A good novel but not very accurate as a story of Patrick. ( )

Gives a fantastical look at the life of the man who became Saint Patrick. Pretty typical Lawhead-man turns from God, Christianity undercover in other cultures, man has terrible ordeals, turns back to God. Didn’t deal with his proselytizing in Ireland, just his growing up and going to Ireland. So-so. ( )

I've got mixed feelings about this book.

Torn from his noble Welsh family, who were killed by raiding bands of Irish barbarians, and consigned as a slave, Succat, as St. Patrick's real name, he makes failed attempts to escape, is threatened with death if he tries to escape again, is educated in the mystical ways of the Druids, falls in love with the sister of a druid priest, anf finally gains an opportunity to escape again, leaving all behind, to go back to his home only to find all in his family have been killed. Succat then goes on a journey to find his friends.

First of all, I found it quite boring up to page 294, which is two-thirds into the book, so boring I almost laid the book aside. Then, there is action and adventure that keeps me reading. There are some very good dialogues of wisdom in the pages that follow; for example, "Grief only sharpens a man's vision" (p.420; and, see my favorite quote in "comment" section).

However, the story is somewhat disjointed. Especially at the end where, all of a sudden, Succat becomes somewhat of a Druid "priest" challanging a king to humble himself before God. For me, his change from a man despairing and doubting God to one of a solid faith, so much so that he performs miracles before a king, is sudden, vague, and unconnected. The author does not clearly develop a consistent story where you can clearly follow Succat's transformation; he doesn't even seem to make clear Succat's character as being pious. The author seems to have either not been too interested in writing the book, got too involved in the story itself and ignored character's transformation, or didn't know exactly how to end it.

In any case, this book was rather disappointing. Even though the last few pages had some good insights and action, the story itself was, for the most part, boring and flowed unevenly. ( )

I loved reading this. Ireland has been an interest of mine for many years and I loved reading about St. Patrick. For the most part, it was a lovely read and an enjoyment with his adventures. I did find, in places, his character rather unlikeable, but he was interesting.

All in all, a lovely book. ( )

This is another good work from Stephen Lawhead, in which he uses his usual blend of history and myth to spin an engaging tale of one of Ireland's patron saints. Lawhead's feeling for the period, and his love of all things Celtic shines through as strongly as his usual redemptive Christian message. However he departs a long way from what we know of the historical Patrick. Don't mistake that for a lack of research though. He is well read in the extant literature on St Patrick - he just chooses to spin his tale in a direction that the literature does not always lead.

As long as you don't use this as a historical source book, there is much to enjoy in this story. My only criticism is that, having read quite a lot of Lawhead this year, I am beginning to find the formula for his books somewhat rehearsed. Not totally though - this is still a fine read. ( )