with the Princess Aifa, and his wedding with Emer; then occur the first initimations of tragedies to come with the feast held by the troublemaker Bricrieu, with episodes of a type familiar to students of the Arthurian poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Then we hear of Deirdre who will become the cause of great strife in the household of Connor the Ulster King, with ramifications that, via a cattle raid ordered by Maeve Queen of Connacht, will eventually result in Cuchulain's dramatic death.
Sutcliff skilfully weaves together episodes of different dates from sagas and folktales that may be inconsistent with or even disagree with each other, managing to form a lucid chronology. She adopts a poetic voice which successfully mimics a timeless oral tradition which -- apart from the occasional faux archaism (such as "'twas") -- is fluent and convincing. She doesn't flinch from the bloodletting but uses it to point up the inevitable tragedy that comes from rash promises, unhealthy passions and the espousal of a rigid code of honour. Especially we learn that if a geise or personal prohibition is ever broken (even if involuntarily) then an individual's fortunes must take a turn for the worse.
I haven't read any Sutcliff for half a century and I'd forgotten what her true strengths were: yes, she rarely gives us light touches, her historical and mythical subjects tending more towards conflicts, triumphs and tragedies, but against the serious themes we can relish her wonderful way with words. If I had a criticism it would be concerning the anglicised names of places and people: a bit of mix 'n' match where Gaelic and Englished spellings are concerned and not even always consistent -- King Conchobar for example appears both as Connor and as Conor.
But this is a minor quibble because the virtue of The Hound of Ulster is to serve as an introduction to this branch of Irish saga. Specialists may baulk at Sutcliff sometimes playing free with the sources, but bearing in mind they don't always agree with each other she has done a good job with collating what tells a good story. Assisted by atmospheric line drawings from Victor Ambrus this was a good way to reacquaint myself with Sutcliff's work and her ability to transport the reader to a credible past.
And all Ulster wept for their loss: because of the story of Cuchulain, the Hound of Ulster, there was no more. No more.
Rosemary Sutcliff was born on 14th December 1920, and so it's appropriate to visit one of her historical novels for this, her centenary. Though I never met her during my time with the Pendragon Society (between 1967 and 2009) she was a great supporter of the group in the sixties when there was great enthusiasm for the historical Arthur, especially while the archaeological excavations were taking place at South Cadbury, supposed site of Camelot.
March 8, 2010
A haunting tale that lives with me 15 years later and that I have re-read numerous times.
I don't know if a book has resonated with me as much before or since.
This book is a must for anyone from Ulster or Ireland for that matter or anyone who wants to explore what makes us Irish the way we are.
I grew up on these legends in Armagh and will pass this book on to my kids and their kids God willing.
I don't know if a book has resonated with me as much before or since.
This book is a must for anyone from Ulster or Ireland for that matter or anyone who wants to explore what makes us Irish the way we are.
I grew up on these legends in Armagh and will pass this book on to my kids and their kids God willing.
November 26, 2019
This is a retelling of the Irish legend of Cuchulain, the Hound of Ulster. It is well told, but here Sutcliff is following the original stories as they were, without embellishing or expanding, I found it more arid than her other books.
March 23, 2025
Just imagine all the twelve year old kids who read this from the mid-sixties onwards and had their brains melted by the most metal book of their childhood. A collection of Irish folktales about Cú Chulainn, the inspiration for 2000AD’s warping warrior Sláine, no less, these are tales of bloodlust and lust lust.
Eyes are put out by chess pieces. Black goats sacrificed. Women warriors rampage, drunk on violence. Jet black blood shoots into the sky and war parties drop dead from the terror of The Hound of Ulster (who has unlockable special moves and a bonus spear attack) rushing at them. There’s sexy Morrigan with her seductive bargains and shape-shifting attacks. There’s Clan Calatin, the wizard war-band body of 27 sons with a single mind and venomous touch. See 56 hands cut off in a single sword stroke! Bulls tear bulls asunder, vomit black blood and burst their own hearts from the slaughter. Spears are flung so violently they pass through one man’s head to kill another nine men behind him. It’s like a Michael Moorcock except all these events genuinely did happen and are the recorded history of Ireland. Amazing book.
Eyes are put out by chess pieces. Black goats sacrificed. Women warriors rampage, drunk on violence. Jet black blood shoots into the sky and war parties drop dead from the terror of The Hound of Ulster (who has unlockable special moves and a bonus spear attack) rushing at them. There’s sexy Morrigan with her seductive bargains and shape-shifting attacks. There’s Clan Calatin, the wizard war-band body of 27 sons with a single mind and venomous touch. See 56 hands cut off in a single sword stroke! Bulls tear bulls asunder, vomit black blood and burst their own hearts from the slaughter. Spears are flung so violently they pass through one man’s head to kill another nine men behind him. It’s like a Michael Moorcock except all these events genuinely did happen and are the recorded history of Ireland. Amazing book.
