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The Irish boy Setanta--half mortal and half Sidhe-- struggles to prove himself a warrior and find his place in the court of the powerful and arrogant king of Ulster, Conchobar MacNessa.

In the process he must endure the savage training of the king's "boys' school," learn Celtic lore from a wise high-druid, and spend a cruel winter as apprentice and watchdog to mystical blacksmith Culain. Here he earns the nickname of "The Hound."

He must also survive the wily attempts of the paranoid king to destroy him. Having proven himself ready, he will finally ride out to pit himself against Ulster's enemies in combat. He does so knowing of the prophecy that to take arms will make his life very glorious...but also very short.

This tale is the beginning of the saga of Cuchulain, Ireland's most famous mythic hero.

From a land lost in the mists of time, in a realm of myth and magic, where legendary heroes fought undying foes in ultimate battles of good and evil, comes the story of a proud and indomitable people and a magnificent nation whose birth was foretold by the darkest visions and the direst prophecies.

It is the story of Conaire Mor, fated to become Ireland's greatest high-king. It is also the tale of Ulster's outcast Queen Meave, the powerful and ruthless King Conchobar, the young Red Branch warrior Cuchulain, and the dark high-druid Calatin, whose ambitions and twisted magic threaten them all.

Here, woven into a rich mythical tapestry, is a never-before-told story of ancient Ireland... a spellbinding tale of love and intrigue, lust and murder, rivalry and quest... of a time and place long ago that still lives forever in our deepest fantasies.

Out if the grey mists of an Irish dawn, a woman of the Sidhe whispered to the champion Cuchulain of a great adventure... of a majestic queen of flaming red-gold hair... of dew-drenched meadows where war chariots prepared for battle... of obscene incantations chanted by the evil druid Calatin to turn the blackest magic against the warriors of Ulster.

The wind whispered again and Cuchulain, the Hound of Ulster, felt the chill of death. He knew that only he could stop the bloody slaughter. Only he dared to stand alone against the armies of Eire... alone against the terrible beauty of Meave, an angry Irish queen.