The Hounds of the Mórrigan - Pat O'Shea

The Hounds of the Mórrigan was written in 1985 by Irish novelist O'Shea after taking thirteen years to write. It is a children's fantasy novel, however is rather dark in places and is well suited to adult readers too. The book follows ten-year-old Pidge and his sister Brigit, who embark on a perilous journey whilst being pursued by a group of fearsome witches and their faithful hounds.

The novel begins as Pidge buys a book called 'A Book of Patrick's Writing' in a small shop in Galway. In doing so, he accidentally unleashes the evil serpent Olc-Glas, and immediately, strange things begin to happen to the children - the actions of three witches, led by The Mórrigan. The witches serve Olc-Glas and send a pack of hounds to hunt down the children on their journey.

Pidge and five-year-old Brigit set off on a quest in aid of good, battling the fearsome Mórrigan and Olc-Glas along the way. They encounter creatures from Celtic folklore which O'Shea introduces expertly into the novel. The novel has nods to Tolkien in its mythological features and yet retains the charm of children's writing. Some have compared this to Harry Potter (which I love, I might add), but I would say that the folkloric elements are much more Narnia-esque.

In all, one of the best YA fantasy books I've read (which, admittedly is not a lot!). I would highly recommend it for spooky season!