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Neon Druid: An Anthology of Urban Celtic Fantasy
Cross over into a world where the mischievous gods, goddesses, monsters, and heroes of Celtic mythology live among us, intermingling with unsuspecting mortals and stirring up mayhem in cities and towns on both sides of the Atlantic, from Limerick and Edinburgh to Montreal and Boston.
A collection of seventeen short stories, Neon Druid puts you face-to-face with lecherous leprechauns, debaucherous druids, mythical sword-wielding warriors, and an entire pantheon of deities and monsters pulled from the illuminated pages of Celtic mythology. Here are just a few of the powerful entities you will encounter inside…
• Cernunnos: horned god of the Celts, associated with fertility, life, animals, wealth, and the underworld.
• The Morrigan: Irish goddess of war, fate, and death
• Airmid: Irish goddess of healing, one of the Tuatha Dé Danann
• Buggane: a shapeshifting ogre/troll native to the Isle of Man
• Kelpie: a shapeshifting water spirit native to the lochs of Scotland
• Ankou: a personification of death in Breton mythology
Who Is NEON DRUID For?
• Folks who are interested in and/or have a passion for all things related to Celtic mythology (including Irish mythology, Scottish mythology, Welsh mythology, Cornish mythology, Manx mythology, and Breton mythology).
• Short story-lovers who are in the mood for an anthology that is (roughly) equal parts whimsical, supernatural, darkly humorous, and horrifying — but, ya know, in a good way.
• Readers who are already fans of urban fantasy / urban mythic fantasy and are curious to see what Celtic mythology can bring to the genre. (Hint: Irish werewolves. And whiskey. And, for some reason, lots of axes. You’ll see.)
What Stories Are Included in NEON DRUID?
Dreams of Gold • Madison McSweeney (2,400 words)
The Faoladh • Patrick Winters (3,200 words)
The Flat Above the Wynd • Alexandra Brandt (6,700 words)
Mari Lwyd • Jennifer Lee Rossman (2,000 words)
Under Construction • Matthew Stevens (4,000 words)
Jace and the Daoine Shi • Tom Howard (2,500 words)
The Burning of the Blueberries • Hailey Piper (6,300 words)
Banshee • Serena Jayne (100 words)
Fragarach • R. J. Howell (7,600 words)
The Lady of the Lake • P. J. Richards (1,600 words)
Faith, Begorrah, and Oy Gevalte! • Art Lasky (650 words)
Cave Canem • Ed Ahern (3,100 words)
The Ache of Water • E.K. Reisinger (980 words)
Glandomirum • Jarret Keene (2,500 words)
Salted Earth • Willow Croft (1,900 words)
Lady of the Crows • Laila Amado&
A collection of seventeen short stories, Neon Druid puts you face-to-face with lecherous leprechauns, debaucherous druids, mythical sword-wielding warriors, and an entire pantheon of deities and monsters pulled from the illuminated pages of Celtic mythology. Here are just a few of the powerful entities you will encounter inside…
• Cernunnos: horned god of the Celts, associated with fertility, life, animals, wealth, and the underworld.
• The Morrigan: Irish goddess of war, fate, and death
• Airmid: Irish goddess of healing, one of the Tuatha Dé Danann
• Buggane: a shapeshifting ogre/troll native to the Isle of Man
• Kelpie: a shapeshifting water spirit native to the lochs of Scotland
• Ankou: a personification of death in Breton mythology
Who Is NEON DRUID For?
• Folks who are interested in and/or have a passion for all things related to Celtic mythology (including Irish mythology, Scottish mythology, Welsh mythology, Cornish mythology, Manx mythology, and Breton mythology).
• Short story-lovers who are in the mood for an anthology that is (roughly) equal parts whimsical, supernatural, darkly humorous, and horrifying — but, ya know, in a good way.
• Readers who are already fans of urban fantasy / urban mythic fantasy and are curious to see what Celtic mythology can bring to the genre. (Hint: Irish werewolves. And whiskey. And, for some reason, lots of axes. You’ll see.)
What Stories Are Included in NEON DRUID?
