The Children of Gods and Fighting Men

If you???ve ever read A Song of Ice and Fire, or watched Game of Thrones, then this might interest you. It???s not as sprawling as ASoIaF, but that???s mostly because it???s recounting a story within a historical (ish?) framework, and within a narrower span of time, with fewer characters (well, fewer compared to ASoIaF; there???s still quite a few of them in here). I say ???ish??? on the history because it???s based on the Irish sagas, which are an interesting mix of history and legend - which plays well with the inclusion of the equally legendary Fomorians and  Tuatha D?? Danann in this novel. A part of me thinks that the inclusion of those legendary figures might not have been necessary at all, given how interesting the story is on its own. But I???m sure there???s a reason they were included in the first place - this is, after all, the first book in a series, so there are other books that will likely show how that aspect fits in.

What I liked most about this novel, though, is that it is a story about women, and specifically about mothers. These themes are clearest in Gormflaith???s storyline - both for good and for ill. Between her and F??dla I think Gormflaith???s the most layered, but that???s mostly because of the situation she finds herself in throughout the novel. F??dla???s interesting too, don???t get me wrong, but in terms of characterization I think it???s clear that Gormflaith got the lion???s share of that in this book. Still: that???s not to say F??dla???s a bad character; as I said, this is just the first book in the series, so I???m willing to bet that things will get interesting for her in the subsequent books.

So: definitely a good book to read if you???re interested in Ireland???s legends and history, and/or are looking for a fantasy novel that???s along the lines of ASoIaF but aren???t too keen on how those books handle the portrayal of women. This book (and maybe this series) is pretty gritty and objectionable things still happen to people, but at least it???s not as egregious as in some other fantasy novels out there.