Saturday, March 17, 2012

Stars of Ireland


The "Stars of..." series is a feature I'm doing here at Epic (Chocolate) Fantasy to highlight the best books in different areas of the fantasy genre. Say you want a book about shapeshifters or wizards or mythology, or maybe you want to read some political or heroic fantasy. Stop by here every Thursday for the foreseeable future, and I'll have recommendations for you! Click on the book covers for links to the first book in the series and on the series name for a list of the books in it on Goodreads.

If you think there's something I missed in this category, feel free to leave your own suggestions in the comments! I haven't read everything out there, obviously, and I'd love some recommendations myself.

Series are alphabetical by author.

Stars of Ireland

It's St. Patrick's Day! I hope you're all having a fun-filled, Irish day. I thought I'd celebrate here on the blog by doing a special edition of the "Stars of..." series featuring books that take place in Ireland or emphasize Irish mythology. I thought I'd have a lot of these, being a huge fan of Ireland myself, but I only found a handful (assuming you are the six-fingered man, in which case, prepare to die). But here they are anyway. Lá Fhéile Pádraig Sona Daoibh!

Ilona Andrews
Kate Daniels #2

If you've been around here any length of time, you'll know that Ilona Andrews is/are one/two of my favorite authors. (They're a husband and wife writing team who use one name as a pseudonym. It makes referring to them confusing.) Kate Daniels is a character that I absolutely love. In the second book of the series, Kate has to deal with quite a few people and creatures from Irish mythology, which is extra fun.

Diane Duane
Young Wizards #4

I've enjoyed the Young Wizards series since I was about ten. This middle grade series about kids who are initiated into wizardry's fight against evil, wizardry functions ver scientifically, and the wizards' travels take them all over the universe. In the fourth book, however, Nita's parents send her to Ireland for a month for vacation. That vacation turns out to be rather less relaxing than anyone anticipated when she discovers that something there is very wrong, and it's up to her and her new friends to fix it.

Kevin Hearne
3 books, ongoing

Yet another amazing and hilarious series. Atticus, last of the Druids, gets himself into quite a bit of trouble but always tries to do the right thing. Actually, though, my favorite character is his dog, Oberon, who cracks me up every time. Gods and goddesses from many different mythologies are a part of Atticus's everyday life, but being Irish himself, he has many connections with Irish mythology.


Guy Gavriel Kay
3 books + 1 spinoff, completed

While not explicitly Irish, these wonderful books do contain many aspects recognizable from Irish mythology. The Fionavar Tapestry was the first series by Guy Gavriel Kay that I read, and I absolutely loved it. It's sort of like The Chronicles of Narnia for grown-ups, but so much more vivid and profound. I love Kay's lyrical writing style, and the world he built here is beautiful, filled with myth and legend, heroes and monsters. The Fionavar Tapestry is an amazing story that I've read over and over again.

Patricia Kennealy-Morrison
2 trilogies + 2 stand-alones

This unusual science fantasy features Celts, Sidhe, and space travel. The trilogies star King Arthur, as narrated by Taliesin, and Aeron, a high queen many years later. They're both very different and at the same time very much traditional epic fantasy, which is interesting to read. They're also pretty obscure and difficult to find, but if you can get your hands on them I recommend giving them a try.



Karen Marie Moning
Fever
5 books, completed

This series, which takes place mainly in Dublin, is seriously addictive. I don't even know what to say about it except that you should definitely read it. It has spectacular characters, a dangerous, fascinating world, and a highly compelling plot. It's easily one of the best series I've ever read. If you haven't read it yet, you really, really need to!




Have you read any of these? Do you have any other suggestions? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Check out previous "Stars of" posts:

Vampires
Political Fantasy
Shapeshifters
Heroic Fantasy
Witches, Wizards, Necromancers, and Other Magic Users
Mythic Fantasy
Myths and Fairy Tales
Historical Fantasy
Fae

1 comment:

  1. I really need to get my hands on some of Guy Gavriel Kay's books, they sound so good :)

    http://lostinthought-becca.blogspot.co.uk/

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