The Morrigan
Published on 6. February 2025
Book
Hardback
384 pages
978-0-241-71273-3 (ISBN)
Description
UNLEASH THE MAGIC: Discover this fierce, witchy retelling of Irish mythology from an unforgettable new voice in mythic fiction
'If you want an epic tale of war and femininity, rage and its triumphs and consequences, this is a brilliant work of mythology, fantasy and history.' HANNAH KANER, author of Godkiller
'Beautifully fierce and unapologetically powerful . . . retells the darkly epic story of Ireland's goddess of war with unflinching detail and fiery prose' ROSIE HEWLETT, author of Medea
Perfect for fans of Elodie Harper's The Wolf Den and Costanza Casati's Clytemnestra
--
RULER. MOTHER. GODDESS. WARRIOR.
They called me The Morrigan. I was magnificent. I was multitudes.
They twisted my story, stripped me away. But I will tell it now in my own voice.
It begins, as all the best stories do, in darkness.
From an ancient, storm-tossed sea, a tribe of gods reach the rocky shores of Ireland.
Among them, a strange, hungry, red-haired girl. A girl who can change shape, from bird to beast to goddess. A girl who dreams of battle, of blood, of death and power.
She does not know yet that a woman who seeks to rule will always be in danger - or that there are far more treacherous figures in this land than the gods who raised her.
She does not know that one day love will burn so deep in her heart that its scars will never heal. That she will know pain so raw and pure it will almost tear her apart.
She does not know that her journey will take a thousand years. That her name will be remembered for a thousand more.
She is The Morrigan, and she is waiting: a girl with rage coiled in her chest. Beautiful, powerful, ravenous rage. A rage that will live forever.
An electric debut retelling of Ireland's mythic goddess of war, from a bold and powerful new voice.
--
AUTHORS ARE ENCHANTED BY THE MORRIGAN
'Thrilling and bloody from first page to last, this is an extraordinary portrait of a goddess, a warrior, a woman. Welcome to a stunning new voice in literary fiction' Patrick Ness, author of A Monster Calls
'The Morrigan may be the most powerful book you will read this year' Lucy Holland, author of Sistersong and Song of the Huntress
'A fearless and ferocious retelling that does great justice to the original stories, effortlessly navigating an epic scale with heartbreaking intimacy. Kim Curran is an astonishing talent' Kate Heartfield, author of The Valkyrie and The Embroidered Book
'Curran's The Morrigan will do for Irish mythology what Madeline Miller did for Greek...An absolute triumph' Amy McCulloch
'Transported back to ancient Ireland, The Morrigan took me on a breathtaking journey brimming with fury and longing. Captivated from start to finish, I dreamed of the Morrigan and her lust for vengeance long after I read the last page. Stunning!' Anya Bergman, author of The Witches of Vardo
'Breathtaking in scope, blistering in truth, The Morrigan is a beautifully dark tale of rage, power and love. Razor-sharp, profound and intensely moving, this is more than a retelling.I adored it!' Miranda Dickinson
'Like Madeline Miller, Curran has taken centuries of Irish legend and harnessed a powerful retelling for modern readers. A timely feminist battle cry with pitch perfect writing' Juno Dawson
'If you want an epic tale of war and femininity, rage and its triumphs and consequences, this is a brilliant work of mythology, fantasy and history.' HANNAH KANER, author of Godkiller
'Beautifully fierce and unapologetically powerful . . . retells the darkly epic story of Ireland's goddess of war with unflinching detail and fiery prose' ROSIE HEWLETT, author of Medea
Perfect for fans of Elodie Harper's The Wolf Den and Costanza Casati's Clytemnestra
--
RULER. MOTHER. GODDESS. WARRIOR.
They called me The Morrigan. I was magnificent. I was multitudes.
They twisted my story, stripped me away. But I will tell it now in my own voice.
It begins, as all the best stories do, in darkness.
From an ancient, storm-tossed sea, a tribe of gods reach the rocky shores of Ireland.
Among them, a strange, hungry, red-haired girl. A girl who can change shape, from bird to beast to goddess. A girl who dreams of battle, of blood, of death and power.
She does not know yet that a woman who seeks to rule will always be in danger - or that there are far more treacherous figures in this land than the gods who raised her.
