The Shattering Sea: A Celtic Fantasy set in Iron Age Scotland (The Orkney Cycle Book 1)

Name: The Shattering Sea: A Celtic Fantasy set in Iron Age Scotland (The Orkney Cycle Book 1)
Availability: InStock
Rating: 4.3 (95 reviews)
Author: Daniel Allison

by Daniel Allison

Historical Fiction Fantasy

4.3 (95)

4.3 stars from 95 reviews

FreeFree

Last checked: Jun 29, 2026

Buy now — it's free!

Buy on Amazon - Free

0 readers are tracking this book's price

Fans of these authors will like this...

Michelle Paver
Juliet Marillier
Mary Renault

Fans of these books will like this...

The Mists of Avalon
Chronicles of Ancient Darkness
The Song of Achilles

Perfect for you if...

You love Celtic and Norse mythology grounded in real historical settings, not sanitised fantasy versions.
You want epic fantasy with genuine emotional stakes between characters who can't trust each other but have to anyway.
You're drawn to stories where magic is dangerous, specific, and rooted in pagan ritual rather than generic spellcasting.

Maybe not for you if...

You prefer fast-paced plots with minimal worldbuilding exposition. Allison spends time on the texture of Iron Age life and tribal politics.
You need your protagonists to be straightforwardly heroic. Talorc carries the mark of the enemy and Runa's secrets complicate every alliance.
You're looking for romantic fantasy. Talorc and Runa's connection matters, but this is fundamentally a survival quest with dark magic at its core.

About this book

The Shattering Sea is set in ancient Orkney, a world of warring Celtic tribes, pagan gods, and dark magic. The Selkie Wars have ended and the finmen have been banished to a remote island, leaving the Orkadi clan unchallenged. However, rumors persist of finmen sightings, and some believe the speys—Orka's witches—continue practicing rituals in clifftop tombs and among standing stones. Talorc arrives at King Anga's court claiming a sea serpent devoured his family and burned his village, insisting he witnessed a finmen druid summon the creature through blood magic. Runa, Princess of the Orkadi, believes his account and supports him despite his connection to the finfolk and ability to summon their magic. As blood darkens the sea and King Anga prepares for war, Talorc and Runa journey to uncover the truth, traveling from selkie caves to mountaintop rituals, the dark isle of the finmen, and the halls of the Sea Mother. This opening book of The Orkney Cycle blends Celtic mythology with epic fantasy, exploring pre-Christian Scotland and Northern Europe.

Get the best deal every time

We track price drops, sale patterns, and predict when this book will go on offer next.

Price History

Kindle price over time. Green zones = periods when the book was free.

We're still collecting price data for this book. Check back soon.

Price unavailable – Price unavailable

Sales Rank

Amazon sales rank: lower number = better selling book. #1 is the bestseller.

We're still collecting sales rank data for this book. Check back soon.

Rating & Reviews

Purple line = star rating over time. Blue area = total review count growth.

Currently 4.3★ from 95 reviews

Review activity has been quiet recently. Rating has remained stable at 4.3 over the tracking period.

Sale Prediction

We need more price history before we can make predictions. Check back soon.

Actual Predicted

Prices shown in USD from Amazon US. We continuously pull new data to improve tracking. If dates look old, it usually means there has been no significant change since the last data point.