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Cormac Mac Art #5
Sword of the Gael
"What dark sorcery sends into my brain these memories that cannot be memories, for a full thousand lifetimes separate me from Atlantis! But... I was there, ever the warrior, ever slaying so that I must come back, and back..."
Thus haunted by images of a past stretching back to the beginning of time, Cormac Mac Art and his comrade, Wulfhere Skull-Splitter, are hurled through a swirling maelstrom on their ship, Wolfsail, to a faraway shore. There, Cormac joins up with the Princess Samaire and sets out on a fantastic adventure to regain the throne that rightfully belongs to... Sword of the Gael.
Thus haunted by images of a past stretching back to the beginning of time, Cormac Mac Art and his comrade, Wulfhere Skull-Splitter, are hurled through a swirling maelstrom on their ship, Wolfsail, to a faraway shore. There, Cormac joins up with the Princess Samaire and sets out on a fantastic adventure to regain the throne that rightfully belongs to... Sword of the Gael.
251 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1975
3 people are currently reading
166 people want to read
About the author
Andrew J. Offutt
209 books72 followersAndrew Jefferson Offutt was an American science fiction and fantasy author. He wrote as Andrew J. Offutt, A.J. Offutt, and Andy Offut. His normal byline, andrew j. offutt, had his name in all lower-case letters. His son is the author Chris Offutt.
Offutt began publishing in 1954 with the story And Gone Tomorrow in If. Despite this early sale, he didn't consider his professional life to have begun until he sold the story Blacksword to Galaxy in 1959. His first novel was Evil Is Live Spelled Backwards in 1970.
Offutt published numerous novels and short stories, including many in the Thieves World series edited by Robert Lynn Asprin and Lynn Abbey, which featured his best known character, the thief Hanse, also known as Shadowspawn (and, later, Chance). His Iron Lords series likewise was popular. He also wrote two series of books based on characters by Robert E. Howard, one on Howard's best known character, Conan, and one on a lesser known character, Cormac mac Art.
As an editor Offutt produced a series of five anthologies entitled Swords Against Darkness, which included the first professional sale by Charles de Lint.
Offutt also wrote a large number of pornographic works under twelve different pseudonyms, not all of them identified. Those known include John Cleve, J.X. Williams, and Jeff Douglas. His main works in this area are the science fiction Spaceways series, most of whose volumes were written in collaboration, and the historical Crusader series.
Offutt began publishing in 1954 with the story And Gone Tomorrow in If. Despite this early sale, he didn't consider his professional life to have begun until he sold the story Blacksword to Galaxy in 1959. His first novel was Evil Is Live Spelled Backwards in 1970.
Offutt published numerous novels and short stories, including many in the Thieves World series edited by Robert Lynn Asprin and Lynn Abbey, which featured his best known character, the thief Hanse, also known as Shadowspawn (and, later, Chance). His Iron Lords series likewise was popular. He also wrote two series of books based on characters by Robert E. Howard, one on Howard's best known character, Conan, and one on a lesser known character, Cormac mac Art.
As an editor Offutt produced a series of five anthologies entitled Swords Against Darkness, which included the first professional sale by Charles de Lint.
Offutt also wrote a large number of pornographic works under twelve different pseudonyms, not all of them identified. Those known include John Cleve, J.X. Williams, and Jeff Douglas. His main works in this area are the science fiction Spaceways series, most of whose volumes were written in collaboration, and the historical Crusader series.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
April 30, 2020
Sword of the Gael is the first of several novels that andrew j. offutt wrote based on the character Cormac that was created by Robert E. Howard. It's an excellent adventure that's richly steeped in a good mix of Irish history and mythology. The series was deeply researched and has a more polished feel than many of the sword-and-planet style adventures that offutt produced around the same time. While many of the tropes that Howard incorporated in his stories are present it's a very different style altogether. There's also a poignant coming home theme explored. Howard, history, and Irish fans should give it a try.
October 26, 2011
A tight little Howard pastiche. The action starts fast and ferocious and never really lets up; there are times when the relentless momentum can cause reader exhaustion. Vivid, archetypal characters, lots of references to Celtic myth and folklore, eternal return hints, some dark sorceries, a feisty main female character and a brooding, scarred man of battles at the focus. Howard would have been proud, but he would probably have made Cormac less love-lorn and even more taciturn. I have another of Offutt's Cormac novels lying around and at some point I need to re-read Howard's own Cormac stories. Which reminds me, I need to resume my re-read of the complete Conan.
October 31, 2025
From Atlantis came the Cimmerians. From the Cimmerians came the Celts. From the Celts came the Gaels. From Gaels comes Cormac mac Art. Or at least that's what Cormac says. The Romans and the Britons suck too. Crom and Breh rule over Cormac's mind and soul but Iosa Chriost is moving among the people. Living in self-exile, Cormac can be paraphrased as having the wisdom and vision of a king, but the betrayal at the hand of two kings has separated him from ever taking up court with such stature… at least in the wild. For twelve years, Cormac witnesses that it is not just among the royals that shadows live, as rape, murder, and enslavement is the game of the common folks. Fortunately, a cast of characters among the princes and princesses, the high-kings, the reivers, the farmers, Druids, Christian priests, and more, give Cormac a community of decency and hope. This story was nothing grand but certainly entertaining, though the Behltain details were lost on me in the end.
December 3, 2019
Cormac and Wulfhere are shipwrecked by a storm. They find themselves on a small island which happens to be the base of some Viking raiders. When the Vikings return Cormac finds they have some captives who he knows, his lady love Samaire and her brother. After rescuing them he learns that the two were sold to the Vikings by their brother the King. Cormac agrees to return to Eire to aid them even though he is under the sentence of death there. He does so and encounters new dangers and old foes.
A good story about returning home. It appears at first to headed in one direction and then changes gears and heads off in another entirely. Nice fighting scenes and Offutt does not take the easy way out when it comes to the problem of the Prince and Princess returning to claim their brother's throne. Not as tight as REH's Cormac but he wrote them as short stories so that's to be expected. Moves along at a decent pace, not that difficult for a travel story, with interesting events along the way. Cormac fights a snake, some Picts, and an octopus.
A good story about returning home. It appears at first to headed in one direction and then changes gears and heads off in another entirely. Nice fighting scenes and Offutt does not take the easy way out when it comes to the problem of the Prince and Princess returning to claim their brother's throne. Not as tight as REH's Cormac but he wrote them as short stories so that's to be expected. Moves along at a decent pace, not that difficult for a travel story, with interesting events along the way. Cormac fights a snake, some Picts, and an octopus.
January 1, 2009
Another in a five book pastiche series written by Offutt about the Howard character Cormac Mac Art.
May 30, 2020
Cormac makes his way back to Eirrin after twelve years in exile, both to clear his name and protect his beloved Samaire. Along the way, he defeats an evil Druid wizard, a contingent of Picts, and a band of highwaymen only to face more challenges at the end of his long journey.
Another great adventure from Andrew Offut. It makes me wish that I had bought the rest of this series back when it was still available.
Another great adventure from Andrew Offut. It makes me wish that I had bought the rest of this series back when it was still available.
July 3, 2025
It was ok. Saved by the parts with vikings & picts. The rest was fairly bad, not helped by the author inserting silly Oirish accents, to be sure, top o the mornin to you etc.
August 28, 2017
Cormac MacArt: Sword of the Gael (Mass Market Paperback)
by Andrew J. Offutt
This author is also known for pornography.My Father, the Pornographer: A Memoir
by Andrew J. Offutt
This author is also known for pornography.My Father, the Pornographer: A Memoir
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews