The Lion of Skye

The Bronze Sword Cycles #2

by J.T.T. Ryder

There can only be one lion of Skye. Vidav thought he was finally living a life of glory--the warrior's path he dreamed of as a farmer. However, when his brother, Fennigus, reveals himself as the enemy queen's champion, it becomes anything but. Vidav must defeat his brother in order to fulfil his oath to kill the Queen of the Hillmen. If he does not fulfil his oath, his clan will be unavenged, and the Isle of Skye will remain under enemy rule. If he does fulfil his oath, his brother may die. In the end, which will win--honour or family? Even worse, a dragon has been flying over Skye... The Lion of Skye is the second book and epic conclusion to the Bronze Sword Cycles duology, a historical fantasy adventure set in 200 B.C. on the Isle of Skye, steeped in Celtic mythology and culture.

264 pages, Paperback

Published October 30, 2022

Reviews

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

There can be only one...Lion of Skye!

"Brennus, son of Biturix, calls himself Vidav, an Ashaiger of warrior-turned-farmer blood, lord and commander of a gaggle of foreign mercenaries called the Leandroi and oathsworn to king Fenn Beg Corm."

Return to the war-torn isle of Skye. Queen Slighan has all but won the war. The token resistance is not enough, Brennus will have to look for allies farther afield.

Slighan is the main adversary of the story. This conversation between her and Brennus bears repeating.

‘Where did you come from?’ I asked.
‘From very far away! I come from the land beyond the Western sun, but below the North wind, and under the Southern Sea.’
‘Who are you?’
‘Beyond what you know! I am that which lost its legs but needs them not, I am what envenoms the strike of blades, I am what encircles the world in Germania.’
‘What are you?’ I asked, and my voice cracked.
‘Something eternal! I was old when Egypt was young. I was a babe when Gaia was born. I was there when the world was given to the Aryans.’

There was plenty to recommend in book two. In this installment, we follow Brennus as he is captured by Queen Slighan. We also learn some eye-opening connections between some of the characters. Brennus will complete three tasks for the Amazon Queen Sgathach while learning to harness his powers. In the process he will travel to the underworld and speak with the dead.

The brother's Brennus and Finnigus will clash over and over again. Sometimes they are even aligned in motive and deed, but there can only be one Lion of Skye!

As the book concludes, we learn that this is just one of many adventures of Brennus and his squad of mercenaries. Ryder leaves the door open to revisit these characters if he chooses.

I have a hard time with stories in which the characters are so rigid in their decisions. On multiple occasions I wondered why this or that character wouldn't just decide to take the path of least resistance and escape their tragic ending. Why must they adhere to decisions that they know will end badly? Fatalistic?

Ryder is an archaeologist specializing in the Viking Age and Celtic Iron Age. The knowledge this background brings to his writing does not go unnoticed. Ryder does a fantastic job of catching the reader up to speed in the prologue of this book. So, while The Lion of Skye can be read as a standalone, I would heartily recommend picking up Hag of the Hills first. Also be sure to check out Tomb of the Blue Demons, the prequel novella to the Bronze Sword Cycles Duology for free if you subscribe to the author’s newsletter.

[PAR · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautifully written novel, one that you will not want to miss. This is the second novel in the series of the heroic fantasy novel HAG OF THE HILLS, book 1 of THE BRONZE SWORD CYCLES duology. This is the second novel that I have read by by J.T.T. Ryder. I have found him to be talented and gifted. This is a brilliant read! It pulled me in from beginning to end and held my attention. The world building is detailed and imaginative. This novel has strong, well-developed characters and an interesting story line that keeps you turning the pages. I recommend this novel and hope to read more novels by this author.
Joseph Thomas Thor Ryder is an archaeologist and author of the heroic fantasy novel HAG OF THE HILLS, book 1 of THE BRONZE SWORD CYCLES duology. He is a published author of Viking archaeology, and a doctoral candidate specializing in the Viking Age and Celtic Iron Age. He resides in Norway where he conducts archaeological research and writes heroic fantasy set in historical periods. I myself love archeology and how much we learn about ourselves and the dynasties that came before us.

[Rae, shutupandbookup · Rating 4 out of 5]

First and foremost! These books go in order, if you haven't read "Hag of the Hills" read it first otherwise this review will contain spoilers!

