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15 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Give 'em ten stars!!, February 22, 1999
By A Customer
The Song of Albion trilogy are some of the best books I have ever read!! They deserve 10 stars! I read fiction critically, paying attention not only to the quality of plot, but also quality of writing and, most importantly, development of characters. Stephen Lawhead's books in general, and this trilogy in particular, satisfy me in every detail. The plots are original and very well researched, and the writing is excellent, with inspiring but not over-used metaphors and subtle alliteration. The characterization is excellent! I could not believe when reading some of these reviews that the reviewer had read the same books that I did. I can truly say that I have never read books in which the characters are better developed than in these. These books deserve to be compared with Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, which are my all-time favorite books! Read these books if you like, as I do: Celtic mythology; high fantasy; believable fictional characters; writing that is at once both poetic and gritty; anything written by Tolkien; well-written fantasy with Christian values...I could go on, actually--let's just say READ THESE BOOKS. For those people who thought that the Celtic mythology setting of these books was not accurate and rather forced, I beg to disagree. Having studied Celtic mythology informally quite a lot for the past couple of years, I happen to know that these books are VERY well researched. The more that I learn about Celtic mythology, the more I am impressed by the accuracy of the Song of Albion setting. You will have learned more than you know, as you will find if these books inspire you to look further into this fascinating genre of mythology! And the Otherworld setting is, to me, very believable. I could almost believe it is real. It was a mysterious experience to visit a full-sized model of Stonehenge at sunset, during the time-between-times. Another great thing about these books is that musicians Jeff Johnson and Brian Dunning have written music to go with them. I originally heard of these books through this music. I have all the "Songs from Albion" CDs and highly recommend them, especially if you like contemporary Celtic-style music that is original composition, with a touch of New Age, rock, and medieval styles. That is my review of the series. About this book in particular--I do not need to go over the plot since that has already been done here, and I would not want to ruin it for you anyway. This is the best of the three books, imo. It is poignantly beautiful. The ending nearly made me cry for joy! (For someone who commented that the magical events have no explanation, when did magical events ever have an explanation in fantasy? They just are.) When I finished this book I did not want to start the third one, because the ending was so wonderful I just wanted it to stay that way forever. As for everything else in the book, it is all really good too. :-) Well, I'm done raving now. READ THESE BOOKS!!!!!!!!!
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12 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Lawheads pen keeps singing!, August 26, 2002
Lawhead continues his stunning "Song of Albion" series with this sequel to "The Paradise War". Once again this effort bears all the hallmarks of good literature - articulate language, imaginative worlds, mystery and suspense, fairy-tale magic, noble kings and princesses, and enduring themes of justice, sovereignty, truth and right. Lawhead creates a fantastic atmosphere similar to the 1001 Arabian Nights, but on a grander and more glorious scale. While fantastic fiction, the passions of sorrow and joy Lawhead arouses with his story are very real. Lawhead has the ability to draw a reader to heights of joy and exuberance, and dash them to the depths of tragedy and tears. Few writers can make readers cry with joy and with sorrow, but Lawhead is certainly one in this class. There are depths of sorrow that make you weep, and heights of glory that make you cry out! The moment when Llew's hand is cut off, and Tegid is blinded stands out as a striking example of literary fiction with the power to create passion. While the first book in the series was narrated by Llew, this novel sees a disturbing shift in perspective as the bard Tegid assumes the role of narrator. This inexplicable shift takes some getting used to, as we have identified with Llew and grown to love him and see the other world through his eyes, but in the end it doesn't detract from the story. Unlike the story of the first book, in "The Silver Hand" the modern world doesn't really enter the picture, and all the focus is on events in the other world of Albion. After the cruel murder of Meldryn Mawr, Llew (student Lewis Gillies in the real world) is chosen by the bard Tegid Tathal as the new king. But Llew's kingship is challenged by Meldryn's son Meldron, who is allied with the king's former champion Paladyr and Llew's former friend Siawn (Simon in the real world). After Meldron slaughters Albion's bards, all of Albion is threatened by his rebellion, enslaved by his depraved desire for dominion, and plunged into civil war. Left for dead by Melron, Llew and Tegid regroup and build Dinas Dwr, a city on a lake, to where the faithful remnant of Albion come and pledge their allegiance. But that's just the beginning. Will Llew prevail and will the true kingdom be restored over against the evil that threatens it? Again Lawhead draws on much Biblical imagery, as the following allusions illustrate: The Psalms: "The Goodly-Wise heard our song and reached down with his Swift Sure Hand and plucked us out of the sea - and out of the grave Meldron intended." (p93); God's providence: "there surged within me a sudden conviction that we had been led to this place; the Goodly-Wise had directed our steps." (p100); The sabbath rest: "In my world, people are granted a day of rest from their labours - one day in every seven. In past times it was a jealously guarded gift, though now it is no longer recognized as such." (p192); The three meeting of the three Old Testament strands of prophet, priest and king in a Messiah figure: "Prydain, Meldryn Mawr, Ollathir, in these three did the essence of Albion reside. And now these three strands met in one person: Llew" (p344); Dependence on God: "I raised my staff as they passed and called upon the Swift Sure Hand to uphold them through the fight; I invoked the Goodly-Wise to guide their steps; I entreated the Gifting Giver to grant them the victory." (p351) All in all, it's classic Lawhead, a thoroughly worthy sequel as the magnificent Song of Albion continues! Lawhead, please keep that pen singing!
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9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Lawhead's Lore Lives On, July 11, 2000
In this second book of the "Song of Albion" series, Lawhead fleshes out his landscape and characters, yes, and even the villians. For some reason, he switches narrators and unnecessarily forces the reader to make a mental jump, but once that jump is made, the story breezes along. Tegid, the bard, and Llew, the reluctant king, set about carving a new life for themselves while Meldron, the usurper, thinks they're dead. They have time to rebuild and form a company of sorts, but when Meldron catches on to their survival, we know the showdown will eventually come--and to mostly satisfactory results. Lawhead fills his story with rich details and memorable scenes, but, as in the first book, he makes some apparent blunders. Though I was intrigued by the re-appearance of Nettles from the first book, his character never played a true role in the events of the story. Lawhead seemed to set him up for significance, then let me down. This type of thing happens occasionally in Lawhead's writing, whether due to poor plotting or forgetfulness, I do not know. Overall, though, I have to give this book a glowing recommendation. Once finished and set aside, I couldn't get it out of my mind. The scenes were still there, the characters still breathing, the questions still rumbling through my thoughts. Maybe, in this fictitous world come to life, like the real world we inhabit, people and events don't always react or go as planned. Maybe, there are bigger purposes, as of yet unknown to this reader. Maybe, I don't care...I just want to believe the Otherworld is out there, and the Song of Albion is being sung, bringing life to all who hear it.
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