About Hag of the Hills
“Nothing is unconquerable; even our gods can die.”
Brennus is destined from birth to become a warrior, despite his farmer’s life. But when the Hillmen kill his family and annihilate his clan, he now has the opportunity to avenge those whom he loved.
Brennus must survive endless hordes of invading Hillmen and magic-wielding sidhe, aided by only a band of shifty mercenaries, and an ancient bronze sword.
Failure means his family and clan go unavenged. Victory will bring glory to Brennus and his ancestors.
Hag of the Hills is a heroic fantasy novel set in 200 B.C. on the Isle of Skye, steeped in Celtic mythology and culture.
Praise for Hag of the Hills
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
In depicting this world, Ryder is seeking create not just a historically possible world, but a historically possible consciousness. He is trying to depict, through fiction, what it may have been like to inhabit that world, to see it through eyes which have seen no other, to be born and die in it. So (unlike the Hollywood version of the period) his characters are not modern people with familiar sensibilities, fancifully adorned with flowing clothes and archaic weapons, elecuting olde english. They are very different from us. They see the world very differently. The emotional landscape is shockingly unfamiliar… I was utterly compelled by it…. This is a consummate achievement of storytelling. Amazon Review
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
This is a historical novel about iron age people living in a conflict-ravaged island off ancient Britain, where death – frequently violent – is everywhere. An old soldier tells his tale, complete with some encounters with the gods of his day.
If you love history, you will love this story for the authenticity of its research; if you love anthropology, you will relish this portrayal of a mindset and a social order.
(No doubt plenty of readers will love the gory battle scenes too. Battles aren’t my thing, but if they are yours, and you like them ‘vivid’, you will be deeply rewarded.) Amazon Review
Joseph Thomas Thor Ryder is an archaeologist and author of the heroic fantasy trilogy, THE BRONZE SWORD CYCLES. Book 1 and 2 are Hag of the Hills and The Lion of Skye, alongside their prequel, Tomb of the Blue Demons.
He is a published author of Viking archaeology, and a doctoral candidate specializing in the Viking Age and Celtic Iron Age. He lives in Norway where he conducts archaeological research and writes heroic fantasy set in historical periods.
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