Secondly! These books are set around the time of 200 B.C. the Iron Age of Britain. The author is an archaeologist who specializes in the period he has written about. He's of course taken creative liberties and license to spin a fantastic read. However, there's a lot of historical accuracy with how people are treated and seen. So, while reading this adventure leave the modern mind set behind to fully submerge into the book!
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"Sing, because there could only be one lion of Skye." - Vidav

Vidav (Brennus) has finally become a man! With a title, men who are oath sworn to him, possible lands, and a potential woman. Not to mention his sword he can claim as his own along with the name! Only Vidav will have to prove he is worthy of it all and more.

Welcome to Vidav's Odyssey as he embarks on a long road to gain the respect and acknowledgement he so deserves. But at the end of this journey, he knows he will have to defeat the Queen of the Hillmen. The biggest challenge lies with his brother. . .Fennigus. Will Vidav be able to go through his brother to get to his end goal? Or will the man Vidav lose it all and turn back into the timid boy Brennus?

"I can't imagine my brother as my enemy. I can never imagine feeling that Fennigus is my enemy." - Vidav

Just like as in book one, Vidav is relaying his story to the Bard Luceo! Telling about the trials and tribulations that surround his past on the Isle of Skye. The story certainly not being for one faint of heart! Vidav's tale will have you feeling a whole array of emotions as you read. The author has an amazing writing style, and you will be submerged into the read!

I loved that the author included short little recaps from the prior book within this one. Helping to refresh the mind and remember all the cast. With Vidav I cannot fully relate to him on several things, but I enjoyed watching his growth and coming to grips with matters. He had to wake up and realize that not everyone was going to take his word on things. They needed to see his actions and what he could accomplish with his sword and mind.

Exactly as Vidav had warned this book was focused on the war of Skye from Samhain (Halloween) to Beltane (May 1st), roughly six months. And let me tell you, this was a very bloody and trying six months almost seven. . .

I enjoyed the epic adventures with several twists that happened within this book and how the author added paranormal flares. Sticking with mostly the Celtic Mythology and the crazy happenings that transpire with the deities. This book contained low to mid-range fantasy, majority of it being centered around sidhe and their antics. Not to mention we get to see how Samhain is celebrated and feared on the Isle!

The Queen of the Hillmen is a very. . .interesting character. She also enjoys extremely bloody forms of entertainment that have the participants either walking away luckily to breath for another day or none of them walking away. . . Her punishments are very cruel and brutal as well and the scenes surrounding her may be a little disturbing for some.

I enjoyed seeing the group of sellswords again and all their chaotic antics. Though in this book you will be crying, cheering, and gritting your teeth on several occasions. Loved how they all continued to train and teach Vidav different things to help him grow into the strong man and leader. Also liked how they weren't just instantly fawning all over Vidav and his sudden title of leadership.

This is 200 B.C.; women are not seen as equals other than being life barriers and creators. They're seen more as property to have and covet. The Queen is a female and a leader, but she has gained so by becoming someone everyone fears, including the subjects surrounding her. There's raw brutality around women and how they are viewed. Again, leave the modern mindset behind.

Just crazy to think how far we have come since the times of the Bronze Age! No longer having to fight or agree to become a slave just to have a meal and shelter. The author does a great job bringing to life the past and how it truly was, of course the author states and stresses several times this is a work of Fiction!

The author included a list of Placenames, Non-English words and how to pronounce them, and the four Gaelic seasonal festivals at the beginning of the book! Not to mention an Appendix, personal names, and historical figures list at the end of the book.

There's heavy violence and gore throughout the entire book. Language is prominent as well as heavy themes and subjects. Torture and cruelty, animals being killed, SA, and mention of or acts of "grape". None of the SA scenes or scenes with MF action are heavily detailed out, simply implied. War and the aftermaths of what comes about with such drastic acts along with raids. The author did an amazing job writing and showing movement with battle scenes and one on one combat.

History is a rather brutal thing when you get past the fluffy readings that schools have "allowed" into their systems. True history is very gritty, stomach twisting, and wondering just how humanity still walks this planet! This was a great read, and the author did an amazing job! There's a semi happy ending though I don't see Vidav's story ending "happily". Resolved and the end, yes. Though the author did leave openings for more of Vidav's tale and past to unfold!

Enjoy this crazy, brutal read with sidhe! Don't forget to give the author some stars and beware the Hag of the hills!

shutupandbookup.blogspot.com

[Marian Thorpe · Rating 5 out of 5]

'Celtic' is a magic bag, into which anything may be put, and out of which almost anything may come … Anything is possible in the fabulous Celtic twilight, which is not so much a twilight of the gods as of the reason.


