The Feast [Hardcover]

Randy Lee Eickhoff (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1999

Acclaimed historian and storyteller Randy Lee Eickhoff continues for modern readers the saga he began with The Raid, revealing more of the incredible feats of Cuchulainn, the Boy-warrior. If The Raid is Ireland's The Iliad, then The Feast is its Odyssey. Eickhoff's bold retelling conveys the lyricism and passion of Ireland's ancient inhabitants. They passed these stories down through a rich oral tradition beginning in the eighth century B.C. until they could be written down by Medieval monks on illuminated manuscripts in the seventh century.

The Feast is a modern translation of one of Fled Bricriu, one of Ireland's most thrilling and humorous legends. Three men, each striving to be named Champion of Conchobor's realm enter into a battle of wits and swords in an effort to enjoy the privileges accorded to the national champion. As the heroic competition unfolds, visits to and from the otherworld threaten to unmask the true nature of the gathering. And at the center remains Bricriu, god of mischief and creator of the most delicious and devilish banquet the world has ever seen.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Continuing his expansive retelling of the ancient Irish epic of Cuchulainn begun in The Raid (Forge, 1997), Eickhoff spotlights the swashbuckling and humorous tale of the feast of Fled Bricriu, god of mischief. Traversing between this and the "otherworld," three of Ireland's great mythic heroes enter into a battle of wits, swords, and elements to be named Champion of Conchobor of Nessa's realm in Ulster and win the accompanying privileges. As the competition unfolds, Bricriu sends them on a rollicking quest. What Eickhoff's modern retelling loses in poetic form it more than makes up for in colorful, lively prose, complete with a glossary that does much to enhance understanding of the historical context. Predating Sir Gaiwain and the Green Knight, this portion of the epic Ulster Cycle has been known since the eighth century. Readers of mythology and lovers of the richness that is Irish literature will find this modern retelling accessible and most entertaining.ASusan Gene Clifford, Aerospace Corp., El Segundo, CA
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

The current vogue for all things Celtic has spurred interest in the ancient mythological figures and tales of Ireland. Iron Age Celtic material was recorded in writing many hundreds of years later by Celtic monks who were not far removed from the values and ideals of their ancestors. Eickhoff, who previously recast the great epic Tain bo Cuailnge as the novel The Raid, now turns his attention to the Fled Bricrend, the feast of Bricriu. A sharp-tongued man, Bricriu has been banished from the high king's court for sowing dissension among the warriors. To retaliate, Bricriu stages a great feast, then sets the greatest warriors of Ulster, including the awesomely powerful Cuchulain, to arguing about who gets the "hero's portion," the greatest honor of any feast. Those looking for sentimental Irishness should go elsewhere, for there's plenty of magic and loads of sex in this sprawling, bawdy entertainment. Patricia Monaghan

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 254 pages
• Publisher: Forge; 1st edition (March 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 031286647X
• ISBN-13: 978-0312866471
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #857,230 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent! A remarkable translation!, July 11, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Feast (Hardcover)

This is a remarkable translation that gives the reader insight into the cultural background of modern day Ireland. Eickhoff is a gifted individual who has an uncanny insight into the life of pre-Christian Ireland.

3 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The Feast, November 11, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: The Feast: A Dramatic Retelling of Ireland's Epic Tale (Ulster Cycle) (Paperback)

A notably raunchy, sometimes downright grotesque, translation of the Old Irish text. I wearied of the constant mentions of women's bodies -- there's only so many times an author can use terms like "bouncing buddies" (sic) without getting stupid, and Eickhoff uses them repetitively. Granted, the original text is not G-rated, but in the course of fictionalizing the author has exaggerated the nastier elements as much as humanly possible--the women as objects is bad enough, the fart jokes are *really* uninteresting.

Eickhoff's introduction shows that he does have scholarly credentials, and when he's not being a 12-year-old boy, he does have a good sense of comedic timing. But too much is too much.

2 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars R-rated children's lit., October 13, 2004

By 

Noam "Blue Mango" (Gainesville, FL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Feast: A Dramatic Retelling of Ireland's Epic Tale (Ulster Cycle) (Paperback)

It is amazing that someone with such knowledge of a dead language can so poorly understand the culture that birthed it. The author's translations are generally very close to other translations (if one extracts his literary additions) but he has a tendancy to misinterpret sometimes obvious modivations, allusions, and sometimes statements, making many of the characters inconsistant with themselves, their positions, and their culture. He also has a tendancy to force his stereotype of barbarians on a people known for their obsession with personal hygiene and dislike for fart jokes (according to the Elizabethans). Thus every finger mentioned in the book is dirty and the characters have more problems with intestinal distress than pigs in a bean field. Then there's the women. Each time one walks by, someone leers at her a) heavy or b) cone-shaped breasts. The very presence of a member of the opposite sex makes every character pant and weak in the knees; like a Penthouse letter written by a 13 year-old. Though this is supposed to be a humorous tale, the author takes the buffonery to an extreme that, I think, would be offensive and insulting to those who originally created it. The author tries to keep the tale in its sensual original form, making it R-rated, but his writing style belongs in a poorly penned children's book. Most translations, no matter how bad, deserve a look see, but with this author's tendancy to add literary filler (not necessarily a bad thing) with distorted optics, it's difficult to tell what he wrote and what was originally there. Or at least it would be if he had a better feeling for ancient Irish culture and better writing skills.
His other translations are better.