Hagtale

‘This vivid novel features a wolf child, a crazed warlord and a walking forest, conjuring a world where nature is alive and wild, and human nature is cruel and deadly. Giving new life to the old fireside yarn that inspired Shakespeare’s Macbeth.'

-- Eithne Farry * The Irish Daily Mail *

‘A strange, epic, haunting tale.’

-- Chetna Maroo, author of Western Lane

‘O’Reilly’s reimagining of Macbeth is stunning. Language, time frame, descriptions, plot, and character are brilliant. Connections between Rowan and Wulva are preternaturally curious. A gift to the expanding literary world of Macbeth.’

-- Fiona Alison * Historical Novel Society *

‘A book of blood and guts with some of the most exquisite nature writing I’ve ever read.’

-- Hannah Vincent, author of Alarm Girl

‘A haunting novel, beautifully written. Sally O’Reilly has the ability to evoke whole landscapes in few words and to create characters whose lives are inseparable from the nature they inhabit. I was captivated by the stories of her two protagonists and of the land itself. A truly unusual read.’

-- Susanna Jones, author of When Nights Were Cold

‘Sally O’Reilly places us right in the centre of the hurly-burly, toil and trouble that happens before the action of every gothic fiction lover’s favourite Shakespeare play. Hagtale is a bold and surprising book, taking figures from classic literature and updating them in a way which feels at once audacious and predestined. It’s also a brilliantly gripping read.’

-- Anna Caig, author of The Wise Witch of Orkney

‘O’Reilly’s rich, descriptive writing brings to life all the sights and sounds of nature, the tranquil countryside, the sparkling river waters, the night sounds, the forest spreading its roots. The title Hagtale with its permutations of dark fable and oral storytelling is perfect.’

-- Helen Eddy * Readplus *

‘For too long, Lady Macbeth has been cast as the singular catalyst for Macbeth’s descent into violence. O’Reilly instead gestures toward a more unsettling possibility: that Lady Macbeth has functioned as a scapegoat for male aggression, a narrative pattern that has recurred across literary history.’

-- Madison Burland * Honi Soit *

‘Hagtale is perhaps the kind of story we all once listened to around the fire, children and adults together. It is a fairytale, told fast and spare, with no danger of losing the listeners’ attention. There is brutal violence and page-turning suspense. Wulva and Brother Rowan are immensely likeable, both of them not only caught up in the expectations of others but powerful, inescapable spiritual forces.’

-- Stephanie Johnson * New Zealand Listener *

Praise for Dark Aemilia:

‘A gripping novel that gives feisty feminist voice to the unknown woman who inspired Shakespeare’s sonnets.’

-- Kirkus Reviews, starred review

Praise for Dark Aemilia:

‘A pleasure for anyone who enjoys well-crafted historical fiction.’

-- The Washington Post

Praise for Dark Aemilia:

‘Seethes with intrigue, sorcery, and sex.’

-- The New York Times Book Review

Praise for Dark Aemilia:

‘With elegant style, masterly wordplay, and an eye for historical detail, O’Reilly beautifully relates a passionate and tragic love story.’

* Library Journal *

Praise for Dark Aemilia:

‘A lively, vividly rendered novel about the dramatic life of an extraordinary woman.’

* Bookli