The Isles of the Blest

Rating:
Summary: In comparison...
Review: I'll just say that I have quickly become a fan of Morgan Llywelyn's books, having now read all of them. I just can't give this one 5 stars because it's not as good as her "5-star" fare, including 1916 and 1921. But rest assured, if you're interested in Irish folklore, this is a great one.

Rating:
Summary: The price of eternal life in the land of faery
Review: Morgan Llewelyn is the author of several very good historical novels, mostly set in Ireland. The Isles of the Blest is one of her shorter and lesser known novels, but, along with Bard, it is probably my favorite. The story itself is not original; it is taken from a very old and well known Irish tale. This retelling of it, however, is the best I've read.

The story is about a young warrior named Connla who falls in love with Blathine, a faery woman who takes him to her home, The Isles of the Blest. In this faery world, no one ages, time does not pass and pain, suffering and death are unknown. Morgan Llewelyn explores a complex metaphysical dilemma in this book, so it is more than a simple fantasy or folk tale. Connla must choose between mortal life, with all its pain and challenges and this ideal eternal life on the Isles of the Blest. If he chooses the latter, he will lose all of his earthly memories. What makes him reluctant are not only his fond memories of people and places he loved, but the realization that something is lacking in a world of total perfection. Wars are fought, but no one really dies; games of chance are played, but no one can really lose. Connla finds that this takes some of the meaning out of life. On the other hand, he very much loves the beautiful Blathine. Llewelyn has taken a traditional tale and filled it out with more details and speculations than such tales usually contain, at least in the versions that have survived over the years. As much as I enjoyed this book, the ending was a little less conclusive than I would have liked. On the other hand, it may have been the author's intention to leave the reader with a sense of ambiguity about Connla's dilemma.

I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in fantasy, Celtic myths or faeries. In particular, this book contains some valuable insights and poses some fascinating questions (some of which, perhaps inevitably, remain unanswered) about the mysterious world of faery.

Rating:
Summary: A great story of the Magic of Erin
Review: This was a very easy read, and keeps in line with the rest Of Morgan Llwelyn novels.. This is nice because it is a break from her lenghtier novels.. I enjoyed very much, and would highly recommend it to any one interested in Myth, Legend, History or just plain enjoyment...