Book Review: The Hounds of the Morrigan
The other day I realized that I've been sharing book reviews in my monthly newsletter for quite a while, but I haven't been sharing those same reviews on my blog. So I thought I would do just that, in case you might be looking for something new to read.
I love to read, almost as much as I love to write, so it's hard to pick just one title when people ask me to name my favorite book. I usually name a handful. But this one - The Hounds of the Morrigan by Pat O'Shea - is almost always on the list.
I first found this one in my local public library. After I realized that I was checking it out again every time it came available, I bought a copy. I re-read it every couple years and every single time, I find new tidbits that I had missed in earlier readings. The story is that juicy.
Though it's often billed as a book for kids or young adults, I think this is an all-ages tale. The main characters, Pidge and Brigit, are indeed children. But we were all once children, so everyone can relate. And these two particular kids find themselves caught up in quite a bit of magical havoc involving all my favorite characters from Irish mythology, from the Morrigan and her freaky hounds to the Dagda and the goddess young Brigit is named after.
The story is exciting and entrancing, full of magic and adventure. What's more, it hews closely to the way the various gods and goddesses are portrayed in standard Irish mythology - well, except for the bit where the Morrigan, Badb, and Macha go riding around on motorcycles. But really, I think it's quite in character, and the story does take place at least partly in modern times, though the underlying tale is timeless.
The Hounds of the Morrigan is usually billed as a fantasy, but if you know much about deities and mythology, you'll understand that it's full of much weightier truths just waiting for the patient reader to spot them among the shadows.
Happy reading!