When gods still walked the Earth, a king could pray for a sign and have a white bull rise from the sea to confirm his claim to the throne. But a god's price was high, and when Minos did not keep his promise to the god Poseidon, the god meddled with Minos' wife...and the Minotaur, a child with the head of a bull, was born. The question is, did Poseidon intend his son to be worshiped as a new god, or is he the god's curse on Knossos, a monster that will destroy it?
Ariadne was the Minotaur's half-sister, the only one who would touch him and care for him when he was born. She was also high priestess of Dionysus, sworn to interpret his Visions, but one Vision destroys her peace. Dionysus Sees that the bull-head must die or bring disaster upon the realm. Can Ariadne agree to the slaughter of the deformed half-brother who clings to her as the only one who cares for him? Can she protect the Minotaur in defiance of Dionysus' vision and dare the god's wrath? Should she?
Roberta Gellis has a varied educational background--a master's degree in biochemistry and another in medieval literature--and working history--10 years as a research chemist, many years as a free-lance editor of scientific manuscripts, and more than 40 years as a writer. She is married--to the same man for over 60 years (no mean feat in these days) and lives in Lafayette, Indiana, with her husband Charles and a lively Scottish terrier called Zoe. She has one child, Mark, who teaches Rhetoric (a fancy name for expository writing) at Kettering University in Michigan. Mark is married to Sandra and they have a lovely daughter, Elizabeth.
Gellis has been a successful writer of historical fiction, publishing over 25 meticulously researched historical novels since 1964. The best known of these are The Roselynde Chronicles (ROSELYNDE, ALINOR, JOANNA, GILLIANE, RHIANNON, and SYBELLE). The series has been reprinted many times since its first appearance in 1979, most recently in 2006. Gellis has also been the recipient of many awards, including the Silver and Gold Medal Porgy for historical novels from West Coast Review of Books, the Golden Certificate and Golden Pen from Affaire de Coeur, The Romantic Times Award for Best Novel in the Medieval Period (more than once) and Lifetime Achievement Award for Historical Fantasy, as well as Romance Writers of America's Lifetime Acheivement Award.
More recently Gellis has ventured into other genres, starting with mythological fantasy (DAZZLING BRIGHTNESS, SHIMMERING SPLENDOR, ENCHANTED FIRE, BULL GOD, and THRICE BOUND). Most recently she has written historical fantasy, with a series of book coauthored by Mercedes Lackey set in Elizabethan times (THIS SCEPTER'D ISLE, ILL MET BY MOONLIGHT, BY SLANDEROUS TONGUES, and AND LESS THAN KIND). Before that she was writing historical mysteries, a four-book series set in London and Oxford in 1139 (A MORTAL BANE, A PERSONAL DEVIL, BONE OF CONTENTION and CHAINS OF FOLLY) and one set in the Italian Renaissance in Ferrara (LUCREZIA BORGIA and the MOTHER OF POISONS).
Since Gellis is one of the early addicts to electronic readers---she purchased a RocketeBook way back in 1999---it is no surprise that she was eager to get her own out of print historical romances into electronic format. Cerridwen Press (http://www.cerridwenpress.com) has published the Heiress Series (THE ENGLISH HEIRESS, THE CORNISH HEIRESS, THE KENT HEIRESS, FORTUNE'S BRIDE, and A WOMAN'S ESTATE) as well as the Royal Dynasty Series (don't ask me about that, there isn't a royal or a dynasty in any of the four books---it was a notion of a long-ago agent) SIREN SONG, WINTER SONG, FIRE SONG, and A SILVER MIRROR. Cerridwen offers a variety of formats, one of which can be read by the Kindle and for those too firmly addicted to paper, the books are also available in a very nice Trade edition (but those are rather expensive).
