Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Book of Kells | 1985 | R.A. MacAvoy | Buy |
| 2 | The Grey Horse | 1987 | R.A. MacAvoy | Buy |
| 3 | The Third Eagle | 1989 | R.A. MacAvoy | Buy |
| 4 | In Between | 2009 | R.A. MacAvoy | Buy |
| 5 | Death and Resurrection | 2011 | R.A. MacAvoy | Buy |
R.A. MacAvoy’s standalone novels span 26 years and several genres. The Book of Kells (1985) sends two modern Canadians back to early medieval Ireland during the Viking raids, weaving in the history and art of the famous illuminated manuscript. The Grey Horse (1987) is set in nineteenth-century occupied Ireland and centres on a pooka — a shapeshifter from Irish mythology — and a local woman in a story that is as much about colonialism and loss as it is about magic.
The Third Eagle (1989) is science fiction, following a Native American warrior reincarnated in the far future, and represents MacAvoy’s most sustained work outside fantasy. In Between (2009) and Death and Resurrection (2011) came after a long gap in her publishing career and reflect a more philosophical, meditative style.
MacAvoy’s standalones share a quality of careful attention: to place, to language, to the inner lives of her characters. They are quieter than most genre fiction and better suited to readers who are already comfortable in literary fantasy.