The Pride of Lions FROM THE PUBLISHER
Considered one of the best writers of historical fiction, Morgan Llywelyn has tackled in past novels the great sweeping vista of Irish history. In Lion of Ireland (a book the Washington Post called "A royal read..."), she recounted the saga of Brian Boru, the Great King who led the bickering chiefs of Ireland to unity under his reign. Now in this breathtaking sequel, we follow the adventures of Brian's son Donough, a brave and passionate man, torn between his hatred for his treacherous mother and his all-consuming forbidden love for the pagan girl Cera. Donough struggles to assert his birthright and to place upon his own broad shoulders the mantle of High King, worn so worthily by his father. A novel of dreams and bloodshed, passion and treachery, that brings 11th-century Ireland to vivid life. 352pp.
FROM THE CRITICS
Publishers Weekly
The perils of royal succession and a choice between love and glory form the dominant themes of Llywelyn's lively sequel to Lion of Ireland (1979). That novel described the rise of High King Brian Boru, who became known as the "Charlemagne of Ireland" after he managed to briefly unite the tribes of the Emerald Isle at the end of the 10th century. Here it's Brian's 15-year-old son, Donough, who aspires to the throne, made ambitious by a brief initial success in battle against the Vikings at Contarf, where Brian has met his death. But Donough's brother Teigue also claims the crown, and when Teigue drives Donough from the family fortress, their father's carefully crafted alliances begin to crumble. Journeying north to the Scottish kingdom of Alba, Donough seeks his own political ties, through an arranged marriage that binds him to the King of England; also traveling with him is his treacherous, manipulative mother, who hopes to use him to regain the power she lost upon Brian's death. When Donough returns, he must reconcile his inability to reunite Ireland and the failure of his marriage with lush memories of a passionate affair with a Druid girl. Llywelyn tells a strong story distinguished by its psychological depth and by his knowledge of ancient Irish history. (Mar.)
BookList - Patricia Monaghan
A canard current among historical novelists holds that it's impossible for a book set in Ireland to succeed because that country's past is so oppressively gloomy. Among the few exceptions is Llywelyn's "Lion of Ireland" (1980), the story of the heroic High King Brian Boru. But Brian was a victor, forming something like a nation in an island of squabbling tribes. None of his sons had the charisma or strength of their father or even of their mother, the scheming Gormlaith, which proves, perhaps, that sequels are hard even for high kings. The most compelling part of this diffuse novel is the tension between the ambition of its hero, Brian's son Donough, to assume his father's position, and his desire for a pagan woman, Cera, whom newly Christian Ireland considers an unacceptable mate for a king. Expect demand from Llywelyn fans.
Kirkus Reviews
A sequel to the popular author's Lion of Ireland (1980), the story of Brian Boru, the late tenth-century Irish warrior king who drove out the Norsemen invaders and, for an eyeblink of time, united Erin. Here, his son Donough, after Brian's death in 1014, sets his sights on his father's crown.
After the battle in which the Ari Ri (king) Brian was killed—a conflict brought about by King Sitric of Dublin, then urged on by the fierce Gormlaith, the wife whom Brian had exiled—Donough, at 15, is the only surviving prince. On his way to manhood and respect, he must deal with his half-brother Prince Toigue, older but with no heart and no ability as a warrior. With his own vacuous bride, Donough is uneasily established at Toigue's fort of Kincora (he's sure it's his) when in storms his mighty mother—a former beauty and terror of Ireland now bent on empire-building. Gormlaith detects king-stuff in Donough and has a hand in plots and plans until her final madness. Meanwhile, Donough is finding true love with Cera the druid, though the increasingly influential church is disapproving. Eventually, he'll take the long sea trip to Scotland to meet with his half-sister's husband Malcolm II (grandfather of Duncan of Macbeth fame) and return with an alliance, not only with Scotland but England, now under the rule of King Canute ("Canute is nothing short of brilliant," bubbles one noble). In Scotland, Gormlaith, in her golden years, is brassy-bold with King Malcolm, who succumbs, though she'll be longboated home mumbling about her only love, Brian Boru. Donough will be cheated of the crown, and there'll be war and war and war. At the last, Donough is given a choice—Cora or Tara.
Straight bothered-hero fare, with grue, stone digs, and sword- and ax-play.
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