Dreams of Chaos is a prequel novella in the historical fantasy series Gael Song, written by Shauna Lawless, and published by Head of Zeus. A novella that puts us in the shoes of Murchad, son of Brian Boru, told in the style of a letter written to his son before the battle of Clontarf, trying to pass the lessons that life has taught him, putting the focus on his own perspective over many historical events in his life, without forgetting the emotional punch that is usually packed at Lawless' pieces.

A letter that describes Murchad's life since he was eight; a life in a turbulent Ireland, where almost every county has its own king, not all Irish, with a fragile equilibrium that is easily broken. Through his eyes, we will see many of those figures that mark the evolution of Munster and how Brian Boru passes from being a warrior to leading the clan; all with his own impressions of those people, and how it marked the way Murchad behaves.

It is interesting to see the comparison that is established between Murchad and Brian's worldview and the value of life: for Brian Boru, war means pride, power and revenge, without taking into account the possible loss of lives; Murchad is less ambitious, and prefers to avoid war if peace might be achieved by other means. He's much more empathic that other people at his time, but that shouldn't be mistaken with weakness; Murchad has endured much since he was young, marking him and leaving a colossal weight to carry in life.

This novella particularly focuses on the historical aspects of the Gael Song series, putting the fantasy in a secondary role; but Lawless also takes the opportunity to explore through Murchad's eyes themes such as immigration, the belonging to a land feeling, and toxic masculinity, all while weaving a really compelling story.
Choosing to write it as a letter makes the pacing to be a bit irregular, but the final 50 pages are an absolute rollercoaster.

Dreams of Chaos is another excellent entry in the Gael Song series, giving us more insight into one of my favourite characters of the saga; if you like historical fantasy, Shauna Lawless should be in your to be read list.