What do you think?
Rate this book
Fìrinn
Avalon, Lyonesse, Hy-Brasil. So many legends of mythical lands...What if the legends speak true? A group of daring seafarers have made a voyage of discovery to Tìr-ùr, the New Land, bountiful, verdant and empty. Just ripe for the taking. That is until they encounter the earthbound, a race possessed of some characteristics that the colonists find profoundly unsettling.Off the coast of this new land, on the fortress island of Tèarmann, a young woman, Fìrinn, awaits her arranged marriage to Amrhan, a charming and fascinating nobleman, newly arrived from the distant homeland. As the only child of Bròn, the leader of the settlers, and Serin, an earthbound woman, Fìrinn is unsure of her place in the world. When she discovers some disturbing truths about her husband-to-be, Fìrinn is compelled to flee Tèarmann seeking refuge with her mother’s people. This is the personal story of a defiant young woman forced to make crucial choices, but it is also a powerful evocation of the natural world in all its aspects, both the joyful and the terrible.
228 pages, Paperback
Published May 10, 2021
11 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
August 2, 2021
This book put me in mind of The Last of the Mohicans, though the conflict with the newcomers is more off page in Firinn than in that novel. The setting is a fantasy land based on the west or the British Isles, with names inspired from Gaelic. The eponymous heroine, Firinn, has a mother from the native-dwelling hunter-gatherer people, who practice animism and live in harmony with nature and each other, and a father from the colonists who are less in harmony with nature, are patriarchal, and worship anthropomorphisms crafted to justify conquest. Firinn lives amongst her father's people, and knows little about her mother's people's culture, until events transpire that send her on a journey of learning and discovery.
It is a slow, beautifully written book. There is the occasional passage where the level of description felt so detailed it was too much to take in, but they were rare, and the vast majority of my reading of it was like a stroll through the lands of the Earthbound. It is a book to stroll through and experience rather than to race to the end. Make a cup of tea and settle in.
It is a slow, beautifully written book. There is the occasional passage where the level of description felt so detailed it was too much to take in, but they were rare, and the vast majority of my reading of it was like a stroll through the lands of the Earthbound. It is a book to stroll through and experience rather than to race to the end. Make a cup of tea and settle in.
July 9, 2021
Fìrinn’ is an exquisitely written book with a captivating story. The author writes beautifully, painting an artwork of words with her fine attention to detail. I was transported as I visualised the mountains, streams, and valleys which are meticulously presented, allowing the reader to enter a mythical landscape. The descriptions of animals, birds, and insects give credit to nature’s uniqueness. Implicit in the story are timely messages of deep ecology and a reverential respect for the responsible care for nature. The wonderful character Fìrinn is a courageous, strong woman, with immense appeal. I was pleased there was a happy ending.
This book sits in a genre I don’t typically read, but I enjoyed the book immensely and recommend it highly. It is a book to be read slowly, savouring the beauty of language.
This book sits in a genre I don’t typically read, but I enjoyed the book immensely and recommend it highly. It is a book to be read slowly, savouring the beauty of language.
June 23, 2021
Fìrinn tells the emotionally charged story of a young woman searching for her place in the world. After discovering uncomfortable truths, Fìrinn flees her arranged marriage and seeks refuge with her late mother's people. Like many coming-of-age heroines before her, she is special and has an important role to play.
Much of the story follows her journey across the country. McLaren has an eye for detail. Her descriptions of the landscapes and weather are vivid and evocative, but they also slow the pace. Coupled with lots of adverbs ("the darkness faded into the dim grey of a solemn dawn," "bleak white mist," etc.), they shift her writing style toward the lyrical, perhaps even purplish. I admit that I found some passages overwritten, and some plot points dubious.
With its focus on the protagonist's inner states and nuanced phrasing, Firinn will appeal to fans of slow-burn, character-driven stories. On the other hand, it probably won't engage fans of tight plots and non-stop action.
Much of the story follows her journey across the country. McLaren has an eye for detail. Her descriptions of the landscapes and weather are vivid and evocative, but they also slow the pace. Coupled with lots of adverbs ("the darkness faded into the dim grey of a solemn dawn," "bleak white mist," etc.), they shift her writing style toward the lyrical, perhaps even purplish. I admit that I found some passages overwritten, and some plot points dubious.
With its focus on the protagonist's inner states and nuanced phrasing, Firinn will appeal to fans of slow-burn, character-driven stories. On the other hand, it probably won't engage fans of tight plots and non-stop action.
July 4, 2021
Not a book I would normally have chosen but was pleasantly surprised. I could not put this book down. It had a good story line to it. The author had obviously researched her subject. I cannot wait for the sequel.
September 14, 2021
I finished "Firinn", a novel by E.A McLean, and the wisps of memory about the passages still dance in my head. Rarely have I read such succulent prose in a novel. It's a very slow burn read, crafted with loving care, and devotion to immersing the reader in the incredibly evocative lands of Tìr-ùr. It is a masterful tale of deceit, valour, and finding one's destiny, that I thoroughly enjoyed.
"Firinn" takes place in a fantastical location, somewhere in the neighborhood of the British Isles. The atmosphere is definitely Gaelic-inspired. The main character is slight of stature and bearing, but not of intelligence or bravery. Firinn is from two worlds. One world is that of her father, Lord Bron. Bron is the current lord of a group of colonists, the Daoine, who reside in the fortress island of Tèarmann. The Daonie are explorers, colonialists, warriors, and willing to subjugate and impose their will on others.
