Synopsis
The immortals of Ireland renew their ancient warfare as the new generations come to terms with their place in the world. Part of Shauna Lawless’s critically acclaimed Gael Song series, the novella Dreams of Fire introduces medieval Ireland as it was a century before The Children of Gods and Fighting Men.
Rónnat and Fódla are Descendants of the Tuatha Dé Danann. They live a peaceful life with their aged warrior father in the north of Ireland. The Fomorians – age-old enemies of their kind – are thought to be battle-vanquished, for no conflict has been fought between their immortal races for generations.
But rumours of war and endless shifting allegiances mean that the Descendants’ position is not secure in the mortal world. There are powerful voices among the Descendants who want their kind to dwell permanently in strongholds hidden from mortals – threatening Rónnat’s love of freedom.
And the Fomorians, though greatly reduced in number, are far from vanquished. Led by their mighty prince, Balorach, the remaining Fomorians, with their gift of fire-magic, seek to destroy the Descendants.
The Descendants have the advantage of their own magical powers, and mighty warriors defend them… but if they cannot be beaten, why do the voices Rónnat hears on the wind speak of death and destruction?
Review
This is a prequel novella to the Gael Song series, which begins with Children of Gods and Fighting Men. The sequel, The Words of Kings and Prophets came out last year. This series has been one of my favourite mythology series recently so I was very excited to check this out.
This book tells a bit of the backstory of Fódla, one of the main characters in the novels, and her sister Rónnat. It can be read first in this series too so new readers could start here if they wish.
I thoroughly enjoyed the story we got in this novella. At just over 100 pages it is a short but interesting and very fun read. It gives you a glimpse into this world, full of Irish Mythology, fantastic characters and a great balance between intrigue and action. The author’s writing style is also wonderfully descriptive throughout this short book.
This book reminded me why I love this series so much and also why I love novellas so much. It does everything I would want a companion novella to do for a series, and it also stands as a great story on it’s own and a great intro to this world if you are a new reader.
Highly recommended.
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