-
Z-Rod: Heirs of Promise
Celtic Sites & Saints, Fiction"Heirs of Promise', the second part in the gripping Z-Rod trilogy set in 6th century Scotland, intriguingly contrasts the lives of Pictish cousins striving to establish themselves - one as warlord, the other as a spiritual warrior. Styling himself on the boar, Oengus uses power and wily intelligence in a bid for independence from his overlord under the gathering gloom of war. Other shadows disturb: his ousted cousin, who bears the powerful 'Z-rod', still haunts; unrequited love for the inaccessible Alpia, consumes; and influential druids question his commitment to the volatile mother goddess. Abbot Fillan prophetically directs the exiled Taran to remake himself as a warrior-saint by acquiring nine graces. Propelled on an ominously named 'white martyrdom', Taran is tested by a series of quests and friendships to find his soul companion in his ultimate aim of 'bearing fire to the north'. The plot moves forward, with clever twists and dramatic moments that intrigue and shock the reader. The characters are sensitively depicted, their struggles laid bare, making for a complex story that the reader will follow with intrigue.£12.99 -
Z-Rod: Chosen Wanderers : A Celtic Saga of Warriors and Saints
Celtic Sites & Saints, FictionChosen Wanderers is the first book in the Z-Rod series: a gripping saga set in the upheavals of Pictish Scotland in the 6th century. At the initiation of two princes preparing one to rule the tribe, a mysterious power symbol, the Z-Rod, is tattooed on one, unleashing uncontrollable consequences. Tribal power struggles are further intensified when two Irish saints arrive whose vibrant faith and daring spirit, preserving them through the Scottish wilds, demonstrates to capricious warlords and their powerful druids, an alternative worldview of reconciliation and hope. Straddling these two worlds is a mysterious bard with prophetic abilities. His revelation has little relevance initially, but later becomes the lifeline to recover a seemingly lost destiny. What significance does the Z-Rod and 'bearing fire to the north' have on an exile, and how will anything be achieved amidst poverty and obscurity. By turns epic and homely, spiritually searching and thoroughly adventurous, this story of great undoing and remaking propels us through multiple scenes and characters in a setting which is utterly convincing in its detail.£12.99