The story is interesting, I like the characters, and Grove does a pretty good job of bringing the era to life. Unfortunately the dialogue is really bad; everyone speaks in the exact same way and it all sounds unnatural.

Overall it's not a bad read, but I've read better from this author.

Disclaimer: An electronic copy of this book was provided in exchange for review by the author, via Library Thing.

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G.R. Grove sets ‘The King’s Druid’ in the Sixth Century AD, at a time when Druidic influence was fading among the Irish kings as the Catholic Church gained popularity and converts. Mixed through the story are fictional creations, historical characters, and a few that may draw from both camps.

It follows the life of Fráechán mac Tenusán, who determines as a very young boy to become a powerful Druid – in fact, “the King’s Druid”, even though the custom was falling into disuse at that point. Fráechán does ultimately achieve his goal, three-quarters of the way through the novel, only to find that the duties he must perform for his king, Díarmait mac Cerbaill, are often contrary to the spirit of the discipline to which he has devoted his life.

Grove paints a realistic picture of the land and the daily lives of its people, but the level of detail and quotidian events make for a glacial pace. Perhaps of more concern to the reader, we never really quite understand Fráechán’s drive for the position. At one point, the character says he wants to “ensure that the tales of the land and its heroes and of the gods he served, were not entirely lost and forgotten” – an admirable goal indeed, and one which many would feel he attained by becoming the Archdruid, cross-trained in the healing arts, in Druidic magic, and in the bardic craft. He works hard to master his arcane craft, he makes good friends and suffers deep losses, but we never get to dive beneath the surface. We know more about the horses he rides and the robes he wears than we do about the secrets of his heart.

In addition, readers who lack the Gaelic would much appreciate a pronouncing gazeteer in order to keep from being yanked out of the story every time they come across unfamiliar (and essentially unpronounceable) character or place names.

This is an exquisitely researched piece of work, but it never manages to engage the heart. ( )

The King's Druid is a fictional memoir about the real Fraechan, who is recorded in the Chronicle of Ireland as Druid to King Diarmait in the sixth century. As a reader with an interest in world history, but little knowledge of medieval Ireland, The King's Druid was a great introduction. I found this book to be the perfect blend of history and fantasy. While reading, I definitely found myself invested in the personal happenings of Fraechan's life and found myself wanting to learn more about Druidism, and both Irish history and geography. I really appreciate the way the author plucked Fraechan from history and crafted a whole personal history for him, based on recorded timelines and events. I especially enjoyed the section about how this book came to be, highlighting the author's research and dedication to the subject. I would certainly recommend this book to history buffs and fantasy readers alike. ( )

I was really looking forward to this story about the life of a Druid in ancient Ireland. It is written very well and I enjoyed the parts about ancient spiritual places, but I found it difficult to finish as there were very few women mentioned let alone portrayed. I think this book will better suit readers who enjoy totally male oriented stories.

Fictional account of the historical Fraechan mac Teniusan, who is mentioned in the Annala Rioghachta Eireann as having made the "erbhe druadh" (druid's fence) for King Diarmait. This interesting premise and the time period of her story the author shows herself as having very well researched. The everyday life, customs, habits of her characters are depicted quite accurately down to minute details as to clothing, food, etc. (with one minor anachronism: I do not think there were any donkeys in 6th century Ireland), neatly including the precarious live conditions following the volcanic winter of AD 536, without resorting to writer omniscience by explaining its cause, of which her readers remain, very fittingly, as ignorant as her characters. At the same time she shows herself clearly to be no linguist, using placenames in Old Irish, Modern Irish and even their anglicized cognates indiscriminately, sometimes side by side. Her characters, both Irish and Welsh, at times talk some kind of Kiltartanese (which seems out of place, given translation convention assumes that everybody is talking in their native tongue and the conversation only translated into English for the reader's convenience) or, even stranger, some kind of OSV "Yoda speak", which does not make sense in either language. A filler both her Irish and Welsh characters use in soliloquy ("Sa, sa, sa") seems to be of the author's own invention. However these are minor concerns surely irritating none but my niggler's mind. The narration itself is quite good in terms of style, I especially liked the way the beginning of the first and last chapters book-ended the narrative. The narration itself is extremely slow and repetitive (which some professional editing might have fixed), with no real arc of tension or character development. At no point did I feel seriously invested in the characters' actions or fates, nor did I actually come to like them. All in all, however, it was a worthwhile, if not riveting, read.
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