Kathleen Cunningham GulerRezensionen

‘Death to you. Two sons of the North or two of the White Dragon. Your choice. Beware … Excalibur.’ (page 373)

Marcus ap Iorwerth follows his dream to unite Britain and fights Saxon’s threat. Marcus is helped by his wife Claerwen, who foresees the future with what is called ‘fire in the head’.

‘The light burst inside Claerwen, firing magnificent and hot and raging, and from its center she saw a hand ran up through the water’s surface. It was the woman of the lake’s hand, and her graceful, slender fingers clutched a sword’s hilt as sure as strong as any warrior’s. The blade, long and slightly tapered, was forged of fine steel; the hilt, pommel and cross-guard of brilliant, chased gold. Light radiated from it …’ (page 92)

Rival fractions fight each other to impose a new king on Britain, they are also searching another piece of Macsen’s Treasure: the sword Excalibur. Uther, present king, already holds parts of Macsen’s Treasure: the crown, the spearhead, and the torque; but Excalibur is waiting for the new king: Arthur.

Marcus gets injured, so follows a long exile and separation from Claerwen.
Eventually many mysteries are revealed, but Arthur is still a boy …

The Anvil Stone also fights against an enemy: Arthur’s legends and hundreds of books already written about his adventures (legend or truth).
Arthur and Excalibur are the winners.
King Arthur lived in the early sixth century, according to legends he defended Britain from the invaders Saxons. Legends and history tells a story where magic is important and necessary.
The Anvil Stone lacks of magic, fantastic scenery, supernatural events.
Myrddin (or Merlin the Enchanter) spreads a bit of fantastic on Marcus’s life, but insufficient to bear an entire book (it comes at the end of the story): ‘He will be the light that comes out of the darkness. You (Marcus) are a blacksmith. You know of dark and light, fire and iron.’ (page 401)

Marcus and Claerwen’s story is a thoughtful passage of their life. They clarify each other of previous fears, nightmares, dreams.
Marcus’ dark side (Iron Hawk) is unveiled when his past is narrated to Claerwen.
Claerwen: ‘Is this your true nature? Is the disdain for killing just a mask to hide it, a nature you won’t admit to himself except through the Iron Hawk?’ (page 369)

In Britain's Dark Ages, Marcus ap Iorwerth is a master spy and swordmaster who manipulates kings, warlords and the church to keep his family and his people safe as well as saving Britain as a whole.

Claerwen, Marcus's wife, has the sight and what she sees haunts her every day as she tries to decipher the dreams before it's too late.

This is the fourth book in the Macsen's Treasure series and my first book from Kathleen Cunningham Guler. Though it is true I was able to pick up the book and get the gist of Marcus ap Iorwerth and Claerwen's story, I think I would have preferred to read the series from the beginning. This would have allowed me to get to know the characters much better and truly understand what they were going through.

With that being said, I found this to be a thoroughly researched and intriguing book about the rise of King Arthur told by the people around him. The pronunciation guide/glossary at the beginning was also very helpful for the many Welsh names and phrases.

Thank you to Kathleen Cunningham Guler, Review Direct and Bardsong Press for giving me the opportunity to review this book.

From the blurb about this book, I thought this would focus on Arthur - it doesn't. Mentioning Arthur in this context is much like a big-named guest star on a flagging tv show being hyped to the point of ridiculousness. So my expectations weren't met. The story seems to bog down simply because no action can occur in the winter months. Perhaps if I had read the other books in this series, I would have enjoyed this book. It does appear that the author researched this time period well and writes about it as accurately as possible. Overall, this book just wasn't for me.

‘Death to you. Two sons of the North or two of the White Dragon. Your choice. Beware … Excalibur.’ (page 373)

Marcus ap Iorwerth follows his dream to unite Britain and fights Saxon’s threat. Marcus is helped by his wife Claerwen, who foresees the future with what is called ‘fire in the head’.

