Customer Reviews

The Witches of Eileanan

5 star:		(65)
4 star:		(24)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

I first stumbled upon the second book of the series at my local library when I was searching for readable fantasy. With all those other books out there that were either generic or just boring, I didn't expect much from this one (since it wasn't as highly publicized as Jordan or Eddings). However, I realized how wrong I was after reading it. Although there were some similarties to Jordan's WoT, this book had characters that weren't -just- good or evil. The magic, mystery, characters, and riddles were all woven into each chapter beautifully to keep me wanting more.

The use of dialect also enhanced the reading and kept the book realistic to it's Scottish roots. The fantasy books that just keep to the traditional-fantasy-Medieval-kinda-thing gets a little repetitive... so the use of dialogue helped. For those who couldn't decipher the words, all it really takes is a little reading in between the lines. Actually, after reading The Pool of Two Moons (Book 2 of the series), I found myself thinking in Scottish Brogue, which was quite silly when I was trying to type an e-mail to my friend with words like "Och" and "ken."

The Third book in the series did contain a lot more warfare than I would've liked. However, fans of Forsyth would know that she wishes to show the readers about Scottish history and their persecution for Pagan beliefs. With conflicting religions in Eileanan (The Coven Vs. The Bright Soldiers), war is bound to happen. The warfare just makes the book more realistic and enticing than typical hero-wins-easily-with-magic-bad-guy-loses fantasy.

The females in this story also appealed to me when I started reading the book. The three main-female characters Isabeau, Meghan, and Iseult all have conflicting personalities, and Forsyth does wonders to show how these three females trudge through life. This is not only a fantasy book, but a "coming-to-age" book for young readers. This book simply proves that not everyone can have happy endings.

To conclude this long review, I'd just like to say Forsyth brings a lot of reality, history, and magic into her works. Why not read it as book equal to Jordan's WoT series (which I found quite tedious after awhile) instead of seeing it as a copy of the series? All three books have their strong and weak points, like all books. But this series definitely has more strong points than weak. People will definitely have fun reading this series, and may Éa bless ye all.

This is the first book by Kate Forsyth that I have read and I found it to be extremely magical and captivating. From the moment I began to read I could not put it down. I thought the way she changed the wording around a little was very interesting. Also, I liked the way she showed the story from different character's points of view. As for the characters, my heart ached for Isabeau, and Ishbel intrigued me immensly. Also, I loved the way Iseult was so much in contrast to Isabeau. I wonder about their history and what is to happen with them. I am very curious as to how Margrit of the Thistle and the dragons will later fit into the story. All in all, it was a wonderful book, and I can't wait to read the sequel.

I must believe that most Fantasy fans have already heard of this grand series about the The Witches of Eileanan- but if you have not, you must take the time to read these books! Wonderful characters, adventures abound, a bit of mystery and intrigue- and it takes place in a world that reminds me of Ireland or Scotland. (having never been to either place I cannot be sure) This is one of those books that once you start reading, it is hard to put down. I have already read the first two in just a week- I should know. :) If you are looking for something new to read I urge to give it a try.

I hate to be the lone dissenter here, but I was terribly disappointed by this book. I read all of the glowing reviews and so ordered it, fully anticipating enjoying the heck out of it.

Forsyth has some interesting ideas and even a good plot. I found the more pagan ideas on witches a nice break from most medieval fantasy. Thus the two stars.

Her downfall is her incredibly sloppy writing and poor characterization. The phrase "show, don't tell" came to my mind on almost every page of the book. I don't want to be told that
Isabeau longed for adventure - it strikes me as amateurish at best. Show me by her actions. If you have to go into her thoughts, then don't make such general, I need to establish a character statements. Trust your reader to understand her through her actions, and if the reader doesn't, then you need to work on the character.

And even when she went out of her way to say that a character was one way, the actions sometimes disagreed with it. Meghan of the beasts, having bowel actions all over the place because she's talking to dragons. Er... I thought she was a leader, someone who communicated with animals, and somewhat brave, level-headed, and clever. It's okay for a brave character to be scared, but bowel actions? Falling to the floor in awe?

I know a lot of people enjoyed this book, and if you order it, I hope you do as well. But if you're as annoyed by sloppy writing as I am, I would recommend looking elsewhere.

Witches and magic have been outlawed in the Celtic land of Eileanan. Nevertheless, brought by dragons, the foundling Isabeau lives in the valley hidden by the Dragonclaw with her guardian Meghan. Isabeau learns the old ways, including the gifts of speaking with animals, working with elements, and the knowledge of herbs. Her sixteenth birthday, the day on which acolytes are Tested for acceptance into the Coven as apprentices, brings about many changes.

