Flint and mirror

John Crowley, 1942-

Book - 2022

"As ancient Irish clans fought to preserve their lands and their way of life, the Queen and her generals fought to tame the wild land and make it English. Hugh O'Neill, lord of the North, dubbed Earl of Tyrone by the Queen, is a divided man: the Queen gives to Hugh her love, and her commandments, through a little mirror of obsidian which he can never discard; and the ancient peoples of Ireland arise from their underworld to make Hugh their champion, the token of their vow a chip of flint. From the masterful author of Little, Big comes an exquisite fantasy of heartbreaking proportion"--

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Subjects
Genres
Fantasy fiction
Novels
Published
New York, NY : Tor [2022]
Language
English
Main Author
John Crowley, 1942- (author)
Edition
First edition
Item Description
"A Tom Doherty Associates Book."
Physical Description
245 pages ; 22 cm
ISBN
9781250817525
Contents unavailable.
Review by Booklist Review

The latest from the award-winning Crowley (And Go Like This, 2019) is a slim novel following the career of Hugh O'Neill, the Earl of Tyrone and leader of the Irish rebellion during the Nine Years' War. Crowley captures not only the known facts of O'Neill's life, presented through confessions made to a priest during his years of exile, but also the mystical undercurrents of these events. As he rises to power, O'Neill attempts to balance his surface loyalty to England with his desire to free Ireland from the English colonials' rapid expansion and exploitation of the land. These conflicting desires are represented by an obsidian mirror given to O'Neill by John Dee, through which O'Neill and Queen Elizabeth maintain a psychic connection, and a piece of flint given to O'Neill as a boy by the ancient, prehuman inhabitants of Ireland. Crowley deftly handles the balance between history and fiction without ever lowering the quality of his excellent prose. This enthralling secret history of the last great rebellion against the Tudor conquest of Ireland, complete with invisible angels, fairies, and the restless dead, is highly recommended for fans of historical fantasy and general readers alike.

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

Crowley (the Aegypt tetralogy) triumphs with this beautiful, subtle fantasy, set in a 17th-century Ireland subject to both the desires of Queen Elizabeth and a host of magical forces. Crowley introduces his protagonist, Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone, as an adult in Rome, where he lives in fear despite residing in apartments provided by the pope himself; his past actions mean that he must sleep with a sword within arm's reach because "on any night he might be murdered by agents of one or another of the powers he had striven with, or betrayed, or failed." Having hooked his audience, Crowley flashes back to previous chapters in O'Neill's life, starting with his childhood, to explain how he came to be at odds with both the English and Spanish Crowns, and his own Irish clan. Rich, evocative prose ("The ship she had watched could still be seen, dis-masted now and smashed in the rocks like unswallowed fragments in a mastiff's mouth"), one of Crowley's hallmarks, elevate this above similar works. Fans of Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell will be mesmerized. (Apr.)

(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review

Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone, holds the titular flint and mirror and stands in the crossroads of history, trying to reconcile his love for both England and his native Ireland. Hugh is caught between the forces of the uncanny sidhe (who gave him the flint and try their best to manage the destiny of Ireland) and the alchemical knowledge of John Dee (sorcerer to Queen Elizabeth I, who gifted him with the mirror). With these magical objects, Hugh will be able to keep Ireland free for at least another century--instead he hesitates, and recorded history takes over. VERDICT Readers searching for the high magic of epic fantasy may be disappointed, but those looking for small magics within a broad scope of history (in a similar vein to the work of Guy Gavriel Kay) will be enthralled by Crowley's ("The Ægypt Cycle") alchemy of uncanny magic, ancient science, and tragic history.--Marlene Harris

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