The Words Of Kings and Prophets (Gael Song book 2 of 3) by Shauna Lawless (book review).

‘The Words of Kings and Prophets’ is the second book in the ‘Gael Song’ trilogy. One issue with epic fantasy trilogies is that they release their volumes a year apart, which could lead to some readers, particularly elderly men, forgetting the plot after twelve months. Happily, Shauna Lawless has a summary of book one, ‘The Children of Gods and Fighting Men’ on her website, which I found very useful. This review of the next book has inevitable spoilers if you haven’t read book one, which I recommend.

The saga blends true dark age Irish history and politics with old legends. There are two sets of magical beings, nearly immortal and difficult to kill. They are the descendants of the Tuatha Dé Danann and the Formorians. Both Tuatha and Formorian women are incredibly beautiful. The original godlike Tuatha Dé Danann bred with mortals and some of their offspring, but not all have magical powers. The Formorians, possessing the power of flame, once ruled their kingdoms with unwavering determination.

When the story begins, there are about two hundred descendants left in 1000 AD, and they believe that the Formorians are all dead, but two survive. Gormflaith, who was Queen of Dublin, is now married to Brian Boru as part of a treaty settlement. Following the events in book one, her evil brother, Máelmórda, became the king of Leinster and allied himself with Brian. Gormflaith and Máelmórda want to kill all the Descendants and restore the Formorians to their former glory.

Due to past conflicts resulting from supporting their offspring’s ambitions, the descendants of the Tuatha Dé Danann have retreated to an isolated island. However, they watch human affairs by planting spies among monks and nuns, for the Christian religion is taking over the old one and the clergy have access to kings.

In book one, Tomas, leader of the Descendants, sent Fódla, his wife and a skilled healer, to ingratiate herself at Brian Boru’s court and spy on him. She’s still there, but she’s grown fond of Brian’s people, especially his handsome son and heir, Murchad. He likes her, too, even though she appears scarred and crippled as part of her disguise. Fódla’s principal concern is to take care of her nephew, Broccan, but she would like to see an end to war among the Irish and Vikings. On the other hand, there’s a clique among the descendants that wants to leave their island retreat and assert themselves once more in the power struggles of the mortals.

The first-person narrative of the book alternates between Gormflaith and Fódla, the villain and heroine, respectively, with sporadic shifts to another character when the plot necessitates it. As both the descendants and the Formorians are few in number and keep their powers secret, the use of magic is minimal. Much of the story is well researched about the real-life politics and treachery of the time. There’s even a little bibliography of history books at the end.

The lack of accurate detail in the Dark Ages allows an author ample opportunity for creativity. The main plot is trammelled by historical events, but author Shauna Lawless weaves a gripping story from everyday life and the struggles and hopes of the engaging heroine and the loathsome villains. The narrative and the lucid prose sweep the reader through over four hundred pages on an entertaining and enjoyable journey.

‘The Words Of Kings And Prophets’ is just as good as book one of ‘Gael Song’, maybe even better, and I look forward to book three, ‘The Land Of The Living And The Dead’, which is out soon. Happily, I have an advance copy to hand. See the advantages of being a reviewer for SFCrowsnest? Sign up now.

Eamonn Murphy

September 2024

(pub: Head of Zeus/AdAstra Book, 2024. 464 page hardback. Price: £20.00 (UK). ISBN: 978-1-80328-267-1)

check out websites: www.bloomsbury.com/uk/search/?q=Shauna+Lawless and https://shaunalawless.com/