u/GroundbreakingTwo151

I want to again thank those who contributed to my last post. It is no easy task to distil your novel into a few paragraphs. I have tried to take on board any advice given but again feel free to offer any critique.

The novel was originally called The Painted Man but a novel already exists with that name. As was pointed out in my last post by BigHatNoSaddle, the next name The Table of Crom could also cause confusion. The new name The Marble Table fits with an image of the fettered Crom in my novel.

Thanks for reading, the query is below.

Dear [Agent Name],

When her greatest love is erased from the stories that once bound them, the Morrigan, a goddess born of memory, searches for a way back to him. In sixth‑century Ireland, the titan Crom Cruach spreads a new scripture across the land, replacing the oral traditions that once gave life to the old myths. As his written word takes hold, the Morrigan feels her world fall silent, and the love she shared fade from every fireside tale.

Led by a fervent saint, Crom’s followers seize the northern provinces and force his doctrine on every kingdom. Desperate to survive the rewriting of her own myth, the Morrigan turns to the fragile bond between Oisin, a reluctant champion, and Niamh, a fierce survivor. Their love, unwritten and human, may be the last thread connecting the Morrigan to the life she lost. But when Crom resurrects a fearsome figure from her own legend to guard his holy text, the Morrigan must confront the truth of her myth, and the vengeance that made her the phantom queen.

The theft of Crom’s sacred book ignites a war that pulls mortal and divine factions into open conflict. Chained to his green marble table, Crom’s unravelling mind proves as perilous as his scripture. Haunted by doubt and the terror of immortal loneliness, the Morrigan risks the last of who she is. In a final reckoning of judgment and ritual, she must decide whether her love can endure or whether she must accept the end of her story.

Complete at 113,000 words, The Marble Table is literary historical fantasy rooted in Irish myth, blending psychological depth with an exploration of how stories become history. It will appeal to readers of The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro and The Witch’s Heart by Genevieve Gornichec, as well as fans of Madeline Miller’s Circe.

I am submitting to you because [Reasons].

I am based in Dublin, Ireland, and have long been fascinated by the gap between Ireland’s oral traditions and the written myths preserved by Christian scribes. This novel explores what is lost, and what is created, when stories change hands.

Kind regards,

Firstly, thank you to all who have given me feedback so far. This is my fourth time submitting this query. After my latest read through, I realised my earlier attempts were trying too hard to force the book into a commercial template. It isn’t commercial fiction, so this time I’m presenting it as it actually is.

A quick breakdown of the novel, so readers have context before the query:

• The central conflict is the tension between oral and written traditions in sixth‑century Ireland. Crom represents the rise of written scripture and the Morrigan embodies the fading oral world.
• As written belief spreads, the old myths begin to lose power. The Morrigan crosses the veil to gather what remains of her kin and her lost lover, the Dagda. This emotional search drives the story.
• Crom is both antagonist and catalyst. He speaks of all myths being connected to understand existence. He wants to control this by writing myths down, so they become history. This way he can control who and what is remembered.
• The otherworldly cathedral is where he does this. It is not one place; it can be both physical and metaphysical.  He is a pantheon eater (think Cronos) and through him debate, performance, and satire mix to parody religion and religious constructs.
• The mortal and divine plots join through him, forcing the Morrigan to confront her own myth and the grief at the centre of her existence.

The book isn’t a retelling and doesn’t use fantasy tropes. It uses myth as philosophical and emotional building blocks to tell a new narrative. Literary mythic fiction is the closest label I have found. The chosen comps are older than three years, but they best fit the novels style.

Thanks for reading, the query is below. Any critique is appreciated.

Dear [Agent Name],

In The Table of Crom, Irish myth begins to unravel when written scripture rises to replace the oral traditions that once sustained it. As Crom Cruach’s dogma spreads across sixth-century Ireland, the Morrigan crosses the veil into the mortal world. She seeks not control but the last remnants of her lost lover, the Dagda, whose story is being overwritten each time a new belief takes hold.

As Crom’s word takes root, faith itself begins to shift, and the old stories start to lose their power. The Morrigan gathers the last of her fading kin, hoping to anchor herself in the memories that once held her together. Instead, she is drawn into a vast, otherworldly cathedral where forgotten gods argue, perform, and fracture under the weight of the stories mortals have written about them. There she must confront the truth of her own myth, and the possibility that her legend has shaped her more than she ever shaped it.

Her journey spirals through myth, memory, and history. A war echoes ancient battles. Lovers die twice, once in legend and once in fire. A saint becomes a storyteller. A goddess becomes a woman, not myth. In the end, the Morrigan must choose between love and the stories that would outlive her.

Complete at 113,000 words, The Table of Crom is literary mythic fiction that blends psychological depth with an exploration of how myths are made and unmade. It will appeal to readers of The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro and Circe by Madeline Miller, as well as those drawn to the philosophical and layered storytelling of David Mitchell’s work.

I am submitting it to you because [Reasons].

I am based in Dublin, Ireland, and have long been fascinated by the gap between Ireland’s oral traditions and the written myths preserved by Christian scribes. This novel explores what is lost and what is created when stories change hands.