Dreams of Gold • Madison McSweeney (2,400 words)
The Faoladh • Patrick Winters (3,200 words)
The Flat Above the Wynd • Alexandra Brandt (6,700 words)
Mari Lwyd • Jennifer Lee Rossman (2,000 words)
Under Construction • Matthew Stevens (4,000 words)
Jace and the Daoine Shi • Tom Howard (2,500 words)
The Burning of the Blueberries • Hailey Piper (6,300 words)
Banshee • Serena Jayne (100 words)
Fragarach • R. J. Howell (7,600 words)
The Lady of the Lake • P. J. Richards (1,600 words)
Faith, Begorrah, and Oy Gevalte! • Art Lasky (650 words)
Cave Canem • Ed Ahern (3,100 words)
The Ache of Water • E.K. Reisinger (980 words)
Glandomirum • Jarret Keene (2,500 words)
Salted Earth • Willow Croft (1,900 words)
Lady of the Crows • Laila Amado&
174 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 16, 2018
20 people are currently reading
115 people want to read
About the author
I.E. Kneverday
9 books8 followersI. E. Kneverday is a writer of science fiction, horror, and fantasy, whose short fiction has been featured in publications and anthologies including Exoplanet Magazine, Drabbledark, and Chronos.
His short story “Fromagegoria” won first place in Zeroflash’s flash fiction competition in July of 2018. In April of 2018, his story “Codebreaker” was shortlisted in Sweek’s #MicroKey competition.
I. E. Kneverday’s first book, The Woburn Chronicles: A Trio of Supernatural Tales Set in New England’s Most Mysterious City, is available now in paperback as well as in the Kindle Store.
Say hi on Twitter (@Kneverday) and Facebook (facebook.com/kneverday) or get in touch via email (kneverday at gmail dot com).
You can also visit I. E. Kneverday’s Author Page on Amazon right here: amazon.com/author/kneverday
His short story “Fromagegoria” won first place in Zeroflash’s flash fiction competition in July of 2018. In April of 2018, his story “Codebreaker” was shortlisted in Sweek’s #MicroKey competition.
I. E. Kneverday’s first book, The Woburn Chronicles: A Trio of Supernatural Tales Set in New England’s Most Mysterious City, is available now in paperback as well as in the Kindle Store.
Say hi on Twitter (@Kneverday) and Facebook (facebook.com/kneverday) or get in touch via email (kneverday at gmail dot com).
You can also visit I. E. Kneverday’s Author Page on Amazon right here: amazon.com/author/kneverday
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Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
March 19, 2019
NEON DRUID is such a fun, pulpy anthology of stories that embody Celtic fantasy and myth. Each story presents a strong grasp of voice, tone, and feel that I appreciate in a themed urban fantasy anthology.
I have made a list of the stories below that I really enjoyed and I made a list along with mini reviews down below:
Dreams of Gold by Madison McSweeny - This an excellent story to begin with, since the world building is perfect and the reader gets a taste of what this anthology is going to be about. There's flashes of humor, violence, and death. And yes, it involves a leprechaun based on the name.
Banshee by Serena Jayne - The shortest story, a drabble with only 100 words, and is such a robust piece. Jayne does a lot of work within those few words and they left me chilled.
Cave Canem by Ed Ahern - This story was possibly my favorite story out of the bunch. An ex-felon goes up into the forest to work for, essentially a hermit and little does he realize who the "hermit" truly is. The dialogue in this one and characterization was perfect and really pulled me along.
The Ache of Water by E. K. Reisinger - While almost reading more like a character study rather than a full fledged story, this one stuck with me. There's a lot that happens, even though only one character is essentially present and doing anything, but by the end I was moved.
Druids of Montreal by I. E. Kneverday - And last but not least(and certainly the longest in the anthology of over 7k words!), is the editors and this one gives the full spectrum of urban fantasy and Celtic mythology. We have our pub scene, our mysterious meeting under gnarled trees, and finally a mystical dreamlike world that our hero, Finn, stumbles into. Kneverday had a fun time writing this and it shows, it was a pleasure to read.
