The Hounds of the Morrigan
#3214.06 adjusted 4.04 for sample size in the official ranking · full ranking
Books 1 book Status Complete 1985 Reading commitment Low Pat O'Shea Last reviewed 2026-09-27
Overview
Pat O'Shea's 1985 novel, thirteen years in the writing, sets the figures of Irish mythology loose in the modern west of Ireland. When ten-year-old Pidge buys an old manuscript in a Galway bookshop he frees the serpent Olc-Glas, and the Morrígan, the Great Queen of death and destruction, comes with her hounds to claim its poison. Pidge and his small sister Brigit are sent on a quest across Ireland and into the otherworld to find the one stone that can destroy the serpent, helped by a crowd of creatures and heroes from the old tales and pursued at every turn.
Mythic fantasy · For Middle grade
Core Canon: Reading Order (1 work) counts toward ranking
The Hounds of the Morrigan (1985) core · 4.06 (3,870 ratings); Also spelled The Hounds of the Mórrígan on some editions. First published by Oxford University Press, 1985.
Quick answers
- How many books are in The Hounds of the Morrigan? The Hounds of the Morrigan's Core Canon is 1 book.
- Is The Hounds of the Morrigan finished? Complete (1985).
- How much reading does The Hounds of the Morrigan take? Low reading commitment (estimated from 1 Core Canon book · ~469 pages).
- How is The Hounds of the Morrigan ranked? #321 in this site's official ranking, based on 3,870 reader ratings across 1 Core Canon book. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #321?
Ranked #321 in the official ranking.
- Average reader rating of 4.06 across 1 core book.
- A smaller readership (3,870 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- 0.01 behind #320, The Witch Roads.
- Below the top-10 average of 4.45.
- A single standalone novel: ranked on that one book alone.
Why explore this universe?
Well rated · 1 book · Complete · 4k ratings · Ranks #321 overall
Good choice if you want a quick, low-commitment mythic fantasy universe that's already finished, so there's no wait for the next book.
Reading order
A single Core Canon work: no sequencing question to resolve.
Awards (verified)
- No award could be confirmed for this novel.
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Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 4.06 across 3,870 ratings on 1 Core Canon book. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: Canon extension: The Hounds of the Morrigan (Pat O'Shea) accepted 2026-09-27
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
- Publishers Weekly Tier 2
Last reviewed: 2026-09-27
Rule: Core Canon = The Hounds of the Morrigan (1985) only, standalone.