The Land of the Living and the Dead (Gael Song #3), by Shauna Lawless
16 Sept 2024The Book
Synopsis:
With war on the horizon, everything is at stake in this scintillating new novel from Shauna Lawless, the next volume in the critically acclaimed GAEL SONG historical fantasy series.
THE OLD WORLD WILL DIE IN FLAMES...
Ireland, 1011 AD. The mortal kingdoms rise up against High King Brian Boru as they seek to wrest his crown from him. Yet the real struggle is between the two magical races of Ireland, the Fomorians and the Descendants, eternal enemies who both now seek dominion over the mortal world.
Gormflaith, queen of King Brian, remains unmasked as the powerful Fomorian she is. Gormflaith plans to establish control over Ireland and destroy the Descendants in one fell swoop... but she cannot do it alone.
The Descendants are divided, for not all their kind wish to dominate the mortals. Fódla, a Descendant who was once part of King Brian's inner circle, must use this division to thwart treacherous plots that have been long in the making - even if it means sacrificing herself. But with other lives on the line, can Fódla reveal the evil in time?
As secret schemes come to deadly fruition, the only possible outcome is war. Ireland has bled red and often, but the coming clash will change the course of history for ever.
My Review
The Land of the Living and the Dead is the gripping and heart-stoping finale to the historical fantasy trilogy Gael Song, written by Shauna Lawless, and published by Ad Astra. Gormflaith plans to finally end with the Descendants, and establish the Fomorian control over Ireland with the help of her son; meanwhile, the Descendants are divided over controlling humans, with Tomas scheming in order to finally make the Descendants return and rule over Ireland. Flames of war are on the horizon.
After two ambitious novels in the trilogy, this third instalment doesn't disappoint, raising the stakes to a whole new level; you can feel how Gormflaith has become much more ambitious and power focused once she's near to discover the location of the fortress, but sometimes ambition comes with a prize. Fodla is trying to reach the fortress and finally break that firm control Tomas exerts over the Descendants; but only she manages to not get caught before by his spies.
With the excellent writing style that characterizes Lawless, we still have space for exploring the difficult equilibrium between Irish and Vikings, and how our two groups involved won't doubt to play with the humans if that pushes them towards their final goal. But if something marks this book, is the weight of consequences. All the actions brought us to this point, and even with all in mind, we will be surprised by how the plot develops.
As in the previous two books, how mythology and fantasy are brought together around a relatively unknown historical moment makes this an excellent story, as it does a great work balancing both aspects while being accurate to those small aspects that transports the reader to 11th century Ireland. The pacing is excellent, allowing you to devour this book while being a bit sad that this means the ending of an era.
The Land of the Living and the Dead is the conclusion Gael Song deserved; Lawless raises the level once more to write a memorable story to close a series that is perfect if you are looking for fantasy rooted in history, and a healthy dose of Vikings. Shauna Lawless is an auto-buy author for me, and this series is the reason for it.
The Author/s
Shauna Lawless
Shauna Lawless is an avid reader of Irish mythology and folklore. As an Irish woman, she loves that Irish mythology has inspired so many stories over the years, however, she wanted to explore the history and mythology of Ireland in a more authentic way. She lives in Northern Ireland with her family.