"Beware the Roman version of history."

Imagine a low-budget 80s fantasy flick. Instead of overwhelming the viewer with special effects, it relies on its characters and plot to hold the viewer's interest. When magic is finally depicted, it coincides with the most poignant moments in the film, and is all the more memorable for it. Morgan Llywelyn's DRUIDS reads much the same way.

DRUIDS is an interesting mix of low fantasy and historical fiction. The story follows the life of Ainvar, who rises to prominence among the Order of druids as Julius Caesar threatens to overwhelm the free people of Gaul. Magic is real, and it's up to Ainvar to weld it for the sake of his people-- if the Otherworld is willing. Llywelyn strives to immerse the reader into the lives and beliefs of the Gaulish Celts, and the story is populated by many memorable depictions of historical figures from the time period. While anyone familiar with the history of the Roman Empire knows exactly how the struggle for the freedom of Gaul is going to end, the druidic outlook of the main characters provides a unique perspective on the situation as it unfolds. The story is as much as a tragedy of stubbornness as it is a rousing tale of unity.

Unfortunately, the narrative does lose its steam halfway through, as the author spends hundreds of pages on Ainvar and his"soul friend" Rix's quest to personally convince seemingly every king and druid in Gaul of the serious threat that Caesar poses. It doesn't help that Ainvar becomes very closed-minded about both the looming Roman invasion, and the lives of his friends. Specifically, the way he treats his love interest, his former best friend, and many other women is borderline disturbing, yet the text continuously tries to make him look like the levelheaded one. The end result is that when war is finally declared on the Romans, it's difficult to care about what happens to Ainvar himself.

Nonetheless, DRUIDS is well-written and unique take on the last of the free Gauls in print. Recommended for anyone looking for an interesting blend of of high-stakes political struggles, barbaric warfare, and philosophical spirituality.

This was my first foray into Morgan Llywelyn’s Celtic historical fantasy novels. Sure, I’ve seen them on the bookshelves here and there, heard of the awards the author has garnered, but I’d never taken the time to open one up and experience the vivid worlds which she crafts so effortlessly. Now, I find myself regretting that decision.

In Only the Stones Survive, a reader is carefully deposited upon the island of Eire. Here the ancient tribe of the Tuatha Dé Danann (Who might be extraterrestrial or supernatural in origins!) shepherd over the peaceful land, living in harmony with nature and preferring to be left alone by all those mariners (traders and settlers) alike who would disturb their harmonic existence. To this end, they have set aside their ancient weapons of destruction, only using their magic in limited ways to shield the emerald isle from would-be invaders.

Into this endless rhythm of the seasons and eternal peace grows Joss. This young Danann is our narrator, introducing the carefree existence of his youth, the peaceful nature of his people, and their shadowy origins. And it is through Joss’ eyes and through his words that Morgan Llywelyn carefully and beautifully portrays the end of his civilization.

When Joss is still considered a child among his people, seafarers from Iberia first appear. These poor, desperate Gaulic tribes have gambled their lives and the future of their people on building boats (Most are not worthy of the title ship.) and setting off in search of the fabled island of Eire, where they intend to settle and build a new life for themselves. And while they are war-like and savage in their ways — at least as compared to the softhearted Dananns –, their motives are rational enough and familiar enough that it is difficult to hate them completely, even the worst of them.

As the story quickly grows from this beginning, the narrative highlights the struggle of people against people. Each race endowed with their good and bad qualities; each desperately attempting to survive and thrive in their chosen way; and each the antithesis of the other until there appears to be no hope of peaceful co-existence.

For me, the most memorable element of this book was the beautiful writing. It isn’t complex or filled with wonderfully crafted sentences as much as it is lyrical in nature. As I read, Llywelyn’s words reminded me of a poem recited or a melody sung. The whole book transcending the specific story being told and instead becoming a living, breathing epic.

The other notable feature was the many philosophical features of the Danann’s conversations.

“Time is an illusion with a purpose.”

“Live your life in the expectation of sudden joy, Joss.”

