Celtika

Rating:
Summary: An excellent story of myth interwoven with history
Review: I have enjoyed Robert Holdstock's work since his book Mythago Wood
first came out. Like all of Holdstock's work, Celtika weaves
myth and reality together. In Holdstock's book characters from
myth and demigods walk among men and women. Holdstock's earlier
works are full of obcession, love and passion as the world of
humans intersects with the world of myth (or Mythagos). This
gives his earlier work a somewhat dark quality. Although Celtika
opens in the snow and at a haunted lake, this work seems lighter
somehow.

Holdstock is an excellent english stylist and has an encylopedic
knowledge of early history and myth. Celtika is a strange
intersection a time which appears to be between Alexander's
conquests and the rise of the Roman Empire, with mythical greek
history.

Although I suppose Celtika work would be classified as
fantasy, Holdstock does not write classic fantasy. His
stories have a real character to them. The main character,
Merlin, does not wash much, as few people did in the west
before modern times. Celtika recounts a story from earlier
in Merlins very long life where he is seduced by a woman.
She come to him in a sheer dress, smelling of flowers.
As she undresses him she discovers that he is filthy. She
first cleans him before they make love.

Holdstock definitely writes for a well read audience.
The story of Media is interwoven into Celtika and if you
have not read or seen the Greek play Media, it might be
worth reading to understand some of the background in this
story. In particular, why Media is so bitter.

In summary, this is an excellent book...

Rating:
Summary: An excellent story of myth interwoven with history
Review: I have enjoyed Robert Holdstock's work since his book Mythago Wood
first came out. Like all of Holdstock's work, Celtika weaves
myth and reality together. In Holdstock's book characters from
myth and demigods walk among men and women. Holdstock's earlier
works are full of obcession, love and passion as the world of
humans intersects with the world of myth (or Mythagos). This
gives his earlier work a somewhat dark quality. Although Celtika
opens in the snow and at a haunted lake, this work seems lighter
somehow.

Holdstock is an excellent english stylist and has an encylopedic
knowledge of early history and myth. Celtika is a strange
intersection a time which appears to be between Alexander's
conquests and the rise of the Roman Empire, with mythical greek
history.

Although I suppose Celtika work would be classified as
fantasy, Holdstock does not write classic fantasy. His
stories have a real character to them. The main character,
Merlin, does not wash much, as few people did in the west
before modern times. Celtika recounts a story from earlier
in Merlins very long life where he is seduced by a woman.
She come to him in a sheer dress, smelling of flowers.
As she undresses him she discovers that he is filthy. She
first cleans him before they make love.

Holdstock definitely writes for a well read audience.
The story of Media is interwoven into Celtika and if you
have not read or seen the Greek play Media, it might be
worth reading to understand some of the background in this
story. In particular, why Media is so bitter.

In summary, this is an excellent book...

Rating:
Summary: Good read
Review: Just finished Celtika by Robert Holdstock....a excellent read with a new twist on the story of Merlin and Jason (from Golden Fleece fame). If you're a stickler for keeping true to the old myths you may not like it, if however you like seeing tales told from a different perspective go for it. Takes you to a magical world 700 yrs after Jason's famous quest. Great cast of characters.

Rating:
Summary: Terrific combining Arthurian legend with Greek mythology
Review: Merlin stays young as long as he does not use his magic, but every time he applies the "charm", he ages. Always in a quest for more arcane knowledge, Merlin joins Jason on his crusade to obtain the Golden Fleece. Later the Enchantress Medea kills Jason's two sons and steals their corpses. The grieving former hero sails into the night on the Argo with no reason to live, unable to obtain closure.

Centuries later, Merlin learns that a "screaming" ship is locked inside a frozen lake. Concluding that the vessel must be the Argo, he journeys to help his mourning friend Jason, who screams are for his lost sons. Using his cherished "charm", he raises the Argo at the cost of much of his youth. He next informs Jason that his two sons live. A renewed Jason puts together a new crew of Argonauts set to rescue his children.

Combining Arthurian legend with Greek mythology, Robert Holdstock displays he may be the leading mythologist of modern times. The story line is more than just an epic adventure as the key players, Merlin and Jason learn that no man, no matter how powerful or heroic, is an island. Magic seems unfeigned and the blending of the two epic lines brilliantly conceived and achieved. The first book of the Merlin Codex is a triumph that fantasy readers will relish, keep, and desire immediate release of book two in this terrific opus.

