The Circle Cast - The Lost Years of Morgan Le Fay

Reviewed by Laurie Rezanoff

I am a huge fan of all things King Arthur, Camelot and magic. I remember clutching my special sticker book full of the images of the Knights from the Round Table, Guinevere, Sir Lancelot et al wherever I walked at the age of 5.

In only a few instances have books (Marion Zimmerman), TV (Merlin) or movies (such as "Excalibur") dealt with Morgana or Morgan Le Fay, the half-sister to Arthur. How she became a sorceress, and where she lived before entering Arthur's life have either been overlooked or barely explained. Until now. I thoroughly enjoyed Alex Epstein's look into her life, in Ireland and how that exile helped her to become the driven and powerful woman she was later known to be.

I look at this book as the prequel to the King Arthur myth and legend. Alex has done a superb job of enlightening the reader to the real history of the times, without losing the storytelling aspect. I felt totally drawn in and transported to 480 A.D. Ireland, to the land itself, while learning the true spelling/pronunciations of the name places prior to eventual Saxon changes.

I truly believe there is natural energy within Mother Earth and the four elements that Druids and other such sensitive people were able to connect with, harness and hopefully use for the good of all. I also believe there were (and still are) people in the world who used such energies for their own corrupt power and control over life circumstances beyond their control. Morgan Le Fay became one of these people, and she continued to choose revenge no matter how good her life became in Ireland.

Born in the US and now living in Montreal, Quebec, Alex has captured the raw energy of the land, the people of that time in history, and the mythical person who we know as Morgan Le Fay. Her encounters with power-hungry figures influenced her decisions and ensured her survival to become the Sorceress of legend. Her thirst for revenge against the man who killed her father and changed her life forever was never quenched, yet it certainly was later transferred onto Arthur.

Enjoy this adventurous journey into the Unknown, part of the Quest that would later be, the legend of Camelot, magic, Morgan Le Fay and King Arthur.

The Flight of the Sorceress by Barry S. Wildorf

Reviewed by Vanitha Sankaran

After centuries of grand triumphs and glorious rule, the Roman Empire is coming to an end. Though there are some who would give their lives to see the enlightenment and freedoms gifted by the Empire live on, darker forces are at play. The Catholic Church has focused its attention on rooting out pagans using zealots and men drunk on their own power.

The story centers around Glenys, a Druidic healer forced to live her life on the run, not just because of her views but because of the man she loves. As she struggles to stay ahead of her would-be captors, Glenys is exposed to the harsh realities of the world’s violence. Instead of bowing to the brutality she experiences, Glenys grows stronger, not just for herself but for the baby she is carrying.

At the same time, another memorable woman—Hypatia, the famed scholar and librarian of Alexandria—is fighting a similar battle to keep her freedoms and way of life alive. Caught in the Church’s crusade to stamp out pagan ways and knowledge, Hypatia risks her own life to save what and who she loves in the world.

When the two women finally cross paths, they realize they are kindred spirits and will help each other, no matter what the cost.

The Flight of the Sorceress is meticulously researched and beautifully portrayed. Whether in Hypatia’s luxurious palace, walking along the dusty Jewish pogroms, or trapped within a burning library in a fire that threatens to consume humanity’s knowledge, Wildorf’s prose brings the moment alive. The themes explored in this book, of prejudice and power, are deftly interwoven with the beliefs of the time. The conflict manages to educate and compel at the same time and you can’t help but feel for these women, who are so grossly over-matched but who still do not give up.

This book is a rare look at a time and place not often seen in historical fiction and is a read that will keep you turning the pages!

The Half Slave by Trevor Bloom

Reviewed by: L. Greg Graham

It is the last half of the fifth century. The Roman Empire is a wizened old man unable to protect Rome much less Northern Gaul where partially Romanized Franks ally with the last of the Romans to protect their homes from the land and loot hungry Germanic tribes to the north and east. On the outside looking in are the Theodi, a small Germanic tribe, who live a marginal existence in the Rhine delta. Looting the last of the Roman settlements supplements the meager sustenance they pull from the ground and out of the sea.

This is the situation that Ascha, the hero of the story, is born into. He is a half slave. His mother is a Christian Prittani captured during a raid to Britain; his father is headman of the Theodi. In the rigid society of the Saxons, Ascha is not a free man because his mother was a slave, and he is not a slave because his father was a free man. His story is what he must do to get himself declared a free man. Along the way he works as a spy, a wood carver, a military commander, and a slave.

Good historical literature takes the reader to a time and a society that he or she knows little about. The very best historical literature allows the reader to think and dream and understand the world as that far away protagonist might. Mr. Bloom succeeds admirably. We are taken to a world where a person’s worth is determined by his closeness to you. A family member is better than a tribe member who is better than a Saxon who is better than a Frisian who is better than a Frank who is better than a slave. The Saxons do not wish to destroy the Romans and the Franks; they want to replace them. They yearn for the comfort and the material wealth that the Franks and the Romans are accustomed to. The Saxon tribes unite and invade Gaul. Ascha through no fault of his own finds himself between the Saxons and the Franks, and must decide which side he is on.

