The Land Of The Living And The Dead (Gael Song Trilogy book 3) by Shauna Lawless (book review).
‘The Land of the Living and the Dead’ is book 3 in the ‘Gael Song Trilogy’. It is essential that you read the first two books before beginning this one or even reading this review, as they contain inevitable spoilers. You’ll know who is still alive.
For example, Gormflaith the Formorian is still alive. He remains wedded to King Brian Boru and continues to strategize for her mortal son Sitric to become the High King of Ireland. At the moment, he’s only King of Dublin and has sworn fealty to Brian. Her rotten brother Máelmórda, King of Leinster, is also doing fine and going along with his sister’s plans. The Formorians are a magical, long-lived race with the power of flame and ambitions to rule Ireland, even though there are only three of them left, namely Máelmórda, Gormflaith, and her son by King Brian, little Donnchad, who turned out to be gifted with flame power, too. He’s a bit disappointing, not fierce or strong, and seems cut out to be a monk rather than a warrior, but that won’t inhibit his mother’s ambition. The Formorians’ other goal is to kill their ancient enemies, the Descendants of the Tuatha de Danaan, another group of magical, near-immortal beings.
The descendants have retreated these past few centuries to Fennitt Island, off the coast of Munster, and don’t interfere much in human affairs. However, they have internal disputes with their leader, Tomas, which have led to various forms of scheming. The faction plotting against him includes his wife, Fódla, who was sent to spy on Brian Boru and fell in love with his son, Murchad. She enjoyed a comfortable life in Munster for a while, and her nephew Broccan, whom she is caring for, is best friends with Murchad’s son Tairdelbach and even harbors romantic feelings for him. Complex personal relationships and intricate politics intertwine in the battle for dominance in Ireland.
The plot undergoes numerous twists and turns. In Dark Age Ireland, there were about a hundred and fifty kings, nearly all treacherous, swearing oaths of loyalty one day and breaking them soon after, promising to fight on your side and then switching to fight for your enemy. The practice of marrying off daughters to an enemy in an attempt to win his loyalty proved to be ineffective. The Viking invasion and the imposition of a different culture, including slavery, added further complications. In this novel, High King Brian Boru embodies the authentic Gaelic culture, characterized by greater equality and the absence of slavery, in contrast to the Vikings who are traders, slaveholders, and passionate about war. They live to die in battle, so they can go to Valhalla. Making peace with people like that is a bit of a challenge.
It’s a rollicking enjoyable story that will keep you turning the pages. The heroes are as kind as they can be in a murderous age, and the villains, especially Gormflaith, are genuinely evil. I thoroughly enjoyed the whole saga, and the only duff note for me was the ending, which, to be fair, was inevitable because of the actual historical facts. However, the 1,488 pages of the story didn’t significantly diminish the overall enjoyment, and I continue to endorse these books. Historical fiction isn’t true, and fantastical historical fiction is even less so, but it combines entertainment with some learning. The ‘Gael Song Trilogy’ is a formidable piece of work. Author Shauna Lawless has done a terrific job of bringing an important part of Irish history to vivid life. Well done!
Eamonn Murphy
September 2024
(pub: Head of Zeus/AdAstra, 2024. 576 page hardback. Price: £20.00 (UK0. ISBN: 978-1-80328-272-5. Ebook price: £ 4.68 (UK))
check out website: www.bloomsbury.com/uk/land-of-the-living-and-the-dead-9781803282725/
