The Lion of Skye by J.T.T. Ryder
The Bronze Sword Cycles Duology Book Two
Old World Heroism
Released August 1, 2022
317 pages

There can be only one...Lion of Skye!

“Brennus, son of Biturix, calls himself Vidav, an Ashaiger of warrior-turned-farmer blood, lord and commander of a gaggle of foreign mercenaries called the Leandroi and oathsworn to king Fenn Beg Corm.”

Return to the war-torn isle of Skye. Queen Slighan has all but won the war. The token resistance is not enough, Brennus will have to look for allies farther afield.

Slighan is the main adversary of the story. This conversation between her and Brennus bears repeating:

“Where did you come from?” I asked.

“From very far away! I come from the land beyond the Western sun, but below the North wind, and under the Southern Sea.”

“Who are you?”

“Beyond what you know! I am that which lost its legs but needs them not, I am what envenoms the strike of blades, I am what encircles the world in Germania.”

“What are you?” I asked, and my voice cracked.

“Something eternal! I was old when Egypt was young. I was a babe when Gaia was born. I was there when the world was given to the Aryans.”

There was plenty to recommend in book two. In this installment, we follow Brennus as he is captured by Queen Slighan. We also learn some eye-opening connections between some of the characters. Brennus will complete three tasks for the Amazon Queen Sgathach while learning to harness his powers. In the process he will travel to the underworld and speak with the dead.

The brothers Brennus and Finnigus will clash over and over again. Sometimes they are even aligned in motive and deed, but there can only be one Lion of Skye!

As the book concludes, we learn that this is just one of many adventures of Brennus and his squad of mercenaries. Ryder leaves the door open to revisit these characters if he chooses.

I have a hard time with stories in which the characters are so rigid in their decisions. On multiple occasions I wondered why this or that character wouldn't just decide to take the path of least resistance and escape their tragic ending. Why must they adhere to decisions that they know will end badly? Fatalistic?

Ryder is an archaeologist specializing in the Viking Age and Celtic Iron Age. The knowledge this background brings to his writing does not go unnoticed. Ryder does a fantastic job of catching the reader up to speed in the prologue of this book. So, while The Lion of Skye can be read as a standalone, I would heartily recommend picking up Hag of the Hills first. Also be sure to check out Tomb of the Blue Demons, the prequel novella to the Bronze Sword Cycles Duology, which is available for $1.99 on Amazon, or for free if you subscribe to the author’s newsletter.