Not what I expected, but interesting none the less. Reminded me of "Drums Along the Mohawk", taking historical facts and building a good tale around them so that it makes sense in a very human way. ( )

2200 B.C. This novel tells of several tribes: in Ireland [the 'Starwatchers': peace-loving astronomers in the River Boyne area]; the 'Invaders' who originate on 'the Continent' [Europe?], interested only in conquering and in finding precious metals--gold, copper, and tin--and trade; the 'Seafarers', who live on what we would call the Iberian Peninsula today and who are willing to engage in hunting for metal and in trading, and Basques. These groups interact among each other. The author has taken mythological or legendary names from long ago, made them into non-mythic characters for his fictional recreation of the evolution of the Bronze Age. Originating in the mists of time, his characters have eventually become deities and heroes in Irish legend. He used recent archeological evidence as a basis for his story. Archaeologists call the 'Invaders' the Beaker Culture. The name has been taken from the shape of their pottery.

Usually, prehistoric stories leave me cold, but I enjoyed this one and learned a great deal. I didn't feel there was that much personality to each person; I thought each was used only to advance the author's fictional speculation. There was a good deal of explanation of the 'standing stones', stone circles and ancient astronomy. I also liked the details of copper smelting done by Creidhne [later that name was used for the ancient god of goldsmithing.] The only note of fantasy I could see was the very last line of the novel. All extra material was fascinating, especially the "Pronunciation of characters' names, mythic origins, and role in Bending the Boyne". On the author's website besides bibliography, there are links to various artifacts mentioned in the novel:

http://jsdunnbooks.com/links_artifacts.htm ( )

In 2000 BCE, the world was rapidly changing. On a remote island near the North Sea, an entire culture of astronomers, or Starwatchers as they call themselves, will have their entire lifestyle threatened by a group of invaders from across the big seas. These invaders, in their searches for copper, tin, and gold, bring with them foreign ideas such as land ownership, power struggles, and violence. As the two cultures fight for control of Ireland, two people attempt to do everything in their power to bring peace and cooperation between the two societies. Bending the Boyne is their story.

Bending the Boyne is a great reminder of what societies can learn from each other when they are not too busy trying to enslave or destroy each other. It brings to mind what conquered societies must have felt about the confusing strangers who refuse to understand their ways and who insist that their foreign ways are better than anything previously established in the area. The use of fear tactics, foreign instruments, and in this case long knives made of metal, horses, and the like were powerful weapons against a peaceful society. Dunn has an amazing ability to create sympathy for the Starwatchers as they struggle to maintain their beliefs and rituals against a constantly changing world.

The details are where Bending the Boyne shines brightest. The descriptions of smelting, copper mining, ocean travel, and other aspects of this ancient era are extremely realistic. A reader experiences Cian’s wonder at the advancement he sees on his travels, while simultaneously empathizing with Boann’s confusion at the harshness and ignorance of her adopted people. As for the Invaders, one can all too easily understand their ruthlessness as they are driven to find more copper or gold in an effort to gain more riches. This era comes to life under Dunn’s careful research and comprehensive descriptions.

While one has no doubt that Dunn was extremely thorough in his research and in his descriptive passages, the very nature of some of the rituals and celestial movements create certain verbose and difficult-to-understand scenes. A reader would be advised to have a star chart handy when reading to ensure that s/he understands exactly which stars and their movements are being discussed at any point in time. Thankfully, these descriptions do not detract from the overall story too much, but understanding them is vital to understanding the crux of the clash between the Starwatchers and the Invaders.

Bending the Boyne is an absolute fascinating look at Bronze Age Ireland. The cultural clashes that occur between the natives and the Invaders set the tone for later invasions both on Ireland and throughout the world over the years. Dunn’s research is meticulous and in such detail that the reader does not need to visit the sacred sites in order to feel completely awed by the knowledge garnered by the Starwatchers and all of humanity at such a primitive time. In fact, one can go on Dunn’s website and see images of the actual artifacts used by Boann, Cian, and the rest of the cast of characters. This realism built into the descriptions makes this one story that is less fiction and more historical. In spite of some of clunky passages, Bending the Boyne is a captivating picture of a bygone era about a culture that has long been considered mysterious and which has provided some of the more memorable artifacts on the Emerald Isle. Dunn has successfully created a book that allows readers to step back in time to experience the Bronze Age for themselves.

Acknowledgements: Thank you to Christina Montero from Seriously Good Books for my review copy!

In Eire, Boann lives happily spending her days following in the steps of her astronomer father and healer mother. Her people, the Starwatchers, aren't the only ones inhabiting Eire. They face hostility from the Invaders with their long swords and horses. The Invaders seem to only want metals, which puts them at odds with the Starwatchers' peaceful and earth friendly culture. To cement a peace agreement, Starwatchers agree to Boann's marriage to the new ard ri, Elcmar. Boann bears Aengus, a fine son. But the new heir doesn't produce the peace that was hoped for. Cian, Boann's Starwatcher childhood love, lives in the Invader Camp to learn their ways to bring them down, but he is sickened by the marriage and the Invaders in general. Boann tries to maintain a semblance of peace, but with Elcmar's stubbornness, she feels she is failing.Cian leaves Eire and travels to the continent to learn about metals and smelting and to free his heart. While his life is a commercial success, he longs for Boann and the Eire. Who holds the future of Eire in their hands; Elcmar, Boann, Aengus or Cian? Whose culture will prevail?
I had never heard of JS Dunn, but was excited to read a book about Ancient Ireland. I began to read and was immediately drawn to the emerald Eire. I loved gathering herbs with Boann, and living the peaceful earth loving ways of the Starwatchers. Like Cian, I hated the Invaders. A filthy people who took life and resources without a second thought.
However, the Invaders taught new concepts. Debt, Credit and trading and innovation of metals. These are hard concepts to grasp, and it is difficult to see how they are important., especially when they aren't used by your culture.
For all the Invader innovations, there are a multitude of Starwatcher values that are awesome. Architecture and astronomy go hand in hand with the building of mounds and the celebrations of the changing sky. Healing and herbal medicine are strongly valued in the Starwatcher culture, as is being a sustainable community. These details are vivid. I am sure that in this book you would have all the details to build your own mound, if the thought possessed you. ( )

I am very impressed with the work that went into this book. It is about ancient inhabitants of Ireland. This group of people were starwatchers and studied the heavens. They carved the cycles of the solar system and season into rock and temples. They were a peaceful people,

They must deal with Invaders from the sea who come to plunder the metal resources and leave destruction in their quest for precious metals. The Invaders take natural resources from the starwatchers without a care to trade or whether or not it takes the food that they needed for the winter season. The detail that J.S. Dunn explains the process of the early miners and the refining process of copper is very interesting. You can tell that he did meticulous research on the Bronze Age. In his Biography at the back of the book it states that he has a keen interest in the early Bronze Age Culture. It also indicates that he researched and made friends in the fields of "archaeology, geology, and Bronze Age tool-making."

Boann is learning of the heavens from her father, his apprentice, Cian, has left the community to dwell with the invaders. She is planning on taking her father's place when he passes and carving the history of the stars into stone. It is a very meticulous and exact trade. She is placed in a position to keep peace between her people and the Invaders by marrying their chief.

Cian watches and learns from them. He then is placed into a position where he can help his people by learning from the enemy and knowing how they work.

This historical fiction novel is well thought out and very interesting. I personally love to find out about ancient cultures. I was unfamiliar with the people of the Boyne. They have left amazing mounds as a tribute to their culture that predated Stonehenge. If you love historic fiction and ancient civilizations then I highly recommend this book to you. ( )