Conall
The Place of Blood - Rinn-Iru
by David H. Millar
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Pub Date 1 May 2014 | Archive Date 26 May 2022
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Description
Over four hundred years before the birth of Christ, the island of Ériu is a patchwork of feuding kingdoms, wide plains, and impassable bogs. Battle, intrigue, betrayals, and courage are part of life for the Celts who call Ériu home, while from their underground halls the mysterious aes sidhe seduce brave warriors, turning men in to kings and binding them with fearsome geis.
Conall Mac Gabhann is content with his apprenticeship to the local blacksmith. Content, that is, until his family is slaughtered in their home.
Two men share responsibility for the massacre: a mad Irish king and a dissolute Roman. Conall will have his vengeance on both, or die in the attempt.
Accompanied by his childhood friend Brion ó Cathasaigh and the veteran warrior Fearghal ó Maoilriain, Conall's hunt takes him northward through unfriendly kingdoms and treacherous bogs to a confrontation beyond the ancient earthworks of the Black Pig's Dyke.
Along the way, Conall will gather an army, and come to the attention of the aes sidhe. An apprentice blacksmith could become a king with their help—if he so desires.
Advance Praise
"5-star
I do not give out 5-star ratings lightly, or often. In my opinion, Conall: Rinn-Iru by David H. Millar has earned 5 stars.
I am a huge fan of historical fiction, but have not had much exposure to Irish history, especially at the point in history of this book, over 400 years BC. Conall Mac Gabhann is a teenage son of a blacksmith, in a small community in southeastern Ireland, or Eriu. His life gets turned upside-down one day while he is away from home on a hunting trip. The hunting party returns to find that their village has been attacked, with all the residents slaughtered, including Conall’s parents. Conall vows to avenge their deaths, no matter the cost.
The rest of the novel follows Conall as he travels through Eriu on his mission of vengeance. In the process, he amasses an army, becomes a king, and creates powerful enemies, as well.
With detailed, graphic descriptions of battles, Mr. Millar paints a vivid picture of the life-and-death struggles faced by warriors of ancient times. Can Conall, with the help of his friends, find those that he has sworn to take vengeance upon? I anxiously await the next volume in this series of books.
One note: This book is “R” rated, for violence and adult situations, for those that are concerned with these things.
Overall, a fantastic book – highly recommended for fans of historical fiction!
5-star
A very well researched novel that brings you back to 415 BC in ancient Ireland and follows an orphaned young man on an epic page turning quest for revenge. Just think of an ancient Batman that Batman would run from ;) The descriptions of armor, weaponry and battle tactics were so thorough that I could almost hear the battle cries and I loved the bit of folklore blended in. Thanks for the fantastic read.
5-star
This is not my usual genre to read, but I was given the book as a gift, and was intrigued with the cover, so I read Conall. From the first chapter in the book I was gripped. It tells the story of a simple blacksmith's son whose parents and sisters were brutally murdered. Conall starts off on a journey of vengeance with a band of young followers, most not much older than children. The story leads the reader through his growth as a man, a warrior and the leader of his army. The narrative used is authentic, the battle scenes satisfyingly vivid, and the antics of the sidhe will both terrify and delight you. If you like Games of Thrones - you will love Conall.
5-star
After getting past the difficult Gaelic names and delving into the story it was a non-stop page turner. David Millar weaves a story of legend, real history and unique characters that make it one of the best I've read in awhile. I can't wait for the next book."
"""A great read, especially for the eclectic reader … Each character has its own creative way of wriggling right into your conscious and staying …""
""From the first chapter in the book I was gripped. The narrative used is authentic, the battle scenes satisfyingly vivid, and the antics of the Sidhe will both terrify and delight you.""
""With detailed, graphic descriptions of battles, Millar paints a vivid picture of the life-and-death struggles faced by warriors of ancient times.""
""The descriptions of armor, weaponry and battle tactics were so thorough that I could almost hear the battle cries and I loved the bit of folklore blended in.""
""Not only is the story line an intriguing glimpse into another time period, but it is also jam packed full of fascinating three-dimensional characters who are engaged in an interesting plot line."""
Featured Reviews
Saju K, Reviewer
I love a good book on historical fiction, and this book set in early Ireland, was one of the most enjoyable reads. This book is a mini series most of which has already been published and I was able to get hold of the first one via Netgalley.
Book one starts with the life and rise of Conall Mac Gabhann, who first stands against the attackers of his village and then leads his young followers to create an army, an army battle hardened and ready to take the might of the roman empire. The characters of this book have been well developed and kudos to the author for bringing to life the characters and the battles, both the battle strategy and tactics and the gory of the kills. This book is highly descriptive and paints a vivid imagination of the involved characters, the life they led, their thoughts and the sacrifices they made.
Overall one of the best books set in old Ireland, and my thanks to Netgalley for providing me this book for my unbiased feedback.
Reviewer 595436
I really enjoyed this fast paced novel. Nicely written, it combines mythical and invented characters extremely well., along with historical fact, (in as much as this period in the UK and Ireland has fact rather than educated speculation given the scant documentation and oral Celtic traditions.)
5 stars in terms of its genre, up there with Matthew Harrfy, and Bernard Cornwall but set in an entirely different Celtic world., Similarly to their novels a certain amount of sex and violence, which as the author explains very much integral to the oral legend /bardic/fili tradition I suspect some may find the Irish names tricky to navigate, and I may have found it easier as I have an interest in the period, but you can't write a book about Ireland without them. All in all well done.
Alexandra M, Reviewer
The story Following Conall Mac Gabhann and how he came to his Geis is incredible and the insight this provided to Irish stories and mythology is truly wonderful.
sara g, Reviewer
Originally published in 2014, this compelling historical story of survival amidst battles for land offers a completely immersive read.
Set 400 years BC, amongst feuding Irish kingdoms, it tells of the life journey of protagonist Conall Mac Gabhann, seeking vengeance for the massacre of his family, to what is described as a mad Irish King and dissolute Roman. With his close friend Brion ó Cathasaigh and the veteran warrior Fearghal ó Maoilriain, they traverse many inhospitable and treacherous lands to fulfil this quest.
Conall is a very measured and astute man who gains respect and infamy as he successfully outwits larger armies, using the fortresses, farm lay outs, lilt of the land and such as mud bogs to outwit any enemies. As such this is a book packed with extensive and very gory battle scenes. The detail of these are delightfully vivid. The visual back drop of the land, the noise, smells and mortifying brutal conditions make for a captivating and authentic reader experience.
The characters and the dialogue are also thoroughly entertaining. There is humour to balance the dark aspects of war. Discourse between the goodies and baddies is often nuanced and clever. There are strong female character, with prowess in using a bow, and seer type skills that unseat the superstitions of the enemy. In all a great kaleidoscope of memorable characters.
Millar welcomingly tries to provide the wherewithal to pronounce the Gaelic names. I think I did quite well on a few and probably murdered others, but it was great to have this as a reference point.
In all, a thoroughly absorbing, fast paced, historical fantasy, with a fantastic lead character that delivers at all levels. Intensive from start to end. .
Sean R, Reviewer
Received arc from BooksGoSocial and Netgalley for honest read and review,this review is my own.
I was hooked from the beginning in this one and could not out it down until the conclusion.
This is Historical Fiction at its finest and even with trying to pronunciation some words it was a brilliant read.
This is the first in the series and was such a wonderful start.The characters are brilliantly written and it was such a pleasure to read.
Conall is amazing and such a great leader, this story had everything.
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