June 17, 2014
Growing up you are surrounded by the myths and legends of the country, Cuchulain happened to be one of my favourites, so finding myself completely bored by this was disappointing. There felt no life in the stories, no heart. These tales were originally oral. And I would suggest that maybe they need to remain so, in order to get the true beauty of the saga. But that said, what is literature if it can't make a story epic? The Hound of Ulster just felt like a vague recount of a legend, with no passion for story at all.
Read
January 12, 2016A very emotional retelling. Sutcliff managed to make Cuchulain a lot more likeable than he is in the original stories, which was interesting. She also made him even more gay for Ferdia, which I didn't think was possible.
read-some
November 4, 2021I was hoping this would be more of a novelization of the old tales, but it didn't read as such.
August 25, 2020
Something did not ring true about this one. For a start the language felt stilted, it included an unfortunate couple of twases and tweres. The anglicisation of names seemed quite odd at times also.
In Sutcliff's other Irish stories (about Finn MacCool) the episodic nature of the originals is more acceptable for some reason, but here it feels like too strict an adherence to the source material has got in the way of a good story.
Also, the deep weirdness of the war-spasm is not gone into enough. The bloody nature of the combat could have been emphasised more.
Worth reading, but flawed. I kept reading a bit at a time, putting it down and telling myself I should finish it.
In Sutcliff's other Irish stories (about Finn MacCool) the episodic nature of the originals is more acceptable for some reason, but here it feels like too strict an adherence to the source material has got in the way of a good story.
Also, the deep weirdness of the war-spasm is not gone into enough. The bloody nature of the combat could have been emphasised more.
Worth reading, but flawed. I kept reading a bit at a time, putting it down and telling myself I should finish it.
November 2, 2025
A beautiful read for the first third, but I don’t think it’s sufficiently explained the geises and the Great Sleep that fell over the warriors of Ulster to make them useless except for Cuchulain.
The poetic and episodic nature of the first third of the book gives way to a sequence of bloody reprisal. It is as if the mythological fairy story gives way to the Iliad.
I didn’t like Cuchulain or any other character, and I felt the constant obsession with ego and honour was idiotic.
At least Finn Mac Cool had some fine adventures in fairyland. But this was a hard tale of bad men doing stupid things.
I wish the author had mentioned where she got these stories from.
The poetic and episodic nature of the first third of the book gives way to a sequence of bloody reprisal. It is as if the mythological fairy story gives way to the Iliad.
I didn’t like Cuchulain or any other character, and I felt the constant obsession with ego and honour was idiotic.
At least Finn Mac Cool had some fine adventures in fairyland. But this was a hard tale of bad men doing stupid things.
I wish the author had mentioned where she got these stories from.
December 5, 2022
Only Rosemary could take these mad, great, convoluted Irish legends and make them so easy to understand without losing anything and adding so much more. I know she wrote more for younger readers but i`ve loved her stories since reading my first book of hers as a kid. I normaly don`t think much of the Irish legendary heroes- they come across as self centred narcissists but she made me like and understand Cu Chulain. Well done my girl.
May 8, 2019
Great story - highly recommended
I loved Rosemary’s rendition of this tale. My own has taken a wholly different tack, but that does not detract from Rosemary’s version. With no written records of the time, it is difficult to imagine how things might have happened. Great read.
I loved Rosemary’s rendition of this tale. My own has taken a wholly different tack, but that does not detract from Rosemary’s version. With no written records of the time, it is difficult to imagine how things might have happened. Great read.
July 14, 2023
This is a retelling of the stories of Cuchulain from Irish mythology. It is well written, but the characters do not get much depth beyond what you expect to find in myths.
This is a standalone book.
This is a standalone book.
March 11, 2018
Mythic and moving
March 7, 2019
Wonderful re-telling of a very strange but powerful story.
November 13, 2020
A good retelling of the traditional legend. Pretty bloodthirsty!
July 1, 2022
We were actually a few months getting through this, but we loved every page. It is truly epic, and the poetic beauty of the prose is inspiring. Kids loved it more than Beowulf.
Loved it.
Loved it.
July 5, 2024
Estoy muy triste 10/10
December 18, 2024
Fantastic. I would have known about Cuchulain before if I hadn't grown up in a imperial economic zone beset by demonic parasites.
See my review of The Eagle of the Ninth, which still applies.
See my review of The Eagle of the Ninth, which still applies.
