A Song of Flight

Marillier returns to the fascinating, Irish myth–infused world of her Warrior Bards series where magic and music are inexorably linked with this rewarding parable of redemption (following A Dance with Fate). A vicious attack on Aolu, Prince of Dalriada, and his bodyguard, Galen, by the ominous Crow Folk leaves Galen severely wounded and Aolu vanished. Now the covert warriors of Swan Island are called in to search for the missing prince. Central are the spy-musician Liobhan, Galen’s sister, and her lover, Dau, who dominate in the dual quest that follows: finding Aolu and thwarting a vile plot to use the Crow Folk to overthrow the kingdom. Meanwhile, Liobhan’s half-fey adopted brother, Brocc, exiled from the faery Otherworld and separated from his wife for defending the Crow Folk, uses his bardic gifts to save himself and his baby daughter and liberate the Crow Folk from an ancient curse. Marillier’s lush world expands to include Norse myth through Elka, a mysterious Viking Swan Island recruit. The alluring plot feels like the literary equivalent of a bardic opera and makes a powerful case for how a people can move on from the disastrous errors of their past. This is a remarkable achievement. Agent: Russell Galen, Scovil Galen Ghosh Literary. (Sept.)