‘The light burst inside Claerwen, firing magnificent and hot and raging, and from its center she saw a hand ran up through the water’s surface. It was the woman of the lake’s hand, and her graceful, slender fingers clutched a sword’s hilt as sure as strong as any warrior’s. The blade, long and slightly tapered, was forged of fine steel; the hilt, pommel and cross-guard of brilliant, chased gold. Light radiated from it …’ (page 92)

Rival fractions fight each other to impose a new king on Britain, they are also searching another piece of Macsen’s Treasure: the sword Excalibur. Uther, present king, already holds parts of Macsen’s Treasure: the crown, the spearhead, and the torque; but Excalibur is waiting for the new king: Arthur.

Marcus gets injured, so follows a long exile and separation from Claerwen.
Eventually many mysteries are revealed, but Arthur is still a boy …

The Anvil Stone also fights against an enemy: Arthur’s legends and hundreds of books already written about his adventures (legend or truth).
Arthur and Excalibur are the winners.
King Arthur lived in the early sixth century, according to legends he defended Britain from the invaders Saxons. Legends and history tells a story where magic is important and necessary.
The Anvil Stone lacks of magic, fantastic scenery, supernatural events.
Myrddin (or Merlin the Enchanter) spreads a bit of fantastic on Marcus’s life, but insufficient to bear an entire book (it comes at the end of the story): ‘He will be the light that comes out of the darkness. You (Marcus) are a blacksmith. You know of dark and light, fire and iron.’ (page 401)

Marcus and Claerwen’s story is a thoughtful passage of their life. They clarify each other of previous fears, nightmares, dreams.
Marcus’ dark side (Iron Hawk) is unveiled when his past is narrated to Claerwen.
Claerwen: ‘Is this your true nature? Is the disdain for killing just a mask to hide it, a nature you won’t admit to himself except through the Iron Hawk?’ (page 369)

The description of this book, "a blend of Dark Age Britain’s history, its Celtic roots and the Arthurian legend," led me to believe it might interest me. I've picked it up and read a bit numerous times since receiving it a year ago, and read well over half the book, but it has long stretches where nothing happens. The book is also full of spelling and grammar errors, and words that are invented or used improperly, as well as historical inaccuracies. The premise of the book (almost a prequel to Arthurian legends) is good, and I like the inclusion of a pronunciation guide and map at the beginning, but it wasn't enough to make up for the poor writing and plodding plot.½

To start, I received this book as part of a Member Giveaway, and I received it with much anticipation (I’m a historical re-creationist, specializing in the Dark Ages). However, upon reading it, I had to reclassify it in my head to being a fantasy novel, rather than historical fiction (I’ve got it tagged as historical fantasy).

Without going into details about the storyline (many of my fellow reviewers have already done that most thoroughly – scroll down to flouncyninja's review among others for a review of the actual storyline), while I enjoyed the basic story itself and found it to be a quick and easy read, there were some things that bothered me. While the author may be a student of Celtic history and Authurian Legends, her study and knowledge of the simple day-to-day aspects of life in the dark ages left me disappointed. Foremost in this was the glaring errors in the diets of people in the early dark ages in medieval Scotland, specifically, she has her characters eating turkey legs and peeling and eating potatoes – two foods that wouldn’t be present in Europe for another 1200 years. Also, the descriptions of our heroine’s clothing more closely resembles your classic 1800’s romance heroine (at least when I visualized it in my mind based on the description in the book). I also question the use of gunpowder (as a plot device near the end of the novel) , as it (meaning the gunpowder) wasn’t recorded in Europe until the mid 1200’s, a full 800 years after the events in the novel.

Having stated the above, once I re-jigged my brain to reading the book as fantasy and ignoring the glaring historical inaccuracies (at least for me, as a historical re-creationist), I enjoyed it immensely, and will be on the lookout for the other 3 books in the series.

The Romans have left Britain. Home-grown lords and Saxon invaders are fighting and conniving for power. The violence deprives a young girl of parents and home. But perhaps she and her village were not merely in the way when war came. Some unknown power-seeker seems to be specifically—and urgently—trying to find something her family may have possessed.

