The Children of Gods and Fighting Men (Gael Song #1)
Ireland, 981 AD. The Viking king of Dublin has just died, leaving behind his queen, Gormflaith, and their young son. Gormflaith has grand ambitions for herself and her son and all the cunning she needs to carry out her plans, but she has a secret: she is one of the Fomorians, a legendary race of immortals who wield fire magic, and has been all but destroyed by their ancient enemies, the Tuatha Dé Danann. But she intends to make her son the greatest king in Ireland, whatever it takes. Meanwhile, Fódla, one of the hidden Tuatha Dé Danann gifted with healing magic, is entrusted with the care of her nephew and sent on a mission to spy on High King Brian Boru, for the kingdoms of Ireland are on the brink of war, and the Tuatha Dé Danann want information to keep their realm safe and help steer the course of history. There is an ongoing trend where authors pull from historical sources– be it history itself or the mythology of a certain place– and pick a female character to write a feminist story about. Sometimes this is a successful strategy that results in a compelling take on familiar narratives, and sometimes it’s an ahistorical shlock featuring a pretty girl who insults every other woman around her on her journey to win at patriarchy. If the story takes the latter route and is set in Britain, Ireland, or any of the islands around them, it is almost guaranteed that the land will be represented as a culturally backward place filled with barbaric men who live in bleak fortresses and whose dual purpose in life is to wage endless war on their neighbors and oppress the women around them. And said women will accept this like helpless little lambs because they don’t have agency like our plucky little heroine does. Yes, I’m still angry about Ava Reid’s Lady Macbeth. Fortunately, Shauna Lawless loves and respects the time and place she’s writing about in The Children of Gods and Fighting Men, for she brings them both to vivid life in this series opener that tells a complex story of family loyalties, conflicting cultures, societal change, war, and the lengths women will go to to protect their children. The story of The Children of Gods and Fighting Men revolves around the perspectives of Gormflaith and Fódla, two immortals who hide from humanity in differing ways. The Fomorians live among humans for a time, but when they cannot hide their lack of aging, they fake their deaths and move on. The Tuatha Dé Danann, on the other hand, live by strict laws and primarily dwell in a hidden fortress, only venturing out for a few years at a time to collect information about the world around them and occasionally to influence events. These different perspectives have a profound effect on the main characters’ lives. For Gormflaith, who loves her son even more than she loves her wealthy lifestyle, moving on is difficult even as it grows more impractical for her to remain in the life she’s built. She doesn’t want to move on until her son is safely the king of Ireland, but she’s also not keen on letting him stand on his own two feet to build a life of his own. Gormflaith wants her son to be king, but she wants to rule. For Fódla, the problem is fitting in with humanity. She has spent her long life hearing about the cruelty and lies of men and how they want to do nothing but wage war. This assumption is tested when she’s sent into the world to get close to High King Brian Boru and meets both women and men who are honorable, loyal, and good. Though both of these women are sometimes (or often) aggravating, their reasons for doing what they do always make sense, given their characters. They are thoughtful, intelligent, and true to themselves, regardless of what the men around them say. They are capable of great love, great anger, and all the other emotions that come with being a person, immortal or not. And while I found Gormflaith infuriating as compared to Fódla, it was always interesting to see what she was going to do next. It’s the sign of a good story if, when I come back to a character whose actions I despise, I’m still interested in what they have to say. Lawless also brings to life the world of the medieval North Atlantic, which was a center of culture and trade from across Europe, north Africa, west Asia, and across the ocean to Greenland. These were people who made and wore fabulously complex jewelry, crafted gorgeously illustrated manuscripts like the Book of Kells, and spoke many languages. Lawless folds all of this into her story, presenting a multicultural world as vibrant as the people living within it. I approached The Children of Gods and Fighting Men with trepidation, as I have been burned by bad historical fantasy more often than not, but I was pleasantly surprised. This series hasn’t received much promotion from the publisher or the bookish internet at large, which is a shame. It is an excellent example of historical fantasy done right. Traveling in Books is free today. But if you enjoyed this post, you can tell Traveling in Books that their writing is valuable by pledging a future subscription. You won't be charged unless they enable payments.
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