The Deer's Cry

The Keltiad

by Patricia Kennealy-Morrison

The eighth book of the Keltiad series finds Brendan leading a small fleet into the stars, away from Ireland's dying magic toward a distant double-ringed planet, in a tale interwoven with the story of how Keltia came into being. Reprint.

Genres: Fantasy, Science Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy, Fiction, Arthurian, Historical Fiction, Religion

489 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

Patricia Kennealy-Morrison was an American author and journalist. Her published works include rock criticism, a memoir, and two series of science fiction/fantasy and murder mystery novels. Most of her books are part of her series, The Keltiad

Reviews

[Mariah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Celts colonizing space? I’ll admit I was rather skeptical when I heard of the premise for Patricia Kennealy-Morrison’s Keltiad series. But she actually managed to pull it off pretty well. Now, you have to set aside your own knowledge of history, and think of this book as an alternate timeline. The story starts out in early medieval Ireland with the friendship, and later growing enmity between Brendan, the son of a chieftain, and Padraig a Christian missionary. The plot takes a while to get to the point, as the tensions between the two faiths build up. Finally after a confrontation, Brendan and his buddies decide that in order to preserve their polytheistic ways, they will have to emigrate. Conveniently they know an old Atlantean fellow (Atlantis has to figure into this somehow, right?) who remembers the technical know-how for space travel. So, after much preparation, and political drama, they leave and eventually find a lovely solar system to colonize.

This is a prequel for the rest of the Keltiad series- earlier books were written about the “Kelts in Space” civilization, and so this one explains how and why they went there in the first place. The book was basically ok- I thought it took way too long to set up the story and get the plot moving. Also, the Evil Oppressive Christians theme is much too heavy-handed, offensive in fact and an over-simplification of the conversion of Ireland. The cover also looks like a cheesy romance novel! Still, it was a fun read, but not at the level of caliber of the Sevenwaters Trilogy or the Mists of Avalon. I have heard from other reviews of this book that other Keltiad books are much better than this one. So I will be checking those out later on.

I also have to say- that cover is terrible! It looks like a romance novel, showing that fellow's ripped abs!

[Jill · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, I wanted to like it. The tale of Brendan has been referred to throughout the rest of the Keltiad books as the founding myth, and there was a lot of potential. Largely wasted, mostly because Brendan...founder of Keltia, opponent of Patraic, king in Tara....was BORING.

There was almost no development of his character, no real reason for the reader to say, "THIS. This is why his people will follow his man to the stars." There was a flicker of personality toward the end, in the last section when Keltia was actually founded (I'd have liked a full book on that), but it was too little, too late. This was an issue with nearly all the characters, actually. I didn't care about the vast majority of them, and they all seemed entirely good or evil. Noble and intelligent or evil or foolish, no in-between.

Also, I get the need for a certain amount of hand-waviness in much science-fiction, but the idea that this very pre-technological society could produce starships in a rather short period of time (even with the help of an inexplicably ancient starfarer and more hand-wavy sorcery) just didn't fly with me. Pun intended.

[Michael D. · Rating 2 out of 5]

I loved the Tales of Arthur, but this novel is Kennealy-Morrison's worst, and the most heavy-handed pagans vs. Christians treatment I have ever read. It is tired and full of black-and-white pagans are good and Christians are bad garbage, but I am slogging through it for completeness and to be able to pass better judgment on the good elements. Kennealy-Morrison has an engaging writing style when she is not littering the page with obscure Keltic words, so I can try to overlook the terrible treatment and judgment against Christianity and Christians. Otherwise, the concept of telling the tale Brendan the Astrogator is pretty hip.

Book Two of this story was a little better, though it was a bit static. There was very little real conflict after the Danaans and Gaels took their immram into outer space, but at least there was no more spewage of how awful Christians and Saint Patrick are.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story of Brendan (the Navigator), who led the Kelts into outer space. The son of an Irish lord and a sidhe woman, as a boy he befriends Fergamum, a British slave. Brendan helps him escape, and he returns to Ireland as the apostle Patrick. Brendan and Patrick become enemies as they battle over conversion--or the lack thereof. To escape conversion by force, Brendan is given access to Danaan knowledge and space travel. Thus the Immram begins and Keltia is founded, setting the stage for the later stories.

PKM had a definite agenda. Very anti-Christian in tone.

[Coleen Dailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great read! Although the Goodreads summary says this is the 8th book in The Keltaid series, chronologically it is the first. It explains how the entire Irish society in space began. It also tells how they came to earth in the first place and begins an explanation of Atlanta (Atland in the story) and why certain peoples in Celtic mythology disappeared. I love the blend of Irish history with the adventure into space. The whole Keltaid set was hard to find but well worth the search.

[Kritter · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was interesting....Filled in a few gaps in the history of the world of Keltia. Not her best book.

[Bridget · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting story of the voyage of Brendan et al to Keltia. Most of it takes place on earth, and involves a lot of anti-Christian material featuring St. Patrick. Loved the Keltic focus, thought the anti-Christian part overdone.

[Cindy Toy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a high fantasy, despite what the book blurb and the horribly over the top romance cover might suggest. Not the best in the series but a good back story for the founding of Keltia.