Kind regards,

Dear [Agent Name],

In sixth-century Ireland, myth is fading and the written word threatens to overwrite every story. The Morrigan, immortal but fading, is desperate to reclaim lost love and preserve her own myth. But Crom, an ancient power, unleashes his sacred scripture, spreading his new faith and malice. Marked by ordeal and sacrifice, this growing madness threatens to erase the godlike and rewrite Ireland’s ancient stories.

When Crom’s scripture is stolen, war erupts. With her own sanity slipping, the Morrigan is determined to save what is left. Outwitting a dissected Crom in a ritual contest, she confesses her own failures before a godly congregation. Accepting loves loss, she sacrifices herself to death and lessens. With the godlike gone, history claims the narrative.

The Painted Man blends mythic storytelling, psychological depth, and dark intrigue, appealing to readers who enjoyed the epic scope and mythic resonance of Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James and the historical feminine perspective of The Voyage Home by Pat Barker.

Complete at 113,000 words, The Painted Man is a standalone historical fantasy with series potential. I am submitting it to you because [Reasons].

I am based in Dublin, Ireland, and have been fascinated by the mythic culture of my country since childhood. I often wonder what Ireland’s real myths entailed before they were written down by Christian monks.

Dear [Agent Name],

My book opens in an Ireland of fading myth, one where the written word threatens to overwrite every story. Immortal but dimming, the Morrigan wants to stop herself from lessening, reclaim her lost love, and confront Crom, an ancient power determined to erase the godlike by rewriting oral myth with scripture.

Through this “Bible” a new faith is unleashed, one with ritual abuse, drug induced madness, and human sacrifice at its centre. As Crom’s followers seize the north, the Morrigan’s devotees rally in the south. When the sacred book is stolen, war erupts. To save her world, the Morrigan must participate in Crom’s ritual contest, risking the memory of her lost love, her sanity, and the survival of the isles’ ancient stories. Is myth mightier that the word?

Complete at 113,000 words, The Painted Man is an adult historical fantasy set in sixth century Ireland. It will appeal to readers of Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James and The Children of Gods and Fighting Men by Shauna Lawless.

I am submitting The Painted Man to you because [Reasons].

I am based in Dublin, Ireland and I have been obsessed with the mythic culture of my country since I was young. Having often thought of what Ireland’s real myths entailed before they were written down by Christian monks, my mind often considers, what did they change and what stories were lost?

Dear [Agent Name],

My book opens in an Ireland of fading myth, one where the written word threatens to overwrite every story. Immortal but dimming, the Morrigan wants to stop herself from lessening, reclaim her lost love, and confront Crom, an ancient power determined to erase the godlike by rewriting oral myth with scripture.

Through this “Bible” a new faith is unleashed, one with ritual abuse, drug induced madness, and human sacrifice at its centre. As Crom’s followers seize the north, the Morrigan’s devotees rally in the south. When the sacred book is stolen, war erupts. To save her world, the Morrigan must participate in Crom’s ritual contest, risking the memory of her lost love, her sanity, and the survival of the isles’ ancient stories. Is myth mightier that the word?

Complete at 113,000 words, The Painted Man is an adult historical fantasy set in sixth century Ireland. It will appeal to readers of Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James and The Children of Gods and Fighting Men by Shauna Lawless.

I am submitting The Painted Man to you because [Reasons].

I am based in Dublin, Ireland and I have been obsessed with the mythic culture of my country since I was young. Having often thought of what Ireland’s real myths entailed before they were written down by Christian monks, my mind often considers, what did they change and what stories were lost?

Dear Agent,

I’m querying you because [reason for picking that agent]. My novel is not easy to pigeonhole, think of Jeff Noon writing in 6^(th) century Ireland. It is written for people who enjoy literature that challenges. With this in mind, I am seeking representation for my completed novel, The Painted Man, an epic literary fantasy of approximately 113,154 words. This novel reimagines Irish myth through a modern literary lens, blending psychological depth, mythic resonance, and a sweeping cast of mortals and gods.

In an Ireland where survival is gained through remembrance, the godlike Morrigan is running out of time. Her great love, the Dagda, has already slipped into death, and with each retelling of their myth, the path back to him grows colder. When Crom, an ancient power, wages a new kind of conquest: a scripture that can overwrite myth with ink, all sagas are threatened. Crom’s chosen saint, Eadric, and a grieving young queen, Emer, become the human faces of this new faith. Through Crom’s “bible”, the living memory that sustains the Morrigan and her kin is slowly erased.

To fight back, and through her own devotees led by Oisin, and as the assembly at Tara draws near, alliances are forged and broken, love is tested, and the boundaries between myth and reality blur. The Morrigan must risk everything as war descends, she must confront Crom directly, even if it means losing herself to his decrepit pantheon long enough to keep the Dagda’s name from vanishing forever.

The conflict turns cosmic when Crom’s true nature surfaces: a devouring force of time determined to consume every competing story until only his version remains. The Morrigan confronting her own sins dare not fail. If she does, it won’t just be a people conquered; it will be an entire mythology rewritten into silence.   

The Painted Man blends Irish myth with political intrigue and psychological depth. It will appeal to readers who appreciate the lyrical, mythic storytelling of The Children of Gods and Fighting Men by Shauna Lawless and The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden.

[Bio]

Thank you for considering my work.