The other world is that of her mother, Serin, one of the indigenous people of the land. These people are peaceful, nomadic tribes, who are hunters, gatherers, and have an abiding respect for life, and immense appreciation of the land's ecology. Thus, these people are called "earthbound".
In a dynastic marriage, Firinn is engaged to Amrhan, a charismatic man, whom she is attracted to. But she uncovers some startling truths about Amrhan, his links to the sinister priest Seolta, and the harpist Ceolan. Supported by her grandmother Breagha, Firinn decides to flee, to find the people of her mother, and take refuge with them. In her travels, and the adventure that follows, Firinn finds love, magic, and a sense of who she is, and where she belongs.
In this character-driven novel, the characters are well-drawn, robust, and the reader will care about their fates. While not a novel of stirring battle scenes, there was plenty of engrossing dialogue, intrigue, romance, and exploration of Firinn's connections with the land, and with others, and her burgeoning self-discovery, to motivate me to read on.
Again, the standout character of Firinn, for me, was the land itself.
"When we came up out of the valley the world had changed. The feel of it had changed. It was like surfacing from a long dive into warm, deep water, coming up and taking a breath and looking around at harsh sunlight. It was not just me. The air was truly colder and the sunlight did not last. Clouds gathered as we climbed up into the hills and rain came, heavy and cruel, huge towers of cloud flashing and grumbling in the east. Though it seemed a little early, summer was already fading into autumn. The year was starting to die. We passed a stand of silver birches, their trunks ghost white in the grey rain. Their leaves, always the first of all the trees to turn, their green paling to yellow, the first beginnings of the long drawing that is winter."
The book is superbly written, yet I immediately can see that it would not be for everyone. The amount of painstaking detail and attention paid to description, particularly of the setting and landscape of the novel - even for one like me who craves such detail - can be dizzying at certain instances. Still, it is tremendous to read something like this, where the natural surroundings in "Firinn" become a CHARACTER, just like the protagonist, the eponymous Firinn.
The loving deference with which McLaren describes the landscape brings it to vivid life, as she takes us into a Lyonesse-type world, filled with mysticism, heart, and courage, is astounding. The book has implications for honouring nature, the ills of unbridled expansion and lust for domination can bring, and what it means to be truly brave, and taking hold of one's fate. I loved the themes explored in the book.
"Firinn" is not a long book, just over 200 pages, but it feels like a long book. It's one to sit back with, on a rainy day, by the fireplace, with a strong drink, when you have time to do nothing else but lose yourself in the pages. It is NOT non-stop excitement, but it is a wonderful read, and something to be relished, and applauded, for its many merits. Five stars!
"Firinn" takes place in a fantastical location, somewhere in the neighborhood of the British Isles. The atmosphere is definitely Gaelic-inspired. The main character is slight of stature and bearing, but not of intelligence or bravery. Firinn is from two worlds. One world is that of her father, Lord Bron. Bron is the current lord of a group of colonists, the Daoine, who reside in the fortress island of Tèarmann. The Daonie are explorers, colonialists, warriors, and willing to subjugate and impose their will on others.
The other world is that of her mother, Serin, one of the indigenous people of the land. These people are peaceful, nomadic tribes, who are hunters, gatherers, and have an abiding respect for life, and immense appreciation of the land's ecology. Thus, these people are called "earthbound".
In a dynastic marriage, Firinn is engaged to Amrhan, a charismatic man, whom she is attracted to. But she uncovers some startling truths about Amrhan, his links to the sinister priest Seolta, and the harpist Ceolan. Supported by her grandmother Breagha, Firinn decides to flee, to find the people of her mother, and take refuge with them. In her travels, and the adventure that follows, Firinn finds love, magic, and a sense of who she is, and where she belongs.
In this character-driven novel, the characters are well-drawn, robust, and the reader will care about their fates. While not a novel of stirring battle scenes, there was plenty of engrossing dialogue, intrigue, romance, and exploration of Firinn's connections with the land, and with others, and her burgeoning self-discovery, to motivate me to read on.
Again, the standout character of Firinn, for me, was the land itself.
"When we came up out of the valley the world had changed. The feel of it had changed. It was like surfacing from a long dive into warm, deep water, coming up and taking a breath and looking around at harsh sunlight. It was not just me. The air was truly colder and the sunlight did not last. Clouds gathered as we climbed up into the hills and rain came, heavy and cruel, huge towers of cloud flashing and grumbling in the east. Though it seemed a little early, summer was already fading into autumn. The year was starting to die. We passed a stand of silver birches, their trunks ghost white in the grey rain. Their leaves, always the first of all the trees to turn, their green paling to yellow, the first beginnings of the long drawing that is winter."
The book is superbly written, yet I immediately can see that it would not be for everyone. The amount of painstaking detail and attention paid to description, particularly of the setting and landscape of the novel - even for one like me who craves such detail - can be dizzying at certain instances. Still, it is tremendous to read something like this, where the natural surroundings in "Firinn" become a CHARACTER, just like the protagonist, the eponymous Firinn.
The loving deference with which McLaren describes the landscape brings it to vivid life, as she takes us into a Lyonesse-type world, filled with mysticism, heart, and courage, is astounding. The book has implications for honouring nature, the ills of unbridled expansion and lust for domination can bring, and what it means to be truly brave, and taking hold of one's fate. I loved the themes explored in the book.
"Firinn" is not a long book, just over 200 pages, but it feels like a long book. It's one to sit back with, on a rainy day, by the fireplace, with a strong drink, when you have time to do nothing else but lose yourself in the pages. It is NOT non-stop excitement, but it is a wonderful read, and something to be relished, and applauded, for its many merits. Five stars!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews