Rating: 
Summary: The Lost World of Myth
Review: Taliesin by: Lawhead puts the reader into a world the has long been forgotten in fact but not in myth. It gives a truely magnificient sensation of feelings as you plow into the pages of history. Eventhough this reading is fiction, it has many well known "facts" that are sewn into the words. The spark of life is given to the characters through the words of Lawhead and they do not lose their potency throughout the story. This novel of celtic tradition and roman legend will capture you and push you to the limits of the imagination.
Rating: 
Summary: Story without a plot
Review: Could be a good story, but the excessive detail drags the whole book down. There is no real central issue which the book revolves around; just following the lives and experiences of various characters. The whole third section of the book seems to be devoted to a Christian agenda. Followers of Calvin converting Merlin to Christianity? Long exposes on the meaning of the 'one true god.' Now Taliesin refers to others as Pagans. Seems to be the central motif of the later part of this book. Many much better fantasy novels revolving around these characters.
Rating:
Summary: Absolute Brilliance!
Review: Before reading Taliesin I was somewhat of a 'Fantasy' critic.
Never before have I read anything so thought provoking or emotionally gripping. Each event in the book has you feeling the sound, and smell of the scene.
I have always been interested in British history and although Taliesin may not be technically perfect it is realistic.
Those who have given reviews on this book and are history 'perfectionists' need to lighten up. For a start you are obviously in the wrong section. So what if he mentions potatoes, use your immagination and get a life.
You must be religeously neutral in your outlook.
To believe that Taliesin could not have been christain? Remeber English historians have portrayed the Keltic people of the British Isles as barbarians and itelectually challenged. Just as the Romans did before them. To portray heros of native races as pagans has always been the greatest way to place slander on them.
Well enough philosophy. If you just want a fantastically entertaining read. BUY IT!
Then read the rest of the Pendragon series.
On the track of Arthur if you want totally unbiased historical fact read "The Holy Kingdom".
The Holy Kingdom
Adrian Gilbert, Alan Wilson, Baram Blackett
20 years in the making!
Rating:
Summary: THE BEST AUTHOR EVER:)
Review: I don't know why, but some people get so wrapped up in everything being so authentic. I had a teacher like that once, he was so annoying. Always trying to pronounce everything correctly and using big words no one understood. He usually said everything wrong anyway. Well, back to the subject at hand. I believe this is one of the best authors ever. Why you may ask? Well, for a number of reasons. Stephan Lawhead has taken a very old legend from a land most of us only dream of visiting. I myself am a college student and will most likely not get a chance to go to the UK anytime soon. After taking this old legend, he weaves in elements of Christianity. I love loosing myself in books, and I have found that I can really feel for each of the characters as I read. I was crying when Taliesin was killed. I got excited when The Iron Lance was found and brought safely back. I felt as if I were really traveling with Quentin and Toli from In The Hall Of The Dragon King. I strongly suggest you read any and all of Stephen Lawhead's books. Another great young adult author I have just been discovering of late is Susan Cooper....check out her "Dark is Rising" Sequence. They are very much like Lawhead's books, but more for younger readers.
Rating: 
Summary: Enthralling, beautiful, almost perfect epic
Review: This book really is an epic, in that many different stories play out within its pages. The threads begin on Atlantis, with Princess Charis, still a child, and on the Island of the Mighty (ancient Britain), where the mighty Cymry of the kingdom of Gwynedd celebrate their good fortune in having found a child caught in their salmon weir: Taliesin, or Shining Brow. The descriptions are excellent, coloring each world differently: Atlantis shines in constant reflection of the sun, its palaces and even its food seeming refined, delicate, and very otherworldly, the stuff of legend, whereas Gwynedd is harsher, earthier, made out in brown tones and practical words, with gold bursting through at opportune moments. Yet through each of these strands runs a common theme, something which the druids and seers of both places can sense: there will be a dark time soon. Prophecy, and the journey into the Otherworld, tie seamlessly into the events of everyday life, yet it does not seem far-fetched at all, since it resonates with experience and only goes a little beyond what most people deal with, moving into the realm of the fantastic. At first the characters seem a little too legendary to touch, and one might settle into thinking this book is merely meant to delight the imagination with its sensory descriptions, but, beginning with Princess Charis, as we get to know her, we can care about the people and lands, as through her we see what a real flesh and blood Atlantean’s life might be like. She has real emotions which are as believable as if we’d heard them from a person sitting in front of us. Following her, and also Taliesin, through the various crises, catastrophes, feasts, and celebrations of their respective lands, the reader slowly comes to know each person individually and to realize that each could not be other than what he or she is. Stock characters these are not. Although sometimes the time lapses between sections can be disorienting, as well as the shifts from first person to third person and back, it is easy to care and become truly involved in the stories. One of the more difficult things to swallow is the fact that we first see Taliesin as a boy, just beginning to realize his gifts and to sense that there is something special about him, and then suddenly we see him as a mustached man, full of wisdom and druidic power, and we wonder what the journey was that led him there. As well, during the latter portion of the book, when the two previously separated threads of story intertwine, all of the characters meet up with some priests and all end up hearing about and most believing in Jesus Christ. It stands as believable that there would be Christian missionaries at that time and in that place, but the readiness with which the story takes a twist is somewhat startling. One almost wants to check back to the earlier parts of the book to make sure that it really is the same book. It begins to read, in places, almost like a Christian novel, where there must be a “message” and proseletyzing. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that for those who derive inspiration from it, but it seems out of place in this book which up until then was pure fantasy, complete with the gods of that world. Usually it is best to leave the two separate, unless a masterful author can pull it off (in my opinion, the Chronicles of Narnia mostly succeed at this). Lawhead does not seem quite up to the task. Certainly, however, there are moments of sublime truth that shine through the heavy-handedness. Two more points of interest: there are wonderful descriptions of family life and the love between a husband and wife in this book, joyful, never forced or ..., and the way the legends of the ancient Celtic people have been retold is a delight to discover. Many different legends (Atlantis, Taliesin, the coming of Arthur, old Welsh stories from the Mabinogion, etc.) are placed within the same time period and blended, almost as if they all had been thrown up like a deck of cards and then fallen together. The stories are the same and yet different, with familiar details showing up where they are least expected. All in all, this book is recommended to anyone with a taste for long, mythic, epic books, wherein can be found much adventure and a few shining pearls of wisdom and beauty.