If you feel the urge to pick it up, look no further than here.
I have made a list of the stories below that I really enjoyed and I made a list along with mini reviews down below:
Dreams of Gold by Madison McSweeny - This an excellent story to begin with, since the world building is perfect and the reader gets a taste of what this anthology is going to be about. There's flashes of humor, violence, and death. And yes, it involves a leprechaun based on the name.
Banshee by Serena Jayne - The shortest story, a drabble with only 100 words, and is such a robust piece. Jayne does a lot of work within those few words and they left me chilled.
Cave Canem by Ed Ahern - This story was possibly my favorite story out of the bunch. An ex-felon goes up into the forest to work for, essentially a hermit and little does he realize who the "hermit" truly is. The dialogue in this one and characterization was perfect and really pulled me along.
The Ache of Water by E. K. Reisinger - While almost reading more like a character study rather than a full fledged story, this one stuck with me. There's a lot that happens, even though only one character is essentially present and doing anything, but by the end I was moved.
Druids of Montreal by I. E. Kneverday - And last but not least(and certainly the longest in the anthology of over 7k words!), is the editors and this one gives the full spectrum of urban fantasy and Celtic mythology. We have our pub scene, our mysterious meeting under gnarled trees, and finally a mystical dreamlike world that our hero, Finn, stumbles into. Kneverday had a fun time writing this and it shows, it was a pleasure to read.
If you feel the urge to pick it up, look no further than here.
January 8, 2019
Awesome collection of stories. A must read for any fantasy fan.
February 4, 2019
Yes, I'm one of the writers, but I was so excited when it was this book's turn to be read on my to-read pile. I sorely needed the boost of magic and otherworldiness Neon Druid provided, as things have seemed a little too prosaic as of late. And I was missing that feeling of being connected to something more, something elemental, and this collection of stories was a welcome reminder of the hope and belief there is more to this world than meets the eye. The hidden, the uncurrents, the fantastical. Thank you, I.E. Kneverday, and all the contributing writers, for the reconnection to the myriad of mysterious and wondrous dimensions that live in these pages.
January 30, 2019
I'm one of the authors but I'm trying not to be biased.
A mostly very good collection of fantasy based around Celtic mythology, which I feel is underrepresented in fantasy fiction. A nice variety, some humorous and some scary. I noticed a couple grammatical errors but nothing too bad.
Several transman characters!
There are a LOT of ableist slurs in some of the stories. Id*ot and st*pid get thrown around quite a bit.
I skipped one story for using the word "cr*pple" (if I'm REALLY into a story I'll forgive that, but I was not), and I skipped another because it called prescription medications "poisonous." I understand that it was an anti-animal testing story, but there's a world of difference between not wanting drugs tested on animals and calling drugs poison. I rely on prescription drugs to function and don't appreciate that kind of harmful ideology.
A mostly very good collection of fantasy based around Celtic mythology, which I feel is underrepresented in fantasy fiction. A nice variety, some humorous and some scary. I noticed a couple grammatical errors but nothing too bad.
Several transman characters!
There are a LOT of ableist slurs in some of the stories. Id*ot and st*pid get thrown around quite a bit.
I skipped one story for using the word "cr*pple" (if I'm REALLY into a story I'll forgive that, but I was not), and I skipped another because it called prescription medications "poisonous." I understand that it was an anti-animal testing story, but there's a world of difference between not wanting drugs tested on animals and calling drugs poison. I rely on prescription drugs to function and don't appreciate that kind of harmful ideology.
July 6, 2020
Excellent Collection of Shorts
I really enjoyed all the stories in this book. Only a couple were too short lol left me with unanswered questions and wanting more! All in all I would definitely recommend this book for anyone!
I had a great time!
I really enjoyed all the stories in this book. Only a couple were too short lol left me with unanswered questions and wanting more! All in all I would definitely recommend this book for anyone!
I had a great time!
January 18, 2023
I enjoyed this. I think there are some really good stories here. As a collection, it is striking me as somewhat forgettable.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews