Martin J. Bird, The Seeds of Heimdall (Kindle 2022)
This Viking Age novel is Book 3 of the Four Masters Trilogy, and it is advisable to read Books 1 and 2 first.
Rannal Halvorsen, newly freed of his monastic duties at Clonmacnoise, and his friend Lorcán, lord of Rinn Duin of Connacht, are playing with the children at Rinn Duin, when Cormac, lord of An Líonán, arrives in a longship. Lord Muirgheas, the crown prince of Connacht, is among those invited to the feast.
Shifts in the political landscape have taken their toll on Rannal’s family; there is rivalry between his twin stepsons, Seíghín and Ruairí. The two brothers may find themselves on opposing ends of a game of thrones.
The High King, Mael Sechnaill Mór, seeks to dominate all of Ireland, but Brian Ború, King of Munster, fired by ancient rivalry with the Uí Néill, plans to throw off the supremacy of the north. The men are gathering the longships and discussing battle plans. Which clan will support them, which will oppose?
As the show-down looms, other kings and clans enter the play. There is a traitor in the halls of Brian’s palace at Ceann Coradh, and the race is on to inform Lord Brian in time. They catch up to him at Uisneach, the conquest of which has been suspiciously too easy. Seíghín rushes to warn Connacht before the final battle, as it becomes apparent that more is at stake than treachery against Munster.
As the Connachtmen fight for their homeland, rifts in the Halvorsen family are tested, and lessons learned.
I had to refer often to the cast of characters at the beginning, and the longships all have names, too. It takes the first 70 pages or so to introduce everybody. The ‘head-hopping’ from one character’s point of view to the next can be confusing.
However, the backstory is skilfully woven into the dialogue. Current events in the complexity of Viking Age Irish history are recounted as they relate to the characters and their clans, so are more easily digested. The intricate politics of regnal competition in a land with 150 kings and clan strife in an age of warfare are well portrayed.
I love historical fiction like this which mixes fictional and historic characters. The fictional characters beef up a period of which known facts and figures are sparce. Fans of ‘military fiction’ will really love this.
This review was written for Reedsy Discovery.
Susie Helme 
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