Rating:
Summary: A very cool book
Review: This book is a winner. It was my first exposure to Arthurian legends, (besides Disney's "The Sword and the Stone, which I hardly think counts) and I was blown away. I loved the way we see the unfolding of the story through Charis' viewpoint. It was a unique experience. We start out when Charis is about 12, then hop to about 10 years later. If I may digress right now, I would like to put a good word in for the bulldancing. Boy, was that cool! I had never, ever read anything like it before. It added spice to the usual Arthur tales, as well as fleshing out Charis' character. It demonstrates how she can be tough, merciful, compassionate, and rather egotistical all at once. We are simultaneously getting to know Taliesin. I liked Taliesin; he was a prince among men in virtue as well as blood. He was a very cute child, and when he later met and fell in love with Charis, we see the intrinsic contrast between the two. That is, namely, that Charis is shattered and Taliesin is whole. Then, after *spoiler* Taliesin's murder, the roles seem to switch. The most humorous scene? When Dafyd enters the church where Charis is and falls on his face muttering, "Ave Maria!" From the Christian point of view, it is a very unique experience to hear religion being explained to those who have had virtually no exposure to it. Do not get me wrong, Lawhead DOES NOT beat his readers over the head with sermons. Far from it; dismiss the idea from your mind, should it happen to be dwelling there. Anyways, to cut off my ramblings, this is a very neat book. Stop reading this and buy it!
Rating: 
Summary: Good, but try Attanasio
Review: This is a good series, but for all the effort he put into making it historically accurate there are some grievous inconsistencies. I myself am not a stickler, but the impossible link to Atlantis is troublesome to me for other reasons. Firstly, the lineage of the major players in something so nationalistic as an Arthurian cycle should not be foreign to Brittania, in my opinion. Of course at this point in history the Angles, Jutes, Saxons, Romans, etc. could be each considered foreigners as they were just establishing themselves on the isle (or ravaging it). Having some anointed leader from an advanced and exotic island kingdom whose existence is unlikely and furthermore anachronistic to the setting is troubling. My advice to the advanced reader woh likes Arthurian lore would be to read the sophisticated series by A. A. Attanasio. It is lyrical, beautiful, and deep. In his retelling, Arthur is protrayed as a Roman warlord, which is quite plausible. The work can be ponderous to the uninitiated, but his prose borders on the poetic. The rewards for sticking with the work are an understanding of god an man as only a genius could imagine. Historical accuracy is not at any point sacrificed, ans in my opinion Attanasio's retelling is more creative. He is an unsung genius who has already written four classics.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best Arthurian novels ever
Review: Although there are some historical iconsistancies (the Atlantean material, potatoes (Which Lawhead himself has said was an error, should have been turnips)), this is, without a doubt, one of the best and most historically accurate novels written on Arthurian legends.
Rating:
Summary: Poor history
Review: Although the story of Charis and Taliesin is an interesting one, and reasonably well written, I could not finish the book. Lawhead places Atlantis at the same time the Romans are occupying Britain. Plato (b. c. 427 b.c.e.) spoke of Atlantis being an ancient city and other authors have placed Atlantis about the same time as the Minoans (c. 1500 b.c.e.). The Roman occupation of Britain started with Julius Caesar (55-54 b.c.e). These two are not contemporaneous. I much prefer my historical fiction to be reasonably historical.
Rating:
Summary: A new legend is born
Review: If you can say that writing a book is quite simple then creating a myth can be a really tough job. It is difficult to know where to use your fantasy and where to use pure historical facts. I guess for Stephen Lawhead, his job would have been extremely difficult since his competitors have been establishing their fantastic view for centuries now and have created the most world famous legends heard and told. Despite the difficultness, Lawhead has done surprisingly well!! He has put history in its right position! A new legend is born,new characters find their positions next to King Arthur and readers'fantasy advances to a higher level. New tragic and heroic tales shall be sang by all the modern bards. I hope that the sequels prove to be as thrilling and legendary as this book
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