Gods of Ireland Trilogy: Kenneth C Flint

 

The Sidhe (shee) Legends, or Gods of Ireland Trilogy were written by Kenneth C Flint in the early 80s.  The saga centers around the Celtic Myth Cycle taken from the Book of Invasions, which catalogs the various armies landing in ancient Ireland, the wars they fought, and what became of them afterward.

The first book, Riders of the Sidhe, starts with Lugh, who went from mythic hero to Celtic deity in the old stories.  The Sidhe, also called the Tuathe de Danann, had defeated the Firbolgs, a kind of barbarian tribe, and taken Ireland.  They themselves were an elegant and mystical race of artists, craftsman and musicians, which would later inspire J.R.R.Tolkien's vision of the elves of Middle Earth.  The Sidhe were themselves defeated by the Fomor, an ugly and mutated race of militant monsters (similarly credited for being Tolkien's inspiration for orcs).

Lugh is a half-breed, half Sidhe, half Fomorian.  He was orphaned as a babe and raised by a Firbolg woman.  This story starts when he's grown into a young man and the Fomor destroy his settlement looking for him.  He finds his way to the Sidhe, who have since been enslaved by the Fomor.  He sees their torment and is inspired to help.  Some major characters, such as the Dagda and the Morrigan are introduced as well.

The second book, Champions of the Sidhe, involves Lugh's transformation into a leader of the Sidhe. The first king, Nuada, had lost a hand in the final battle and therefore could never be king again.  The stand-in king, Bres, was a vile traitor and in league with the Fomor (being half-Fomorian himself).

Much of the struggle involves King Bres and his Fomor, along with the giant one-eyed Balor, who rules the Fomor from afar (an island with a strange tower).  Lugh rallies the forces of the Sidhe, seeks aid of the Firbolgs and plans to overthrow the Fomor.

Manannan mac Lir and his sister are involved in helping Lugh, and protecting the secrets of the hidden isle of Tara, where the four sacred treasures of Queen Danu reside... until their time comes to be used to restore balance.

In the final book, Master of the Sidhe, the showdown begins.  By now there is a greater cast, including a shape-shifting Phooka, and a traitorous druid (Magthen) who seeks to seize Queen Danu's kingdom for himself.

Manannan is captured by Balor and Lugh must plan a rescue mission, assaulting the tower with a small team while the rest of the de Dananns wage war against the Fomor.

All in all, I'd rate the trilogy 6 out of 10 if you like fantasy/mythology.  It's well written, the characters are memorable, the diversity in types of characters is wide, and the delving into Celtic lore is fascinating.  On the other side, I'd hoped to see more fantastical creatures, as the story is told in a more human history type of way.  There is a bit of camaraderie and romance, but it isn't fleshed out much, other than the stereotypical fantasy kind of way.

Personally, I started off strong, enjoying seeing a detailed description of Irish mythology, but I felt it got tedious in the middle and there wasn't much in the way of twists or cliffhangers.  For people not into mythology, the series is pretty much what you'd expect from a lot of fantasy books.  A good read with a few memorable scenes and some good lore, but nothing that would make me run around telling people about it.