She does not know that one day love will burn so deep in her heart that its scars will never heal. That she will know pain so raw and pure it will almost tear her apart.
She does not know that her journey will take a thousand years. That her name will be remembered for a thousand more.
She is The Morrigan, and she is waiting: a girl with rage coiled in her chest. Beautiful, powerful, ravenous rage. A rage that will live forever.
An electric debut retelling of Ireland's mythic goddess of war, from a bold and powerful new voice.
--
AUTHORS ARE ENCHANTED BY THE MORRIGAN
'Thrilling and bloody from first page to last, this is an extraordinary portrait of a goddess, a warrior, a woman. Welcome to a stunning new voice in literary fiction' Patrick Ness, author of A Monster Calls
'The Morrigan may be the most powerful book you will read this year' Lucy Holland, author of Sistersong and Song of the Huntress
'A fearless and ferocious retelling that does great justice to the original stories, effortlessly navigating an epic scale with heartbreaking intimacy. Kim Curran is an astonishing talent' Kate Heartfield, author of The Valkyrie and The Embroidered Book
'Curran's The Morrigan will do for Irish mythology what Madeline Miller did for Greek...An absolute triumph' Amy McCulloch
'Transported back to ancient Ireland, The Morrigan took me on a breathtaking journey brimming with fury and longing. Captivated from start to finish, I dreamed of the Morrigan and her lust for vengeance long after I read the last page. Stunning!' Anya Bergman, author of The Witches of Vardo
'Breathtaking in scope, blistering in truth, The Morrigan is a beautifully dark tale of rage, power and love. Razor-sharp, profound and intensely moving, this is more than a retelling.I adored it!' Miranda Dickinson
'Like Madeline Miller, Curran has taken centuries of Irish legend and harnessed a powerful retelling for modern readers. A timely feminist battle cry with pitch perfect writing' Juno Dawson
Reviews / Votes
Kim Curran's hair-raising, visionary The Morrigan does for Ireland what William T Vollmann's histories do for America: Reimagining myth into national foundations of rage and fire. Thrilling and bloody from first page to last, this is an extraordinary portrait of a goddess, a warrior, a woman. Welcome to a stunning new voice in literary fiction * Patrick Ness, author of A Monster Calls * The Morrigan's strength, frailty, rage and resilience is that of every woman who has ever lived. Curran summons her boldly from the old tales, giving her a voice that is more vital and relevant than ever. The Morrigan may be the most powerful book you will read this year * Lucy Holland, author of Sistersong and Song of the Huntress * Like Madeline Miller, Curran has taken centuries of Irish legend and harnessed a powerful retelling for modern readers. A timely feminist battle cry with pitch perfect writing * Juno Dawson, author of Her Majesty's Royal Coven * A fearless and ferocious retelling that does great justice to the original stories, effortlessly navigating an epic scale with heartbreaking intimacy. Kim Curran is an astonishing talent * Kate Heartfield, author of The Valkyrie and The Embroidered Book * Transported back to ancient Ireland, The Morrigan took me on a breathtaking journey brimming with fury and longing. In her own words, The Morrigan weaves a tale rich with magic, and visceral with female rage, as resonant now as in the age of Gods and Goddesses, and the warring tribes of Ireland. Captivated from start to finish, I dreamed of The Morrigan and her lust for vengeance long after I read the last page. Stunning! * Anya Bergman, author of The Witches of Vardo * Kim Curran's The Morrigan will do for Irish mythology what Madeline Miller did for Greek. I fell in love with her lyrical prose and the way she brought the complex layers of the Morrigan myth to life in all her fierce fury and glory. An absolute triumph * Amy McCulloch * Breathtaking in scope, blistering in truth, The Morrigan is a beautifully dark tale of rage, power and love. Razor-sharp, profound and intensely moving, this is more than a retelling. Kim Curran's writing is lyrical, brutal and sublime - a stunning story of sisterhood as relevant today as it has ever been. I adored it! * Miranda Dickinson *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Penguin Books Ltd
Dimensions
Height: 239 mm
Width: 157 mm
Thickness: 35 mm
Weight
586 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-241-71273-3 (9780241712733)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Kim Curran was born in Dublin and grew up in London. She holds a degree in Philosophy and Literature from Sussex University and is a freelance Creative Director and Royal Literary Fund Fellow. The Morrigan is her debut adult novel.