Pride of Lions [Mass Market Paperback]

Morgan Llywelyn (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 15, 1997

Lion of Ireland was the breathtaking chronicle of Brian Boru, the Great King who led the bickering chiefs of Ireland to unity under his reign. He overthrew traditions, reformed society, and became the Irish Charlemagne. The Ireland of 1014 was a dream Brian Boru had dreamed and brought into being.

Now, with all the fire and brilliance for which her writing is known, Morgan Llywelyn takes us there, to the battlefield where Brian died, and to Brian's fifteen-year-old son, Donough, whose mother is the voluptuous and treacherous Gormlaith, with her lust for life and power undiminished by age: Donough, the son who is determined to make the High Kingship of Brian Boru's Ireland his own.

"I know he's too young, but he's all we have left," says Fergal, and thus the boy takes his first command, on the bloody ground of Clontarf. From there he must move to establish his right to rule in Kincora and to make the kings of Ireland accept him as their High King.

Yet Donough is torn--torn by his hatred for his mother and by his all-consuming passion for the beautiful pagan girl Cera, who remains beyond his reach, for the High King must have a Christian consort....

Editorial Reviews

From 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.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

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. Patricia Monaghan --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Tor Books (March 15, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812536509
• ISBN-13: 978-0812536508
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #250,066 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A continuation and conclusion with an excellent twist, February 14, 2000

By 

KCZorroDeFuego "KAC" (East Berne, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pride of Lions (Mass Market Paperback)

Pride Of Lions does the seemingly impossible task of continuing the story begun in Lion of Ireland, and does it very well. Centering around Donough, the confused youth's efforts to achieve something similar to the peace and prosperity of his father, while at the same time hoping to gain a name as respected and feared throughout the land. The portrait of an Ireland once again torn by tribal warfare and rife with crime paints a very sad picture when compared with Donough.

This happens largely in that he has such overwhelming odds to overcome. He is unable to grasp the same energy and support that Brian was able to nurture over many years into an easily gained kingship (hard-fought, but easily gained). He gets support, yes, but nothing seems to work the way he expects. The entire story is based around his attempts to be his father, and the rather startling choice he makes in lieu of what seems to be his finally achieving his greatest goal after going through so much hardship since the story began. Because of the humanity mrs. Llywelyn plays out so well upon Donough, and the choice he makes (very unconventional way to end a stroy like this), make this a superb read and well worth your money. And sequel skeptics: Never fear, this is the real deal. You won't be disappointed.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars minority report, February 19, 2004

By 

lordhoot "lordhoot" (Anchorage, Alaska USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pride of Lions (Mass Market Paperback)

I guess I am in the minority here since I didn't think this book was anywhere close to Lion of Ireland. While Pride of Lions proves to be very readable and somewhat interesting book, I thought it was pretty lightweight material and it really wasn't that exciting as Lion of Ireland. I supposed there were few good spots but overall, the book slogs through the story.

I think the weakness lies in the length. My paperback version got only 395 pages. This story needs more. But what this story really need was a character, interesting, heroic and true and to be honest, the lead character Donough really don't fit the mode.

While I enjoyed Lion of Ireland, this follow-up book falls short. This doesn't mean you shouldn't read it if you enjoyed the first book. Just be prepared that maybe it won't taste good as it smell.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A good follow up, and a quick read, September 11, 2000

By 

Jesse Kiefer (Nebraska) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Pride of Lions (Mass Market Paperback)

This book was fun, and much shorter than it's predecessor (Lion of Ireland). It doesn't top the preceding book (Lion of Ireland) but I don't think it was intended to. This book is about Brian Boru's youngest son and how he struggles to live up to his father's impossible achievements. This book kind of struggles and pales in comparison to the the book that came before but for me that was its charm. I enjoy stories where the hero isn't necessarily destined to do great things, and has to work extremely hard to succeed; also the hero doesn't always do the right thing and isn't always loved by his people which made it feel very honest in it's approach. It's short enough that I didn't come away from it feeling like I'd wasted my time and I have to admit that after Lion of Ireland I was curious how the world got on without (Morgan Llywelyn's) Brian Boru.