Customer Reviews

Celtika

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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...

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.

Familial estrangement, one of Holdstock's favorite themes, takes center stage in Celtika. Celtika is mythic fiction that is epic in scope, including space and time. It revives a 700 year-old struggle between Jason (from Jason & the Argonauts) and Medea, the mother of all trickery. The events in Celtika take place throughout Europe, starting in Scandinavia and moving from there to England, the heart of central Europe and to the Mediterranean coasts of Greece.

Holdstock effectively includes Celtic and Classical (Greek) cultures and myths. Heroic deeds of mythic proportions are intermixed with subtle scenes involving concealed motives, magic and ever-changing personal emotions. This book is like a mystery, unraveling secrets slowly while continuing to reveal new mysteries. The book contains a good bit of action, but fighting and battle are a natural part of telling the story, not the purpose of the story.

At first read, it appears Holdstock may have bitten off more than he can chew by introducing many characters from different cultures and moving them in a variety of directions (physical and mental.) I am optimistic that these threads will be picked up the following books of the trilogy. Unlike some of Holdstock's previous works, he wraps up enough clues at the end of Celtika to offer the reader some catharsis while still keeping the reader curious about what will happen next.

I recommend reading or brushing up on Jason and the Argonauts and Arthurian legends involving the wizard Merlin prior to reading Celtika.

One thing I particularly like about this book is that it is told in first person from the narrative viewpoint of Merlin who, like the reader, should know his Greek mythology.

Overall this book falls solidly between average and excellent - I give it four stars.

Robert Holdstock's "Celtika" may be the most ambitious "short" fantasy novel I've ever read. The fantasy genre, perhaps inspired by Tolkien's epic "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, seems to be chock full of massive tomes (such as George R. R. Martin's magnificent "Song of Ice and Fire" saga). Relatively brief at around 350 pages, "Celtika" nevertheless packs enough ideas, possibilities, themes, subplots, and mysteries to justify a larger effort. While many of these elements will likely be explored further in the later novels of this planned series, "Celtika" nevertheless leaves the reader a bit discombobulated at times.

"Celtika," not surprising for the first book in the "Merlin Codex," spins a yarn about Merlin the magician of King Arthur fame. But Holdstock takes a very unusual turn in this novel, setting "Celtika" a couple of generations before King Arthur is born. Indeed, Merlin's strongest relationship with a mere mortal is his bond with Jason, the Greek hero of the Argo and the Golden Fleece. Surprisingly, Jason's relationship with Medea and his sons forms the backbone of "Celtika."

Jason dies a broken, blind, old man in the opening passages of this novel. Merlin, whose non-human heritage allows him to ignore the passage of time other than through the exercise of his magical powers, revives Jason 700 years later from his resting place at the bottom of a lake in Northern Europe. Merlin shocks Jason first by telling him that 700 years have passed, but also that Jason's beloved sons are alive -- his witch-wife Medea hid them from Jason rather than murdering them as everyone who has studied Greek drama has believed. Soon, Jason has assembled a new cast of Argonauts to track down his sons.

This incredibly original wedding of classic Greek tales with the Arthurian legend contains many subtle literary allusions to other tales. Holdstock is content to let most of these references lie near-hidden in his brief text, and Holdstock generally uses dialogue to advance the story rather than long explanatory descriptions of places, thoughts and characters. It's a rare book that I would like to have been longer (brevity being the soul of wit and all that), but I often felt like I was missing something as Holdstock's economical prose swept me along.

Somehow Jason and the neo-Argonauts get swept up into a Celtic invasion of Greece (this is a generation after Alexander the Great swept East, so Greece is ripe for the picking). A much-hyped clash between Greeks and Celts at Thermopylae doesn't really satisfy, and there's a confusing "climax" as Jason gets reunited with figures both beloved and hated from his dark past.

Perhaps three stars isn't a fair review of "Celtika," as I am definitely going to check out volume two, "The Iron Grail." Yet, I am more intrigued with seeing whether "Iron Grail" can deliver on the unfulfilled promise of "Celtika" rather than through any great warmth for this story.

A pretty good book, even considering the "Mythago Wood" ideas, re-re-reiterated all over again (and yeah, I do know the grammar stinks; it's intentional). Annoying, though, that in a book called "Celtika" there's this main plot about Jason's search for his missing (formerly believed dead) sons, kidnapped by Medea and hidden in the "future" of the Argonauts' tale. Merlin/Antiokus manages to resurrect Jason and rebuild the Argo, then they gather a new lot of Argonauts and set sail. The most interesting figure was that of Urtha, Arthur's ancestor, repeating the life-death cycle of the Pendragon, or more likely initiating it.

The book was a nightmare of wild fantasy, Niiv the nymph (Nimue?) - a crazed shaman girl, the goddess Mielikki (who?!) standing in for Hera, the Celtic hordes going to conquer all continental Greece, and Merlin finding (after only a few centuries) that Medea was his childhood sweetheart. Hmm.

The blend was good, but the story failed to appeal to me. I personally consider that among all Greek heroes Jason was the complete anthithesis of one - and to read about him (again!!!! after his appearence in one of the books in the Mythago cycle) was pretty boring...

Beautiful cover art for this edition, though!!

Any fan of mythology will love this book. Brilliantly blends ancient Greek heroes with Arthurian Heroes and a Celtic backdrop. Fast moving story with larger than life characters. I wouldnt spoil the story for anyone but this is a must for any fantasy reader. The only fly in the ointment was Mr Holdstock's chronological displacement of Greek mythological events. The Argonauts came first and then the Trojan War because one of the argonauts was Peleus, Achilles father. In fact it was Peleus' wedding that leads indirectly to the Trojan war. When Eris was not invited to the festivities she cast a gold apple to the guests which was to be given to the fairest. That apple became the prize that Paris later awarded to Aphrodite in exchange for Helen of Sparta. That being said it in no way spoiled the story any more than the changes made to the recent movie Troy. I am eagerly awaiting the third book.

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.

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

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