Brian Boru: Emperor of the Irish

by Morgan Llywelyn

One thousand years ago, during the Viking Age, an extraordinary young man was born in Ireland. His people, plagued by warfare, were weary not only from the Vikings' brutal raids along the coast, but also from the continuous warring among local chieftains. The Irish had become a downtrodden race.

But a real-life hero changed the destiny of Ireland. This is the story of Brian Boru, who as a young man took it upon himself to revolutionize tenth-century Ireland, striving to create a peaceful land where his fellow Irish men and women cold be safe from harm. And succeed he did. Brian, crowned High King, restored peace and fostered prosperity in the country that was his home--and his heart. Brian Boru: Emperor of the Irish is a beautiful and compelling true story of Irish history.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Ireland, Fantasy, Historical, Irish Literature, Childrens

224 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published December 1, 1990

About the author

Morgan Llywelyn (born 1937) is an American-born Irish author best known for her historical fantasy, historical fiction, and historical non-fiction. Her fiction has received several awards and has sold more than 40 million copies, and she herself is recipient of the 1999 Exceptional Celtic Woman of the Year Award from Celtic Women International.

Reviews

[Nath · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this when I was eight or nine, it's the only book in my life I have re-read, reading it I think about six times by the time I was 12, haven't read it since, but for a child who loves historical fiction you can't go wrong, rosemary sutcliffe is another author to go to if your child likes this kind of book.

[Sheila · Rating 5 out of 5]

review on my blog http://scifisstrs.blogspot.com/

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good concept, boring execution. Read too much like a recitation of Ireland's history. Would have been a better read if told as if the reader is Brian Boru. Did make me think about reading more about Brian Boru tho'.

[Bojan Biloš · Rating 4 out of 5]

The tale of Brian Boru is certainly interesting. He was a man who fought in a tumultuous time to unite Ireland and spent his life in war, all while reaching old age; ignoring the historical blemishes, this feat alone is quite impressive.

The book reads half like a standard fiction book and half like a historical one, giving it a certain vibe of realism.

My issue with it is that it seems incomplete like some parts of the story were rushed or not fully explored. While I understand the difficulty here it still stood out to me. It could have had 100 or so more pages. The second, and last, issue I have with it is that it is quite timid. I realize the book has a children's tag, but it is still a story of war and brutal murder. This was probably done to appeal to a larger audience, but still...

All in all, a fun read.

[Aoifesclass · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marta: I liked it because it told about Brian Boru's life.
Suraya: I liked it because of how they did the battles - how they came up with them.
Elada: It has lots of adventures and leaves you on cliffhangers every time.
Abdullah R: I liked it because Brian Boru was the king.
Najwa: It was very inspiring and there was a lot of adventure in it. And it made me learn new words.
Prathamesh: I liked it because every time you stopped at a chapter you feel to read more. And it helps you learn the counties of Ireland.
Iva: I like it because it's interesting but you also get to learn stuff
Oisín: I liked it because I like Brian Boru and history.
Hifsa: The book told us his history.

[Kevin Wall · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very fun short little read that does not disappoint. The story is written in a style similar to a historical epic so the characters are viewed from a very high level without much development, some of that detachment is to be expected from a book of this size. As always Llywelyn does an excellent job incorporating real-life folklore and mythology into her story, but updating it somewhat to appeal to more modern sensibilities. Reading this does make you feel as though you were transported to 10-11th century Ireland and serves as a great introduction to the Story of Brian Boru.

[Shawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I feel like there were too many instances where the tag line could have been "and time passed".
Llywelyn usually dies a good job of making the book more than historical facts tied together with stories that might have been true. But, this time I think sheer missed the mark. That being said, I wanted to read more of it was there, so 4 stars.

[A.M. Swink · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is essentially a young readers' version of Llywelyn's novel, 'Lion of Ireland.' As a result, it brings Brian Boru's story to life in a compelling (though necessarily all-too-brief) way.

It's well worthy of the awards it has garnered!

[Sean Horan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't even remember how old I was when I read this, and yet details still stick out to me from having read it. I loved this book!

[Michael Nalbone · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awe the Irish, they never have a happy ending.

[Lee Bartholomew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book for kids. It's written like it's intended for kids so nothing bloody it's not descriptive. But in a way that will send many a child into reading such books. :)

[Karen Hannum · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was written for an advanced third grader. It does cover the high points of the almost legendary Brian Boru, but there's a lot attributed to other heroes of Ireland as well.

[Keith B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short easy read on St. Patrick's Day. Easy read version of her Brian Boru series.

[Laynee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a good telling of Brian Boru's story! The way she narrates the story kept me captivated through the whole book. I really enjoyed it.

[Jhaé de Souza · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Fictional Irish Story!!!
Wow!!! What a wonderful book. Everything is on point, The Plot, The Character Development. Very Descriptive Scenes. It’s Folklore meeting History. I enjoyed reading and watching movies about the Vikings, and this book peaked my interest, that why I downloaded it to read. I was not disappointed.. there is so much emotions running through this book.
Overall this book is very well written, Author Mark Mahon has made sure that it got top notch editing and formatting which just adds to the enjoyment of the book, so grab this book and enjoy a weekend of a fun read about the Irish Revolutionary, Brian Boru in his pursuit of saving Ireland.

[Robert Clay · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable read. Brian Boru was an Irish king who eventually became High King of Ireland, uniting the island's traditionally warring tribes and pacifying the Vikings in the process. This is actually a youth edition which I picked up at a book fair for pittance. The original novel is entitled "The Lion of Ireland".

[Hillary · Rating 2 out of 5]

I can't remember why I wanted to read this book--I think I was interested in the history and legends of Brian Boru. I picked up this book at a used book store, months ago.
The book was okay, but not fascinating. Lots of battle stories, if that appeals. I know a little bit about Boru, but that's about all.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another one I missed somehow, and it has the same character as another of her books.

[Courtney · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.8 stars. This was not what I was expecting. It's written at a middle school level when I thought it would be an adult historical fiction, so I was disappointed.

[Leslie D. Soule · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novel was excellently written, easy to understand and relate to. I very much enjoyed it!!! :)

[Kevin Leigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

its hard to find details on Brian's life, this is one of the better books filled with facts.

[Little Timmy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great historical fiction book. The writer really brings to life this great warrior of Ireland. A very enjoyable book. Very recommended

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anything written by Morgan Llywelyn about Ireland is excellent!

[Jackie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[John Love IV · Rating 3 out of 5]

Basically, a young adult history of Brian Boru.

[M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice history of Brian Boru for the younger reader.