Pride of Lions
A gripping Celtic tale of battle and bloodshed
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- £1.99
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- £1.99
Publisher Description
On a battlefield drenched in Viking blood, a son steps out of his father’s shadow…
Fifteen-year-old Donough is determined to make the High Kingship his own after Brian Boru united all of Ireland for the first time ever against the ancestral tyranny of the vicious invaders from the north.
But even as he tries to establish his power base at the emerald stronghold of Kincora, his schemes are hampered by his mother’s treachery and his brother’s rivalry.
Before long, yet another impasse rears its head. The Celtic kings demand a Christian consort for their supreme leader, and Donough’s heart belongs to a druid.
A soaring chronicle of courage and conquest in a land wreathed in myth, this is a must-read for fans of Bernard Cornwell, M. K. Hume and Juliet Marillier.
Praise for Pride of Lions
‘Expect demand from Llywelyn fans’ Booklist
‘Llywelyn tells a strong story distinguished by its psychological depth and by her knowledge of ancient Irish history’ Publishers Weekly
‘The reader remains captivated from first page to last’ Jean M. Auel, bestselling author of the beloved Earth’s Children series
‘She writes about ancient Ireland as if she just had breakfast there’ Parke Godwin, World Fantasy Award-winning SFF author
‘Morgan Llywelyn is surely the modern-day Bard of the Irish’ Beatrice Small, bestselling historical romance author
‘One of my all-time favourite authors’ Jude Deveraux, bestselling historical romance author
‘The best there is in the field of historical fiction’ Jennifer Wilde, bestselling gothic romance author
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.
