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Summary: The Mists of Avalon is a Breath of Fresh Air...
Review: Nearly everyone is familiar with the ancient stories of King Arthur and the Round Table, but for anyone who has ever longed for deeper investigation into the hearts and minds of the characters (and especially the too-often ignored female characters), Marion Zimmer Bradley's The Mists of Avalon is a breath of fresh air. This epic novel, which is based the traditional Arthurian legends, primarily Malory's Morte d'Arthur, retells the classic saga through the eyes of the women involved.
The story is told primarily through the eyes of Morgaine Le Faye, Arthur's half-sister. Traditionally, Morgaine was considered Arthur's nemesis, a pagan, power hungry fairy-woman who caused distress and mischief in the kingdom. This is not so in The Mists of Avalon. The novel makes Morgaine the heroine, and develops a deep, loving, complex, believable relationship between her and her brother. Zimmer Bradley also tackles and further develops the traditional legend that the two have a child together, taking the controversial subject to a deeper, more introspective level, and replacing ancient assumption with stimulating, new ideas.
A major theme of the novel is the tension between the newly introduced Christianity and the old, Mother Goddess religion. Even in the traditional Arther legends there is evidence of this conflict. In some stories, Arthur is the quintessential, pious, Christian King, while in others (including Morte d'Arthur) he is taken by the Lady of the Lake to the pagan isle of Avalon after his death. The conflict and convergence between the two theologies is exquisitely expressed in this excerpt from the book: "...a dying man in need of the Mother's aid, where all men come at last. Even the priests know this, with their ever-virgin Mary in her blue robe; for she too becomes the World Mother in the hour of death." Zimmer Bradley develops a vivid, in-depth depiction of the religion of Avalon, and raises interesting questions about the influence of both this and Christianity in the lives of all the characters.
Marion Zimmer Bradley brings to life many of the Arthurian women who were once nothing more than names. The story opens long before Arthur or Morgaine's birth, with the conflict of their parents, especially their mother, Igraine, who struggles with her dedication as a priestess of Avalon and her marriage to a Christian man. Her sister, the Lady of the Lake is shown as a real, human woman obsessed with the preservation of the religion of the Mother Goddess. Even Gwenefar (the original spelling of Guinevere) is developed in depth. A dedicated Christian, she struggles with the pagan ties of her husband and his sister and despairs that she is unable to do what a good, Christian woman should - bear her husband a child. The famous love triangle between Gwenefar, Lancelot, and Arthur is also intricately developed with a few added twists...such as a threesome instigated by the King...
The Mists of Avalon is a brilliantly captivating novel, for those who love the classic legends, hate them, or even know nothing about them at all. It is an epic achievement of love, violence, loyalty, lust, power and enchantment. The multi-dimensional characters come to life on the page, forcing the reader to care, feel, and think about their lives and the relevance their struggles still have today. I recommend this book for anyone who wants to read a gripping tale filled with the excitement and power of the human experience, which is, all at once, so very magical and so very real.
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Summary: One of my Top Five, ever
Review: This book is, and I am sure, will remain in the Top Five books I have ever read, and I read a lot. You can really fall into the story, lose yourself in plots and mystery, inside of all the characters. I have read it more than once, more than twice... I find myself reading it at least once a year. It can really take you away from the mundane world for a while. It is thought provoking, and sometimes, it's even shocking. Most of all, it is a GOOD read... no, a GREAT read.
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Summary: XXX rated
Review: okay so maybe it isnt that dirty but lets face it, these illicite... scenes leave little to the imagination. Though i really like the basis of this novel, it was very poorly written. The continuous protagonist tagteaming gets really tiresome and period of time is non-existant because you cant tell. I would sugest reading it if you are having religious conflicts because it raises some very interesting thoughts. If you are reading it because it sounds interesting and you like fantasy novels. DONT!
because it isnt. By the way, some things you can add to it's moral repetour are things like incest(very graphic) adultery, Threesomes (rated R) and magic rituals(clothing optional) I suggest dont read it...and i can honestly say, either dont read it or Rent the Movie!
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Summary: Very good
Review: This book was filled with such detail that it was as if i were watching tv. It reavled many things from the days of Arthur.
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Summary: It's good as you've been told
Review: I've read many books and this one will always remain one of the best, one of the most memorable, the most favorite. I read it many years ago and I have a hard time remembering what the minuses of the book were, but the good aspects spring to mind immediately. It is a book full of magic - if you read to escape and experience a different world, you'll be literally transported by this one. If plot is your thing, this book can't go wron with its Arthurian legend that spans many decades and the protagonist's entire life. And if what you like most are characters - well, this novel Breathes. After reading, you will never forget Morgan and Lancelot. Sometimes you feel like reading a good novel and you're usure which to buy - you don't want to waste the money, or the time with a bad selection. BUY this book ... And once you're done reading, you'll want to keep a copy of it forever. Promise.
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Summary: Amazing for a Fantasy Fan
Review: With this book, I found that it moved along effortlessly from the viewpoint of Igraine, through to Viviane, then Morgaine and Morgause, leaving me at the end with an impressively wide perspective of the events of about 50 years. At the end I found that, although I could not remember the journey, I knew where I'd been. This is an amazing book for anyone interested in King Arthur and the knights of the round table. If you were a fan of Tamora Pierce when you were younger, this is also for you.
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Summary: A Feminist View? Or Originally a Chauvinistic View?
Review: If you love the legends of King Arthur, this is an amazing book. If your a child of the Goddess, it puts a different perspective on the story of King Arthur. Some say it's a feminist view of the Legends, but anyone that loves the Legends would enjoy reading this, regardless of the view! It certainly does not hurt to read the Authors story of the Legend of King Arthur from a different perspective. It's a book worth reading over and over again.
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Summary: Oops! Someone thinks the legends are true!
Review: From another review:
"My only wish is that readers could realize that Arthur's reign was nothing like Ms. Bradley tells; do not except this prose as derivitive of the original myth. Try reading Malroy sometime, or even further with Bede or Eschenbach, or even Geoffrey of Monmouth. Within lies the true tales of the brave king and his quest for the Holy Grail;" Alas, Mists is a book about a LEGEND. Legends are NOT truth, they are stories about things that may have a small grain of truth in them, but that get embellished many times over the centuries. That means Mallory, Monmouth, Stewart, Bede, Eschenbach, all wrote STORIES, not truths. There is no primary source for the Arthurian legends, the closest we have was written in the 9th (or 11th century,) 400 (or 600) years later, by a monk named Nennius. Even his works are not considered proof because they are not primary sources. Mists Of Avalon is only one more in a long line of Arthurian Myth/Cycle/Legend books with the new twist of telling the story from both the women's and some Pagans' points of view. Great character development, but the men seem to have more common sense than the women, who seem to lack it. I couldn't put it down, and it did make me want to do research into the NeoPagan religions. Not recommended for younger kids, there's some violence, rape, graphic sexual scenes, and some parts can seem anti-religious. Enthralling read, but keep in mind, it isn't real, and there are no records of how Pagans really acted back then.
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Summary: My favorite book to date!
Review: Who would have thought to ever tell the Arthurian legend from the feminine point of view? This book stands out because it has taken the many patriarchal re-tellings of the legend and told it from the feminine stance. Finally we can see, for good or for bad the enormous impact the women behind the throne had in the legends' trials and eventual bitter-sweet outcome. Women such as Viviane, Morgaine, Raven and all the other priestesses who devote their very lives to keeping a wise balance between the Goddess and Christian religions, thus blending it into a feminine struggle to keep its importance, honor and balanced worldview in an increasingly hierarchal and distinct masculine society. Though "The Mists" is told from the priestess point of view, it does not simply slam Christianity but actually subtly illustrates the moral myopia of both religions and the nonesense in enforcing both religious philosphies in running the affairs of state. At times, it seems to boast even an athiest opinion (told mainly through Lancelet but even all characters struggle with it). It is a beautifully told book of emotional love, betrayal and feminine and masculine themes. If anyone has ever hated Guinevere in the Camelot stories, you will despise her in this one as well as Lancelot. The main heroines may be Viviane - indeed a wise but sometimes ruthless priestess, her predecessor Morgaine who never quite gets it together but triumphs in her own way and in the first part of the book, Igraine, Morgaine's mom."The Mists" show the various archetypes of femininity in a chilling turth - even the irritating, submissive one such as Gwenyfhar and uses itself as a mirror for all women. The men too are deeply developed characters and contrary to popular themes in "Women Rule" books, it actually does them justice too which is why I think it would benefit men also to read it. It is a novel of humanity, emphasizing masculine/feminine themes, forbidden love and religious differences. Despite what I consider to be a somewhat weak ending I highly recommend it - for 800+ pages it is the only book I have ever read which I could simply not put down.
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Summary: Good book, bad fans
Review: A good book, if enormously depressing, but the legions of small-minded "pagan" girls that use this as their bible really grate on me in real life. It's a book. It's just a book. It's not even "how it really was on Avalon". It's a good story, but it's a story. Never in my entire life have I slammed a book by complaining about its fans. I do it here because the fans are so annoying, and they're so much a part of the Internet. Where are the rabid Darkover fans? I'd much rather deal with them than the insane fans of this book. If you can read it and not take it too seriously, then good! I fully recommend you read it, if you can make it through the 800 pages. If you can't, perhaps you'd be better off concentrating on the real world until you're grown up enough to handle this book.
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