Book Review: Bending the Boyne by JS Dunn Co. Meath

Submitted by Runemage on Friday, 26 October 2012 Page Views: 4507

Country: Ireland (Republic of) County: Co. Meath
Internal Links:

**Knowth** submitted by AlexHunger : One of the two entrances to Knowth. Please note curbstones around the cairn. of 127, 92 have carvings (Vote or comment on this photo)

If you were given a brief of weaving a story around several actual ancient sites, two distinct races, some old legends and a host of genuine artefacts, how would you make it all work? Bearing in mind all of the factual content has to be archaeologically correct, could you make the tale not only feasible but also interesting?

JS Dunn has given it his best shot and the results are better than could be expected with that brief, plus it has the word Portal in the first sentence – what’s not to like ;-)

The tale revolves around the interaction of two very different races. The Starwatchers, the original inhabitants of the Bend in the Boyne area who live gently on the Earth and record their observations of the cycles of the stars and planets on the stones surrounding the ancient mounds which are used for seasonal observation. Untold generations have done this recording and so knowledge of the cosmos and their place in it is commonplace. Concern is mounting because of two unusual events, there’s a slight shift to the North in the sun’s equinoctical risings and there’s unexplained thick dust in the atmosphere that bodes for a poor harvest.

The Invaders arrive by the boatload, set up camp where they please, introduce horses, hunt food animals to extinction, destroy the earth by poisoning the water and chopping down trees due to their production of huge quantities of what the Starwatchers call the shadow moon metal. Lovely turn of phrase I thought, anyone who has seen a lunar eclipse will know instantly that’s copper. Even more than copper, they revere gold. They also bring previously unknown slavery, trade, commerce and debt.

Throughout the text, there’s a fair bit of Yodaspeak that I think is supposed to reinforce the Irishness of the tale but it makes for odd reading, for example, “Lucky he was for having…” whilst the ubiquitous ‘to be sure’ and ‘your man’ occur frequently. Much is made of the Invaders’ style of speech, that they talk in riddles and go around in verbal circles without giving a direct answer whereas the Starwatchers’ speech is plain and to the point.

Three central characters anchor the tale across continents and time. Boann a gentle Starwatcher and herbalist, daughter of Oghma who carves the stellar events on the stones inside and around the monuments of Newgrange, Knowth and Dowth. Boann is in love with Cian and it’s expected they will spend their life together. Although born a Skywatcher and apprenticed to Oghma to succeed him in carving the stones, Ciann finds the Starwatcher life too claustrophobic and goes to live at the Invaders’ camp to learn their ways. Elcmar, the leader of the Invaders, a self-made man, arrogant and intolerant, proposes to Boann who meekly accepts, in the hope that by undertaking that duty, the two races could eventually learn to live in harmony with each other and the Earth.

Of course, with the Invaders’ greed, that’s highly unlikely with the two societies’ different outlooks and the narrative explores the effects of each culture upon the other. This puts the reader in the enviable position of being able to see the effects of technological progress on a developing nation from both sides, for better and worse. Cian acts as an intermediary character between the two cultures, loyal to his upbringing as a Starwatcher, exploring the Invaders’ settlements, encountering a new world of trade via seafaring and becoming immersed in other different cultures whilst secretly acting to better the lives of the Starwatchers throughout Eire, Cymru and Brittany.

There is a map of Cian’s travels here (PDF file)

For the most part, the tale flows well and whilst I’d have preferred Boann to be a lot more feisty as the lead female character, and Elcmar to have been more emotionally expressive, it’s fine as it stands. There are a few instances where I did a double-take wondering if I’d missed some vital information in the plot, for example Boann is said to be watching a battle from afar then in the next instant she’s dying of her wounds, but if you can skim over such hiccups, you’ll still enjoy the tale as it’s a feasible account of what different societies could have been like in ancient times.
Whilst its tone is serious, there’s a small and lighthearted cameo in the form of Bresal the Invaders’ shaman, who once he reaches Eire is so enamoured of their native psychotropic mushrooms he’s no use to anyone.

[Will you stop waffling on, what about the sites and artefacts - MegP Ed] Ah yes, I was coming to those…I found it a delight all of the way through the book to guess which site was featured in which part of the plot and which artefact was mentioned as the tale progressed and in one case who a mysterious character was. I didn’t find out how many I’d guessed until the very end where the author cleverly includes a question and answer session between the docent* and his audience to explain and elaborate.

Again, I think he’s made much more than a reasonable job of it by adding other factual details we know of Neolithic and Bronze Age finds from a wider area and applying them to the characters in the tale, for example the style and crafting of Boann’s dress for a special occasion is based on the Egtved string skirt, some jewellery described in detail is based on Irish and other European finds. The artefacts aren’t named, so it’s fun seeing if you can spot which he’s featured.

Warning, spoiler links, or for those who just have to know.
Artefact links
Places links

In one scene abroad, Cian is described as being hesitant to walk on a white quartz pathway, the inference being that quartz is sacred as it makes up the façade of Newgrange. However, the theory of the white quartz and riverwashed pebbles being used on the ground outside the entrance to passage mounds is shown atKnowth.

The Nebra Skydisk plays a very large part in the tale

The Knowth Macehead is featured several times, in one scene the Dagda is said to be brandishing it aloft to gain attention and yet the actual object (spectacular as it is) is only about 3 inches/80mm high. Actual size photograph here

The sites featured in the tale aren’t all called by the names we use today, so again it’s an added interest to see if you can identify which one the author is describing. To his credit, I found each of the main ones very easily identifiable. Again in the notes at the end, he stresses that he’s used archaeological fact as far as possible and then fleshed that out with what he believes could have been likely practise at the time, particularly with regard to the use and function of the passage mounds, rock art, standing stones and circles. He also includes the most unusual disclaimer I’ve seen to date, “the author’s literary use of elements from the myths in no way supports pseudohistory, occultism, neopaganism or any specific religion.”

This is the first book I’ve reviewed which uses the Kindle format on my PC and it’s surprising what a difference it made to my usual method of reading and note-taking. For reading anything online, I’m used to scrolling a page up and down the screen to keep a few lines of text at eye-level, whereas this text is fixed on a whole page and I found it less comfortable to read as a result.

I do like to reference or quote from some pages in my reviews, so that readers can see the point in question, but that’s impossible with this system as there are no page numbers. Because you can’t hold it and flick back and forth, I think the glossary for pronunciation and meaning would be better placed at the front of this version so that readers can understand and importantly annunciate the many names that aren’t pronounced anything like their written form before they read the book. Naomhog, for one.

Just before I reached the last few chapters, I discovered that you can use the 'Look Inside' feature on the Amazon.com web site as an invaluable resource whilst you have the kindle book on your PC screen as you can look things up without losing your place. The descriptions of the real artefacts and locations woven into the tale should stay at the end, in keeping with the storyline. I enjoyed guessing which were which throughout the text and I’m sure many other megaraks would too.

In summary, this book will appeal to a variety of readers who are interested in one or more of the following - ancient history, archaeology, the incredible monuments of the Boyne valley and northern France, and anyone familiar with the characters in Irish legends.

*Some of the vocabulary used is American, most is understandable for the UK market apart from the narrator of the story who is introduced like this, “A presence with authority, the tall docent hovered,” a docent is someone who acts as a guide in a museum, art gallery, or zoo, typically in a voluntary capacity.

Review by Runemage