Blackmantle: A Triumph : A Book of the Keltiad (Keltiad)

Rating:
Summary: Cure for insomnia
Review: Although I have not read the author's non-fiction book about her relationship with Jim Morrison, it was apparent early on that this book was somewhat autobiographical. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but the author's bitterness and anger flaws a story that could have been very well written. Unlike all of her other books that I have read, none of the characters in Blackmantle, other than Athyn, have much depth, and what is written about Morric is very contradictory; one gets the impression that she is trying to portray him as a very high and admirable character, similar to Gwydion, but on the other hand, most of his life choices and actions show quite the reverse. Similarly, we are "told" that Athyn is an extremely admirable person, but what we are "shown" is not nearly as flattering. Athyn appears to be a person overly dominated by anger and an unforgiving bitterness. With few exceptions, the attitude towards the Incomers comes across as pathetically racist with little in the way of justice to it.

I believe that the author suffers from a lot of personal pain, but her inability to forgive probably causes her more pain than whatever it was she went through. She seems quite proud of the fact that her faith teaches "we don't turn the other cheek: we rip off both of yours". Most abuse victims learn, eventually, that forgiveness is not a gift you give to your abuser, but the opposite entirely: not forgiving the people who have hurt you simply grants them the power to carry right on hurting you, even if they're dead and gone. Forgiveness is a gift you give yourself.

Rating:
Summary: get hooked on the others of the keltiad not this
Review: I have read all of the Keltiad produced to dae and found this one very disappointing. If you are new to Patricia's work start in one of her other books. Black Mantal gives some more background to characters we meet in Aeryn and Arthur's trilogies; however, the characterization in this book is incredibly weak. Start with The Copper Crown or another one of the books of the Keltiad and return to this book later so you aren't so terribly disappointed.

Rating:
Summary: Ah, sweet catharsis...
Review: I put down this book with some mild queasiness and an uneasy feeling, similar to when I read "Strange Days." This book had the possibilities of a fantasy classic, but is bogged down by Ms. Kennealy-Morrison's past and present....

"Blackmantle"started out with great promise--the events of Athyn's childhood and youth are simply dazzling, such as when she is asked for help by a lord of the Sidhe. But the moment Morric comes onto the scene with Amzalsunea, the thing starts to come apart at the seams. It becomes painfully clear (honestly, was Amzalsunea REALLY necessary, except as the author's way of getting back at Pamela Courson if she couldn't in life?) that the book is a retelling of the romance of Patricia Kennealy and Jim Morrison--only with Athyn determined to resurrect her hubby.

Athyn herself is supposedly an honorable and admirable person, but she strikes me as over-angry and determined for vengeance. (Can there please please PLEASE be a heroine somed!ay who is a warrior AND not off her cadooba?) Many of her actions in the book strike me as being part of the catharsis for the author, acts of violence against people she knew.

Morric is the same--he's difficult to define. He's also described as admirable and noble, but I found him a bit... well, manufactured. He's Jim Morrison with a great deal of his personality amputated, the manipulative and sometimes irrational parts.

Normally, this would only take one star from the book overall, but I was disturbed by two things that notch it down to two overall. It was kind of disturbing to read about Athyn and the other Kelts driving off the Incomers, whose main crime appears to be that they aren't Kelts (frankly, I didn't see a single reason other than the ugly cry of bigotry)

Second, I was horrified to read the descriptions of what Athyn does to people after Morric's death. If they'd had some part in his death, I would not have complained. But de-boning a live ma!n? Killing people for unfavorable reviews? Eww...

If the above paragraph does not trouble you, then you may wish to read this book, as Ms. Kennealy-Morrison has her usual excellent style and descriptives.

Rating:
Summary: Patricia and Jim transported to Keltia
Review: I read all the comments here before starting Blackmantle, and I must say I generally agree with them all, good *and* bad, particularly the one about the "heaving bosom" cover. The book looks like a Harlequin romance, for heaven's sake! They're not even wearing the most important jewelry mentioned in the book.

Blackmantle *is* Kennealy's retelling of her relationship with Jim Morrison, except set in Keltia. That was fairly obvious even to me, and I haven't read any of her non-fiction about that relationship. That said, it did not interfere a great deal with the story, in my opinion. The weakness of this story was not its basis in Kennealy's life, but the lack of action, too much tell and not enough show, and the complete underdevelopment of almost every character that wasn't Athyn, and that includes Morric. I couldn't tell you anything much about any of Athyn's friends or siblings, since they were basically just a name and nothing more.

