The Lost Queen is author Signe Pike’s first book in a trilogy. It is part historical fiction and part fantasy. The story is set in the middle ages in Europe when Christianity’s rise is threatened the ancient Celtic religion and lifestyle. There is plenty of political and religious conflict that reflects the author’s research on the period and topic. The story further explores the impact this conflict has on the people of Scotland.

This epic saga features legends, warriors, a forgotten sixth-century Scottish queen and Merlin. I loved the strong female character, but her blunders reminded me of what I didn’t like in the main character of the Outlander series (to which The Lost Queen has been likened). The occasional use of a modern phrase can be easily overlooked by most readers (but fantasy devotees may cringe at a few). While modern readers might take offense to how some characters are treated, the author’s use of the social hierarchies and norms is clearly well researched and felt authentic to the period.

Unlike some fantasy sagas I’ve read, Ms. Pike’s plot is straightforward. There is a lot of forward movement. In the several fantasy sagas I’ve read, there was so much devotion to world-building and creating an incredibly vast cast of characters, that the arc of the plot is easily lost, or it wasn’t until the final book that there was any real forward trajectory in the plot.

Even though the story is well written, at 500 pages, the book was a bit long for me given my interest level in the fantasy genre in general and Arthurian legend specifically. True fantasy lovers will relish diving into Ms. Pike’s debut novel!