Our heroine, Mary Sue … (Oh, sorry. My mistake,. There is a strong resemblance). Our “ethereal” heroine, Claerwen, is gifted (or plagued) with visions from undefined gods. Although rarely clear guides to action, she acts on them nevertheless motivating most of the plot.

Sometimes the gods intervene even more directly then just sending visions. Indeed, the plot is littered with gods falling from machines; hardly any major plot development lacks one. This, and the adherence to all the usual clichés of fantasy and historic romance, makes the plot rather predictable. Claerwen suffers unjustly, meets a gorgeous and mysterious man (a prince, of course), they recognize each other as soul mates, their love … Well, you’ve read it before. I got so bored and frustrated with the oh-so-perfect Claerwen and the obvious plot that I put this book down about half way through and left it a long time before finally reading to the (foreseen) end.

However, I’m sure many readers will find it a satisfying read. The prose, clunky in places, has a few very memorable and telling passages. The hero, Marcus, has some depth and subtly considering his casting as what is usually the cardboard prince. And some of the secondary characters are interesting, if rather less than three-dimensional. A good bit of attention seems to have been paid to the setting and to making the historical details believable. This book just goes over very well-ploughed ground and never strays from well-used furrows. For readers who love historical romance and romantic fantasy, and want their reading to stay comfortably in the familiar with assurance that love and righteousness will be triumphant, this incarnation is reasonably well executed.½

This book was neither here nor there for me. It took me a while to get into the story; the first 150 pages or so seemed to really drag on. But once I got a feel for the author’s writing style, the characters’ personalities and their back stories, I started enjoying it more than I had in the beginning and started looking forward to learning what twist Guler next had in store.

I certainly learned a lot reading this book. My field of historical fiction “expertise” lies with more modern history—I’ve read a myriad of novels set between the 15th-19th centuries—so it was refreshing to read an historical novel so deeply steeped in earlier historic myth and legend. The book takes place in the 5th century AD, just as Roman Christianity is beginning to truly take hold over Britain, and while many still practice Celtic Paganism and Druidism. Such is the religion of the book’s protagonists, Marcus ap Iorwerth, spymaster, and his doting wife Claerwen, who is afflicted with premonitions, or “fire in the head”. The two are charged with a dangerous secret: the fact that the high king Uther Pendragon has a living son, Arthur, who was prophesied by Merlin the Enchanter to one day rule over a kingdom of greatness. Until the road to kingship can be made clear for Arthur’s safe ascension, Marcus must carefully navigate the treacherous path of war, political ambiguities, and constantly changing loyalties, all while under the vengeful eye of Uther, who is dying and grows more suspicious of Marcus every day, although Marcus has proved himself to be nothing but Uther’s faithful servant for years.

I’ve read that A Land Beyond Ravens is one of the most historically accurate of all the novels set in Arthurian Britain, and though I don’t have much knowledge of this historical period to verify or refute this claim, I can appreciate the author’s obvious passion for Celtic and Welsh historic culture, as evident by her bits of insight into the religious mysticism and her incorporation of many Welsh wording and terminology. I also like that the author included an Author’s Note at the end, separating the fact from the fiction of the book. The mystical elements of this novel did not bother me, as there wasn’t rampant spell casting taking place throughout the book or anything, and the author only mentioned magic as it related to a character’s religious beliefs. For example, Claerwen’s fire in the head was something that many historic 5th century Celtic pagans truly believed they actually possessed, that it was a message from the gods. The religious facet of the book was actually the most interesting aspect of the story. My favorite scene in the book took place between Marcus and a Christian priest, who are debating religion and its usage by the government to manipulate the masses. The conversation inadvertently gives the reader a brief history of religion throughout the Dark Ages, which I found very entertaining, especially as being discussed between two such opposing points of view.

