The Unfortunate Fursey [Paperback]

Mervyn Wall (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 15, 2000

The Devil himself has launched a determined offensive on the sanctified precincts of tenth-century Clonmacnoise-and the unfortunate Brother Fursey becomes his unwitting ally. Expelled from the monastery, Fursey is propelled into a wider world of evil and intrigue, where he must come to terms with his new life as an unwitting, ineffectual and persecuted sorcerer.

Mervyn Wall has created an irresistable blend of satire, comedy and fantasy. The gentle, self-effacing Fursey is one of the greatest antiheroes of fiction.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Wolfhound Pr; First Edition edition (May 15, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0863277292
• ISBN-13: 978-0863277290
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,122,546 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful!, September 18, 2004

By 

Kurt A. Johnson (North-Central Illinois, USA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Unfortunate Fursey (Paperback)

Fursey, a lay brother in the Irish monastery of Clonmacnoise, lives a simple life, the only sort of life his simple intelligence can imagine. However, when the Prince of Darkness, and a horde of his demons descend on Clonmacnoise, he finds Fursey to be an amicable enough sort. To cleanse the monastery, the Abbot sends Fursey out into the wide world. Pursued by the local Bishop and (that enemy of all things demonic) Father Furiosus, Fursey finds himself married to a witch, turned into a wizard, and surrounded by vampires, poltergeists, demons and elementals - all against his will. Truly, life is hard for the unfortunate Fursey.

I must admit that I read about this wonderful little book in a treatise on Irish literature. Written in the mid-forties by a master Irish storyteller, these stories are wonderfully entertaining. As a matter of fact, the storylines seem so up-to-date, that I found it hard to believe that they are as old as they really are.

Though the story is not what one would call Christian fiction, it is not overly mocking of Christianity either. Instead, all of life, and all of those in it, are caricatured in a witty manner, producing a comedy of life. I greatly enjoyed this book, and highly recommend it.

[By the way, after you read this book, you should read the sequel, The Return of Fursey, which is every bit as wonderful as this one!]

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Man of the Cloth, May 4, 2004

By 

JJJohnnyJohansonJr "yourfriendlystrawman" (Anytown, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Unfortunate Fursey (Paperback)

This one was funny.
Won't waste your money.
Page through when it's sunny,
You'll thank me, honey.

ps...this book is about a monk who becomes attached to ghosts and devils that attack his monastery. He is shunned from the place and the fiends follow him over a whimsical romp through the irish countryside. More fun than lord of the wrings and a bit lighter too. I had to have my copy shipped from Dublin.