In the Region of the Summer Stars: Eirlandia, Book 1

A curse, a bargain with a supernatural being, and an attack on a kingdom by an army of one-dimensional foes are just some of the too-familiar plot elements in this dull epic fantasy series kickoff from Lawhead (the Bright Empires series), set in a fantasy realm with a touch of Celtic flavor. King Eochaid’s miserliness towards a visiting druid leads the mystic to curse the kingdom and all its inhabitants: “Tribulations without number will rain down upon Eirlandia and its people until they are ground to dust and scattered to the four winds.” That sweeping malediction is only averted when Ardan, a warrior in service to Eochaid, grovels at the druid’s feet, but the druid demands in return that Ardan’s youngest son, Rónán, be given to him. Twelve years later, Ardan is king, and his oldest son, Conor, is troubled by a suspicion that an ambitious rival monarch, Brecan, may be in league with the Scálda, the purely evil people who have invaded Eirlandia. Bland characters and situations won’t make readers anticipate the second book. (May)