Kevin's Watch

I haven't, but it sounds intriguing...

Stonemaybe wrote:

Menolly wrote:I love, love, love both Sister Fidelma and Ellis Peters' Cadfael.

get yourself a copy of 'Raven of Destiny' then! it's about one of the Red Branch warriors (Cuchulainn and that lot) who, um, ends up travelling around europe. (trying not to give anything away and making it sound completely lame! oops)

Thanks Stone!

wayfriend wrote:

CovenantJr wrote:This week I'm reading (re-reading) Merlin, the second book of five in Stephen Lawhead's Pendragon Cycle, a very interesting interpretation of Arthurian legend.

Not really a Stephen Lawhead question, but "very interesting interpretation of Arthurian Legend" brings to mind A.A. Attanasio's unnamed Arthur/Merlin series. (He is most famous, to me, for writing Radix.) Anyway, this story combines the arthur legend and the celtic/christian confict with .... metaphysics. The world tree is the earth's magnetic lines of flux, across which beings of energy wander. Demons and angels were born of the big bang. Etc. Etc. Merlin is a demon born to a human woman, born old and growing younger. As crazy as that sounds, the thing is beautiful and poetic and a page-turner -- he writes crazy good.

Anyone read it?

I also have never heard of it. Thanks for bringing it to my attention, wayfriend.

...two more to be added to my tottering to be read pile...

wayfriend wrote:

CovenantJr wrote:This week I'm reading (re-reading) Merlin, the second book of five in Stephen Lawhead's Pendragon Cycle, a very interesting interpretation of Arthurian legend.

Not really a Stephen Lawhead question, but "very interesting interpretation of Arthurian Legend" brings to mind A.A. Attanasio's unnamed Arthur/Merlin series. (He is most famous, to me, for writing Radix.) Anyway, this story combines the arthur legend and the celtic/christian confict with .... metaphysics. The world tree is the earth's magnetic lines of flux, across which beings of energy wander. Demons and angels were born of the big bang. Etc. Etc. Merlin is a demon born to a human woman, born old and growing younger. As crazy as that sounds, the thing is beautiful and poetic and a page-turner -- he writes crazy good.

Anyone read it?

Sounds like it's worth investigating - after the Robin Hood thing, which I've just started.

I was't familiar with Lawhead but I picked up the Song of Albion trilogy last month. I'm about half way through The Endless Knot.

I've thoroughly enjoyed these even though the change in perspective from Llew to Tegid in The Silver Hand kind of threw me for a while. Will definitely be getting more Lawhead!

After being distracted by some other stuff, I've re-started Hood. It's getting better, though so far it's not as good as the Pendragon Cycle. Then again, the first book of that cycle was the weakest, so there's time yet...

CovenantJr wrote:Then again, the first book of that cycle was the weakest, so there's time yet...

Heh.

I loved Taliesin. The only thing missing is Myrddin.

Please keep updating us on Hood. I trust your judgment on it.

Uh-oh CovJr, you may not like the series. He places Robin Hood in another forest.

BTW, my company headquarters is in Nottingham, ClinPhone LTD.

I'm not militant about my Nottinghamness. Besides, I may be from Nottingham but I live in Gwynedd, so I win either way.

Just want to mention here how much I love The Pendragon Cycle series. The Arthurian legend is really such a classic story, I think just about everyone has been exposed to it. I really find it fascinating just how much has been written telling this story. What's great about Lawhead's version is how naturally he blends in the Celtic traditions. That The Pendragon Cycle deals a lot with Rome's influence on Celtic Briton is particularly relevant to the legend of Arthur. The Roman Empire did a great deal to assimilate the Celts, and as a result much of their traditions were lost; many of which have only been rediscovered in somewhat recent years. As such nearly all versions of King Arthur depict a Celtic history as recorded by the Romans. Lawhead's inclusion of more historically accurate Celtic traditions really bring this classic tale to a new light, and I feel the characters are simply more real (yet at least as wonderful) than how they are more commonly depicted.

That being said, I think The Once and Future King is fantastic and lighthearted: makes me smile just thinking about it

I had never heard of Taliesin until the Pendragon Cycle. Is the name common to Arthur stories? BTW, most of Lawhead's stories deal w/the Celts, so if you haven't read them, you'd probably be interested.

Ever since X-Men, been meaning to get to the Once and Future King.

Weez, Taliesin is a hero from the Welsh story cycle The Mabinogion. I think the King Arthur legend is generally thought to be of Saxon origin. So Taliesin is a Celtic hero while Arthur kind of isn't. Right? Somebody correct me if I'm wrong....

Yeah, Arthur isn't Celtic at all. Maybe Welsh, but not Celtic. And even the Welsh versions are of much earlier origin than the Saxon ones. Personally, I liked Gemmel's Romano-British version myself.

As for Lawhead, I think I've only read the Song of Albion trilogy.

Nuada of the Silver Hand and whatnot. (although suddenly I suspect I'm mixing two mythologies there...or he was...)

--A

Just finished Hood. I thought the central characters were one dimensional and just plain awful. Yuck.

I still haven't read Hood.
But will recommend the Pendragon cycle to anyone.
Especially the second book in the cycle, Merlin.

Oh gosh, just discovered this thread - I LOVE LOVE LOVE the Pendragon cycle. I especially loved the character of Charis (pronounced "Khar-is"). This books made me cry a bit... but wow.

So long since I read it.. 2004! I can barely remember remember the series; can just remember a taste of them, or the scent ...just a hint of the shimmer of orichalchum and warm gold...

Charis is awesome.

Yeaahhh!!!

I remember -so- much beauty in Taliesin and Merlin... but I just didn't have the heart to enjoy Arthur.

While non technically a part of the cycle, the 6th book, Avalon, brings it all together in a hopeful ending though.

Menolly wrote:I still haven't read Hood.
But will recommend the Pendragon cycle to anyone.
Especially the second book in the cycle, Merlin.

Merlin is an exquisite book. The series is good, but there was something deeply moving about Merlin when I read the series a few years ago. Later I re-read just that book.

He's got some new books out!

One is called "The Skin Map" (reminds me of ussussumiel's signature!)
The other is called "The Bone House." (I think.)

I don't think I've read any of his Taliesin/Merlin/Arthur.
(and that feels like it was soooooo long ago)

I want to get my hands on these!