A swashbuckling historical novel, retelling of one of Ireland's most celebrated legends - the story of the Cuchullain, the Hound of Ulster. Ireland, 2000 years ago. A time for Heroes, a time of battle and stories, a time when myth and history meet and mingle. The court of King Conor throngs with Heroes, but it is the boy Cuchullain, an outsider about whom there is an aura of mystery and prophecy, who will grow to be Ireland's greatest warrior. As he grows to be a man so his exploits become legendary - extraordinary feats of courage, cunning, strength and arms by a man only too aware of his dark destiny. Soon, only he will stand before the gathering armies of the vengeful Queen Maeve, but he is Cuchullain, the Hound of Ulster. Set in the blood-and-beer-soaked, legend-filled world of pre-Christian Celtic Ireland, 'Hound' is the story of a land where men delight equally in the sound of the sword and the poet's song, a world where honour is more important than life itself. It is a timeless tale of heroism and heroes, of friendship, love and betrayal, of war and poetry - a story recounted by a stranger, a man who was born Sigmund the German, brought up as Decius the Roman, only to be wa