THE HIGH DEEDS OF FINN MAC COOL

by Rosemary Suteliff ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 15, 1967

Among the many retellings of hero tales, Miss Sutcliff's The Hound of Hister stands out awesome and harsh, the allegiance to fate made credible for a contemporary audience. Now the time of Cuchulain is past, and the scene shifts to the south of Ireland, and to the realm of fairy tale and folklore; Finn is the doer of great deeds, hitherto seen singly, here brought together in a loose sequence. How he won his father's place as Captain of the Fianna, war-host and peace-host for Cormac Mac Art, High King of Erin; how he came by the two hounds that were his favorites; how he took a bride from the Fairy Kind, lost her, and found their son, Oisin, a creature of the wild; and the other heroes, especially Dearmid O'Dyna, Finn's Lancelot (loosely), whose death cost Finn the loyalty and love of his men. Finn falls at last, and with him the Fianna and all the youth of Erin; and Oisin returns from Tyr-Na-Nog, the Land of Youth where his love led him 300 years before, returns and makes peace with Priest Patrick to keep alive the memory of Finn. A ""long and strange and tangled tale"" that falls between epic and entertainment and may need an assist to find its audience; but show it to teachers, suggest a chapter for reading aloud, and girls too will be intrigued.

Pub Date: Sept. 15, 1967

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Dutton

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1967

Categories: NONFICTION