Twilight of Avalon: A Novel of Trystan & Isolde [Paperback]

For centuries past the Arthurian legend has been passed down from generation to generation. Thankfully, the myriad of variations of the tale have been keeping modern day authors as busy in the retelling as the ancients bards were.

The latest version to hit bookstores is Anna Elliott's Twilight of Avalon, the first of what will eventually be a full trilogy recounting one of the earliest known versions of Arthurian legend, that of Trystan and Isolde.

For those aficionados of the genre, it seems only fair that we give you a brief sketch of Elliott's take on the Arthurian soap opera:

King Arthur is not the chivalrous ideal of courtly love here. In a fit of passion, he allegedly rapes his sister Morgan, a woman steeped in the old religion in a time when the encroaching Christian priests are quick to brand any non-converting woman a witch. The accusation usually sticks. Morgan gives birth to Arthur's son, Mordred who later, as heir to Arthur's throne, betrays his father, steals Arthur's wife Gwynefar and begets a girl-child with his step-mother. The child is named Isolde. Arthur and Mordred meet in one last epic battle for the High Kingship of Britain and end up killing each other off, leaving Britain in chaos and ripe pickings for the encroaching Saxons, while Isolde is married off to the next High King of Britain, Constantine.

And this is where Elliott's story begins. King Constantine is betrayed and murdered, leaving Isolde alone to battle charges of witchcraft, political intrigue, and a mythical past. To do so and save Britain from destruction from within, Isolde turns to a former Saxon slave, Trystan. The unlikely pair develop a tenuous friendship in a time when trust and loyalty are rare commodities in the world.

I loved every single word!!

Isolde is one of the most real and heroic characters we've encountered in a long time, a woman fighting for what she believes in within the confines of her gender and time. This is not, we repeat, NOT a love story. At this point in time, there is no room for romance or love in Trystan and Isolde's world. This is a world overflowing in violence, plague and survival. Trystan and Isolde's bond is, at this point in the story, a thread of friendship and mutual respect.

And yet this is not a story of despair, it is a story of hope. A rich cast of supporting characters is the icing on the cake here, providing touches of humor just when you least expect it and sharp insights into the psyche of the time period.

Whether you are a fan of the Arthurian lit or looking for a good introduction to the genre, I wholeheartedly recommend Twilight of Avalon!

Elliott's compelling retelling of the legend of Trystan and Isolde is set in the dark ages of Britain, mid-6th century. The author sets her drama earlier than popular myth, discarding the obvious for a more nuanced and historically grounded interpretation of the story of Trystan and Isolde. In this novel, Arthur has been slain by Modred, Isolde's father; it is through Isolde's perspective that we view the current political landscape. Her husband, King Constantine, dead, Isolde is ripe for the taking. Granddaughter of Morgan, long-rumored a sorceress, Isolde is likewise distrusted, yet a valuable pawn. When, by nefarious methods, Lord Marche becomes High King, he forces Isolde to become his wife. Helpless without a male protector, Isolde is desperate to escape this brutal man. Though not a witch, Elliott's Isolde has known the gift of Sight and sometimes heeds the whispers of the wise ones, those who would guide her through these treacherous times.

When first she comes in contact with a prisoner, a man neither Saxon nor Britain, Isolde seeks only to alleviate his pain. Isolde must trust this battered warrior, Trystan, in order to evade Marche and his designs on her kingdom. On a quest fraught with violence and constant danger, Trystan and Isolde are thrown together in common purpose, one for escape and the other deliverance. A healer, Isolde is comforted by the old ways of those who have walked the earth before her, the vaguely heard murmurings of her long-deceased grandmother, Morgan. But here lies danger and the accusations of witchcraft, the penalty burning at the stake. Alone, Isolde is powerless against Marche, dependent on Trystan's aid, a man with secrets of his own. Incarcerated, pursued and savagely beaten, Trystan and Isolde match wits against their adversaries and enormous odds.

Elliott writes with graceful precision of time out of mind, of magic tales and filth-strewn jails, of the senseless brutality of battle and the haunting ballads that praise the fallen, of mists and myths, the most potent the growing bond between Trystan and Isolde, yet to embrace their fate. Twilight of Avalon is filled with skullduggery and blind loyalty, with Marche's manipulation and the threat of Saxon attack, Isolde braving death in the face of duty. Forget the romantic songs of bards: this is a grueling tale mired in the bloody fields of war and the untrammeled ambitions of those who would exact revenge. Isolde's true test begins with the return of repressed memory, a desperate skirmish against an implacable enemy, Trystan's life hanging in the balance as well in this first volume of the trilogy. Luan Gaines/2009.

Anna Elliott has crafted a powerful and romantic tale of Trystan and Isolde, one that puts aside the chivalric notions of the Middle Ages and places it squarely in the age in which they would have lived. Elliott fills her story with believable characters and a compelling plot. This is a book I know I'll find myself reading again and again . . .

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 18 reviews  3.9 out of 5 stars