Lady of Avalon (Avalon, Book 3)
by Marion Zimmer Bradley
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Book Summary Information
Author: Marion Zimmer BradleyIllustrator: John Jude Palencar
Collaborator: Diana L. Paxson
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 1998-06-01
ISBN: 0451456521
Number of pages: 480
Publisher: Roc Trade
Book Reviews of Lady of Avalon (Avalon, Book 3)
Book Review: Nice blend of historical and mystical elements
Summary: 5 Stars
Lady of Avalon is a forerunner to Bradley's biggest commercial success, The Mists of Avalon. Written after the success of Mists, Bradley returns to Avalon, but at a much earlier time in history. In all honesty, I enjoyed this novel much more than The Mists of Avalon. This time, Bradley manages to tell the stories of three different women, beginning in 96 AD and ending in 452 AD, in about half the space!
Each of these women's stories could be a stand-alone novella. Their main connection is that they all, at some point, become the Lady of Avalon, the sisterhood's highest and most respected position. Common themes run through each section - devotion to duty, personal sacrifices, self-doubt, to name just a few. The book begins with the tale of Caillean, the first Lady of Avalon. Fleeing the destruction of her previous community by the Romans, she arrives at Avalon with a young boy whose bright spirit will return again during the times Britain will need him most. To help ensure that Avalon will continue to be a refuge from the Romans, it is Caillean who eventually shrouds the island in the mythical mists, removing it from the mortal world.
More than seven generations later, Bradley returns to Avalon. Dierna is High Priestess in a land beset by troubles. Although Britain still pays tribute to the Romans, their protection from overseas raiders is sadly lacking. After years of seclusion within the mists, Dierna believes it is time for the Priestesses to return to the world and use their influence for the protection and preservation of Britain. The third and final portion of this tale brings the reader to the time immediately prior to the events that will occur in The Mists of Avalon. Viviane has been raised as the foster daughter of a simple farmer and his wife, until the day Taliesin comes to return her to her rightful place as heir to the Lady of Avalon. Amid personal and religious strife and political upheavals, Viviane must find her own path. This path will ultimately lead to the Holy Grail and the bestowing of a new title, the Lady of the Lake. Her actions will set the course for the mythical figures to come after her - Igraine, Arthur, Morgaine, to name just a few.
I suspect the shorter length of this book influenced my opinion, by contributing to my enjoyment of these three interrelated stories. Each era was filled with enough history to be informative and enough action to be interesting, without a lot of the extra verbiage and minutiae Bradley introduces in her earlier Avalon novel. My only complaint regards the way in which Bradley would drop one section and move on to the next. She introduces a number of interesting supporting characters, but you are never really sure what becomes of them when Bradley is through with the main character's story. Still, this is true of real life as well, so it is probably more a matter of my curiosity rather than a flaw of Bradley's. This book is a nice blend of historical and mystical elements and Bradley's interpretation of the Priestesses and their role in Britain's power struggles is quite interesting.
Summary of Lady of Avalon (Avalon, Book 3)
New York Times bestselling author Marion Zimmer Bradley brings the mesmerizing world of myth, romance and history to life in the spellbinding novel of epic grandeur!Before the legend of King Arthur and Camelot, there was Avalon, a beautiful island of golden vales and silver mists. A land where the lives of three powerful priestesses shape the destiny of Roman Britian as they fight to regain the magic and traditions of a once gallant past...
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