CELINE KIERNAN
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Celine wrote her first (and most appalling) novel at the age of eleven, and hasn’t stopped writing or drawing since. She has a peculiar weakness for graphic novels as, like animation, they combine the two things she loves to do the most, drawing and story telling. The Poison Throne, the first novel of "The Moorehawke Trilogy", is a finalist of The Irish Book Awards and is one of the 250 outstanding new international books for children and young adults selected for The White Ravens 2009 by The International Youth Library in Munich. Married and the bemused mother of two entertaining teens, Celine has recently completed the third novel of "The Moorehawke Trilogy", and is working on a new novel. |
THE MOOREHAWK TRILOGY This trilogy is a young adult’s adventure/fantasy/romance set in a fantasy version of fourteenth century Europe. There are no dragons or fairies or magical powers, the fantasy elements include only talking cats and the accepted and universal presence of ghosts. The trilogy contains themes that would be considered quite mature. The Poison Throne Returning to her home after a five year absence, fifteen-year-old Protector Lady finds herself embroiled in a shocking and dangerous mystery. The Royal Prince Alberon is missing, and the King seems determined to wipe all traces of him from history. Worse again, to Wynter's horror, the King has forced her great friend, the Lord Razi, to take Alberon's place as heir to the throne. Razi, the King's much loved bastard son, is determined to find his brother and restore the fragile Kingdom to its former stability and peace. Between them, Wynter, Razi, and Razi's mysterious friend Christopher, must dodge assassins, battle the King's brutal guards, and try and keep themselves out of prison as they solve the mystery of Alberon's disappearance. But eventually it becomes clear, that to be of any use at all, they must escape the confines of the palace, something that is much easier said than done. Torn between her duty to the future of the Kingdom, and her desire to protect the ones she loves, Wynter finds herself faced with the most heartbreaking of decisions. Can she find the strength to abandon her dying father to the not-so-tender mercies of his friend The King? And what of her growing love for Christopher Garron? The palace is no place for a man such as him. In this most political of worlds, Wynter knows that she must bring herself to let Christopher go, while she stays behind to fulfil her role as Protector Lady. The Poison Throne takes the reader from the time Wynter and her father arrive back at the palace, to the time when Razi, Christopher and Wynter escape the palace and head out in search of Alberon. The O'Brien Press, October 2008. The Crowded Shadows Alone for the first time in her life, fifteen-year-old Protector Lady Wynter Moorehawke continues her search for the missing Prince Alberon. But how long can a young woman survive in these bandit infested mountains? And just exactly how many of the King’s enemies are lurking in these crowded shadows? It seems that every tyrant or bully that has ever threatened the Kingdom is sending delegates to meet with the Rebel Prince, and Wynter is increasingly nervous of Alberon’s intentions. Old friends soon make a welcome appearance, and Wynter finds herself reunited with her dear friend Razi and her beloved Christopher. They join forces and, with Wynter’s knowledge of the route, the two men are confident that they shall soon find Razi’s half brother and settle this terrible rift between the King and his legitimate heir. But where old friends go, old enemies soon follow, and Wynter finds herself confronted with terrible shadows from Razi’s past. The infamous Loups-Garous make a sudden reappearance, and their casual brutality seems certain to end our friend’s journey. All seems lost, until comfort comes from an unexpected source. Wynter once again finds herself caught up in formalities and politics, but this time of a completely foreign nature. It is to Christopher that Wynter and Razi must now turn for guidance and help, as it is his adopted people, The Merron, who offer them sanctuary in their time of need. Why have these fiercely independent nomads come so far south? And why have they sided with that bloody-handed tyrant Marguerite Shirken, the very woman who has made it her life’s work to wipe their race from the face of the earth? Alberon is at the centre of all this, and now only the Merron can get Razi to his brother’s camp. But why is Christopher so unwilling to take his people’s help? And why, after all he has been through, would he rather face the Wolves then allow Razi accept the Merron’s protection? The Crowded Shadows ends with Wynter, Razi and Christopher setting out on the last leg of their quest under the dubious protection of the Merron Lords. The O'Brien Press, September 2009. The Rebel Prince Troubled by the fragility of The King’s vision of the future, Alberon is determined to protect the Kingdom by strength rather then diplomacy. He proudly reveals to Razi and Wynter his great hope, Lorcan’s ‘Bloody Machine’ An invention hundreds of years ahead of it’s time, the ‘Bloody machine’ amounts to the Tudor version of a machinegun and offers huge advantages over the crude weaponry available to the Kingdom’s enemies. Alberon cannot understand his father’s desire to repress this incredible invention. In this confusion over their father’s motives, Wynter and Alberon find common ground. Alberon sees Lorcan’s machine as the perfect tool to defend the geographically and