One of the strengths of the book is the cast of characters Ascha encounters along the way. We meet and understand the world-views of Saxon warriors, Frankish warriors, river traders, a rash king, Roman patricians, Frankish usurpers, a Hun warrior, and slaves. Mr. Bloom’s research is impeccable. He works hard to avoid the clichés. The Saxons are not bellowing, mead-swilling berserkers, the Romans are neither hard-bitten legionnaires nor are they effete patricians, and the Franks are not barbarian clods pretending to be Romans. Each character instead is fresh and vivid.

We experience the squalor of Fifth Century life, the uncertainty of the food supply, and the very first clashes of Christianity against the Germanic gods. A theme that runs through this book is that civilization is a hard won ideal, and that there were times in history when the forces that drove us apart were stronger than the forces that kept us together. Ascha in the end decides that civilization with all its flaws is better than chaos.

There are two groups I would heartily recommend this book to. People who love a good adventure should enjoy this book; Ascha is a heroic character in every respect. The second group I would recommend this book to are those trying to understand that critical period in western history when the old Roman ways are supplanted by newer, rawer forms of government.

Nobilitas by Neil Himsworth

This book is a hefty, rich looking volume whose cover proclaims: A Novel of Ancient Rome. In fact, this story isn’t about Rome at all, but Britannia in the year 470 at the end of Roman rule.

After the withdrawal of large numbers of Roman troops in AD 407, the islands are threatened from within by inter-tribal conflict and incoming ships crammed with Saxon invaders. The remaining legions face a dilemma: to stay on the island where they grew up and raised families, or accept the will of Rome and return home.

Mannius, a trained surgeon and veteran of the legions, chooses to stay in his new homeland, hoping to continue his career. However, when his uncle, the governor, is murdered, Mannius finds the weight of responsibility has been passed to him and the Votadini turn to him for deliverance from the rampaging Picts.

Within the first few pages of this story, we are thrown into an attack by the Picts on the Votadinis at Traprain Law, near Sin Eidyn. Both places are north of Hadrian’s Wall, so they were always going to be trouble.

The fighting doesn’t take long to erupt in full flow and it is soon evident that the entire story is written around the conflict between the outgoing Roman soldiers who try to maintain a tenuous grip on their occupied land, and the internal fighting where the Picts want to kill the Votadini and the Brigantes, the remaining Romans don’t mind who they kill, and an incoming wave of Saxon invaders want to kill everyone.

I was thrown right into the fighting, even before I had a chance to work out the characters, or whose side they were on. After a while though I stopped cheering on the Picts [Eastern and Northern Scots] and Votadinis [Lowland Scots] to concentrate on Mannius’ the surgeon, who finds himself in the middle of a war not of his making.

The female element appears in the form of Princess Caoimhe of the Votadini, who loses her father in the first wave. A young widow with a small daughter, her enquiry of the local wise woman as to whom she might marry next, is interrupted by the Pictish invasion. Caoimhe dresses like a man in preparation to fight for her tribe. Another female distraction is Mannius’s aunt, Felicia, widowed, Britannia hating and out to seduce her nephew. Eithne is Mannius’ devoted slave who is jealous of Princess Caoimhe. Then there is Taran, a druid and his apprentice Una who have their own agenda.

Neil Himsworth paints an authentic and emotive picture of a disturbing time, with a good characterisation of soldiers, legionnaires, invading hordes, tribal royalty and slaves. The Britain of 470 is a place where men’s rights were governed only by which army they had behind them in a land tired of Roman dominance, where as ever, the weakest suffer the most.

A Land Beyond Ravens by Kathleen Guler

A Land Beyond Ravens - Book Four of the Macsen’s Treasure Series

In 5th century Britain, High King Uther Pendragon is old, frail, and sick. He has no known heir and must name one before he dies. Lesser king, Cadwallon, waits impatiently to take his place. But Uther Pendragon does indeed have an heir, his whereabouts a secret even to him. A son named Arthur who has been hidden away since birth under the guidance of an old, wise wizard. Almost no one knows of his existence. Soon, Arthur will be acknowledged as Uther Pendragon’s sole heir and high king. But until then, doubts swirl about his existence.

Marcus is a fallen confidant of Uther Pendragon. Over the years, he served as the high king’s spy. But now, he knows too much and he is no longer favoured or trusted by the king. He struggles to keep the peace between Cadwallon and the Christian Church, both desirous of increasing their power.

Marcus’ beloved wife, Claerwen is gifted with “fire in the head” (the ability to see the future). She was also a trusted servant of the king, having protected Uther’s daughter by taking her to Avalon. When her sister, Drysi, and a strange monk, Gwion, seek shelter with Marcus at their fortress, trouble mysteriously ensues.
A Land Beyond Ravens is the 4th and final book of the Macsen’s Treasure Series. Even though I had not read the preceding novels, I was easily able to follow the plot and relevant backstory through clever, brief snippets throughout the story. The reader follows the numerous twists and turns of the story through the point of view of the two main characters, Marcus and Claerwan, created completely from the imagination of author Kathleen Cunningham Guler. As such, this keeps the story fresh and unique from the actual Arthurian Legend. Guler writes with a strong voice and vibrant prose. Her use of Welsh and Celtic names and words adds realism to the skilfully woven tale. She is a master at creating unique, unusual characters which draw the reader deeper into the story in anxious desire to unlock their secrets.

I highly recommend this book to afficionado’s of the Arthurian legend. The previous books in the series are Into the Path of Gods, In the Shadow of Dragons, and The Anvil Stone.