Brave, copper-haired Aoife was the daughter of a king, a bold young woman full of life and mischief. But on one winter's night she and her brothers took part in an act of careless mischief with consequences they could never have imagined -- and a deadly blood price must be paid. In the forests to the west, a deadly force is stirring. Off the shores of Innisfail, a new enemy is fast approaching. The druid Dalan has been sent to unite two squabbling kings in the face of this overwhelming force, but chaos and confusion confront him at every turn. As dangerous bargains are made and broken, and truces struck and disregarded, Dalan begins to suspect that an even greater enemy is moving against Innisfail. The last of the Watchers are growing bored. But mortals are an interesting game.
Overall an enjoyable book. It's well-written, but I'm not sure if I'm really sold on the characters. None of the protagonists really jumped out at me. There wasn't really someone I gravitated towards and was cheering for throughout th story. I'm a still debating whether I'd be interested in reading book 2 of this trilogy.
This series (The Watchers) is a prequel to the Circle and the Cross / The Wanderers trilogy. The story takes us back to events around the arrival of Gaels in Ireland, to the Fir-Bolg and the Tuatha De Danaan and their enemies - the Fomorian Watchers. Fabulous story-telling from Caiseal Mor.
Nope. You don't get to write an abrupt perspective shift on page 3 and expect me to be okay with it. I have too many books to get rid of to try and get through this.
http://www.infinityplus.co.uk/nonfiction/meetingwaters.htm[return][return] Many authors have attempted to grapple with Irish mythology and transform it into something lucrative for today's market; there seems to be a whole sub-genre of Celtic Mist fantasy, which no doubt sells well among the 60 million strong Irish diaspora, with a subsidiary market among the smaller (but probably on average more highbrow) Pagan community. I blame Marion Zimmer Bradley, myself; her Mists of Avalon is taken almost as holy writ in some quarters. (Perhaps Robin of Sherwood should take some responsibility too.)[return][return]Caiseal M