Title Dream Angus Series --- Author Alexander McCall Smith Cover Art Jeff Fisher Publisher Alfred A. Knopf - 2006 First Printing Canongate - 2006 Category Mythology Warnings None Main Characters Dream Angus Main Elements Gods

"Dreams to sell, fine dreams to sell."

Dream Angus comes to you at night and bestows dreams - you may spot him skipping across the hills, his bag of dreams by his side. Just the sight of him may be enough to make you lose your heart, for he is also the god of love, youth and beauty. Divine Angus is adored by all, but fated to love only the beautiful Caér, swan maiden of his own dreams.

Five exquisite fables of modern dreamers unfold alongside Angus' search for Caér. Mesmerically weaving together the tales of the Celtic Eros and his contemporary alter egos, Alexander McCall Smith unites dream and reality, leaving us to wonder what is life, but the pursuit of our dreams?

There is a whole series of these mythological retellings by modern authors. Some are beautifully written and magical, others come off as scholarly essays and can be a little boring. This is one of the former. Appropriate for a tale about the god of dreams, it has a kind of dreamlike quality and was a great pleasure to read.

While I've been reading all things gods/angels/demons this year, I somehow found myself focused mainly on Greek and Norse myth so this was my first foray into the Celtic realm and I was completely unfamiliary with the mythological characters. But now I know about the beautiful Dream Angus, always accompanied by a group of song birds around his head. About how he would bring love to others, be he was thwarted in finding love for himself, as he could only find her in his dreams.

The author also adds five stories that take place in the modern era, tying nicely into myth, showing us that dreams are eternal and maybe the old gods still walk amongst us, even if we refuse to believe in them.