Druids (Paperback)

by Morgan Llywelyn (Author)
Key Phrases: druid network, chief druid, horse rank, Morgan Llywelyn, Crom Daral, Goban Saor (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal
As every Latin student knows, ancient Gaul was divided into three parts, all conquered by Caesar. Llywelyn tells of that conquest from the viewpoint of the defeated Gauls. Her story is told by the Druid Ainvar, whose"soul friend" Vercingetorix leads the Gauls in their doomed defense of freedom. Llywelyn is most successful in her evocation of Celtic culture and Druidic beliefs, based on harmony with nature. Once Caesar and Vercingetorix join battle, however, the story bogs down in endless marches, raids, and battles. The characters serve the needs of the plot admirably but are never fully fleshed out and compelling in their own right. Less successful than Llywelyn's earlier novels (e.g. Grania: She-King of the Irish Seas , LJ 3/1/86), this one is still likely to please those who enjoy meticulously crafted historical fiction.
- Beth Ann Mills, New Rochelle P.L., N.Y.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review
Another roiling brew of history, poppycock, and fantasy from the Irish Marion Zimmer Bradley. This novel, however, differs from previous Llywelyn offerings (e.g., Grania and The Lion of Ireland) in that it's not set in Ireland. Instead, Free Gaul is its locale, also known as Hairy Gaul by the ethnocentric Romans sniffing around its borders in search of territories to win and barbarians to enslave. But the druid chieftain, Ainvar - a very civilized chap, rumored to be able to bring the dead back to life, and marked at birth as "he who travels far" - figures out what Gaius Julius Caesar and his legions are up to right away. As he sees it, Caesar's out to divide and conquer Gaul. So Ainvar joins forces with his boyhood friend, Vercingetorix, to unite the perpetually squabbling Gaulish tribes - an effort that results in one or two valiant barbarian victories, followed by a smashing Final defeat at the stronghold of Alesia. Poor Vercingetorix gets taken to Rome to be paraded before the Senate, while Ainvar makes it back to his sacred grove in time to stop his beloved wife, Briga, from sacrificing herself to the Otherworld. With Rome's sway established, Druidism is outlawed, leaving Ainvar to roam the dark forests of proto-France with his clan, preserving the old ways as best he can. Llywelyn's handling of all the schoolbook-history is less preposterous than usual (despite hefty doses of druidical theology), and her basic idea - dramatizing Caesar's conquest of Gaul from Gaulish eyes - is sound enough to attract her regulars, as well as foraging New Agers. (Kirkus Reviews)

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Product Details

• Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: Mandarin (August 6, 1992)
• ISBN-10: 0749308923
• ISBN-13: 978-0749308926
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (60 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #3,114,617 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Captivating historical tale, January 28, 2005

By	Gwen A Orel (Millburn, New Jersey United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Druids (Mass Market Paperback)

At the end of this book, Llewelyn includes a brief bibliography-- complete with ancient sources as well as contemporary accounts-- and the attention to detail shows in the book.

It's really a treat to read a book about Druids that lacks the new-agey stonehenge-reverent "true religion" tone-- these Druids are the healers/holy people of the Celts, but they are also just people, they marry, have children, etc. They do work magic but it's more to do with perception than transformation.

The story follows young Ainvar from his intrusion into a sacrifice (which is also not what it seems-- the human sacrifices come willingly, and drink a tonic the night before, so that the knife is just a ritual) to bring spring on-- his adoption by the aging chief Druid, his "man-making" in which he meets his soul-friend, Rix-- Vercengetorix-- and ultimately his involvement in the dream of forming a great alliance among the Celtic tribes to resist the incursion of Caesar.

If you've ever read or even just had any knowledge of "All Gaul was divided in three parts" you probably know this isn't going to be a huge success for the Gauls. Still, you can't help hoping...

Ainvar is resourceful and likable. At times the elegaic tone for the Celts ("we were a people who sang") is a bit twee, and it's true the Romans are presented as out and out villains which oversimplifies the story. There are also a few loose ends-- a kidnapped daughter's fate and the betrayal by a friend.

But on the whole this is an engrossing story with a sense of historical accuracy, and a must read for anyone interested in Celts and ancient Rome. Llewelyn's prose is a treat and she writes engaging characters throughout.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Historical Fiction at its Best, March 11, 2000

By	Robert Ketchum (Tulsa, OK United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Druids (Mass Market Paperback)

I have read a number of Morgan's novels, all of which are excellent reads in their own right, however "Druids" is by far the most compelling. It is a wonderful attempt to show history through the eyes of the vanquished, and not the usual creators of history - the victors. As in all her books, the writing is fluid and enthralling. The person to person stories written around the historical events are so well done the reader feels anticipation and hope even though we all know how tragically it all ends. A definate must read for anyone who has an interest in the Celts, history, or simply a well written story.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Defense, October 1, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Druids (Mass Market Paperback)

While I do not consider this to be one of the greatest books I've ever read, it certainly is a good one. It has it's flaws, yes. Every book does.
I was a little surprised that Llywelyn actually included human sacrifice in her portrayal of the druids, considering that the only source of "witness" to such practices were the Romans themselves, who, being the enemy of the Gallic Celts, were known to create various lies to plant fear of the druids in the minds of their followers. Note that I am not deducting any stars due to this, though, because there is very little we know about the Celts and their lives and one cannot be absolutely certain.
However, I feel the need to defend this book against some of the reviews, because, frankly, many of them were down-right stupid.
Take, for instance, the reviewer who deducted a star merely because it had a "sad ending". How many books have sad endings? Some of the greatest books of all time do! It has nothing to do with the quality of the book, so don't deduct from the average star review for such a stupid thing as that! He follows up with an "Oh, well, that's history" attitude. So why deduct the star at all?
Oh, and the person who complains about the central character being "egotistical"...So what if he ever showed any signs of egotism? That's his character! Once again, that's a part of the story. And then you spoke of the Romans being "exaggerated". That's because it was from the Gallic Celts' point of view. Of course they're going to portray the Romans that way! It's their point of view! Oh, and if you're going to bash a book, at least use something resembling good English grammar so you don't look like a complete fool. There's a difference between typos and not using anything resembling capitalization, punctuation, etc. When talking about the Romans, use the plural form of the word. "of Roman" does not cut it.
And there was another man who said the characters were too "sophisticated" for him, because the Celts are shrouded in such mystery. You're right, there is much we do not know. But the author has the license to guess. She seems to have done a fairly good job at remaining as historically accurate as possible. What do you want her to do? Have paper-thin, 2-dimensional characters? Come on! She has to breathe life into them somehow! And there is hardly a reason to believe that the Celts didn't have the vocabulary to express concepts such as "professional jealousy."
Sorry for ranting like this, but I'm tired of stupid, trivial reviews complaining about stupid things. Reviews such as "this isn't what I was looking for", so the book itself is terrible because "I was unaware of its true content".
Like I said, this wasn't a perfect book. I give it four stars because I believe it deserves that much for it's fluidity and presentation. It reads pretty well. But it lacks something.