Ierne Celtic Historical Fiction & All Things Celtic

Title: Bright Sword of Ireland Author: Juilene Osborne-McKnight Publisher: Forge Books Price: $1.00 as of 2008-12-16 00:21 - Details... My Rating:

The author is one of a handful of modern writers keeping Celtic mythology alive. This delightful novel focuses on Queen Medb and her daugther Finnabair.

Title: Dream Angus: The Celtic God of Dreams (Myths, The) Author: Alexander McCall Smith Publisher: Canongate U.S. Price: $4.74 as of 2008-12-16 00:08 - Details... My Rating:

A poetic novel of short vignettes centering around Angus, the Celtic god of dreams.

Title: He Stands Alone: The Fifth Book of the Ulster Cycle Author: Randy Lee Eickhoff Publisher: Forge Books Price: $68.97 as of 2008-07-14 23:18 - Details... My Rating:

The fifth book in Eickhoff's Ulster series, telling the story of the hero Cuchulain, this book is much more disjointed than the others in the series.

Amazon request error #400The story is based on the Irish "swans" myth. While the overall writing is fine, the reader is made to suffer along with herione for 3/4 of the book as she goes through her painful trials.

Amazon request error #400A modern translation of Tain Bo Cuailgne, story of Ailill, Maeve, and Cuchulainn. Kinsella presents a faithful and accurate, but modernly readable translation of the Tain from several original manuscripts. With that goal he succeeds wonderfully. However, if you want a truly enjoyable read of the story try Llywelyn's Red Branch or Eichoff's The Raid.

Time Period : 1st century

Title: The Sorrows (Ulster cycle) Author: Randy Lee Eickhoff Publisher: Forge Price: $2.87 as of 2008-07-15 01:47 - Details... My Rating:

The author continues his translation of the stories of the Ulster cycle. The Sorrows includes the three stories The Fate of the Children of Tuirenn, The Fate of the Children of Lir, and The Fate of the Children of Uisliu (better known as the Story of Dierdre). A must for those who are interested in early Irish myths and legends.

Amazon request error #400A retelling of Tain Bo Cuailgne, story of Ailill, Maeve, and Cuchulainn. Well done and recommended reading.

Amazon request error #400This book is a series of early Welsh tales translated by the Lady Charlotte E. Guest in 1849. The older language and literal translation make it a bit difficult to read at times, but if you want to dig into Welsh history and literature, it's a good book to have. For first reads, I would recommend Patrick K. Ford's translation.

Time Period : 0 to 1300

Amazon request error #400There a few English translations of the series of Welsh tales known collectively as the Mabinogi. This version is my favorite so far. Unlike Lady Charlotte's version, this translation is written in a more modern English prose and is formatted nicely on the page. What makes the book really special though, is the extra material Ford contributes at the beginning of each story describing what it represents and presenting interesting points discovered during his translation research.

Time Period : 0 to 1300

Amazon request error #400Story of a mans rise from Irish peasant to English Lord, as his life is interweaved with the legend of Trystan and Yseult. A nicely done story.