From the Ashes [Hardcover]

Meghan Brunner (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 19, 2002

An urban fantasy tale of two women who overcome heartbreak, history, and the Shadow Fae to find happiness, themselves, and each other against the Magickal backdrop of Pendragon Renaissance Faire.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

The "Magick" of Renaissance Faire

Reaching for home in the eyes of the past

In a world that borders both fiction and reality, two women meet under unusual circumstances and begin a friendship that will change their lives forever. Author Meghan Brunner introduces her readers to these women as they go through life in the "magickal" world of the Renaissance faire in her urban fantasy novel From the Ashes.

Welcome to Pendragon Renaissance Faire, where faeries live and the magic never ends. This recreated old-world marketplace enchants visitors with music and merriment, but for Ryna, who has lived within this world since childhood, it is simply home. As Pendragon’s season begins, Ryna catches the attention of Bea, an apprentice "rennie" or faire performer. Can Ryna, who seems "Magickally" familiar, help her find a sense of belonging? Can Bea reawaken Ryna’s sense of wonder about her world? They have only seven weeks to find out before Ryna and her family pack their trailers and travel to the next faire.

A heartwarming and enthralling narrative, From the Ashes awakens the reader’s kinship with its characters through familiar life situations. The author’s expertly woven plot and brilliant use of language seduce the reader into an unforgettable realm.

From the Author

The intensity of working a year at a Renaissance Faire has always fascinated me. You’re pushing yourself to the limit, both physically and emotionally. It seems that nothing is by halves — things are either fantastic or unbearable. So much happens in seven short weeks. How could I not write a book about it?

Also, I wanted to correct a lot of the misconceptions people have about Ren workers — that we’re there for the drugs, the sex, the money, and the booze. We’re not. We’re there for the family, for the knowledge that we’ve made a memory someone might carry for years. I wanted to show people Faire’s soul. I wanted everyone else to — if not fall in love with Faire themselves, at least understand its beauty, maybe take away a scene or two that made them smile.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 580 pages
• Publisher: 1st Book Library (June 19, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0759681716
• ISBN-13: 978-0759681712
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,511,101 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Tour de Force about Renaissance Festivals and Romance, June 27, 2003

By 

Lori L. Lake "Author of Like Lovers Do, Buyer... (Portland, Oregon, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: From the Ashes (Hardcover)

Ryna Tully is a "Road Rennie," one of the talented folks who entertain at Renaissance Festivals, and she's been doing it all her life. She has red hair, is literally and figuratively hot-headed, and is still hurting from a breakup with Liam, a dashing character from the Village Militia. Ryna isn't looking forward to running into Liam over the next seven weeks at the Pendragon Festival, and she is in a foul mood at the beginning of the book.

Bea Saunders' brother Daniel has finally talked her into assuming a role at the Ren-Fest. The kind-hearted Bea becomes Phoenix, an exceedingly cranky old herb-witch who, over the course of the book, develops a suitably caustic and funny way of dealing with the Festival patrons. Liam sets his sights on Bea, and she is flattered, but as the story goes on, it's not Liam she becomes emotionally entangled with but Ryna.

So, at heart, this novel is a romance, but it is also oh-so-much-more. The book is immense, and every page is packed full of colorful characters, the hustle-bustle of the crowds, and all the wit and humor found at a Renaissance Festival. Seen mostly through Ryna's and Bea's different perspectives (with some flashbacks to the 1500s), the story unfolds at a pace in keeping with the best stories of old. I am reminded of all the interconnectedness of an Austen novel, the breadth and scope of Dickens' work, and the wit of The Canterbury Tales.

Ultimately, Ryna and Bea's relationship is central, but there are so many sub-plots running throughout the novel that many of characters become dear to the reader's heart (mine being the gender-reversed Robyn Hood & The Merry Maids who count one lone male, Lord Marion, as a member. They get into a lot of funny scrapes.)

The book truly is a tour-de-force about the Renaissance Faire traditions. From the Ashes contains a wonderful mixture of the Gypsy, Irish, Italian, and English characters we associate with the Olde World: Knights, Lords, and Ladies, peasants and witches, fairies and rogues, minstrels, fortunetellers, a little bit of Magick, and Harvey, the Privy Monster. To keep us on track, the author has provided a glossary of the peculiar lingo that the Rennies use as well as a character listing.

If you enjoy Ren-Fests, King Arthur, Robin Hood, or stories about Merry Olde England, or if you ever wanted to be a part of a benevolent group working toward an entertaining and rollicking common cause, this book's for you. I highly recommend it.

~Lori L. Lake...

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Refreshing, February 22, 2003

By 

K. Scott (Madison, WI USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: From the Ashes (Paperback)

This is a wonderful book that reminds me of one of my favorite Renaissance Festivals. It's quite uplifting. When I'm having a bad day, all I have to do is open the pages to laugh along with Ryna and Bea, and all of the other life-like characters of the Renaissance Festival family. The concerns of the characters are real and down to earth. It's quite easy for the reader to identify with many of them. This book presents a side of Rennydom that most patrons never even know exists, aside from wild stories that they hear passed on by urban legend. The book lets the imagination soar with how life could (should) be with just a bit of Magick.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Magical Book, October 13, 2004

By 

Josh Aterovis (Baltimore, Maryland United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: From the Ashes (Paperback)

The magic of Renaissance faires is that, for a few weekends a year, you can visit times far past and lose yourself in the world of the rennies, the people who become the peasants, nobles, gypsies and thieves populating the medieval villages. There's plenty of that magic in Meghan Brunner's From the Ashes. There's also plenty of real Magick.

Ryna is a gypsy, as unlucky in love as she is talented in music. Her fiery red hair matches her temper. She grew up in Renaissance faires, and her family is a group of gypsies that travels year-round as full-time rennies. She takes the magic--and the Magick--that surrounds her almost for granted. She's recently had her heart broken by the dashing, yet sinister, Liam.

It's Bea's first year at the Pendragon Renaissance Faire and everything is still novel and wondrous for her. While Bea is still a newbie, her character Phoenix is already fitting in as if she'd always been there. When Ryna and Bea meet, it's as if they've known each other forever. The two quickly form a close friendship, and Ryna begins to see the faire--and life-through new eyes.

Someone isn't happy about their burgeoning relationship, however, and dark forces are being drawn into play to keep them apart--forces that have been at work for longer than anyone could possibly suspect.

From the Ashes is Brunner's first novel, and it's an impressive debut. Brunner self-published the massive doorstop of a book, but don't let that intimidate you. While she could have benefited from a good editor in places, her spirited writing draws you in and surpasses any flaws. Her descriptions are priceless, bringing the world of the faire alive even if you've never been to one before. I laughed out loud over and over at the antics of the peasants. Her depictions of everyday life in the faire were the highlights of the book for me. It made me eager to attend a Renaissance faire.

I also enjoyed her use of Magick, which is such a part of the character's everyday life that they barely think about it. They use their gifts to do things like lock doors after they're already in bed and open doors when their arms are full. This approach gave the supernatural elements a much more realistic feel. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys magical realism and good, hearty sheep jokes.