The Danann’s preferred “the steady glow of serenity to the destructive tarnish of commerce, whereby everything was bought and sold and nothing was ever enough.”

These were merely a few of favorites, which I underlined and bookmarked. Not everyone might enjoy these types of conversations between characters, but I found them very refreshing, uniquely compelling, and immensely insightful as I had to watch the old give way to the new.

The only criticism I could level against the novel would be that the characters are not as important to the tale as the historical events taking place. Or, to put it another way, the story is about the clash of two cultures, not Joss or any other person’s role in it all. Sure, many people are tightly woven into the tale, catalysts for one important event or another, but they are caught up in the events, not controlling them, which caused me to view them as swimmers attempting to ride the crest of a wave even as they sense it is heading to its inevitable crash onto the shore.

All in all, I found Only the Stones Survive a wonderful introduction to Morgan Llwelyn’s Celtic tales. The beautiful, lyrical writing drew me in, and the clash of cultures kept me turning pages, as I wished against all hope and logic for Joss’ world to remain unchanged. But, then again, every ending is merely a new beginning, and so it is in this one as well, as a fresh, beautiful world arises from the ashes of the old.

I received this novel from Forge Books in return for a honest and unbiased review. The opinion you have read is mine and was not influenced by anyone else.

This was a hard review considering the I generally like Morgan Llywelyn's books. However, this did not live up to the standard she has consistently delivered in other titles. The best description of this book is shallow. There is not much information on the culture of the Etruscans (besides the focus on the Dying) and little actual description for the Teutmetians or the Romans. The Ais are little more than a plot device, with only one of the Ais getting more than a brief cameo (and even this role is lacking). The story is neither original nor is it much more than a partly fleshed out outline. The story rushes through plot points like it's hitting a checklist rather than showing readers a glimpse of the world. Outside of the disappointing story I was also a little annoyed with the viewpoint of the story. While the whole of the story seems to be told in the 2nd person, sometimes the character's viewpoint would switch from paragraph to paragraph, or even mid-paragraph. This made it difficult to tell when a description was based on a external character's perception or the internal thoughts of the character. On the plus side, this is a quick read with short chapters and it is easy to follow the story.

In this sequel to Llywelyn's earlier book Druids, we are told the story of Ainvar and his remaining clan members as they flee Gaul. Despite having no experience with the sea they rent a couple boats and travel first to the shores of Brittania, before moving to the more westerly isle known as Hibernia. Here they seek to ma key a new home among the Celtic tribes who inhabit the island. These people while in many ways similar to his own people, are also a mystery to Ainvar, yet he insists that his clan must assimilate to their ways. None is more successful than his wife Brigid, while Ainvar struggles with the loss of his powers and successful integration with the local druids.

I struggled with this book. In the past I have always enjoyed Llwelyn's novels about early Irish history and myth, however I could not connect with this one. The story was told from a first person perspective by Ainvar and was filled with his philosophic ramblings . Additionally there was a lot of references back to events of the previous book in a manner that suggests the author didn't trust the reader's recall ability. The book was a lot of tell and not show, which really bugged me. Personally I found Brigid to be a more interesting character and think that the story, if Llwelyn really wanted to stick with a first person narrative, would have been much improved from her perspective. Overall, I was quite disappointed in this offering by an author whose numerous books I have read all but two.

Morgan Llywelyn’s historical novel, 1916, is a wonderful and informative presentation of the Easter uprising of the Irish patriots against their conquerors, the powerful British Empire. The events are all well documented in the Notes and Bibliography at the end of the book, and the characters, both historic and fictional, are described in detail in her Dramatis Personae in the front of the novel. Ned Halloran,  the main character, is an idealistic young man who falls in love with a prostitute and adopts a homeless child. His sister, Kathleen, has immigrated to America and is married to an abusive husband. It is through her close relationship to a Catholic priest that she discovers true love. The fictional characters, as well as the historic ones, “sworn to be free”, must follow their dreams or live a life of regrets. If you want to experience the emotional Ireland, then this is certainly the book to read.