Something that bothered me throughout the entire book was the author’s constant use of questions, either mixed into the characters’ thought process or directly from the narrative point of view. Example: “With little time to aid the Decangli, he had thought it worthwhile to try to pound some decent reasoning into Cadwallon. Now he needed to find another way. But doing what? And where?” I understand that the author was using this technique to try and build up anticipation and suspense, but I found it overdone, to the point where it became, frankly, annoying. Some people may like this style of eliciting suspense, but for me, it was distracting, and I found myself mentally counting the number of questions crammed into each page. Also, there were some elements of the book that just seemed pointless and forced. Certain characters seemed to be there just to pass the time, creating a sense of unnatural drama. For those who have read this book or plan on reading this book, I am referring particularly the character Drysi. I don’t think her inclusion in the story was at all necessary; but Guler clearly wanted someone to play the snooping, catty female archetype whose presence was a constant thorn in Claerwen’s side.

I found the end of this book to be very much anti-climactic. With all the build up that preceded it, I was expecting fireworks! Each time I thought the story was picking up, I felt let down by a predictably mellow result. I know there are many people who thoroughly enjoyed this award-winning series, but A Land Beyond Ravens, while well-written and informative, was simply not my favorite cup of tea.

FTC Disclosure: This book was sent to me by a publicist for review.

The fourth installment of the Mascan’s Treasure series, Ravens is less the action/adventure novel of the first three and more mystery and reworking of legend. The Arthur legend is more present in this novel – I’m a sucker for it so this pulled me in. The middle got a bit slow but still not a slog. I generally enjoyed the series and thought it improved with each volume which is not easy to do or the typical direction of most series novels.

Note: I received this through LibraryThing Member Giveaways.

FTC Disclaimer: I received a review copy from the author - who has kindly also agreed to write a guest post that will go up later today. Lucky, aren't I?

Marcus ap Iowerth has acted as spy to Uther Pendragon for the past few decades, but his increasingly erratic master is convinced that Marcus is plotting against him (with his hateful neighbor Cadwallon, no less) and insists that Marcus remain cooped up at home rather than participating in the battles and power struggles of the time. For Marcus, who has always been a man of action, it couldn't be harder to sit and watch the fate of the land he loves be decided without him. In addition, Marcus' wife Claerwen is increasingly plagued by portentous visions shown by the 'fire in her head' of the last piece of Macsen's Treasure - the Grail. But Marcus and Claeri aren't the only ones to seek the grail - it is deemed more and more important as the power of the Christian church grows in the British Isles.

I haven't yet read the other three books in Kathleen Cunningham Guler's Macsen's Treasure series, but I found A Land Beyond Ravens to stand reasonably well alone. Important events from earlier books in the series were briefly explained in context, so I never felt lost as to what was going on, though it was clear that I was missing some of the emotional import behind, for example, the Iron Hawk. These teasers - as it was very clear that they were of deep significance for the characters - just made me want to seek out the rest of the series to experience Marcus' and Claerwen's adventures from the beginning. So well done, Kathleen!

A Land Beyond Ravens was an absorbing story of the tumultuous period after the Romans had left and when the Christian factions were gaining power in Britain. There are power struggles amongst the chieftains, fractured loyalties, betrayals, and a growing movement around the hidden boy Arthur. But where the novel really shines is in giving us a lovely emotional story of a family caught up in the politics. Marcus' frustration at his inaction and his pain at being betrayed by the man he has been loyal to at great cost to himself really make the politics important on a more personal level. The struggle between the old ways and up-and-coming Christianity are mirrored in the difficulties between Claerwen and her sister, Drysi.

And charming as Marcus undoubtedly is, it's Claerwen who was the most interesting character for me. Despite her physical weakness from her weak heart, she is, in her own way, stronger than Marcus. She puzzles through her visions, sorts through problems that stretch far beyond the domestic (or even local) sphere, and she has infinite patience (it seems) for her difficult husband's need to bottle up his emotions. And throughout all of this, she never comes across as a martyr or a goody-two-shoes.

If there was anything that disturbed me about Claerwen, it was her reaction to her sister. I understand that her reaction was often set off by the other's prickliness and because Drysi reminded Claerwen of their manipulative mother. And on many occasions Drysi was certainly completely insufferable - refusing to follow the old ways or even respect them when she was in Dinas Beris, accusing Marcus of a terrible crime. But what struck me is that no one tried at all to comfort her, to understand the depths of pain and horror that she was carrying around after the ordeal she experienced at 12 years old - and, it is implied by her son Glinyeu, once again barely a year ago - which isn't even mentioned again. I was disappointed that Claerwen and the rest of the village didn't try harder to reach her once it was clear what she had been through. Instead everyone bands against her to protect Marcus (understandable) which made my heart ache for the thorny Drysi.

