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4.1 AVERAGE
4.1 AVERAGE
A lovingly crafted narrative.
The Children Of Gods And Fighting Men is a historical fantasy novel by Shauna Lawless set at the close of the 10th Century in Ireland. This was a highly anticipated novel of 2022 and one I was very excited to read - particularly as Irish history and mythology is something I know practically nothing about so I was keen to discover some more about this.
This book tells the story of 10th Century Ireland told from the perspective of Gormflaith and Fódla, two women from two different and opposed long-lived magical races, the Fomorians and the Tuatha Dé Dannan. Gormflaith is one of the last of the fire magic-wielding Fomorians (long-believed to be extinct by the Tuatha) and seeks to see her son, Sitric, crowned King of Dublin. Meanwhile the Tuatha Dé Dannan who have reached a New Agreement to silently observe humans from afar. Fódla looks to care for her banished sister’s son whilst also going to spy on Brian Boru, a man who has his eyes on being High King of Ireland. The themes of a mother’s love are prevalent throughout both stories.
TCOGAFM is very much a character driven book - the development of the main characters throughout is excellent, particularly both POV characters. Gormflaith’s POV in particular was interesting to read as she is a true Machiavellian-type willing to do whatever it takes to see her wants for her family fulfilled. This is not a fast-paced action filled novel, instead Lawless offers us a slow-paced, character-focussed story full of political intrigue and tension. I understand that Lawless has kept very well to the true history of events from this time whilst mixing in mythology and magic. For the most part I felt like I was reading a historical fiction novel rather than a fantasy, but when the fantastical elements did show up, they really served to accentuate the story.
I massively enjoyed this book - it felt very different from anything else I have read this year - and really look forward to the release of the sequel The Words of Kings and Prophets.
However, I did feel it got repetitive in some parts with the same things happening to the characters over and over with no real change. I also feel like since this is the first book in a series, it felt more of a set up for events that will take place later. also was disappointed that some things were skipped over with time jumps. Good start overall and I am motivated to read the next installment.
This absolutely did not work for me, and I don't think I'm the audience, so I won't be giving this a rating. Admittedly, I requested this on a whim when I first signed up for Netgalley, and the title and synopsis sounded like it could be interesting.
We follow two POV characters, Gormflaith and Fódla, over the course of roughly 10 years. There are a number of time skips in the book, with each chapter highlighting the POV (alternating), the location, and the year. As I was reading an e-arc, I don't know what the final copy will look like, but with the dates just being in the chapter heading, it felt like years were just suddenly gone and nothing important must have happened during that time. I think it would have been more impactful to have the book broken up into sections based on the years, not to mention made it easier to determine when we moved forward in time.
Gormflaith is a Fomorian, with the ability to control and conjure fire. She was the wife to a late king, with whom she had a son, Sitric. She wants to recreate Oedipus Rex with Sitric. I cannot stress this enough, she has an absolutely toxic relationship with her son, controlling him, thinking that any woman near him is ugly and a whore, and her entire characterization is basically tied up in her son. She's also a terrible person, and then is constantly shocked when people don't like her or respond poorly to her actions or words.
Fódla is a Descendant of the Tuatha Dé Danann, with the ability to heal herself and others, and has lived an incredibly sheltered life, because her baby daddy said so. Fódla is incredibly naïve, but takes in her nephew after her sister is no longer able to care for him, and goes to spy on one of the kings.
Plot wise, this reads like a history lesson, with the faintest sprinkles of magic and fantasy. Gormflaith and Fódla's stories seem to have no connection until about halfway through the book, and even that doesn't come together until the very end of the story. This is the first book in what's meant to be a series, so I suppose there may be character interaction in future books.
Other early reviews are raving about it, so again, I think I simply wasn't the audience for this.
The changing perspectives allows the reader to have an insight on the different events of the plot, which is a nice change given that the novel is rather dense.
If you enjoyed Lucy Holland’s Sistersong, where magical realism and real historical facts blend together, this book is for you!