The Hounds of the Morrigan

The Hounds of the Morrigan

Cover of the original 1985 edition, as well as the 1999 reprint by HarperTrophy
Author Pat O'Shea
Country United Kingdom
Language English
Genre Fantasy novel, Celtic Mythology
Publisher Oxford University Press
Publication date
 1985
Media type Print (Hardback & Paperback)
Pages 688 pp
ISBN 0-06-447205-1
OCLC 39875090
LC Class PZ7.O83 Ho 1999

The Hounds of the Morrigan is a novel by Irish writer Pat O'Shea. It was published in 1985, having taken O'Shea ten years to complete. The novel centers on the adventures of 10-year-old Pidge and his younger sister, Brigit. Many characters in the book are culled straight from Celtic mythology. The book is intended for younger readers.

Plot summary

Pidge buys a book entitled A Book of Patrick's Writing and discovers that the book he bought is actually a prison for the evil serpent Olc-Glas.

The Morrigan wants the book so that she can absorb the evil of Olc-Glas and take over the world.

Characters from Celtic myth who appear in the novel

Reviews

A review that was originally published in the University of Chicago's ‘’The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books’’ states that, "The prose is rather relentlessly ornamented, but the images are always concrete and, like the narrative, have vigorous strength."[1]

Sequel

There is a sequel, which never was finished.[2]

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Sutherland, Zena; Betsy Hearne; Roger Sutton (1991). The Best in Children's Books, 1985-1990. University of Chicago Press. p. 80. ISBN 0-226-78064-3.
  2. ↑ David Fickling (23 June 2007). "Obituary: Pat O'Shea". the Wayback Machine. Archived from the original on 1 August 2013. Retrieved 18 September 2013. The few brilliant chapters of the unfinished sequel are almost worth publishing alone...

References