A Land Beyond Ravens mostly wasn't an 'action' sort of book. There were some scenes surrounding battles, but the fact that Marcus may not leave Dinas Beris without risking severe consequences means that much of the drama surrounds the relationships between characters - and I found the balance suited me well. I enjoyed my foray into the Macsen's Treasure series, and I'll be keeping my eyes peeled for the others in the series so I can meet Marcus and Claerwen again!

Also posted at A Hoyden's Look at Literature.

This was the second book in this great Arthurian series. The landscapes and charcters painted by the author, seem like an epic movie in my excellent imagination. I look forward to getting the third book from the Library soon! I recommend this to all lovers of this period and genre.

The third installment of the series has been my favorite so far. We a get a more in depth look at the characters without sacrificing plot. This is also the first of the series where I really began to recognize some of the Arthur legend.

In the second installment of the Macsen’s Treasure Series, we follow Marcus and Claerwen as they try to foil an assassination attempt on the high king. The action of the story is again fast paced and interesting. One of the plot points was easy to figure out, but there were a few surprises none the less.

The second book of the Macsen's Treasure Series follows the path of Marcus ap Iorwerth and his wife Claerwen in the quest of Britons' kings.
Myrddin Emrys (also and better known as Merlin the Enchanter) is the other main character in this book, because he is the son of the king Ambrosius.
The druid Myrddin feels the danger looming on his father and asks Marcus for help; this time the couple (Marcus and Claerwen) works together.

The title referrs to Marcus' underground job as a spy, working in the shadow of the kings, and the Red Dragon (or Y Ddraig Goch) is the symbol of the people of Britain opposite to the White Dragon, symbol of the Saxons.

Marcus manages every dangerous actions, apart from the last one (maybe the most important one?).
Claerwen, in this second book, is almost in the background, more woman and mother than warrior.
Myrddin acts as Virgil with Dante: carrying a candlelight (or the fire in the head), and showing to Marcus the Hell's path toward the peaceful future with King Arthur.

A question: Where did Padrig's wisdom ended up in this book? (He's my favorite character).

I won this book through Member Giveaways.

I feel that flouncyninja's review is fair and accurate, and agree with it.

Specifically, I felt as though I was slogging through most of this book. It turns out it was a romance novel, rather than an adventurous historical fiction.

The character of Clarwen was not only a Mary Sue, but the literal embodiment of Deus ex machina. She's stunningly beautiful, with iridescent blue-green eyes and long lashes, and she's perfect - perfectly devoted to her man, perfectly able to completely fend for herself while travelling through the wilderness, etc. At critical moments (but never "when she seeks it" of course) she is led by the gods to see or do certain things that conveniently advance the plot.

I had been given the impression that this novel was thoroughly researched, and as historically accurate as possible. How then were they able to drink tea? It didn't show up in Britain for more than a thousand years after this story was set. Granted, most people won't know that, but it made me question the accuracy of the entire novel.

I rolled my eyes at the repeated instances of nursing people back from the brink of death. Life-threatening illness and injury shouldn't feel routine.

Is your lover missing? Maybe you should look for a previously unnoticed pile of rags in the corner.

I knew who the mysterious warrior was from the moment he was introduced.

The last hundred pages were indeed the most interesting, but not enough to save this book. I really wanted to like it, but it was just so mediocre.½

I have always loved Arthurian legends of Britian, and since this book awas a Library Thing author gift, I really enjoyed it. After doing some personal reserch on Britain of 500 CE, I was impressed by the authors use of historical facts and her ability to paint the images of that time to the reader.

I have just reserved the next book of the series, "In The Shadow of Dragons" from the library, and look forward to reading it.