militarily vulnerable Kingdom. Razi claims that Alberon may well insure the strength of the Kingdom, but he will, in the process, rot its soul and there-by undo all the good that their father has done in the short time of his reign. Wynter cannot bring herself to agree with Razi. She knows that the Kingdom will not survive another insurrection. Despite her deep qualms about Alberon’s choice of allies, she finds herself siding with him against her friends. But when the last envoys to Alberon’s camp turn out to be the Loups-Garous, Wynter’s loyalty to the Kingdom and its future are stretched to their limit. How can she possibly stand by as Alberon negotiates with the men who have so blighted Christopher’s life? And what about Christopher, can he once again swallow his desire for revenge? Or will he finally wreak his vengeance, regardless of the effect it may have on Alberon’s negotiations, and his friendship with Razi? The Rebel Prince ends with an epilogue in which we see the surviving members of the travel party and the kind of lives they are leading, four years after the final battle. To be published by The O'Brien Press in 2010. Rights sold: English: UK/USA (Little, Brown); AUS / NZ (Allen & Unwin); Spanish (Paidos / Grupo Planeta); German (Heyne & Bertelsmann); Russian (Ripol Classic); Polish (Wydawnictwo Dolnoslaskie / Publicat) Rights available from us: French translation. All the other rights: The O'Brien Press Praise For THE MOOREHAWKE TRILOGY The Poison Throne is the Winner of The Reading Association of Ireland Award, a finalist of The Irish Book Awards and one of the 250 outstanding new international books for children and young adults selected for The White Ravens 2009 by The International Youth Library in Munich. Hughes & Hughes Booksellers: Book of the Month (October 2008). Eason's Booksellers: featured in the Diamond Catalogue (October 2008). "This is marvellous, vivid writing, and story telling at its absolute best. It reminded of the first time I read Philip Pullman - I was utterly engrossed." - Roddy Doyle "Although written for young adult readers Celine Kiernan's first novel will, I am sure, enjoy a much wider readership. The first of "The Moorehawke trilogy", it tells the tale of a young girl and her father and their attempts to lead a normal, and safe, life in a fourteenth century kingdom set somewhere in southern Europe. The characters are few, but they are drawn with such exactitude, with such sympathy for their predicaments, that they linger on in the reader's mind when the final chapter has been read." - The Irish Immigrant ("Book of the week") "The narrator’s voice is strong and the writing stylish. An excellent story from a debut Irish author." - BookFest – Recommended Reading Guide (also selected as ‘Editor’s Choice’) "The first in a trilogy, this novel, set in a fictionalised fourteenth-century Europe, is a remarkable combination of court intrigue, adventure and romance. Densely written, the narrator’s voice is strong and the writing stylish. An excellent story from a debut Irish author." - Children's Books Ireland "Kiernan's characters are well drawn, and her complicated plot – surrounding a young woman caught up in a courtly intrigue – is made palatable by well-delivered messages of friendship, familial love and tolerance at the book's heart." - Sunday Business Post (Ireland) "While there are some Irish echoes in Celine Kiernan's striking debut novel, The Poison Throne, the setting, both in place and time, is unnamed: the former hints at a kingdom somewhere in southern Europe, the latter would seem to be the 14th century. Here is a territory ruled over by King Jonathon, presiding over a court and country undergoing radical social and political change. When 15-year-old Wynter Moorehawke and her lord protector father return to their country after some time away, they soon find themselves entangled in the decidedly murky and violent world of royal intrigue. Add some talking cats and some appearing and disappearing ghosts and we have the material for a fascinating historical fantasy, characterised by vivid, colourful writing, some wonderfully reconstructed 14th-century speech and a fondness for the expressive simile: "…his voice as subtle as snow falling on snow". Warmly recommended, for readers of 14 and well beyond." - The Irish Times " Kiernan’s epic fantasy adventure set in an imagined version of 14th Century Europe has all the ingredients of an international bestseller: political skulduggery, passion, violence, loyalty and betrayal. … Although much of the novel takes place in two rooms, it’s a testament to Kiernan’s writing that the book still manages to be compelling, exciting and full of suspense. The writing is extraordinary, almost baroque, layered with metaphors and similes; at times it threatens to overpower the plot but somehow in this meaty, satisfying novel, it works. Recommended for both teen and adult readers." - The Irish Independent The Crowded Shadows more than fulfils the promise of The Poison Throne and the completed trilogy is likely to stand with the best of this genre … richly imagined cultures and dense, detailed style make her parallel Europe a compelling and utterly convincing creation and her mastery of storytelling and character will have readers reluctant to leave it. This is a book to be read, reread and treasured. - Inis Magazine Irish author Celine Kiernan is back with book two of her excellent Moorehawke Trilogy, The Crowded Shadows, a cracking theatrical historical fantasy set in medieval Europe. - The Irish Independent
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