Customer Reviews

Marion Zimmer Bradley's Ancestors of Avalon

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Ancestors of Avalon picks up where "The Fall of Atlantis" leaves off. This is the book that gives more insight to the lives of the ancients in Atlantis, and the actual devestation and destruction of their lands. The story then moves to the Atlantic Ocean, upon the ships of the fleeing Atlanteans (and other Sea Kingdom peoples).

Following different groups of refugees, you find yourself immersed in ancient Cornwall, Glastonbury (Avalon), and Stonehenge (before it was built) from 4,000 years ago. The natives that are encountered are very interesting, and as much as possible the anthropological/archeological evidences as we know them are held in check with the story. The raising of Stonehenge is very enchanting, along with the building of the spiral path around the Tor. This book is a fun read into an ancient and magical past.

This is book #2 in "The Mists of Avalon" series, to be followed with "The Forest House."

This is a beautiful book just as all the Avalon books are. It provides more background for all the characters in the Avalon books. A wonderful way to spend reading time!

This book accomplishes the seemingly impossible: it breaks continuity with both The Fall of Atlantis (which it follows) and The Mists of Avalon (which it prequels), and it completes both of these feats while being a complete and utter bore.

The chief failure of this book may lie in how plot-driven it is. It seems as though the writer was so intent on getting through her plot that she forgot to devote any page-space to characterization at all, and was obliged to add bits and pieces of character moments at a later date. The fall of Atlantis is rushed through on the way to the actual plot, and has no emotional resonance. The emotional core of the novel rests instead with the separation of the main characters, Tiriki & Micail, and their desire to reunite. Unfortunately I found their love for one another hard to buy: readers are informed that this is a great love affair, but we aren't shown much evidence of it. Tiriki at least is a somewhat likable character, unlike Micail, who spends much of the novel whingeing.

The continuity problems are major: the book cannot exist in the same universe as Mists of Avalon. Paxton excuses this in the Afterword by pointing out that Marion Zimmer Bradley wasn't a stickler for continuity; She should have thought of her readers, instead.

I loved The Mists of Avalon, The Forest House, and most of The Fall of Atlantis. I stuck with the series through the diminishing quality of Lady of Avalon and Priestess of Avalon. Someone- the publishers, Paxton, Bradley's estate- seems intent on milking the franchise for all it's worth; But I'm done.

so we've reached after the Fall of Atlantis the next island going under...naturally no one has a clue how to do a darn thing sensibly and the heroine and hero get separated. typical man he mopes for years. typical woman she has the kid and trys to make something in the summer country(yeah they're on the Isle of Avalon imagine that) and the man is building with some serious mentally unstable locals and his own local yoakals from the Sea Kingdoms(face it, they're as dumb as anyone in the books) a giant ring(yeah its StoneHenge yet another big surprise) and after much whining and such and the most unbelievable(the hero didn't screw the willing local princess type...now we all know THAT'll never happen in real life esp since he thinks he's a widower) and the fact that the local princess type when she met up with the heroine(aka the wifey who thinks she's a widow)and they find out about each other there's no cat fight...come on 2 women one trying to gain his bed and one thats already been there and there's no cat fight? seriously? and after all that the local yoakal from the sea kingdoms thinks he's all that and a bottle of expensive wine they can't get anymore, decided them little dimwits on the Isle of Avalon are gonna have to get with the program he's got running and get up to the plains and start WORKING. naturally that doesn't happen and typical man...doesn't go with his wife, his beloved he's MOURNED for years. insted, he tries to kill her.makes perfect sense. if the wife won't obey wipe out what she's worked on. good plan.
you get to the end hoping it'll all make sense...and it doesn't.
I've never wanted to knock fictional people's heads together before...but I think every single person in the book was deserving of at least 3 head bashes with large blunt objects for being so stupid.
skip the book. its nuttin like MZB's work.

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