Re: Morgan le Fay in Post-Roman Britain
- From: "Vaughan Sanders" <vjs@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sat, 29 Jul 2006 21:34:33 +0100
"IntrepidLisaH" <IntrepidLisaH@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:1154190215.248278.220950@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
I just read a new novel about Morgan le Fay. The Circle Cast: The Lost
Years of Morgan le Fay is about what happened to Morgan after Uther
killed her father, and before she shows up all powerful and vengeful in
Arthur's court. Though it's kind of literary (by which I mean really
well written), it's partly an adventure story. She's sent to Ireland
for safety, but there's no safety there. There are slave raids, and
Druids, and early Christian martyrs...
The author seems to have done a lot of historical research, because the
book has got a great feel for post-Roman Britain circa 470 AD and
pre-Christian Ireland -- the "civilized" British are writing letters to
each other in Latin while the Saxon barbarians are pounding them.
Gorlois is a "governor" not a "duke," but the Irish are still
illiterate warring tribes raiding each other for slaves.
Morgan comes through as a fascinating character, not the
way-too-reasonable Morgan of The Mists of Avalon, but as a girl holding
onto her rage because it's the only way to know who she is. The story
is about how her rage fuels her magic and makes her great -- but when
she has a chance at grace, and another chance at love, her rage forces
her into tragic choices.
Another interesting part of the book, I think, is the story of how
Morgan comes into her own magical talent. I've never read a story of
magical awakening like this one. The author seems to have a fresh sense
of what magic must feel like to someone who has it, slightly
reminiscent of Ursula K. Leguin's Earthsea books, though more Wiccan.
The book is marked Young Adult, which I guess is fair. It would be a
good read for that smart 14 year old niece of yours. But I'm 43, and I
liked it, too.
You can only get it from Lulu.com -- I'm not sure why publishers
haven't picked it up, except maybe it's too well written for genre
publishers and mainstream publishers won't pick it up because it's
about magic. The link is: http://www.lulu.com/content/125112.
Well if Morgan is a "Ala Primae Sarmatarum" groupie and Ray Winston plays
Gorlois it might fly.
Jamie
.
- References:
- Morgan le Fay in Post-Roman Britain
- From: IntrepidLisaH
- Morgan le Fay in Post-Roman Britain
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