Civil war is coming to the land of Eileanan. The sea dwelling Fairgean wish to reclaim the land. Also, the ruler, called the Righ, married a mysterious woman called Maya the Unknown. It soon seemed as if a spell had cast on the Righ, as Maya began taking over all his duties. Soon he began to disdain the Coven of Witches, those who brought knowledge and guidance to his father. Eventually Maya used her influence to convince him to destroy the Witches in a dreadful day called The Day of Betrayal. It was then that the keybearer disappeared and the Towers were brought down. Now she breaks the pact with the dragons, challenging and killing them as well.

Isabeau must set out on a quest to help join the three pieces of a key, while her guardian Meghan visits the Dragons. While with the Dragons, Meghan discovers Isabeau's twin--a woman opposite her in every way. Yet they are mysteriously linked, and physical pain for one becomes shared between them.

This first book in Kate Forsyth's series 'The Witches of Eileanan' provides a terrific start to the series. Forsyth introduces the multifaceted of the tale with skill, creating strong, immediate interest in the reader. Her quick plot and strong characterization promises an addictive series. Indeed, Forsyth's skill at characterization dazzles as she manages to create sympathy for the evil Queen. Further, her unique twist on dragon lore is both original and inventive. In addition, Forsyth brings strong Wiccan influence into the novel, with a deep respect for the craft and old ways. By combining that which is familiar within the fantasy genre with her own unique voice, Forsyth creates the beginning to a promising and exciting trilogy. Very highly recommended.

I wanted to like this book. I'm always looking for something to read and this is a pretty long series. Unfortunately, although I tried valiantly, I couldn't even finish it.

Usually, for books that I can't make it through, I give a one star rating. However, there were a couple of things here that were at least refreshing, which is why the extra star.

For starters there was the accent. Now, generally stories with a Celtic bent in general drive me bonkers. They NEVER come with a pronounciation guide. And granted this did drive me bonkers at first. The accent is bound to turn some people off majorly. Even I was turned off at first. However, Forsyth, unlike many authors who attempt accents, is consistent. So much so, in fact, that I eventually fell into the flow of reading the characters' accents and no longer have a problem with it. There is not, as far as I saw, a single place where she slipped. Whether that's a credit to her efforts or her editor's (my guess would be both) it's an encouraging thing to see in a fantasy writer.

I also liked that the heroine was arrogant and a little dumb, often blundering stupidly into some obvious danger. She had no experience in the world outside the small mountain home she grew up in, and it showed. I am so unbearably sick and tired of sweet, innocent, humble girls who are always flawlessly wise about the dangers of the world even though they've never actually been out in it.

Unfortunately those are the only truly good things I can point out. I didn't much care for Ms. Forsyth's writing style over all. I like a story that changes to different character POVs, it's true. However, in this book you get a chunk of this character, an even larger chunk of this one, a chapter of that one, another chunk of this one...and so on. Here are these events happening in tandem but they don't read like it.
Too much of the story is "told" and not in the way most people generally think of the word in relation to books. So much time is spent with the characters talking about the past, the present, and everything in between. You learn everything from the characters' mouths, rather than their minds, and so despite what they say, it's hard to pick up how these things effect the characters emotionally.

What made me stop reading though, you ask? A little scene that felt, to me, sexually and violently gratuitous. Now, I'm not one of those people who is squeamish over violence or sex in a book. Granted, it's true that the vast majority of really good books I've read have contained little to no sex. Still, that won't make me like a book less unless something bothers me about the way it's done.
Here, it's the way it's done. It's a torture scene, but that's not quite why, either. It's hard to put my finger on exactly why it bothered me. After pages upon pages of not so much as a mention of kissing, this sudden act seemed thrown in just for the sake of doing so. The scene itself feels rather rushed and the heroine's reaction to this molestation was hard to believe. That a girl who has never been out in the world and has never (from what we've been told) really even thought about that sort of thing would not even panic was...well, it was hard to swallow. Also, she didn't give much impression of being in pain or overly humilated by this violent sexual torture. It just felt too off for me.

So there you have it. Not a book I enjoyed although I was able to find something good (not always the case).

I've seen this book floating around for years, but only read it now. Why? Well, stories about witches are usually either depressing (they're burned, discriminated against, tortured, etc) or too mystical and spiritual (sisterhoods that can't physically fight against their mortal foes and therefore get tortured, burned, etc) for my tastes. Not to say those types of stories are bad, just that I have to read them in moderate doses. But I was pleasantly surprised with "The Witches of Eileanan".

Isabeau was found by the wood witch Megan and brought up in a wild forest. It's a coming of age/quest story, not so heavy as those epic type quests and such, but not too simple either, which means not total popcorn reading. There's a little politics, but lots of good action that keeps it from being boring. The best part of the story is not its plot, which while not standard boring fare, isn't *that* titillating. Isabeau does have to journey by herself and meets the requisite soldiers, frightened townspeople, and engaging animals and fairies. The characters are what make it intersting. Isabeau is young and reckless, but unlike the charmed lives of other young, innocent, heroines in other stories, Isabeau does get burned by her rash decisions. Megan is an old, wise witch, but she doesn't sit at the hearthside waiting for fate to unfold, she goes out! Then there are engaging, funny young lad, who really ARE engaging, blind old warlocks, dragons, and a grumbly birdman.

There are some kind of annoying things however. I've never been a fan of books that change perspective every chapter. I always find myself racing through the chapters of the characters I don't like. Either their voice is boring, or what they're doing is unintersting to me, or I just want to find out what happens to my favorite character. While this is annoying, it was done alright in this book. Everyone had an interesting viewpoint or situation they were going through, and if it wasn't, at least the chapter was short. (Another example of a GOOD story that has this annoying change in perspective is "Talion" by Michael Stackpole. While the whole chapters of flashbacks were annoying, it was crucial enough to the story to slog through it.) And "The Witches of Eileanan" is DEFINITELY the first book. All that reading and it very blatantly sets up for the next book for nothing is resolved. This isn't bad. I just had to go out and buy the next one. So, all in all, I'd say this is a good enough book to go out and spend money on.

The Witches of Eileanan has everything a fantasy novel should have and much, much more. This is the most incredible fantasy series I have read. Kate Forsyth develops her characters to such an extent that I feel as though I know them personally. There are many detailed stories woven together to form this tale and each is as interesting as the next. The compelling storyline keeps me yearning for more. Book one and book two were so wonderful that I felt I couldn't wait for the third one to be released in the USA. I bought the existing three book from an Australian bookstore and they were all wonderful. The Australian books included maps and a glossary which are excellent companions to the stories. Kate Forsyth is currently working on book four. I can hardly wait for it to be released so that I can find out what lies ahead for Isabeau, Iseult, Lachlan, Meghan and all of the others in Eileanan. Kate Forsyth also has great website at www.ozemail.com.au/~kforsyth. This website includes details about the series as well as a pronounciation guide. I encourage everyone to read The Witches of Eileanan series.

I say it's Pagan Themed because Forsyth obviously has read a few books on Wicca. That being said, if you like Celtic stories or know a bit about the real thing, you'll enjoy her series. It has a clear message with regards to religious freedom and prejudices. The writing style is very good, even if the story is slightly predictable. Honestly, it's worth picking up. My favorite aspect of the whole series is the world that she has created, with the idea that Witches found this planet and the entire society was based on their Coven, before a new faith took over and obliterated everything. Very moving in places. You will probably need some prior knowledge of Celtic or Gaelic phrases.

It just doesn't get any better than this. Kate's writing style has had me enthralled from the first page. The way that she tells this story draws you right in. She paints a vivid picture of a fascinating world full of magic, mystery and truly endearing characters. She begins by introducing us to just a small part of the story and it's cast, then slowly adds more and more depth, characters and cultures. Yet she manages to keep a fast pace where there is never a dull moment. Her use of the scottish dialect is easy to follow and adds beautifully to the flavour of the story. This is a world I never want to leave. If you like books filled with various faery creatures, magic, quests, and a wide range of diverse characters then this is for you.

This book is not all about battles and/or political intrigues. It's about people and societal differences. She makes an eloquent statement for tolerance of other ways of life. The premise is that a coven of witches (The actual pagan, spiritual, nature loving kind, not the wart on the nose two dimensional kind.) crossed over from 16th century scottland, in order to escape persecution, to the world of Eileanan in a bending of space referred to as "The Great Crossing". In the centuries since then they have been dealing with the native inhabitants, some of whom are friendly and welcoming others who are NOT.

I also really like that she has made magic in this universe like any other talent. Some have much, some have little or none. It may be dormant or untapped and the character may not even know about it. She has also used many points from true wiccan practices. Festivals, equinoxes, ceremonies, etc. She really researched old scottish lore and did a marvellous job of making it very real. For anyone who is a practicing pagan (or even just interested in knowing more about its tenets and practices) and likes to read fantasy, this is a must!

Lastly, I am so glad to have found a writer who has BOTH storng female And male characters. None of whom are two dimensional. One minute you may hate them and the next have total empathy for them. No one in this book can be taken at face value. And just as soon as you think you know what's going on, poof she throws something completely new and different at you. I can't wait to see what happens in the rest of the series and I am so glad that what was first planned as a trilogy turned into a sextet.