THE GREEN HERO: Early Adventures of Finn McCool

Even readers who are bored to death by hero tales and who don't care how many dragons or foes are slain before breakfast will take to Evslin's young Finn. Instead of padding the legends with sober realism and heavy characterization, Evslin involves an amusingly human Finn in light, witty conversations that befit his nationality, and gives his associates--most notably the young widow Kathleen ni Houlihan--a comic, larger than life vitality that leaves lots of room for Finn to be cutting her down to size (and she him, to be sure). The high deeds accomplished by Finn McCool before he reaches his full growth--including some tripping changes on the Herculean snake in the cradle and Augean stable feats--are wondrous indeed, even though they are never carried out in quite the manner you'd expect. And if Evslin's interpretations are not strictly traditional, he surely possesses the gift of gab that justifies his taking on such a hero at all.