Marion Zimmer Bradley's Ravens of Avalon [Paperback]

RAVENS OF AVALON is a prequel to the Avalon series by the late Marion Zimmer Bradley. Diana Paxson was a longtime collaborator with her and therefore the Avalon universe well. A mixture of history, myth, magic and a touch of romance, the book touches on many genres.

In this story, we learn about Queen Boudica and the conquest of Briton by the Roman legions. Trained by Lhiannon as a druid priestess, Boudica decides to help her clan by marrying a Briton King. At his death, the Romans refuse to acknowledge her as Queen, beat her and rape her daughters. To say this doesn't sit well with her would be an understatement. She raises an army imbued with the power of the druids and attempts to oust the Romans.

While the premise sounds wonderfully exciting, the actual writing left me flat. I thought the book rather boring. There was no life to it. The majority of the book concerns eighteen years of Boudica's and Lhiannon's lives. The writing technique was good and the editing excellent. But the pacing was slow, almost to the point of stoppage. Although there was more excitement in the end, getting there was like wading upstream against a torrent. This is an unfortunate problem with many prequels that are written well after the series. It's as though the author is attempting to get in as much background information as possible. It's why editors cut out back story in many novels. It's just not as interesting as the main story.

Fans of the Avalon series will want to read this so they have more information on the world, but if you've never read any of the Avalon series, I wouldn't start here. Yes, it does add good background for the rest of the Raven books, but wading your way through the pages is not my idea of a great read.

Reviewed by Vicky Burkholder
08/14/2007

I bought this book thinking it was the same caliber as the others, but I was disappointed to discover that the only match for "Ravens" is "Priestess". I read it, but I cannot guarantee that I will keep it.

I'm not entirely sure that Diana re-read "Forest House" (or any of the other books of the series) because there are a few discrepancies. I don't mind the fact that the priestesses regularly go to Avalon for initiation rituals, despite the fact that Caillean is the first of the priesthood to _ever_ discover Avalon (as seen in "Forest House"). What *really* bugs me though, is the free use of magic at the beginning of the book. Not only are the neophytes allowed to use magic randomly (despite the fact that in Marion's books, neophytes are the "chop wood, carry water" sort, like in real life), but the Druids use magic like they're Sith Lords! (Am I the _only_ one who had flashes of Darth Vader when Helve and Lugovalos froze throats?!)

I was going to give 3.5 stars, but after writing this, I've changed my mind. Half a star off for using Avalon too early and another whole star for the unrestrained and uncalled for use of magic. Three stars...and beware of the Dark Side!

In this book, we read about Boudica,sent to be trained as a priestess but who choses to go back to her people, marry & become Queen of the Iceni. This British Queen has a monument built to her but little is known of her. And while she was Queen of only one tribe, she almost united all of Britain in a rebellion against Rome. In a time in which men lead armies, a woman, Boudica was forced by brutal Roman rule to take up arms & try to drive this invader from her homeland. She was publically whipped and her daughters raped by Romans in such a animalistic way to cause her to take on leadership of an army to protect her people from Roman brutality. I found this book a fascinating read. There are all the magic and mystical elements you would expect from this series but the battle scenes are vivid and written with a realism that makes you feel as is you are there. Let the story of Boudica be told,woman, Queen and warrior !

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 26 reviews  3.7 out of 5 stars