Book Review: The Hounds of the Morrigan by Pat O'Shea

Title: The Hounds of the Mórrígan
Author: Pat O'Shea
Published: New York: Harper Trophy (Harper Collins Publishers), 1985
Page Count:674
Total Page Count: 13,865
Text Number: 38
Read For: My own enjoyment
Short review: A new adventurous fairy tale about old Irish myths, The Hounds of the Morrigan follows two children, Pidge and Brigit, and they journey from their home in Galaway into the fairy world in a quest of good against evil. The children, sent by the Dagda, Lord of Great Knowledge, search for a stone stained with The Morrigan's blood, the only tool for destroying the powerful, evil serpent Olc-Glass, while The Morrigan, goddess of death, destruction, and war, hunts the children and tries to capture both the stone and the Olc-Glass so that she can return to her former power and glory. Their adventures are large, joyful, terrifying, and wonderful, full of magic and heart, and the book itself is a quest through our world and the fairy world. It is an enjoyable, engrossing great, although written for younger children, and one of the books I enjoy coming back to every few years. If you love Celtic mythology and can bide a few childish faults, I highly recommend this text.

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Review posted here on Amazon.com.

Book Review: The Princess Bride by William Goldman

Title: The Princess Bride
Author: William Goldman
Published: New York: Delray (The Ballantine Publishing Group), 1973 (2000).
Page Count:398
Total Page Count: 14,263
Text Number: 39
Read For: My own enjoyment
Short review: One of my favorite books (and films) of all time, The Princess Bride is a story of true love, adventure, pirates, sword fights, giants, royalty, torture, danger, heroism, surprise, and humor. Buttercup, deeply in love with Westley, is devastated when he dies at the hands of the Dread Pirate Roberts. Many years later, she is engaged to Prince Humperdinck, a man that she does not love, and is suddenly captured by Fezzik the strong giant, Inigo the Spaniard and expert swordsman, and Vizzini the cunning mastermind. As she is carried away the they are followed by the man in black, a sailor, climber, fighter, and incredible man with his mind set of capturing her for himself. The book contains everything that had to be cut from the film and, if possible, is even better. There is more backstory, a bit more humor, the full journey through the Zoo of Death to the Pit of Despair, and perhaps best of all it is told as a "good parts" abridgment of the original text by S. Morgenstern. I recommend this book to everyone. It's a fast-moving read, a lot of fun, and a true love story for the ages. I reread it myself fairly often, and I just love it.

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