I am delighted to recommend this series to historical and Arthurian readers.

This is the second book in a series based on the King Arthur legends. It takes place in the days before King Arthur, and the main characters are a spy and his wife. They are enlisted by Merlin to foil a plot to have the high king assassinated, but it ends up going wrong.

I enjoyed this book a little more than the first one as it seems more closely tied in with the King Arthur legends. The romance between the two main characters felt more natural, and the plot flowed more evenly. I was annoyed at times with particular phrasings the author used, and one of the major plot twists was so obvious I'm pretty sure I yelled, "come on!" at the book, but there was still enough going on to keep me surprised until the end.

This isn't the sort of book that I would normally read, and I thought that it was a bit dry in some places and captivating in others. I thought the plot moved along a bit slowly, and when I was nearing the end, I wondered if all the loose ends in the story would be tied up in this book or not. They all were, but I thought they were tied up almost too quickly, as if the author realized that she needed to wrap it all up because it wasn't going anywhere. And of course, I don't know if it was by design or accident, but the identity of the Iron Hawk character was way too transparent going all the way through the book that when it was revealed near the end, there was no surprise to it at all.

I love books based on the King Arthur legends, so when I received this through Member Giveaways, I was very happy. This author sets the series in the mid 5th Century in Wales and Briton. The Romans abandoned Briton, and the people still living there are losely organized under various local princes and chieftains. They face invasions from Picts to the north, Irish and Vikings from the sea, and the Saxons that were invited over to fight by the evil and illegitimate king Vortigern. Life is difficult.

The story follows the main characters Claerwyn and Marcus who meet under dangerous circumstances and fall in love. People are chases Claerwyn claiming she has some treasure that she knows nothing about.

The story is exciting with espionage, fighting, living in hiding, and life threatening illnesses. The details of the setting are very realistic, such as descriptions of clothing, buildings, and food preparation. Some people have commented on the panther that shows up momentarily in the story, as panthers have never been native to Wales. I filed that away as "magical realism" (along with Claerwyn's visions) and didn't let that one thing bother me. The rest seemed pretty realistic, at least as far as I could tell.

The plot does have its faults. The romance between the main characters seems to happen too fast. I also figured out one of the secrets of the novel very early on as it seemed very obvious to me. The ending also seemed to wrap up a little too neatly, with characters remembering small events from 20 years ago which suddenly make everything make sense. But I still found I was able to enjoy this book.

These characters are paving the way for King Arthur. King Arthur is only mentioned once by name, and even then, they don't really understand who he is. I liked this take on the legend, that his becoming king depended on these two people.

"A Land Beyond Ravens", by Kathleen Cunningham Guler, is the fourth and final entry in the Macsen's Treasure series. The series is set in fifth century Britain, just after the Roman evacuation and, ostensibly and central to the series plot, just prior to the coming of King Arthur.

The main characters in the series, the fifth century spy Marcus ap Iowerth, and his wife Claerwen are, as always, chasing after a piece of Macsen's Treasure, a fictional collection of five kingly artefacts that have been dispersed and the possession of which brings legitimacy to claims to the high kingship. In this final submission, the sought after prize is nothing less than "the grail". I don't say "The Holy Grail" because, as the reader will see, there is some ambiguity to this, which makes this aspect of the plot somewhat interesting.

Everyone is a little older in this book. Uther Pendragon is aging and unwell. Arthur is becoming a young man. An important thread in the story is the influence of the Christian church, which is just starting to rise in power and influence at this time in history. There is considerably less "action" in this book than found in the second and third books in the series. However, the plot is quite intricate and there is a greater emphasis on family members and their role in events as they transpire.

All in all the story is quite solid and interesting, and the book wraps up the series nicely.

DISCLAIMER: I received a free copy of the book for review.

Wow! What a ride!

Kathleen Cunningham Guler's "The Anvil Stone", is the third book in the Macsen's Treasure series, set in fifth century Britain.

This is a difficult book to review without introducing spoilers, because there is so much going on.

