Bending The Boyne: A novel of ancient Ireland - Softcover

Dunn, J. S.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0983155410 ISBN 13: 9780983155416

Publisher: Seriously Good Books, 2011

Synopsis

2200 BCE: Changes rocking the Continent reach Eire with the dawning Bronze Age. Well before any Celts, marauders invade the island seeking copper and gold. The young astronomer Boann and the enigmatic Cian need all their wits and courage to save their people and their great Boyne mounds, when long bronze knives challenge the peaceful native starwatchers. Tensions on Eire between new and old cultures and between Boann, Elcmar, and her son Aengus, ultimately explode. What emerges from the rubble of battle are the legends of Ireland’s beginnings in a totally new light. Larger than myth, this tale echoes with medieval texts, and cult heroes modern and ancient. By the final temporal twist, factual prehistory is bending into images of leprechauns who guard Eire’s gold for eternity. As ever, the victors will spin the myths. This story appeals to fans of solid historical fiction, myth and fantasy, archaeo-astronomy, and Bronze Age Europe. BENDING THE BOYNE draws on 21st century archaeology to show the lasting impact when early metal mining and trade take hold along north Atlantic coasts. Carved megaliths and stunning gold artifacts, from the Pyrenees up to the Boyne, come to life in this researched historical fiction. ...A useful fleshing of the bones of an interesting archaeological story. William O'Brien, PhD, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland. ...Bang-on with the latest archaeological debates. Peter Clark, MIFA, Deputy Director, The Canterbury Archaeological Trust, Canterbury, Kent, UK.

About this title

About the Author:

The author lived in Ireland and traveled the north Atlantic coasts during the past decade, to research and complete this historical fiction set in the early Bronze Age.

Review:

...Boann is vivid and powerful and is perhaps one of the greatest strengths of this book. She is a full- fledged character whose nuances create a relatable and realistic rendition of a young woman in the Bronze Age. ...overall, Bending the Boyne succeeds in creating a seamless text where historical research and imagined worlds interweave effortlessly. This is a superb novel that will be of particular interest to readers of historical fiction as well as those with a keen interest in archeology and mythmaking.
--Foreword Review

Winner, Next Generation Award 2011, historical fiction.

...Thought-provoking and entertaining.
--The Irish News, June 2011

...Bending the Boyne is a masterful weaving of myth, prehistory, and modern reality that reads faultlessly.
--Nancy Lorraine, Senior Reviewer, MBR Bookwatch

About this edition

• Publisher: Seriously Good Books
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 0983155410
• ISBN 13: 9780983155416
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 350