The Forest House

Rating:
Summary: mixed feelings
Review: mists of avalon was one of the first fantasy novels i ever read and has become one of my favorite books so when i found this one i immediately jumped at it. this prequel to mists is a great stories with wonderful characters but some of the elements of the plot are unbelievable and a little convoluted.

the story of girl chosen to be the priestess in roman britain who falls in love with a roman soldier and it all flows from there. but if you are looking for a passionate romance novel look elsewhere, because while there is love there is more suffering and deceit and the couple are only in a few chapters together.

while i loved this book for the beautiful story it is a little akward and definetly does not measure up to mists. but if you plan to read mists or the priestess of avalon which is the next book in this remarkable series you must read this to follow these amazing characters.

Rating:
Summary: Wow.
Review: This book really stayed with me. I received it as a gift, and since I do not normally enjoy British/Druidic lore, I really started reading it out of politeness. But almost as soon as I began it I was hooked. Extremely well written, encompassing fascinating themes, and with a haunting reality to the characters and to pagan lore and rituals, it was riveting throughout. I also found the Roman history and politics involved interesting, and the changing/dying role of the 'old' religion with the onset of Christianity.

I have now read it twice, and will definitely be reading Mists of Avalon, since I feel as though I would like to "stay in touch" with the characters and their descendants. I am very interested to see how this book will tie into Bradley's retelling of the Arthurian legend for which I understand it is the precursor. I reccomend it highly!

Rating:
Summary: Although not quite as good as MISTS OF AVALON
Review: this prequel is still excellent.

The story is set in the days of Roman occupation of Britain. Gaius, a young Roman officer and son of the local Roman commandant with his British wife has met and fallen in love with Eilan, the daughter of a powerful Druid family. Neither family approves of the match and forces the two apart. For the rest of their lives they met again and again only to be torn apart. Ultimately their unfulfilled love sets the stage for the events in MISTS OF AVALON.

The story is again told, at least in part, from a feminine point of view. As in MISTS there is a greek tragedy feel of unescapable doom. The characters are engaging and 'feel real', the plot is compeling making this a book that is hard to put down. It does not quite live up to MISTS due at least in part, to its more simplistic story line. Unlike MISTS' numerous story lines THE FOREST HOUSE focuses on Eilan and Gaius with Caillean, a priestess of the Forest House filling in gaps. This prequel is also significantly shorter. Still for any fan of MISTS OF AVALON this is a must read and would be enjoyable on its own as well.