The Blood Queen

1) Reviewer: Amber Fritz-Hewer, Adaptations Writing Services

A gripping tale blending history and fantasy with an unstoppable, blood-fuelled, ancient evil loosed upon the land. Equal parts frightening and inspiring, Millar crafts a tale that keeps you hoping amid primal fear. David H. Millar's

""The Blood Queen"" takes readers on a dark and brutal journey to 4th-century Scotland.

Millar's Ancient Scotland blends historical fiction with dark fantasy, portraying that which we comfortably think of as myth as terrifying forces that freely move amongst humans and animals, doing what they want irrespective of supplication or mundane power. The story is violent, and it needs to be. There is no gratuitous violence or sex because in the world Millar has created, life is brutal, death is brutal, and sex is simply part of life. These are people struggling to survive in a harsh and unforgiving landscape; in conflict with neighbours for power and land; struggling to lead clans and honour families. As gruesome as some passages are, they fit the story. There is purpose behind each violent scene or act.

Equally well done is the gender-indifferent portrayal of men and women. What Millar does so masterfully makes it natural and commonplace, rather than anything coming across as a trope or a placation to a complex, modern society. Men and women are equally able to lead, fight, grieve, or kill.

'There is no denying the skill Millar possesses in conveying the chilling nature of Sidheag and the Baobhan Sith.

What is easily done on film with lighting, music, cinematography, acting, and writing, Millar achieves solely with the power of the written word.

2) Genre: Fantasy, Historical fiction

Review by Jan Foster | Last updated Jun 12, 2023

A must-read Celtic ‘Game of Thrones meets Bernard Cornwell’, blending history with dark fantasy and a truly terrifying villain. The Blood Queen will keep you turning the pages deep into the night.

The Blood Queen is a dark fantasy nominally set in 400 B.C. Scotland, wherein a misguided priest sacrifices innocents in the hope of bringing forth an entity that will do his bidding. This starts a tale of ‘be careful what you wish for’, as the entity – Sidheag – forms a corporeal being and a consciousness complete with dark desires for domination. No-one can resist Sidheag’s allure and subsequent enslavement, and few will survive her rampage across the land as she builds an army to fulfil her calling.

The various kings and queens of the lands are, at first, pre-occupied with accumulating power via kidnapping and conquest, rather than paying too much attention to the rising threat Sidheag poses. Expect to feel frustrated as they ignore all the warnings of her mass slaughter and enchantment! The human world is brutal and violent, but squabbles pale into insignificance as they are forced to unite against the evil sweeping the land. Even gods and demi-gods underestimate their abilities to restrain Sidheag and her Baobhan Sith (a horrific, enraptured orc-like army). I liked that not all the humans were on the side of ‘right’ as well; the complexity and threats from spies and subversion keeps the pace throughout.

Aside from the descriptive prose and the brilliant battle scenes, the equality of the sexes feels genuine, rather than a nod to political correctness. Women rule, fight, murder and fornicate as violently and passionately as the men, and the female characters are badass!

Well-written goriness is necessary in this world, rather than superfluous, as if the reader must become hardened to casual violence to numb them against the horror which awaits as Sidheag grows in power. But just when you think you’re used to it, the author skilfully deploys differing techniques to re-ignite your emotions. I loved the zooming in during the battles onto specific families, capturing their hopes and fears for each other. The variety of POVs provides chilling insights into the minds of the characters to great effect.

The darkness of the story comes from the pervasive sense that life has little value – the gore and violence of the many deaths are an accepted part of human existence, mourned, but almost shrugged off. Sidheag – merciless, without emotion or rationale and ever hungry – offers her ‘followers’ nothing but misery in their enslavement, with no hope of escape; they are merely bodies to be thrown at obstacles for her benefit. The number of cattle-like humans slaughtered on both sides mounts with terrifying ease and you wonder if anyone will be left alive, whomever wins.

What might sound like a bleak story is countered by a wide array of characters who are compellingly written and wonderfully flawed. Warrior Sidhe Grainne is reluctant to embrace her destiny to be the Blood Queen but is faced with the choice of accepting her power or losing her daughter (a brilliantly feisty Brianag) to Sidheag. There are touching sub plots of redemption and long suppressed love, from Cassan, the entitled prince, who evolves to become worthy of respect, to Brion and Seonag, who can never act upon their desires because of a promise made long ago.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Blood Queen, even at its most uncomfortable. Historical accuracy of weapons and battle strategies blended perfectly with the epic and fantastical storyline. I loved the tiny moments of humanity within the bleakest moments. Reading the novel felt like watching a horror movie unfold, compelling you to turn the pages in the hope that somehow, against the odds, humanity will win.