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A magnificent historical novel about the early life of the man who would one day be known as St. Patrick. In the summer of the year AD 405, Irish raiders under the command of King Eochaid attack the western coast of Wales, setting fire to towns and farms, stealing cattle and grain, and carving a fiery swathe through the peaceful countryside. Many of those who survive the attack are rounded up and carried back to Ireland. Among the survivors is a 16-year-old boy named Succat—the impulsive and willful young scion of a British noble family—who is sold in the slave market to a merciless ruler. When Succat is gravely punished after a foiled attempt to escape, he comes to the attention of Cormac, a novice Druid eager to practice his healing skills. Succat learns to respect the Druid's lore and love of learning and is given a new name, Patrick, the Celtic word for nobleman. What follows is the story of Patrick's "missing years"—years of calamity, defeat, and crushing disappointment that form him into a bard and advisor to the High King of Ireland, and lead to the mission for which his name will be remembered throughout history.
Author Biography: Stephen R. Lawhead is an internationally acclaimed author of mythic history and imaginative fiction. His works include the first two books of the Celtic Crusades, The Iron Lance and The Black Rood; Byzantium; the Pendragon Cycle; the Song of Albion and Dragon King trilogies; and the science fiction novels Empyrion I and II and Dream Thief.
| Price | Condition | Delivery | Seller | Action |
| $99.99 | Digital |
| WonderClub |
Stephen Brady
reviewed Patrick: Son of Ireland on November 15, 2007
Patrick: Son of Ireland
Lawhead is one of my favorite authors, and he followed through well on this book. This was my second time reading it.
Stephen Lawhead is an expert in Celtic history and mythology, and most of his stories are set in ancient Britain and/or Ireland. He retells Celtic legends as historical novels (rather than as fantastic legends) which fascinates me.
This novel tells the story of the famous St. Patrick, although the story is much different than the one I usually hear about Patrick. I'm most familiar with the legend of the great saint who saved Ireland by combating the druids and standing for the truth of Christianity. My wife and I sing the hymn attributed to St. Patrick every year on St. Patrick's Day (called "St. Patrick's Breastplate" or more commonly known as "I Bind Unto Myself Today.").
However, Lawhead's version of Patrick is of a man who goes through a crisis of faith (as most of his protagonists do). Lawhead is quite gifted at painting a picture of real life struggles, and the issues that come along with them. Through the course of this novel, Patrick must be broken of his trust in himself. In the end, he must look upon the work of his hands and see how worthless it is. This sets him free from his slavery to wealth, power, and fame. It is convicting to see that God must break us of ourselves before he can truly use us.
I must give a warning, though. Patrick's "Christianity" is not a true Christianity. I am familiar with the legend of St. Patrick resisting the druids, yet Lawhead's Patrick ends up synthesizing Christianity with Druidism (rather than fighting the druids, he joins them). In this novel, Christian priests are fat, lazy, selfish sons of guns, and the druids are noble, intelligent, and loving to all men. The one exception to the former category is the monk Pelagius. Historically, Pelagius was an arch-heretic of the church, teaching that men could be good enough to be accepted by God without needing Christ's atoning sacrifice. In Lawhead's novel, Pelagius is the only "Christian" who actually cares about someone other than himself. Thus he has a great influence on Patrick.
So, while I cannot recommend Lawhead's theology, I would still highly recommend his novels as excellent stories of human life. This is one of his best.
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