The Hounds of the Morrigan

Rating:
Summary: A bit confused
Review: First, let me say that, aside from the points I list below, I did like the book and would recommend it to others. To be honest, I am only writing here because I checked out the reviews expecting that other readers would share my issues with this book, and I found the opposite to be true.

On the whole, I agree that the plot is very interesting, and Ms. O'Shea certainly has a vivid imagination. I enjoyed Brigit's brashness, although I am surprised no one ever stepped in to stop her; that doesn't match what I've seen of adults (though maybe in Faerie, social etiquette is different). The use of Celtic references was interesting for me, as I know only little about the Celtic faith and history. (By the way, I think the people who complained about the Irish references in this book need to realize there is more to the world than just the United States and Britain, and they should embrace new things, even if that forces them to concentrate a bit more than with most books they read.)

However, I had a hard time swallowing that the Mórrígan, this ultimately evil goddess of death and destruction, although weakened, did not do anything but play cute mischief. She never once hurt anyone, with the exception of the battle scene near the end of the book. How does this fit with her character? Was she bound by something? If so, that might have been explained. I also had difficulty accepting that she was so easily defeated by mere humans--mere human children, at that.

Plus I agree with another reviewer who pointed out that instead of the children actually being heroes, they were just pawns directed by others. And their reward for their hard work was to have their memories wiped clean? If nothing else, they should have been allowed to remember what they did!

I found the Sergeant and Mossie Flynn annoying in their refusal to leave the women alone, but maybe that's just what people in Connemara do. I couldn't say.

Other than these three points, I did enjoy the book, and whether it mixed age levels or not, so what? Who said there is just one way to do a story?

Am I alone in my views? I'm just curious. And if you like fantasy, read the book. You might completely disagree with my quibbles with it, as the above reviews prove!

Rating:
Summary: Talk about incredible fantasy...
Review: I read this book for the first time when I was in the 6th grade and tried to pick out the thickest book in my elementary school library. I finished it in 3 days and then kept it for the full 4 weeks I was allowed (with 1 renewal) in order to read it 3 more times. Since then, I have compared every other book I've ever read to this in terms of sheer imagination and enchantment. I haven't found another book that comes even close (though Phillip Pullman's His Dark Materials series is pretty good). In addition, O'Shea draws heavily from real Celtic mythology - an intricate, beautiful, and frequently unknown history. Now that I teach middle school-aged children myself, I recommend this book to every bookworm child I encounter. The librarian at my school ordered 2 copies just so I could have one to read and one for kids to check out! The Hounds... is on my Top 10 of all time list alongside Hemingway, Faulkner, and Salinger.

Rating:
Summary: I've finally found a book I can call a true Masterpiece.
Review: This book became one of my ten "comfort books"...the ones I look for in hardcover, so they don't break or rip every time I move. They're the ones that follow me everywhere I go. "Hounds" was enchanting the first time I read it, and was just as wonderful the 40th (really!) time. I credit this book with sparking my interest in things Celtic. I would love to read anything else by Pat O'Shea, but this seems to be her tour-de-force...she has a small children's book out. It, too, is lovely, but it's nothing like this!

For the English Majors out there...even more so than the main characters, watch the bit parts. Every chapter is filled with people and animals who have their own purposes in the story, and each one is developed to the point that you just KNOW they have lives outside the bounds of their small, sometimes one-line parts...Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Funny, witty, suspenseful,overall a wonderful read!!
Review: This book seems to be one of those 'long lost greats'--my friend gave me her copy to borrow and told me I should read it.
I was really excited to, the cover and the back sounded very interesting to me, so I stopped reading my other book so I could start on this one.
It started off a little slow--those with little patience or commitment will have a hard time staying with it,(in the middle anyway) and at first, I was thinking that 'the cover of this book is really misleading--it loks way too serious and this book is kind of lighthearted'. I was wrong. It is wonderfully lighthearted, but the cover really suits the book, when you've finished it, you realize.
The book is about steadfast Pidge (short for Patrick) who, upon visiting a second-hand bookstore in his native Ireland finds a manuscript, thousands of years old, that is trapping the evil serpent Olc-Glas. With his little sister, Brigit, he is sent by the Dagda to thwart the goddess of death and destruction--The Morrigan--from claiming Olc-Glas by finding a stone with a drop of her blood on it, the thing that will make her more powerful than ever. Along the way, they are helped by (to just give you a sampling of these wonderfully constructed characters) Serena, the talking, mindful and patient ass, Cathbad, the ancient druid,The beautiful Seven Maines, Needlenose, a talking weathervane who frequently takes off his hat to them and puts it back on with a clang and an "Ow!", a beautiful, magnificent ancient stag, skinny, fragile Corny and his huge wife Hannah and perhaps, their best friend of all, Cooroo, the wise and wonderful young fox, witty and steadfastly at their side. And always, they are traced by the terrible hounds of the Morrigan, who track their scent night and day without rest, prodded by their mistress.
It's such a wonderful book--despite going slightly slow towards the middle, all those who can see this magical book for what it is and keep going will not be disappointed. I loved it immensely and was a little sad when it ended, to leave the wonderfully brave Pidge and greatly persistent Brigit (who I absolutely adore). I can't wait to get a copy of my own--and I will, if I ever have children, most definitely read it to them.
A suspenseful, witty, funny, exciting, just spectacular book--read it if you can ever get the chance.

Rating:
Summary: It could have been shorter
Review: This book started out really good, but in the middle 400 pages it seems like all that happens is Pidge and Bridget traveling, hiding from the hounds, and meeting friendly encounters who help them along the way. This is all well and good, but there was a lot that could have been taken out. At the end the plot picked up again, but it didn't really go anywhere in the middle.

Some people might not mind this, but if you like a little more substance in the middle of books that are nearly 700 pages long, you might want to find something else to read. But otherwise, this might be worth your time, because it's funny and very original.

Rating:
Summary: Original, enchanting and funny
Review: This is a very original, imaginative and humorous good-vs.-evil fantasy in which the weak and humble prevail over the strong and proud. Two Irish children, Pidge, 10, and Brigit, 5, are sent by the Dagda, the Good God, on a quest into Faerie to defeat the wicked Morrigan, the threefold goddess of death and destruction. They are pursued by the Morrigan's menacing but inept hounds and aided by a charming, and quite comical, assortment of talking animals: the frog Puddeneen, an earwig who helps the children escape the evil goddess' illusory castle, a delightful spider family, a fox called Cooroo, and more. Also assisting Pidge and Brigit are such mythical figures as Cuchulain, Queen Maeve, the druid Cathbad, and Brigit (goddess of the hearth) and Angus Og (god of love). "The Hounds of the Morrigan" is an enchanting story that celebrates the goodness of creation and makes the reader see magic and miraculousness in the ordinary, everyday world.