Helpful Score: 2
Third-century, legendary Irish warrior/poet Finn Mac Cool is re-created in this romantic and historical adventure. As a young warrior, he determines to become the strongest military leader in the country and trains his band of men to serve the High King, Cormac Mac Airt, in the first Irish army, the Fianna. Physical prowess, political skill, and personal charisma become issues of the young man's personal growth and parallel the development of an army, the consolidation of political power, and the protection from foreign attack. Llywelyn weaves the mythical and mystical side of Irish tradition into Finn's personality: his loves and liasons, his friendships, and his death. Irish wolfhounds, red deer, and boar hunts are here in happy abundance. Bards and storytellers have embellished the tale of Finn into myth, but Llywelyn breathes life into the legend. Her rich prose, many characters, and some unpronounceable Gaelic names may challenge all but strong readers
