Mary Mack

Ashling Mary Mack

'Ashling' is an epic fantasy adventure along the lines of JRR Tolkien's 'Lord of the Rings'. This story weaves myriad colorful threads from Ireland's racial memories, global mythology and folklore, geology, quantum physics, Greek literature, and biblical accounts of Earth's beginnings, into a fascinating tale for all ages. A freak hang-gliding accident plunges Ashling through a rip in the fabric of Time and catapults her into Ireland's past, where Fomorian Giants are battling Elves of the Tuatha Dé Danaan for lordship over the downtrodden, enslaved Humans. All Ashling wants is to go home, but the only way back is through the inter-dimensional travel hub on Mount Olympus, which is jealously guarded by Fallen Angels - the all-powerful and violent gods of mythology. In her seemingly impossible quest to outsmart these creatures, the transplanted university student gathers together a band of misfits, repels an invasion of Giants, rescues a besieged Elf princess, masters a ferocious dragon, and sparks a Human revolution. But her arrival has fulfilled an ancient prophecy and triggers events that will eventually culminate in the destruction of the gods' sacred mountain - and Ashling must race against Time and Fate to reach the quantum portal before it closes forever. The Irish word 'aisling' means dream, or vision. This story is the extension of a dream the author had one night, which her children demanded she write down and finish. The resulting feature film script won Best Fantasy Screenplay in the Table Read My Screenplay Contest in 2015, out of nearly 1,000 entries worldwide. The screenplay was a finalist in the 2016 Wexford Film Festival, and was nominated for the Culture & Heritage Award during the 2016/2017 Fresh Voices Screenwriting Contest, where it also reached the quarterfinals. The Irish Film Board has compared 'Ashling' to 'Lord of the Rings', 'Game of Thrones', 'Hunger Games', 'The Hobbit', 'Narnia', 'Harry Potter', 'Beowulf, and 'Brave' (Readers' Reports, August 2015). Literary agents have likened 'Ashling' to 'Avatar' and 'How to Train Your Dragon'.