Customer Reviews

Into the Path of Gods (Book 1 of the Macsen's Treasure Series) (Macsen's Treasure Series/Kathleen Cunningham Guler)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I was totally unprepared for this magnificent book! This is a sweeping epic of a story that will span four books in the series of the turbulent and exciting years before King Arthur's reign. The scope of this story and the way the author keeps you guessing from moment to moment, in suspense, to read the next passage is "magically" amazing. I was not prepared for such a wild ride!

This is the story of Marcus ap Iowerth, Welsh spy and "master of disguise" and Clarwen, a woman touched by the "sight" or "fire in the head," as precognition is known. Their adventures are never ending and leave the reader breathless, craving more and more! The plot centers on Macsen's Treasure, which is composed of a crown, torque, sword, spearhead, and grail. Whoever has any or all of these in their possession can claim the high kingship of Britain as they carry a sacred history. Also, in this novel we are introduced to Myrddin (Merlin), Aurelius Ambrosius, Myrddin's father and High King and the mysterious loner warrior named, "The Iron Hawk."

Read this book, otherwise you'll be missing out on a major talent: the author, Kathleen Cunningham Guler! She also has a second book published in this series, which I'm currently reading, "In the Shadow of Dragons," and am happy to report is just as exciting and surprising as her first novel! The following is an answer I received to a recent email communication with her:

"Thank you so much for the kind words! I am working on book #3 at this time and about halfway through the first draft. I'm hoping it will be done so it can be released in late 2005."

The Romans have left Britain. Home-grown lords and Saxon invaders are fighting and conniving for power. The violence deprives a young girl of parents and home. But perhaps she and her village were not merely in the way when war came. Some unknown power-seeker seems to be specifically--and urgently--trying to find something her family may have possessed.

Our heroine, Mary Sue ... (Oh, sorry. My mistake,. There is a strong resemblance). Our "ethereal" heroine, Claerwen, is gifted (or plagued) with visions from undefined gods. Although rarely clear guides to action, she acts on them nevertheless motivating most of the plot.

Sometimes the gods intervene even more directly then just sending visions. Indeed, the plot is littered with gods falling from machines; hardly any major plot development lacks one. This, and the adherence to all the usual clichés of fantasy and historic romance, makes the plot rather predictable. Claerwen suffers unjustly, meets a gorgeous and mysterious man (a prince, of course), they recognize each other as soul mates, their love ... Well, you've read it before. I got so bored and frustrated with the oh-so-perfect Claerwen and the obvious plot that I put this book down about half way through and left it a long time before finally reading to the (foreseen) end.

However, I'm sure many readers will find it a satisfying read. The prose, clunky in places, has a few very memorable and telling passages. The hero, Marcus, has some depth and subtly considering his casting as what is usually the cardboard prince. And some of the secondary characters are interesting, if rather less than three-dimensional. A good bit of attention seems to have been paid to the setting and to making the historical details believable. This book just goes over very well-ploughed ground and never strays from well-used furrows. For readers who love historical romance and romantic fantasy, and want their reading to stay comfortably in the familiar with assurance that love and righteousness will be triumphant, this incarnation is reasonably well executed.

During the fifth century AD, the hopes of most of Britain for a better life rest in the whispers of Arthur becoming the High King though some will refuse to cede power and will do anything to insure no one surfaces. However, as each year passes, the hope diminishes as no one steps forth to claim the crown. Needing assistance, Merlin recruits Welsh warrior, Marcus ap Iorwerth to work undercover in the search for the now legendary Arthur.

Claerwen escapes from one bad situation to another until she meets Marcus. He helps her understand her ability to see what no one else senses. As they fall in love, her visions lead them to the symbols of the High Kings of Britain, Macsen's Treasure. However, their powerful, sly foes are many. They cause Marcus to disappear and Claerwen must find a way to locate and rescue her beloved.

Medieval historical and Arthurian readers will enjoy INTO THE PATH OF GODS. The fast-paced story line vividly brings alive the second half of the fifth century in Britain. Marcus and Claerwen are a likable intrepid couple whose romantic elements will delight fans of that genre. The support cast adds depth so that the audience obtains a greater feel for the period than usually found in a novel. In her opening act of her four part saga, Kathleen Cunningham Guler provides a breathtaking panoramic view of the days leading up to Arthur's assent to the throne.