On the positive side, I must say that this book has some interesting scenes about the faerie folk, the Keltic gods, and explanations for a few of the elements in the books that come later in Keltia's timeline. Also, I did enjoy it fairly well, despite its predictibility and lack of depth because it was meant to be a fable about true love and the length someone will go to to restore that love. Is it the best of her Keltia books? No, not by a long shot. It's probably the worst. But it's not unreadable. If you miss Keltia, visit your library and take it out.

Rating:
Summary: boring...............
Review: I was bored with this book. Could not read the whole thing because I felt like I was reading "strange Days" all over agian. Her whole focus is Jim Morrison. Boring book.

Rating:
Summary: worth the read!
Review: Once again, the formula of red-haired woman married to a dark-haired man facing the rivalry of a white-blond woman emerges, but this time freighted with more personal baggage than the hold of the Titanic at its maiden voyage. Ms. Kennealy-Morrison has accomplished two things with this book; both accomplishments should have rated a warning label on the cover.

The author's primary accomplishment was to aid her therapist by building an entire novel around her version of events with Jim Morrison in the long-ago; her therapist, presumably better-paid and with more leisure time than I, could in good conscience be expected to read this novel. WARNING: This novel contains very little artistic merit, and is designed to get back at someone who died before the author could sufficiently abuse them because of how they treated her husband.

The secondary accomplishment (though by no means a small one) is the production of a book whose prose style forces the reader to examine it "through a hill, greenly." Although usually an excellent writer, Ms. Kennealy-Morrison strings parenthetical asides and stilted faux-Gaelic expressions together in this work like some demented cartoon leprechaun, producing endless run-on constructions that would shame Darby O'Toole at his most drunken. WARNING: May cause the reader to decide the only useful product of Ireland is whiskey.

These points having been made, an author as (usually) excellent as the one who brought us Aeron and Arthur deserves our support despite the occasional stinker. Here's hoping that the Brendan series is better!

Rating:
Summary: Let It Go, Sister!
Review: This women mentions the fact that she "knew" Jim Morrison at every opportunity. It's clear that she adores name-dropping, something that makes her look like more of a groupie than just one more of Morrison's women. So he "married" her in a Celtic ceremony (legal? no.). Whoopdeedo. It was 30 years ago. Morrison had loooooootttssss of ladyfriends, not to even mention Pamela Courson, whom he appeared to be the most devoted to. She needn't feel so special.

Patricia Kennealy"-Morrison?" If anyone can use hyphenated names so freely, then my new name is Eviepants Kennedy! Guess what? I once saw JFK Jr. in an airport! We were married a year later in an unrecognized, unpublicized ceremony involving bat blood and Tootsie Pops.

*sigh* Sorry, she annoys me.

Rating:
Summary: Let It Go, Sister!
Review: This women mentions the fact that she "knew" Jim Morrison at every opportunity. It's clear that she adores name-dropping, something that makes her look like more of a groupie than just one more of Morrison's women. So he "married" her in a Celtic ceremony (legal? no.). Whoopdeedo. It was 30 years ago. Morrison had loooooootttssss of ladyfriends, not to even mention Pamela Courson, whom he appeared to be the most devoted to. She needn't feel so special.

Patricia Kennealy"-Morrison?" If anyone can use hyphenated names so freely, then my new name is Eviepants Kennedy! Guess what? I once saw JFK Jr. in an airport! We were married a year later in an unrecognized, unpublicized ceremony involving bat blood and Tootsie Pops.

*sigh* Sorry, she annoys me.

Rating:
Summary: boring...............
Review: While I'm quite fond of the Keltiad series, I have to say this is the weakest of the series. If your both a fan of Patricia Kennealy-Morrison and her late husband Jim, then yes, you might like this book, both for the inside references and what might have been.

However, if you're not a Doors fan and have no interest in their music, this book becomes a painful exercise in patience. Ultimately, one has to realize that this book is Patricia Kennealy-Morrison's attempt to exercise the ghosts of her past and is in fact her therapy. It's a shame her readers had to foot the bill though. It's a shame her husband died, but life and the wheel goes on, and Ms. Kennealy-Morrison needs to let go of her husband's ghost and live for herself again.

Besides which, this book, (along with "The Deers Cry"), has horrid, vile, "romance novel" style covers. This hurts the book worse than the writing does, because those who might be interested in Fantasy/Science Fiction tend to avoid romance books, and romance readers will get turned off by the F/SF elements.