R- The Horse Goddess (v,x), Finn Mac Cool (v,x), Red Branch (v,x), The Wind from Hastings (v,x)
PG16- Elementals (v,slight x,slight b), Druids (v,slight x,slight b)
Morgan Llewelyn writes historical fantasy with a keen imagination and a love of strong, fleshed-out characters. Her usual emphasis is on Celtic myths, though she occasionally branches out from that. She makes myths come alive, especially ones that seem like accidents, or misrepresenatations of the truth. Her thorough knowledge of the period gives her the space to be audacious and unrelenting in her tales. Llewellyn makes the impossible not just true, but necessary. After she tells the story, you won't ever believe it happened any other way.
That said, there are some of her novels that are better than others. Though she always strongly identifies with the characters and the setting, the pre-ordained plots sometimes cause her problems, as she must have her characters do things that they sometimes have grown beyond. In her best novels, however, it seems as though she made the plot up herself, rather than having it dictated across the space of a thousand years or more. In all, she is one of the best writers of Celtic myth in the modern world, and I heartily recommend her to anyone who loves that culture.
Finn Mac Cool is an incredible novel about one of the most popular Irish heroes ever, the poet warrior Fionn Mac Cuhal. This novel traces his extraordinary life; from the time he first leaves his wild upbringing to the fall of the great kingdom he helped make, Llewelyn provides compelling motivations and intriguing explanations for the tall tales of this man. His lifelong obsessions and the power of his will push the book to a quick, steady pace that never quite lets you stop to take stock of what has happened. Llewelyn is at home with the world in which she writes, and she knows what to do with the flesh and blood people she has revived from legend. War and love, the sacred and the profane, creation and destruction, hope and despair, these are all bound up into a single, powerful epic that appeals beyond the usual audience for Celtic history.
One of her less well-done novels is The Horse Goddess, about Epona and several other of the older Celtic myths. This book is set in Eastern Europe before the Celts travelled to the British isles (so more than 2000 years ago). Epona is the legendary woman/goddess who brought horses to the Celtic people. Llewellyn does a wonderful job of characterizing Epona and her contemporary mythical figures, and it doesn't even feel that improbable that they all lived in the same village. The horses and other animals are also nicely done. Structural problems arise in the second half of the book, though they are sometimes masked by powerful descriptions of the lands and peoples to the East of the Celtic homeland. Up until the last scene, though, the problems grow. For those largely unconcerned by plot (or its slowness), however, it's a good book. There's nice romance and a large dose of Celtic religious information, as well as strong anthropological grounding.
One of her most popular works is Druids, the story of a young boy who becomes a Druid in Gaul at the time the Romans are invading. Through his friendship with the new king of Gaul, he hopes to prevent the onslaught of the Roman armies and the destruction they will certainly wreak on his way of life. This novel has an oddly realist tone, probably related to the overwhelming odds faced by the protagonists. It also contains excellent descriptions of Druid rites and life during the Gaulish period. Though not quite as good as Finn Mac Cool in terms of vision, it stands as a good example of Llewelyn's work and is heartily reccomended to historical fantasy buffs and fans of Celtic work alike. Contains gritty and realistic violence, but otherwise seems mostly suitable for young adults.
Probably the best Llewellyn book I have read (though I'm still missing several) is Red Branch, a compelling version of the life of Irish legend Cuchulain, the Champion of Ulster. Not only could I not put this one down, but I also actually cried more than once. Yet having finished it, I don't at all feel weighed down. Rather, I feel the triumph that humans and our free will can have over destiny and even mortality itself. Cuchulain delighted me, from the young scrapper who challenged everyone he met to fight, to the aging man who recognized the death in every life. This novel presents aspects of a hero that are seldom celebrated, if they are even remembered. Once again, Llewelyn proves she is completely at home in the folklore of Ireland, and she weaves a story suspended between life and death, untterly believable, lamentable, and celebratory all at once. Give yourself a good chunk of private time to finish it, and don't be afraid to cry. Finally, Llewelyn has overcome the difficulty she has with endings and has trancended despair.
A historical novel of a different focus is The Elementals, which is really four novellas strung together by the thinnist of threads- blood, magic, and hope. Each novella explores a different period in history when the balance of Nature was so threatened that human survival came into question. Thus, a woman who survived the destruction of Atlantis must use her gift of Water to save the remnants of her people. A musician living during the fall of the Minoan civilization on Crete must find within himself the power of Fire. A woman living in the "New World" discovers an affinity with the Earth, and her descendent, part Native American, uses his knowledge of Air to help save what's left of the planet when the ozone layer is finally destroyed. Though each story is one of impending destruction, what Llewellyn ultimately offers is a way out of that vision: survival through a better understanding of the world around us.
Most of the secondary characters in these novellas are not as well developed as in her other stories, but that is probably because she has four strong main characters to deal with. The weaving of the story across the years is masterful, in terms of plot, characterization, and settings. The language tends toward the poetic, even as the imagery becomes increasingly savage and destructive. In all, an excellent book, but not light reading.
One novel of Llewelyn's that could be classified as almost pure historical fiction is The Wind from Hastings, which follows the life of Edyth the Saxon, First Lady of Wales and then of England during the years before William the Norman conquered England. Edyth was the only daughter and favorite of the Earl of East Anglia, and she was traded in marriage to Griffith the Prince of Wales in return for his support of her father against the rising power of the Godwine family. Edyth became Aldith of Wales, and found that she loved her new husband and his land. But hers was a world of treachery and war, one that treated women as pawns in a game. After her husband's defeat, Aldith is taken to England, where she is forced into marriage with Harold Godwine, annointed (but not uncontested) King of England. This is a story of survival, strength, and the honor of a woman. Llewelyn held closely to the historical formulas, yet this remains a strongly unique story, with a sympathetic and believable main character. The author does not attempt to apologize for Edyth's perspective on the world, and that only makes the narrative stronger. If you are interested in this period of history, or if you loved Llewelyn's other works and want to read something from a woman's point of view, pick up this book.
(Main Page)
(Categories)
(Awards)
(Authors)
(Titles)
(Top 100)
(Rewrites)
This page owned by: Raven
Questions? Comments? Smart Remarks?
Email me at
[email protected]
Last Updated: December 31, 1999
Author and book reviews are the copyrighted property and responsibility of the person named at the end of the review. If no one is named, they belong to Raven. Any author or publisher who does not want their copyrighted material to be on this page email the reviewer and it will be removed immediately. The reviewer reserves the right to remove material rather than alter it in any way.