This J.R.R. Tolkien quote would be an apt epigram for The Lion of Skye. Not in a derogatory way, but an introductory one, a warning to the reader not to expect the world of Skye in 200BC to behave in a way consistent with the modern world of reason and causality.

The Lion of Skye picks up immediately after the end of Hag of the Hills, and it picks up running and doesn’t stop for a breath for many chapters. Brennus, now renamed Vidav after the sword he found (or was given) continues in his sworn purpose to rid Skye of the Hillmen and their queen, Slighan. Over the course of the story he will make and break alliances, battle human and the sidhe, but his oath to protect the maiden Myrnna is still a driving force.

In my review of the first of this duology, Hag of the Hills, I categorized the books as more magic realism than fantasy, because this is a world imagined through eyes and minds whose concept of reality differs from ours. Gods and monsters walk the land, and perspective swirls and shatters like the shards of a kaleidoscope. Author J.T.T. Ryder’s style reflects this; the view never stands still. Characters move from friend to foe in a few brief strokes of a sword; brothers are sworn allies and then enemies. Nothing is quite what it seems in this violent world of sworn oaths and ritual battles.

Vidav’s companions are men, but it is women who drive him forward: his hatred for Slighan, his oath to keep Myrnna safe. His ability to see into the otherworld is a gift from the Cailleach, the hag of the hills. He both is drawn to and repulsed by the women whose fates drive his own, whether human or something else. But they wield power, both that of sexual attraction and that of judgement, and he cannot escape that, even when he believes he has.

Ryder pulls on many sources and many legends: the Wild Hunt chases through the sky; the Blue Men of Minch, selkies, Amazons all make an appearance. They fit into Vidav’s concepts of his world; while he may be surprised they have manifested, he’s not surprised they exist. Echoes of Cuchulainn – a hero to Vidav—resonate in his worldview: death matters little, fame does.

The Lion of Skye should be read after Hag of the Hills for a full appreciation of the world and characters Ryder envisions; it lacks the worldbuilding of the first book which is necessary to understanding Brennus/Vidav and what drives him. Together they make up an unusual story steeped in mythology; an envisioning of a culture inseparable from the mountains and rivers and oceans in which it developed, and whose spirits of those places are as real to its inhabitants as the birds of the air or the fish of the sea, but with behaviour far less predictable.

[TaniaRina · Rating 4 out of 5]

For a work of fiction, this series is VERY educational. The author even provides the reader with helpful information in the ‘Foreword’, ‘Placenames’, ‘Some Non-English Words’, and ‘The Four Gaelic Seasonal Festivals’ before the story picks up.

We begin with a request of the Bard:
‘Let the god of wordsmithing fill my cup with his nectar and lighten our wound-laden minds. Sing of the deeds of our warband…
Sing, because there could only be one lion of Skye.’

I’m hooked already! But I shouldn’t be surprised since the previous book also had old skool storytelling, as it should.

And the author’s description of Samhain…when people actually FELT their holy days. The people were joined to their land in partnership and they knew the value of an oath. Who fought wars on earth as they were by their gods above.


In epics, just like in life, the telling of tales comes full circle:
‘Though many threads of the story should not be spun, while others should be on a different loom, and even if spun to yarn, should never be dyed.’
‘Which are those, then?’
‘I will work it out; I am a bard after all.’

[Ονι · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the sequel to Hag of the Hills and it did not disappoint! This continues the story of Vidav, and just like book 1, book 2 is full of Celtic lore (which I adore! )

I won't go into details because I don't want to do spoilers buuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuut..... I love the way Ryder writes. It's old school and it's something that makes you LIVE in the book. I loved how he explained things (that we normally wouldn't know) before dwelling into the story.

I had no idea this was a duology, and now I'm really mad because whatever flaws there might have been, it didn't effect the flow of the book and I really want another one. This book would make a great movie!

[Aretta Billips · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good example of Celtic fantasy

The characters were well written and fleshed out. The situations were pretty dicy at times but enjoyable to read. Would enjoy reading more of Ryder's works

[Greg Bowen · Rating 5 out of 5]

entertaining

very entertaining. a little cheesey, but s good read. i'll read on in the next book of the series.
bye

[Toni Simpson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gory But Great

Enjoyed this sequel to Hag of the Hills to learn how Virdac proceeded with his Life. Lots of action and twists and turns as this story plays out.