Our hero and heroine, Marcus the spy, and his wife Claerwen, return for another adventure, and there is, perforce, another piece of Macsen's treasure to be found. In this case, it is Excalibur, the sword we all know as the one found by the legendary King Arthur and pulled by him from the fabled stone. Guler chooses to construct the story in such a way that Marcus and Claerwen know the name "Excalibur", but for much of the book do not know what, or who, it refers to.

This preliminary quest for Excalibur is interwoven with the ongoing task of keeping the various factions of early post-Roman Britain united against their common enemy, the Saxons.

The story begins with Marcus experiencing a kind of flashback dream to a horrific incident that occurred during his childhood. This turns out to be significant later in the book, and is used to help explain how Marcus became a spy. However, the plot really begins with Marcus receiving a horrific effigy from a stranger who later turns out to be a kind of arch-enemy for both Marcus and Claerwen.

While Claerwen is often found at the side of her husband in his work as a spy, there is a lengthy period of separation that serves as an effective device, allowing the author to advance the plot on two fronts simultaneously.

The characters and plot here are richer and more complex than in the earlier volumes of the series. In addition, the level of excitement the author brings to the many battles and sword fights with gripping narrative has risen to a new high. This makes the book hard to put down.

This book is easily the best of the first three installments in the series, for the interest and complexity of the plot, and the brilliantly written action sequences.

I received, 'A Land Beyond Ravens' through the early reviewers, not realizing it was the 4th book in a series. So, I started with book one.
I enjoyed the book very much. The time period is still a bit over my head but I have loved tails of Author. I also enjoyed the relationship between Marcus and Claerwen.
Looking forward to book 2!

I received this through a member giveaway from the author, and put off reading it for a bit because some of the early reviews were less than enthused. The story's actually not as bad as all that - the pacing is a little uneven, as is the writing - but the conflict is interesting enough, to me, to the degree that I'll probably read the other books in the series if I can track them down. This one is certainly a quick read, and I was interested enough to want to know what happened (and what else happens) despite weaknesses in language, and the longish lead-up to the action. I don't tend to read a lot of this genre - my interest is in Aurthurian legends and retellings, rather than fantasy in general - so I can't speak to how this compares to similar books, but I enjoyed it on that basis even though it deals with events preceding the reign of Arthur, as it were.

That said, there are some problems. I'm not an expert on the history of the period in which the book is set (more or less post-Roman Britain), but I'm not 100% sure it's completely anachronism-free, though it does pretty well for the most part. Characters also spend a lot of time being sick or incapacitated and getting healed, which takes up a of time without advancing the plot. There's memory loss and recovery that seems irritatingly pop-psychology-like and which feels both out of place in the story and kind of pointless, and some plot points are a bit too convenient. Most of this probably wouldn't pull most readers out of the story, and, as I said, I think the conflict is interesting enough to keep a reader interested, especially considering what a quick read it is, but the book definitely has flaws.

I understand that this is the last book in a series. However jumping into the last book does not hinder understanding the book. I enjoy reading fantasy, and especially Arthurian legends. I enjoy learning about different author's portrayals of the character. Guler presented a spin to the typical legend, which was fresh and interesting. All in all a good book, I would recommend it to other fans of fantasy and medieval books.

I received this book as an LT Members early reviewer copy and am so grateful I did. I understand it is the last of a series but it stands well on it's own and the author does a fine job with character description and depth, as well as making it easy for the reader to follow. She does an excellent great job of 'catching the reader up' on current events of the story by clearly explaining highlights from the former novels and how they fit together. Marcus ap Iorwerth is a medieval spy for King Uther Pendragon. Despite being treated harshly by the old and ailing king he is loyal to him and to the cause of Arthur his son (even though the old king does not accept Arthur as heir until late in the story). His life's quest as well as his wife Claerwyn, a seer, is to protect Arthur and see that he comes to the throne and ensure peace throughout the kingdom. Intrigue, betrayal, and war follow this couple through their adventures as they carefully pick their way through treacherous times. As a Arthurian legend fan I highly recommend this book for it's portrayal of life during these dangerous and interesting times and for the well thought out characters. Highly recommended.