Harriet Klausner

Into the Path of Gods takes place in fifth-century Wales. This Arthurian legend is about the events leading up to Arthur's ascent to the throne of Britain. The book focuses on Claerwen, a young woman who, at first, seems like any other ordinary woman, except she has "fire sight." She is ruthlessly pursued for years by power-seeking men looking for a treasure they are sure she has; only she doesn't have a clue what they are after. During this time she meets and falls in love with a spy. Their story is not your typical romance story; this story is full of twists and turns, betrayals, loyalties, and intrigue. It is well worth reading.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series.

I received this book from the LibraryThing.com Member Giveaway.

I really wanted to like this book. The book summary sounded intriguing: a story about an ancient Celtic treasure in the time before the Arthurian legends. The author's note indicated that the book had been painstakingly researched, even though it was fiction. I usually LOVE this type of book - right up my alley! However, the language of the book detracted so much from the story that it was laborious to read. The writing was, at times, stilted, other times, just awkward. At times, I felt I was reading a book that had been written in another language and then poorly translated to English. Other times, it just felt like there had been little effort in the editing - grammatically, there were split infinitives, sentences ending with prepositions, subject/noun agreement, and distracting passive voice. Typographically, there were distracting misspellings (for example: 'dessert' instead of 'desert' and the non-word, "drunkened" as in (p237) "...drunkened with the sensuous craving....").

Some of what bothered me may have been mere stylistic choice - I am not fond of the overuse of inanimate objects taking actions - throughout the book, faces hovered, swords launched, daggers propelled, and on p192 a "thump bounced around inside the house and they turned towards it." Other descriptive terms were awkward, as well - there was a description of a "tender thud", and while I understand that there are many authors that use the phrases, "he embraced her to him" and "he curled his mouth" turn me off. Also, every other expression of good humor was described as "light" - the characters laugh lightly, chuckle lightly, smile lightly - I think once, someone even frowned lightly. Sometimes it just felt like the wrong word was chosen from the thesaurus.

The story itself was rather entertaining, however I figured out the male lead's secret about 1/3 of the way through the book and spent the rest of the book wondering why the female lead was so dense. I felt the book did not have much in the way of character development, and I did not feel drawn to any of the characters. This felt more like a romance novel that happens to be set in Dark Ages Britain than a story about Dark Ages Britain that happens to have some romance.

As I progressed with reading "Into the Path of Gods, I was very impressed with the outstanding description of the characters and the relevant scenery and environment. It was like watching a movie. Many times, I wished it was a movie that I could watch with my friends. As an engineer, I have very little time for pleasure reading as most of my time is needed for reading technical literature. But this book held my attention with its excitement, education and entertainment. I do hope it will be made into a movie and I look forward to the next volume in this series.

In the Dark Age of Britain Claerwen is promised in marriage to a crude man, Drakar. In her flight outside to think how to deal with the situation she runs into Marcus, a master spy. This is a great historical fiction moving quickly from one event to another.

There is the cousin who complains about everything; the Iron Hawk, a mysterious warrior; a search for a treasure; a royal marriage; and no one can be trusted. Finally, Claerwen must determine if she believes if the rumors that Marcus is dead are true or trust her heart and search for him.

While this is not the genre I normally read I must say I truly enjoyed this book and look forward to the other three of the series. It is well quite well written.

The author and publisher sent this book to me for review.

I think others miss the point when they search for historical inaccuracies--after all, this is a work of fiction. However, this book's purpose is to give you the feel of Britannia during the post-Roman era. It was a time of myth and fantasy, chivalry and heroism, as this book reflects.

I just finished reading "Into the Path of Gods." It was wonderful! It is difficult to find good historical fiction about the early times. Thanks to the author for a wonderful read.

I found it enchanting, moving, and rewarding. At times I had tears in my eyes. It would be an understatement to say I enjoyed the story. So simply allow me to say THANK YOU for such a great historical novel. I am looking forward to the next three books (in the series). I have been an avid reader of Robin Cook, Dean Koontz, John Grisham, Stephen Coonts, Patrick Robinson, Michael Crichton and Tom Clancy. Now I can truthfully say I have another favorite writer named Kathleen Guler.