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The MacDuff Saga #1
The Iron Thane
Lay on, Macduff! And damned be he who first cries Hold, Enough!
Macbeth was just the beginning. Amid the smoke and chaos following the destruction of Scotland’s mad king, the Prince of Dark Elves decides the time is ripe to unleash an assault on all of humanity. And he will begin by doing what he does stealing the souls of children to build his army. The Erl-King’s victory is not inevitable; he can be stopped—but those who have the power choose not to.
The three immortal Sisters worry about Fate. Oberon, king of the lightning-fast little people, will not risk his legions. The Erl-King’s own son, fully as powerful as his father, would fight, but his mother will not let him—and he is only five years old.
In all the world there is one who might bind together these disparate forces and lead them in battle against Macduff, Thane of Fife, a mortal who thinks he has outlived a destiny that has only begun.
Macbeth was just the beginning. Amid the smoke and chaos following the destruction of Scotland’s mad king, the Prince of Dark Elves decides the time is ripe to unleash an assault on all of humanity. And he will begin by doing what he does stealing the souls of children to build his army. The Erl-King’s victory is not inevitable; he can be stopped—but those who have the power choose not to.
The three immortal Sisters worry about Fate. Oberon, king of the lightning-fast little people, will not risk his legions. The Erl-King’s own son, fully as powerful as his father, would fight, but his mother will not let him—and he is only five years old.
In all the world there is one who might bind together these disparate forces and lead them in battle against Macduff, Thane of Fife, a mortal who thinks he has outlived a destiny that has only begun.
272 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 1993
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45 people want to read
About the author
Jason Henderson
109 books163 followersI've been writing for a long time-- comics, games (like Destiny 2), books-- there's always *something.* But lately I've gotten into modern-day YA novels with the Alex Van Helsing series and now middle grade with the new Young Captain Nemo series.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
August 7, 2024
I have no idea how knowing Macbeth would affect enjoyment of this book. Personally I only vaguely know Macbeth but recognized the names at least of many of this books characters as they take part in a nation sized conflict whose time setting makes it a sequel to Shakespeare's story, and I quite enjoyed it.
January 9, 2020
This one was a fantasy take on the aftermath of 'MacBeth'. It follows some of the trials and exploits of MacDuff, the Iron Thane with a spattering of legendary figures such as 'the Three Sisters', the thoroughly wicked Erl-king, and this author's skewed version of the Sidhe.
It wasn't a bad story overall; however, much more could have been done with the subject matter. Somewhat vainly, I know I could have written a better and more depth story with fleshed out characters than was offered have.
It wasn't a bad story overall; however, much more could have been done with the subject matter. Somewhat vainly, I know I could have written a better and more depth story with fleshed out characters than was offered have.
December 30, 2016
I stumbled upon this while looking for books based on Norse mythology (the sequel is called "The Spawn of Loki"). I was delighted to find that it was a continuation/reimagining of my favorite Shakespeare play, Macbeth. Macbeth was slain by the man of no woman born, Macduff, the Thane of Fife. But his story did not end there. Another mad King now threatens Scotland, and Macduff must convince his people to ally themselves with Elves, witches and Fae folk to secure victory once again.
The author does an excellent job of capturing the flavor and tone of Shakespeare without actually using Elizabethan English. Since Macbeth has a supernatural element, and Scotland is rich in folklore, the Erl-King story flows naturally from the end of the play. Macduff’s characterization is spot on and it’s easy to imagine that the Weird Sisters would appear to him. The plot is fairly straightforward – gather an army to counter the Erl-King’s army of dark elves. Within that simple plot, there is solid character development for Macduff, and also the witches. I enjoyed their interactions, and the descriptions of the environment. There is a tiny bit of Norse mythology hinted at when Macduff visits a Viking stronghold for aid, but the story remains firmly rooted in Scotland.
Overall, I enjoyed this book very much and look forward to reading the sequel. Macduff is a great character to build a series around, and I expect the stories can become more complex now that his character has been established. Highly recommended to fans of Macbeth, or folklore based fantasy.
The author does an excellent job of capturing the flavor and tone of Shakespeare without actually using Elizabethan English. Since Macbeth has a supernatural element, and Scotland is rich in folklore, the Erl-King story flows naturally from the end of the play. Macduff’s characterization is spot on and it’s easy to imagine that the Weird Sisters would appear to him. The plot is fairly straightforward – gather an army to counter the Erl-King’s army of dark elves. Within that simple plot, there is solid character development for Macduff, and also the witches. I enjoyed their interactions, and the descriptions of the environment. There is a tiny bit of Norse mythology hinted at when Macduff visits a Viking stronghold for aid, but the story remains firmly rooted in Scotland.
Overall, I enjoyed this book very much and look forward to reading the sequel. Macduff is a great character to build a series around, and I expect the stories can become more complex now that his character has been established. Highly recommended to fans of Macbeth, or folklore based fantasy.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews