Druids

Rating:
Summary: Easily the best book I've read this year!
Review: 'Druids' is by far the best historical novel on the celtic druids I have ever read. Morgan Llywelyn has a way to hypnotize the reader into believing he/she is actually living those events. I applaud Morgan and look forward to future books by her!

Bravo!

Rating:
Summary: Goes beyond the facts but not against them
Review: An enjoyable read and a book clearly based on historical research (mostly Caesar's Gallic Wars). Since we actually know very little about the ancient druids, it is hard to misrepresent them. The author engages in some enjoyable flights of fancy concerning the druids, but I would recommend the book to anyone as long as they realize they are reading fiction and not fact.

Rating:
Summary: Captivating historical tale
Review: At the end of this book, Llewelyn includes a brief bibliography-- complete with ancient sources as well as contemporary accounts-- and the attention to detail shows in the book.

It's really a treat to read a book about Druids that lacks the new-agey stonehenge-reverent "true religion" tone-- these Druids are the healers/holy people of the Celts, but they are also just people, they marry, have children, etc. They do work magic but it's more to do with perception than transformation.

The story follows young Ainvar from his intrusion into a sacrifice (which is also not what it seems-- the human sacrifices come willingly, and drink a tonic the night before, so that the knife is just a ritual) to bring spring on-- his adoption by the aging chief Druid, his "man-making" in which he meets his soul-friend, Rix-- Vercengetorix-- and ultimately his involvement in the dream of forming a great alliance among the Celtic tribes to resist the incursion of Caesar.

If you've ever read or even just had any knowledge of "All Gaul was divided in three parts" you probably know this isn't going to be a huge success for the Gauls. Still, you can't help hoping...

Ainvar is resourceful and likable. At times the elegaic tone for the Celts ("we were a people who sang") is a bit twee, and it's true the Romans are presented as out and out villains which oversimplifies the story. There are also a few loose ends-- a kidnapped daughter's fate and the betrayal by a friend.

But on the whole this is an engrossing story with a sense of historical accuracy, and a must read for anyone interested in Celts and ancient Rome. Llewelyn's prose is a treat and she writes engaging characters throughout.

Rating:
Summary: This is a great historical novel.
Review: DRUIDS takes place in Gaul when Rome (Caesar) is trying to conquer it. The story is told through the eyes of a druid who tries to help a Gaulish warrior, king of a different tribe, unite the tribes of Gaul that they might stand against Caesar and his well-trained Roman soldiers. This is a great historical novel telling the loser's side with love and passion. My brother-in-law recommended this to me several years ago and I finally got around to it. Now I want to read more of Llywelyn's books as I'm always looking for good historical novels and this is one.

Rating:
Summary: a great book by a great author
Review: Duids is a spellbinding book on the conflict between the celts and the romans. I loved it and would strongly reccomend this, or any other of her books, to anyone who likes a good book.

Rating:
Summary: Truly magical and memorable
Review: Easily the best work of Morgan Llywelyn's so far. I am studying the history of this novel and it is strikingly accurate and well-researched; however, Llywelyn still brings out the passion and imagination of the ancient Celts. It's certainly one of my favorite books of all time.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent unable to put down
Review: Excellent book to get an insite of celtic history and Druidism. Plan on reading at least 4 chapter before you can put down. I would have given a 5 but like most things in history the ending is a bit sad I would have ended the story sooner and left it like there might be continuation book in the future. I found the book very believable and realistic to the era and the brutality and the beliefs of the people of the time. I've ordered a couple more of her books.

Rating:
Summary: A wonderful story woven around accurate historical data.
Review: Highly recommended to anyone interested in Celtic, Druids, and/or the 'Old Religion'. The Irish author has an amazing depth of knowledge of ancient Celtic history, and writes about characters that actually did exist as well as those that "probably existed" with them! The book just FEELS so true...it's like a visit in a time machine. Very easy to read, but hard to put down!

Rating:
Summary: Not as great as I thought it would be
Review: I found Druids to be a bit of a disappointment. It's been a little over a week since I finished it, and very little of the book has stayed with me. When I read it, I couldn't put it down, but that was mostly because I wanted to get through it and see if there was anything more interesting at the end. There wasn't, at least for me.

The plot isn't bad, but it's not very deep. Young boy is raised to become a druid by grumpy older druid after showing he has the ability to bring the dead back to life, shows great power in a few things, less power in acquiring his current love interest, who happens to be a female druid. She snubs him, he learns more, and then he's sent off to study in other holy groves. As he's leaving, a band of female prisoners come in, and one decides she wants boy/druid. He leaves, meets up with friend he hasn't seen in a while, bard, and picks up an older dancer/slave while touring the area the Romans conquered. Comes back to his grove, becomes leader of the grove becuase grumpy druid was killer, and watches the Celts wage a huge battle against Julius Caesar, which they lose. Goes into the forest with a host of woman, and lives there.

I'm pretty disappointed in this book, it gets three stars for not being terrible, but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone, unless you can check it out from the library.

Rating:
Summary: Historical Fiction at its Best
Review: I have read a number of Morgan's novels, all of which are excellent reads in their own right, however "Druids" is by far the most compelling. It is a wonderful attempt to show history through the eyes of the vanquished, and not the usual creators of history - the victors. As in all her books, the writing is fluid and enthralling. The person to person stories written around the historical events are so well done the reader feels anticipation and hope even though we all know how tragically it all ends. A definate must read for anyone who has an interest in the Celts, history, or simply a well written story.