Clavis [Paperback]

Edward O'Toole (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2006

"I have watched you for several summers now, little Clavis; I have watched you more closely than you can imagine. You carry a secret that I had believed was mine alone. Many nights have I spent trying to decide your fate, and am glad I waited. Because I know you can hold your tongue I have brought you here. As of yesterday, you are a non-person as are the rest in that blasted list you heard cried. You have lost the right to a home and land; you have lost the right to work and marry. I'm trying to save your life. Here is my deal. I will save your life and you will save my family, my reputation, my Province, and the Kte. I want you to travel to Oksat." Clavis, a young girl hunted and dispossessed, forced from her home and on a perilous journey to the barbaric lands in the far North. Cursed with a great secret and the Gift of Backsight, she must fend for herself among druids, witches, barbarians and cannibals, while avoiding those involved with a pretence to the throne. History meets fantasy and archaeology meets magic in the harshly realistic Bronze Age CLAVIS.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

To understand Clavis the girl, you have to first understand when and where she lived. The novel is set in the Late Bronze Age, somewhere around 3000 years ago. Contrary to the false and rose-tinted-spectacle view of life in the distant past where everything was beautiful, everyone was free and everyone lived in peace and harmony with nature, existence was in fact extremely harsh. Life expectancy was between 20 and 35 years – a result of poor diet, lack of hygiene, disease and constant inter-tribal warfare. Nature was not Man’s friend – it was a dark, terrifying place which harboured dangerous beasts and wandering bandits. People huddled behind wooden palisades on hilltops, shutting out the Unknown, placating the various gods in the hope that disease or hunger or bloodshed or even the cold wouldn’t claim any more lives that season.

In the South of Europe, great civilizations boomed – the Mediterranean flourished. Huge buildings were constructed using advanced techniques, armadas plied the seas and empires rose and fell. To the north, across the English Channel and the North Sea, the lands were harsh and dark, damp and cold – civilization was but a traveller’s tale, and its secrets held by only the educated. But life was no bed of roses – the classics of Homer explicitly state the status quo – the most violent and brutal men were revered, slavery was endemic and plagues lashed the land regularly. There are references to Druids in Greek literature and it is rumoured that Socrates was educated by a Northern European Druid – perhaps that is how these Wise Old Men lived long enough to be called ‘old’. The Neo-Pagan and Wiccan image of ‘The Crone’ would have in reality been a woman in her 40s, and would have been revered locally for having survived the perils of childbirth, recurrent arthritis, pneumonia and! ‘old age’.

Clavis lives in a small village, Brawcalk, at the very edge of a Southern European owned empire; a place where the taste of Northern savagery can still be felt but which is under the tight control of one of the King’s representatives – the Borough Controller. The religion of the old way has been replaced with the King’s own – that of the Two Gods. Clavis is on the cusp of womanhood and, as a serf living with her widowed mother, has never experienced life beyond her village. Not only will she become a woman physically as the novel progresses but also one to rival Boudicca in spirit. She must face the nightmares envisaged by her more civilized neighbours.

Notes on Historical references:

All legal systems and laws referred to in Northern Europe are based entirely on the Celtic legal system; this includes marriage, property and other references employed in Clavis.

All legal systems in the South are based on the Greek.

All clothing, buildings, towns, weaponry, arms, armour, boats, technology (including smelting and coppicing) and warfare are as archaeologically up-to-date as possible.

For the state religion I chose Dualism as there was a period between polytheism and monotheism which remains dark, and I see no reason why there was not an intermediate point between the two. Also, Persian influence on the religion of the Israelites, circa 2500 y.a., suggests that dualism did make a large impression on those who came into contact with it.

For the sake of fiction, some factors are anachronistic.

Clavis is blessed (or cursed) with the Gift of Backsight – this is the psychic ability to visually sense scenes from the past. This is not the same as seeing ghosts, but a total immersion into a period long ago, if but for a brief moment. Her later ability of Foresight is what makes Clavis such a desired commodity in the powerplays of the Great.

The Druidic ritual of sonic vibration in the Henge is based upon various scientific and pseudo-scientific theories concerning Stonehenge and its usage.

The Ke-Ke, I believe, are plausible. While some may equate them with Neanderthal, I intended them to be more along the lines of Homo Erectus. Recent archaeo-anthropological excavations in Indonesia – Homo Floresiensis – have dated the continued existence of a pygmy descendent of Erectus to 1800 years ago. Folk tales, and even the Trial of Joan of Arc, substantiate their existence in Northern Europe.

I have tried to make Clavis as real as possible. I have not employed Politically Correct motives, nor 21st Century morals or formula. Clavis is a young, innocent redheaded girl who gets torn from her family and thrown into a world of harsh, brutal men – the ‘heroes’ of the day. In order to survive, she must adapt. At first, her innocence lets her be led by the nose but immersion in stark reality forces her to take command of her own destiny.

A new hero is born.

- Commentary by Edward O'Toole

From the Back Cover

"I have watched you for several summers now, little Clavis; I have watched you more closely than you can imagine. You carry a secret that I had believed was mine alone. Many nights have I spent trying to decide your fate, and am glad I waited. Because I know you can hold your tongue I have brought you here.

As of yesterday, you are a non-person as are the rest in that blasted list you heard cried. You have lost the right to a home and land; you have lost the right to work and marry.

I’m trying to save your life.

Here is my deal. I will save your life and you will save my family, my reputation, my Province, and the Kte. I want you to travel to Oksat."

Clavis, a young girl hunted and dispossessed, forced from her home and on a perilous journey to the barbaric lands in the far North. Cursed with a great secret and the Gift of Backsight, she must fend for herself among druids, witches, barbarians and cannibals, while avoiding those involved with a pretence to the throne.

History meets fantasy and archaeology meets magic in the harshly realistic Bronze Age CLAVIS.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Crystal Dreams Publishing (April 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1591460352
• ISBN-13: 978-1591460350
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,691,477 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars History meets fantasy and archaeology meets magic, April 9, 2008

By 

Uber Duck "Life's Graven Image" (The September 11th Hijackers Heard God's Word Too) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Clavis (Paperback)

April showers bring may flowers and an excellent opportunity to sit for hours and lose yourself in this historic fiction.

I know O'Toole from reading his book: Sophia Bestiae. A well researched intriguing title that causes one to sincerely reconsider the Abrahamic god myths held near and dear by billions of people for centuries.

Clavis is a masterpiece and is worth your time and money. You'll never forget it and if you enjoyed it as much as I did you'll recommend it to anyone that enjoys ancient history and compelling fiction.

5.0 out of 5 stars Braveheart meets Lord of the Rings, July 23, 2006

By 

Paul M. Strickler "Horror Writer" (Michigan, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Clavis (Paperback)

Imagine a female Braveheart intent upon a multi-faceted quest of self-discovery, family preservation, honor and the emancipation of her homeland across a barbaric landscape filled with characters ruthless and savage; comical and unique. Containing a taste of the fantastical and magical, Edward O' Toole's "Clavis" is a delightful, entertaining and educational read that keeps you turning the pages. Wonderfully written, you become fully immersed and mesmerized within the story as the 13-year-old heroine, Clavis, must come-of-age in an ancient land ruled by the sword and the axe where women are supposed to know their place and never question it. Clavis, armed with the ability to see the ancient past and the nearing future, breaks all the rules to free her land from the clutches of a corrupt political system.

Clavis is a fun read, sure to delight those looking for a good, fast-paced story set in a unique setting and time.