Hounds of the Morrigan
by Pat O'Shea
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Book Summary Information
Author: Pat O'SheaEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2003-06-05
ISBN: 0192752812
Number of pages: 480
Publisher: Oxford Childrens
Book Reviews of Hounds of the Morrigan
Book Review: A Masterpiece
Summary: 5 Stars
This is not just an uncommon book; it is a rare book.
First of all, let's get this straight. If you're here for a sharp plotline, a book that marches to the end page in a straight, severe, solid sort of line, you will be sorely disappointed. This book's aim is not to give you "the best ending," but "the best journey." Furthermore, this book is not an intellectual's piece of modern fantasy. It's a simply-written fairytale... albeit one that hides a complex heart.
Indeed, this book is not your typical read. It is a rambling, cheery fairytale -- a fairytale in the most conservative sense of the word. I can entirely imagine a saucy Irish grandmother sitting by a fireplace with her slack-jawed, saucer-eyed grandchildren staring up at her as she tells them these fairytales, each night outdoing the story (i.e., chapter) told the night before. This unique approach to storytelling is nothing short of a pure delight.
In any other storyteller's hands, this book would be horribly overwrought and filled with useless fluff. The Hounds of the Morrigan is filled with fluff, all right, but it's the most satisfying, well-crafted fluff I've ever had the honor of reading. Simple words and sentences that shine, easy turns of phrase, beautiful metaphors, and strangely fitting, hilarious invented verbs (like "sniggle") abound. It's easy to read, but it's also very intelligently written -- in some parts, it's almost poetry. There are no useless padded paragraphs here.
If the prose is a character in and of itself, and fun to read for its own sake, it serves to reason that the true characters cannot help but follow suit. Each character is tenderly drawn out -- striking, humorous, and fresh. Villains are truly frightening and appealing at the same time, secondary and tertiary characters are all delightful without fail, and the protagonists are adorable, bright, and lovable. Pidge and Bridget manage to be sweet, good-natured, and cute without swerving into saccharine unbelievability (which I think is a feat in and of itself).
Thanks to the characters and plot, Irish mythology literally pops into life. I knew little to nothing about Irish fairytales before this; Hounds of the Morrigan rectified that situation with aplomb. Wound throughout the narrative are nuggets of wisdom, all effortlessly imparted and actually, well, wise (this is a marvel, really). There is only one exception -- the downright irritating, preachy, and nigh hypocritical CooRoo -- but with so much good in this book, it's an easy slight to forgive.
The best thing about this book is most certainly the humor. I do not often laugh aloud when I read books; I laughed aloud when I read this one. If it isn't a frog who looks as sad as a "soggy bun," it's a bored goddess teaching rats to cheat at poker.
The second-best thing about this book is the good-natured, simple "pureheartedness" of it. It's pure optimism in book form. Good is good, bad is bad -- and the bad is not the neutered, limping sort so often presented in children's books. The Morrigan is an unapologetically wicked, despicable creature. The result is that when the children are rescued from her horrible clutches, relief and joy swells up in a palpable wave. In short, this read is remarkably rewarding.
By the time this book ended, I was sorry to see it do so. By the same token, it left me with a warm, glowing exhilaration -- like I had just drunk a big cup of spring sunshine mixed up with a sweet flower-scented breeze. For lack of a better way to put it, this book just seems happy to be alive -- written in a pure wave of joy -- and if it were a person it would be the happiest one in the world. Its happiness is infectious. I can't remember the last time I read a book that affected me so strongly in such a positive way.
If you love fairytales, you can't go wrong by reading this book. It's misleading -- nay, ignorant -- to simply tag it as a "children's book". It's easy enough to relate to the smallest child and it's sharp enough to entertain an adult. It's an absolute delight from beginning to end. You will find nothing else remotely like it. Try it. You may be pleasantly surprised.
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