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    Patrick: Son of Ireland
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    Patrick: Son of Ireland
    Unavailable
    Patrick: Son of Ireland
    Ebook784 pages11 hours

    Patrick: Son of Ireland

    By Stephen Lawhead

    4/5

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    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    Slave, soldier, lover, hero, saint,—his life mirrored the cataclysmic world into which he was born. His memory will outlast the ages.

    Born of a noble Welsh family, he is violently torn from his home by Irish raiders at age sixteen and sold as a slave to a brutal wilderness king. Rescued by the king's druids from almost certain death, he learns the arts of healing and song, and the mystical ways of a secretive order whose teachings tantalize with hints at a deeper wisdom. Yet young Succat Morgannwg cannot rest until he sheds the strangling yoke of slavery and returns to his homeland across the sea. He pursues his dream of freedom through horrific war and shattering tragedy—through great love and greater loss—from a dying, decimated Wales to the bloody battlefields of Gaul to the fading majesty of Rome. And in the twilight of a once-supreme empire, he is transformed yet again by divine hand and a passionate vision of "truth against the world," accepting the name that will one day become legend . . . Patricius!

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateMar 17, 2009
    ISBN9780061749186
    Unavailable
    Patrick: Son of Ireland
    Author

    Stephen Lawhead

    Stephen R. Lawhead is an internationally acclaimed author of mythic history and imaginative fiction. His works include Byzantium and the series The Pendragon Cycle, The Celtic Crusades, and The Song of Albion. Lawhead makes his home in Austria with his wife.

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    Reviews for Patrick

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    • 3/5
      A good novel but not very accurate as a story of Patrick.
    • 2/5
      I've got mixed feelings about this book.Torn from his noble Welsh family, who were killed by raiding bands of Irish barbarians, and consigned as a slave, Succat, as St. Patrick's real name, he makes failed attempts to escape, is threatened with death if he tries to escape again, is educated in the mystical ways of the Druids, falls in love with the sister of a druid priest, anf finally gains an opportunity to escape again, leaving all behind, to go back to his home only to find all in his family have been killed. Succat then goes on a journey to find his friends.First of all, I found it quite boring up to page 294, which is two-thirds into the book, so boring I almost laid the book aside. Then, there is action and adventure that keeps me reading. There are some very good dialogues of wisdom in the pages that follow; for example, "Grief only sharpens a man's vision" (p.420; and, see my favorite quote in "comment" section).However, the story is somewhat disjointed. Especially at the end where, all of a sudden, Succat becomes somewhat of a Druid "priest" challanging a king to humble himself before God. For me, his change from a man despairing and doubting God to one of a solid faith, so much so that he performs miracles before a king, is sudden, vague, and unconnected. The author does not clearly develop a consistent story where you can clearly follow Succat's transformation. The author seems to have either not been too interested in writing the book, got too involved in the story itself and did ignored character's transformation or didn't know exactly how to end it.In any case, this book was rather disappointing. Even though the last few pages had some good insights, the story itself was, for the most part, boring and flowed unevenly.
    • 4/5
      I loved reading this. Ireland has been an interest of mine for many years and I loved reading about St. Patrick. For the most part, it was a lovely read and an enjoyment with his adventures. I did find, in places, his character rather unlikeable, but he was interesting.All in all, a lovely book.
    • 4/5
      This is another good work from Stephen Lawhead, in which he uses his usual blend of history and myth to spin an engaging tale of one of Ireland's patron saints. Lawhead's feeling for the period, and his love of all things Celtic shines through as strongly as his usual redemptive Christian message. However he departs a long way from what we know of the historical Patrick. Don't mistake that for a lack of research though. He is well read in the extant literature on St Patrick - he just chooses to spin his tale in a direction that the literature does not always lead.As long as you don't use this as a historical source book, there is much to enjoy in this story. My only criticism is that, having read quite a lot of Lawhead this year, I am beginning to find the formula for his books somewhat rehearsed. Not totally though - this is still a fine read.
    • 4/5
      A bit slow-going at times. Overall, I enjoyed it as historical fiction. However, I think nonfiction would be a better way to learn about St. Patrick.
    • 4/5
      I am honestly torn about this book, but it is my own fault rather than that of Lawhead. I was expecting much more of Ireland, much more of St. Patrick's evangelism of the people. Rather, this is a book about how Patrick got to the place where he would become the great evangelist that he was.Of course, it is largely speculation. Too little is known of the historical Patrick to be anything but. The story itself was very interesting, and I am almost certain that I would have enjoyed it more had I not come in with such expectations about the plot.But as the whole thing settles into my mind, I am beginning to like it more. The plot really is first rate, and the characters very interesting. The change in Succat (Patrick) is believeable and interesting. Lawhead's settings are alive, from Britain, to Ireland, to Gaul, to Rome.In the end, I must recommend it, but not without the warning that this is not the story of a priest in Ireland. It is about the making of a priest.
    • 4/5
      In Patrick, Son of Ireland, it is clear that Lawhead isn't rehashing a story. He departs significantly from the story of St. Patrick that we are familiar with. On his website, Lawhead contends that most of what we consider to be facts about St. Patrick, even those from his autobiography, are disputed by scholars. The risk is that readers will not feel comfortable with a story that varies so much from the story they thought they knew. Lawhead does not give us a saintly portrait; this Patrick is a selfish and deceitful person as he deals with life in Europe at the time the Roman Empire was teetering. When Patrick finally breaks and acknowledges God, he determines to return to Ireland. Some readers may disagree with Lawhead's conclusions, but the story does well in illuminating a dark time.