The Last of the High Kings (review)

In this sequel to The New Policeman (BCCB 4/07), J.J. Liddy, who in the previous novel sought out extra time for his mother and discovered a pathway to eternity, is now an adult and a father. Music is still a key part of his family's lives, though his youngest daughter, Jenny, is more interested in listening to the wind and wandering the Irish countryside than participating in weekly dances or family activities at all. Her two closest friends are a ghost who guards a stone beacon, protecting it from an ancient enemy, and a púka, a shape-shifting goat from a parallel world with a mysterious agenda. The naturally flighty and distant Jenny (she turns out to be a changeling exchanged with J.J.'s infant daughter years ago for priceless wood to be used for instruments) is ultimately the only person who can save her family, town, and even the world as the evil forces who had always been warded off by the ghost gain in power. Thompson describes an elegant, sweeping Irish landscape so intricately portrayed that it becomes almost a character in itself. Although this novel could function as a standalone, as each character is carefully introduced and the main plot does not rely overmuch on the earlier story, readers will be more empathetic and engaged with the protagonist if they know the previous volumes' stories about her adopted family and biological family, especially J.J., who sacrificed much in both novels in pursuit of music, often at the expense of those he loves. Although context is given for most of the Celtic mythological characters or terms, a glossary is included.