January 9, 2026
Not for me.
November 25, 2019
Tragically this one was useless for the essay so the humiliation of carting this cover round the library was in no way allayed
September 27, 2013
I believe I had probably read this book before, when I was very young. However, it's possible that I'd read a different re-telling of these stories.
"The Hound of Ulster" is Cuchulain, the legendary Irish hero, who, when his battle rage was upon him, was undefeatable.
It collects the different tales of Cuchulain, and strings them together into a narrative, much like Howard Pyle's tales of King Arthur.
The language is quite traditional, without using the technique of fleshing out the stories with many completely original details, as is more the mode today. What's here is pretty much just what's in the original tales, but told in an easy-to-follow, enjoyable way.
However, in Sutcliff's introduction, she mentions how one can tell a lot about a people and culture from the tales that they tell... and, reading these, I couldn't help but be reminded (again) of Ursula K. LeGuin's "Gifts," and how she showed in that book how small and petty conflicts and rivalries could be magnified to an importance all out of proportion in an isolated, primitive culture. Here, a good deal of Cuchulain's "heroic" exploits have to do with no more than stealing a neighbor's cattle! It's interesting to read these stories in contrast to so much of the extremely 'elevated' fantasy inspired by Celtic myth.
The book also shows, however, some of the interesting aspects of the culture - how a Queen could sometimes be more powerful than her husband, how bearing a child out of wedlock did not have shame attached, and acceptance of infidelity in marriage - things that are there in the original stories, but surprising, I thought, for a book published in 1963 and marketed to an audience including young people.
"The Hound of Ulster" is Cuchulain, the legendary Irish hero, who, when his battle rage was upon him, was undefeatable.
It collects the different tales of Cuchulain, and strings them together into a narrative, much like Howard Pyle's tales of King Arthur.
The language is quite traditional, without using the technique of fleshing out the stories with many completely original details, as is more the mode today. What's here is pretty much just what's in the original tales, but told in an easy-to-follow, enjoyable way.
However, in Sutcliff's introduction, she mentions how one can tell a lot about a people and culture from the tales that they tell... and, reading these, I couldn't help but be reminded (again) of Ursula K. LeGuin's "Gifts," and how she showed in that book how small and petty conflicts and rivalries could be magnified to an importance all out of proportion in an isolated, primitive culture. Here, a good deal of Cuchulain's "heroic" exploits have to do with no more than stealing a neighbor's cattle! It's interesting to read these stories in contrast to so much of the extremely 'elevated' fantasy inspired by Celtic myth.
The book also shows, however, some of the interesting aspects of the culture - how a Queen could sometimes be more powerful than her husband, how bearing a child out of wedlock did not have shame attached, and acceptance of infidelity in marriage - things that are there in the original stories, but surprising, I thought, for a book published in 1963 and marketed to an audience including young people.
April 8, 2013
I read this to gain some knowledge about Irish folklore, since I'm going there this summer (woo!). This is an accessible, entertaining retelling of the Cu Chulainn myth. I was surprised how many female characters there were here--not just as love interests (though there were plenty of those!), but as queens, antagonists, warriors, leaders, and so on.
(And as someone who's familiar with Arthurian myths but not Irish ones, it was interesting how some stories--the beheading challenge, like Gawain's, and the love triangle, like Tristan/Isolde's--are here too, in different forms.)
(And as someone who's familiar with Arthurian myths but not Irish ones, it was interesting how some stories--the beheading challenge, like Gawain's, and the love triangle, like Tristan/Isolde's--are here too, in different forms.)
March 12, 2014
I'd actually prefer to be able to give this one 2.5 stars. I had no idea what it was about when I picked it up, but it was Sutcliff and I hadn't read it. Actually, it's a recounting of a mythological Irish hero, sort like a Celtic King Arthur. (Although not really that similar in storyline.) Being a Celtic legend, the story is violent, and very pagan. So while it was interesting from a historical angle, (rather like reading about Greek mythology) and well written, it was not a story that was in itself very inspiring. But I would file this title away for a unit study on Irish history.
November 15, 2025
Good history book for young girls. I loved Sutcliff's historical novels as a child and young teenager, she was one of my favourite authors. I am not going review them all individually because all her books are good. If your looking for children's historical novels, just start at the beginning of her books and read them all. This is how I learned history.
April 28, 2010
I have not really read a lot of Irish tales before, but I really enjoyed the story. Some what sad, but some of the best stories are sad.
February 4, 2013
The 1st book of Irish mythology that I ever read. Gripping and absorbing. Many late nights and depleted torch batteries.
April 17, 2020
A literate retelling of the legend of Cuchullain.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews