A great collection of short, and not so short stories. Jordan beautifully 
executes the idea that the Ancient Celtic Gods and mythological creatures still live among us, and in some cases shape our everyday lives, in a very interesting way. Oddly enough, even though the book does delve into the realm of fantasy, it is very cleverly written and therefore never appears to stray too far from the real world. The central character is a very likeable individual who works with and helps the Ancient Gods whenever they need him to, and these adventures make up the bulk of the stories here. I know the author of old, and it was a pleasant surprise to discover that he had written and published a book. It was an even more pleasant surprise to discover that it was a thoroughly enjoyable read. Highly recommended.
Eoin Jordan, Amazon customer
This is a very interesting collection of stories about Irish mythology. It’s a bit like fairy tales but they are dealing with gods and goddesses, along with Sidhe and Fir Bolg and dwarves and more. They’re a fun read with lots of action and various challenges for the humans that get involved.
The author and Publishing Push sent me a copy of this book to read for review (thank you). It has been published and you can pick up a copy at Amazon now.
Most of the stories are short and have an other worldly touch. It’s almost like the author has stepped beyond the pale himself, a time or two. The characters are varied except for Dan Lee O’Brien who found the other world by accident and was given a ring of immortality. He’s human but he has no fear of death. He steps in out of worlds and helps the gods and goddesses with their problems. He even helps humans here and there.
I liked this grouping of stories and Mr. Jordan’s words read almost like a song, there’s a little lilt to them. I suppose that’s because the tales are Irish. I enjoyed this book a lot and even though I sell a lot of fairy tales, I met new characters and made new friends reading this book. Try it.
Jo Ann Hakola, Amazon customer
The Chronicles of Dan Lee O’Brien is a collection of 11 short stories of varying lengths, following the exploits of the protagonist, Dan Lee O’Brien, as Irish reality and Irish mythology are intertwined.
The themes of magic and fantasy are clearly underpinned in each story, and the reoccurring appearances of Dan Lee helped to establish a chronology – albeit a non-linear one. My favourite story was called The Evil Eye, and it reminded me of the story of Cyclops, from Greek mythology, and worked in some sarcastic humour, which I like to see.
For some reason, I never managed to get into books about mythology – I enjoyed the film adaptations, but even the Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan failed to captivate me.
However, The Chronicles of Dan Lee O’Brien allowed Jordan to display some original ideas on a topic I’ve never come across before. If you are an avid fan of mythology, Irish history and the fantasy genre, I think you will really like the scenarios Jordan has created in each story. However, there did seem to be a strong expectation throughout the book that the reader would be familiar with these things. If, like me, you’re not, then you will find the purpose and importance of each character and setting difficult to understand.
I also thought that a lot of the stories seemed to favour dialogue over narration. I didn’t particularly enjoy this choice, as I felt it removed the opportunity to describe the characters and surroundings in better detail.
Plus, a lot of the sentences were quite short and simple – quite a contrast for someone who loves Classic novels with sentences that last forever!
Unfortunately, this gave the narrator and speakers quite a blunt, negative tone, which I’m sure wasn’t intentional!
Overall, I think Jordan needs to work on his style and descriptive technique, but his core ideas are intriguing. But hey, this is his first book and it’s an impressive achievement – regardless of the improvements I think need to be made. Sadly, I don’t quite think this specific genre was my cup of tea but I am in no doubt that if you’re a fan of all things mythological, you will find this book fascinating!
Judith, Amazon customer
Check out some more reviews of The Chronicles of Dan Lee O’Brien and A Bhikku’s Tale at:
Shadow of the Glen 