Customer Reviews

Finn Mac Cool (Celtic World of Morgan Llywelyn)

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Finn Mac Cool is a young officer in the Fianna, the army nominally under the control of the High King of Eire. Finn is a great warrior, a teller of magical tales, and a man of vision. Rising to head the Fianna, and as such second in power only to the High King, he reshapes it in his own image, into an object of honor. But there is no "happily ever after" for Finn Mac Cool. Growing older, he finds that his body can no longer keep up the pace that it did, he begins to find it difficult to tell which of his own tales are true and false, and other people begin to reshape his world to his detriment. What should he do, and how should he do it?

I actually finished this book days ago, but have had to take the time to sort out my feelings about it. Ms. Llywelyn has written a powerful story. She has taken the old Irish legends of Finn Mac Cool, and retold them in the form of historical fiction. Finn is presented as a larger-than-life man, one whose peculiar talents can make him and can also unmake him.

This book is an enthralling read. It contains stories of action, and stories about life. I wholeheartedly recommend this book.

What a terrific Irish folk hero ! I loved this book, and the character Finn Mac Cool so much that I begged my wife to let me name one of my sons Finn. (No Luck) I would say that he rates as the next best Irish hero after Brian Boru. And Morgan Llywelyn does an amazing job of bringing him to life. Her research is obviously superior, as she sprinkles factual data in with a wonderful tale. She obviously has the Irish gift of storytelling herself. I would definitely agree with the reviewer who suggested buying ALL of her books - I did practically the same thing myself. If not, at least buy this one.

I have now read at least 10 Llywelyn books. Although this was about 4th in my reading order, I consider it the best of all. Llywelyn blends the best of historical fiction with fantasy and myth, and it makes for a superior read. I got tears in my eyes at the end. Her characters have depth and I have learned so much about Irish history. I can't wait for another book!

Finn MacCool is a man with the life of a warrior, the heart of a lover, and the soul of a poet. Morgan Llywelyn writes the story of a man as well as a legend. Characters based on legends tend to be untouchable, but Llywelyn does a fantastic job of blending the legend and the man together. Finn MacCool will, without a doubt make you laugh, make you cry, and leave you with a peaceful meloncholy. It would be hard to find anyone that can not in some way identify with MacCool.

I read this book in 6 days! I enjoyed it so much I almost picked it up again and reread it. Finn Mac Cool is a masterpiece written by a talented author. After I finished this book I went out and bought Red Branch and the Lion of Ireland. I give this book 2 thumbs up.

Morgan Llywelyn writes historical fiction based on figures from Irish history and so called myth. This one is based on the Finn Mac Cool legends. I thought it was worth reading but not nearly as good as Lion of Ireland or Red Branch. She throws in a lot of silly crap like Finn Mac Cool having problems with premature ejaculation! However whats good in this is really good so its certainly of interest to any Celtophile, or if you like fantasy or mythology.

I found this to be an oustanding piece of work by Morgan, She is one of the few authors that actually knows what she is talking about, especially in the historical novel genre. Finn is so delightfully portrayed in this book as to make him a homespun hero. With the landscape so accurately described it is easy to enjoy this book, because you know you are getting first hand information from someone who takes the time to research and immmerse herself in the story.

wondefully detailed adventure of Finn Mac Cool with great conflicts. I felt like I was with him on his journey. Characters you loved and some you hated! At first the celtic names were hard to read but after I got use it I got right into it and could hear their wonderful accented voices.! I am always on the lookout for Morgan's next novel, I already have at least 4.. Keep up the excellent work in Historical fiction...

Llywelyn weaves a wonderful tapestry of magic and history in this novel. Finn is brought to life as a real, feeling man while still heroic and larger than life. It's a brisk read and you'll find yourself pulled gently along for hours and you won't even realize it. It would have been easy to portray Finn as a figure of existential angst, not unlike Percival in Hunter's "Percival and the presence of God" (a very good book in it's own right), but Llywelyn allows the magic to manifest for both the reader and Finn so that we are never obliged to be skeptical of what we read. This book has fired me up to read more about Irish myths and legends. Definitely a fine novel!

This is one of my favorite Authors, if you are Irish, or of that line, buy all of her books right now and save yourself from having to come back over and over like I did. Loved them all so much I bought new copies just to have them. A little bit of reality and history, with a novel built around them. Her style is hard to find anywhere. By the luck of the Irish we got her!