Taliesin

Rating:
Summary: Not based on accurate historical information
Review: This was the first and only book of Stephen Lawhead I've read. It's also my last. As a pantheist and druid, I find Taliesin's conversion to christianity offensive. The early christian church has already stolen and corrupted most of the pagan gods and holidays, now the author is trying to take Taliesin. Read this book only if you want a diffused, rambling story with no hint of real historical facts

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Re-imagining of the Athurian Saga
Review: Talieson is the first in Stephen R. Lawheads excellent Pendragon Cycle. It begins on the lost continent of Atlantis and takes the reader on a remarkable journey to the British Isles. The two main characters are Charis, daughter of one of the most powerful Atlantean kings and Talieson, a baby found in a fishing weir. Their story is a remarkable journey through dense Celtic jungles and its really an incredible read. Lawhead tells the stories of Talieson and Charis until the two become emeshed and their union culminates in the birth of Merlin, half Altlantean, half who knows. Anyway this is a remarkable book. The first time I read it over 7 years ago, I could not put it down, and even today I still can't.

Rating:
Summary: Interesting blend
Review: I mostly enjoyed Taliesin. Lawhead clearly spent time researching the Celts of ancient Britain, and he uses much of Plato's imagery to describe Atlantis. Unlike an earlier reviewer, I quite enjoyed his retelling of stories of the Mabinogion. His writing style is not perfect--he sometimes seems to include extraneous details as if to prove his research--but it is mostly enjoyable.

As far as the Christian aspects of the book... It's an interesting and somewhat contradictory attempt. At one point he explains that the "true God" is the truth/power behind all the other pagan gods, yet the pagan gods are uniformly presented as backwards and violent... There's something missing there. I also notice that he uses the Christian grail legend, and completely ignores the legend of Bran's head that more than likely gave rise to it. So yes, there is a Christian bent to the book. I found it interesting to explore his ideas, but I can see how other reviewers might have seen them as intrusive.

Whether he's pushing an agenda, or simply trying to fit the Christain grail legend in, I don't know. I found it overall an enjoyable read and I plan to finish the cycle.

Rating:
Summary: not to be missed
Review: Please, please do not get hung up on the fact that earlier editions of this book included potatoes! This is a powerful fantasy with a lot to say about loyalty, love, purity, and integrity in everyday "real life." One fascinating aspect of the book is Lawhead's ability to weave together stories that you might not have thought of together before--Atlantis, Taliesin, and Arthur all are eventually brought to life against the fading background glory of the Roman Empire. Miracles and magic mingle with nitty-gritty questions of survival, and moral dilemmas are neither ducked nor glossed over. This book is, and will stay, on my keeper shelf as a Christian response to those writers who seem to think fantasy must be tawdry and shocking to be any good.

Rating:
Summary: Interesting Christian Fantasy
Review: Lawhead incorporates the Arthurian fantasy world with the Ideals of Christendom for an enjoyable scenario. Sometimes it is very slow paced, while others are fascinating and exciting. It was interesting, but i've not read any of the sequels following it in the past few years since reading this.

Rating:
Summary: Poorly written piece of tripe...
Review: My husband has been a Stephen Lawhead fan for many years and he kept telling me I should read Taliesan. Well, I finally did and I was not disappointed.
Lawhead puts a new twist on the Arthurian legend by joining it with the legend of Atlantis. In this tale two children brought up with pagan ideals fall in love and proclaim Jesus Christ as their Lord and savior. This union brings forth the child Merlin. And so the epic story continues. The story is very mystical in nature and exciting.
I gave this a 4 star rating because in the begining for several chapters it goes back and forth between Atlantis and Britian jumping from one story line to the other. Once the two stories become one it picks up incredibly.
I am greatly looking forward to reading the next book in the saga.