Harriet Klausner

Rating:
Summary: Terrific combining Arthurian legend with Greek mythology
Review: Merlin stays young as long as he does not use his magic, but every time he applies the "charm", he ages. Always in a quest for more arcane knowledge, Merlin joins Jason on his crusade to obtain the Golden Fleece. Later the Enchantress Medea kills Jason's two sons and steals their corpses. The grieving former hero sails into the night on the Argo with no reason to live, unable to obtain closure.

Centuries later, Merlin learns that a "screaming" ship is locked inside a frozen lake. Concluding that the vessel must be the Argo, he journeys to help his mourning friend Jason, who screams are for his lost sons. Using his cherished "charm", he raises the Argo at the cost of much of his youth. He next informs Jason that his two sons live. A renewed Jason puts together a new crew of Argonauts set to rescue his children.

Combining Arthurian legend with Greek mythology, Robert Holdstock displays he may be the leading mythologist of modern times. The story line is more than just an epic adventure as the key players, Merlin and Jason learn that no man, no matter how powerful or heroic, is an island. Magic seems unfeigned and the blending of the two epic lines brilliantly conceived and achieved. The first book of the Merlin Codex is a triumph that fantasy readers will relish, keep, and desire immediate release of book two in this terrific opus.

Harriet Klausner

Rating:
Summary: A FLAWED ATTEMPT AT AMBITION
Review: Out of the gate this book fails because of the first-person narration by Merlin. This style is very constricting since characters can only appear if Merlin encounters them. One reviewer mentioned that Holdstock is writing for the "well read" crowd - this is a true statement, but that does not mean the "well read" crowd is going to like this or appreciate what Holdstock is trying to accomplish, and that is mix the myths so to speak. His writing style is so surreal that at times it is easy to lose the pace of the story - this is compounded by the multiple complications of mixing Greek Gods with Arthurian and Norse legends. The problems of geography notwithstanding because Holdstock has conveniently created "The Path," which Merlin walks, apparently for eternity, allowing him to transverse great amount of distance is short periods of time. The fantasy aspects of the story also fail to impress - for those of you who enjoy fantasy you will recognize the fault of making nearly everything possible - no rules at all (remember the old Batman utility belt?).
Back to the narration, there is so much of it that hardly any dialog is written. The obvious problem with that is nearly zero character development - Merlin explains and describes and things happen around him and a gigantic host of characters pop in and out.
I appreciate the attempt at something different, but I was not fooled by Holdstock's attempt at literary fantasy. One star for an original idea and one star for the really cool paperback cover art.

Rating:
Summary: A FLAWED ATTEMPT AT AMBITION
Review: Out of the gate this book fails because of the first-person narration by Merlin. This style is very constricting since characters can only appear if Merlin encounters them. One reviewer mentioned that Holdstock is writing for the "well read" crowd - this is a true statement, but that does not mean the "well read" crowd is going to like this or appreciate what Holdstock is trying to accomplish, and that is mix the myths so to speak. His writing style is so surreal that at times it is easy to lose the pace of the story - this is compounded by the multiple complications of mixing Greek Gods with Arthurian and Norse legends. The problems of geography notwithstanding because Holdstock has conveniently created "The Path," which Merlin walks, apparently for eternity, allowing him to transverse great amount of distance is short periods of time. The fantasy aspects of the story also fail to impress - for those of you who enjoy fantasy you will recognize the fault of making nearly everything possible - no rules at all (remember the old Batman utility belt?).
Back to the narration, there is so much of it that hardly any dialog is written. The obvious problem with that is nearly zero character development - Merlin explains and describes and things happen around him and a gigantic host of characters pop in and out.
I appreciate the attempt at something different, but I was not fooled by Holdstock's attempt at literary fantasy. One star for an original idea and one star for the really cool paperback cover art.

Rating:
Summary: The words read smoothly but the story lacks power
Review: The words read as natural as the spoken word, there is no complaint there. Even mixing Greek and British legends/lore went smoothly and made the story interesting by association. But I was highly disappointed in the binding of these legends he brought together. The story was weak and not conclusive (leading to future books) and his portrayal of the great legends was poor.

Rating:
Summary: The words read smoothly but the story lacks power
Review: The words read as natural as the spoken word, there is no complaint there. Even mixing Greek and British legends/lore went smoothly and made the story interesting by association. But I was highly disappointed in the binding of these legends he brought together. The story was weak and not conclusive (leading to future books) and his portrayal of the great legends was poor.