WINNER OF THE 2002 FOREWORD INDIES BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD IN HISTORICAL FICTION

On a remote Gaelic farmstead in medieval Ireland, word reaches Alberic of conquering Norman knights arriving from England. Oppressed by the social order that enslaved his Norman father, he yearns for the reckoning he believes the invaders will bring—but his world is about to burn. Captured by the Norman knight Hugo de Lacy and installed at Dublin Castle as a translator, Alberic's confused loyalties are tested at every turn. When de Lacy marches inland, Alberic is set on a collision course with his former masters amidst rumours of a great Gaelic army rising in the west. Can Alberic navigate safely through revenge, lust and betrayal to find his place amidst the birth of a kingdom in a land of war?

Reviews

Run with the Hare, Hunt with the Hound is a shining example of what historical fiction should be. The reader leaves their own world behind and enters the vivid, darkly haunted world of twelfth-century Ireland. Through Duffy's imaginative and lyrical prose, the reader can sense a deeper Irish history and mythology interacting with the characters, who are so real that I felt if I looked up from the page, I might see them in the room with me. Run with the Hare, Hunt with the Hound will definitely be one of my "Books of the Year."

—Elizabeth Chadwick, author of The Greatest Knight and The Summer Queen

With luminous, gothic prose, Paul Duffy puts flesh on the bones of ancient Ireland. A novel rich in imagination and scholarly knowledge.

—Paul Lynch, author of Beyond the Sea and Grace

The experiences, hopes and fears of the compelling central character—Alberic—breathe humanity and depth into this convincing and taut reimagining of a violent and tumultuous period of Irish history. The multicultural world of twelfth-century Ireland is brilliantly evoked, and the story's focus on the oppressed is informed by expert understanding of the culture of medieval Ireland and its colonisers. There can be few people today with a greater knowledge than Paul Duffy of the historical realities that underpin Alberic's fictional journey, and he brings them forcefully to life in this wonderful novel.

—Elizabeth Boyle, author of Fierce Appetites

Pacy and vividly written, Run with the Hare, Hunt with the Hound offers a fascinating insight into Ireland at a crucial juncture in its history.

—David Butler, author of City of Dis

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