I'm sorry I don't have any amusing anecdotes to relate, as recommended by the Profile, but a writer's life is really very quiet. Sometimes my neighbors ask my husband what has happened to me because they haven't seen me in such a long time. Depending on his humor of the moment, sometimes Charles tells them that I can't come outside because he keeps me chained to my computer---but that isn't true. He lets me get up once in a while.
18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 starsThe Minotaur's story from Ariadne's viewpoint, May 26, 2000
By A Customer
This review is from: Bull God (Mass Market Paperback)
Having just taught the story of the minotaur this month, I was fascinated by Ms Gellis's twist on the story. Ariadne is the daughter of King Minos of Crete in the age of heros (almost 4000 years ago). She is picked to be the acolyte of Dionysus after her grandmother Europa dies. Much to the amazement of everyone and the jealousy of her mother, Dionysus actually answers her call. But King Minos has angered Poseidon, resulting in the birth of a monster -- the Minotaur. Gellis goes beyond the myths we studied in high school and ferrets out the details of the original stories, spinning them into a rich tapestry. All of the legend plays out for her readers: the labyrinth, Theseus (as a smooth-spoken jerk), the arrogant King Minos and the tormented Dionysus. Great fun, but don't expect a typical romance.
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This review is from: Bull God (Mass Market Paperback)
Gellis weaves the lives of Dionysus, Ariadne and the Minotaur together and creates her magic once more. We meet Ariadne, daughter of the King of Crete, as a young girl who is being consecrated priestess to Dionysus. The God has not responded to any of their priestesses for generations to bless the vineyards. On the day of consecration Dionysus does appear and thus begins the story of Ariadne's love for him. He is a tormented God due to the fact that his emotions are transmitted to others and he is often enraged which leads to one disaster after another. Over the years Ariadne and Dionysus develop a deep and loving relationship of God/priestess and due to their blessing of the vineyards Crete flourishs once more. The Minotaur, a result of the coupling of Queen Pasiphae of Crete and the God Poseidon, is born and Ariadne is the only one who sees the Bull God as anything but her little brother. All in all this is a marvelous read. Ms. Gellis is renowned for her ability to give depth to her characters and her touch remains true. While reading this book I experienced the entire gauntlet of emotions. From tears of laughter over Dionysus' grumblings when Ariadne calls him too early and wakes him up after a bout of carousing to disgust and contempt at the machinations Queen Pasiphae is willing to do to get her own way. From gentle enjoyment watching Dionysus, first acknowledge his growing love for Ariadne and his resulting confusion as to how to deal with it to sorrow, despair and heartbreaking pathos over the poor Minotaur who is truly the most innocent and pathetic character in this tale. This book will join A Dazzling Brightness, A Shimmering Splendor, Enchanted Fire and The Roselynde Chronicals forever on my keeper shelf. As always Ms. Gellis' characters won't leave you alone; you get to know them and they affect you as would any other person you meet in life. Some of my best friends come from Ms. Gellis' books and this holds true for this one....I will visit Ariadne and Dionysus again. Thank you Ms. Gellis for once more giving me pleasure.
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This review is from: Bull God (Mass Market Paperback)
"Bull God" is a wonderful tale, intriguing and full of compassion. It is the story of the Greek gods of Olympus, humans on the island of Crete and the power of the Earth Mother, with a few Roman and Egyptian deities and stray Athenians thrown in. Truly evil characters meet merely selfish ones and still others are simply misunderstood. Of course, some are purely good and devout, but the essence of each character is surprising. This makes for an unusual story. Even the Minotaur, the false Bull God had a name at birth and for a time was capable of human speech. It is hard not to feel Ariadne's horror when she finds her mal-formed brother enjoying his first taste of human flesh! This is not a grisly book, but is mostly a love story showing the taming of the god of fertility, ecstasy and wine. Dionysus teaches Ariadne the true nature of the Olympian 'gods' and she grows into a courageous heroine whose dreams are fulfilled. I really like this book, but, as yet, will only buy future works of Roberta Gellis in paperback, hence the 4 stars.
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