A Land Beyond Ravens (The Macsen's Treasure) (Hardcover)

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Editorial Reviews

Product Description

No one in fifth century Britain knows more secrets than master spy Marcus ap Iorwerth, and that makes him a dangerous man. It also makes him a hunted one. For nearly three decades he has manipulated stubborn, irascible kings and warlords in a quest to not only unite them against foreign invasion but to stop them from destroying each other as well. And along with his beloved wife Claerwen, he has followed a greater, even more perilous pursuit to forge a clear path for the fulfillment of Merlin the Enchanter s famed prophecy that one day a great king will take command, the king known as Arthur of the Britons.
Now, with Arthur at last on the brink of adulthood and already showing great promise as a leader, Marcus discovers that the emerging Christian church is gaining enough power to dangerously shift control of Britain. At the same time Claerwen, gifted with second sight, is plagued with strange dreams that connect inexplicable doom to both Arthur and a long lost grail sacred to Britain s high kings. As foreboding mounts, Marcus struggles to prevent the church from crushing Arthur s chances of becoming an effective king. But how he goes about it sets up the very doom that Claerwen sees. Will she be able to stop him? Or will her visions send Marcus to his own doom as well?

Product Details

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Bardsong Press; First edition (September 30, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0966037162
• ISBN-13: 978-0966037166
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #485,294 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars An enthusiastically recommended read for fans of the series, November 9, 2009

By	Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

The light at the end of the dark ages is almost in sight. "A Land Beyond Ravens" is the fourth book and the conclusion in the Macsen's Treasure series, which is set in Dark Age Britain. Kathleen Cunningham Guler has created a highly entertaining and intriguing take on the elements of historical fiction and Arthurian legend. "A Land Beyond Ravens" is an enthusiastically recommended read for fans of the series, and will encourage readers to seek out Guler's other works.

5.0 out of 5 stars Life and romance in the time of Arthur and Merlin - a great read!, October 16, 2009

By	Lisa Haselton "womanryter" (Nashua, NH) - See all my reviews

Fifth century master spy, Marcus ap Iorwerth, enjoyed being the go-to man for ferreting out information. He is a master of disguise and was trusted by many for thirty years. But now he knows too much about everyone and one slip of the tongue can mean his death.

During this time of King Uther, Marcus constantly blends into the landscape to find answers to looming questions that give men power. Uther's teenaged son, Arthur, is next in line to the throne most people think will be available with Uther's pending death.

Marcus supports Arthur moving into his rightful place, however Marcus' wife's psychic visions forecast the toughest battle and not the most pleasant outcome.

Novelist Kathleen Guler presents a clear portrait of this historical time period and the people who lived it. Her combination of verifiable research and use of myths from the time period are woven together to create a story from the perspective of other characters living in the time building up to King Arthur, Merlin, and the knights of the Roundtable.

Kathleen Cunningham Guler is the author of the award-winning Macsen's Treasure series that includes Into the Path of Gods, In the Shadow of Dragons, and The Anvil Stone. She studied Celtic history and Arthurian legend for almost thirty years in the U.S. and Great Britain. She has published numerous articles, essays, reviews, short stories, and poetry.

A Land Beyond Ravens is a recommended read for anyone interested in Arthurian legend, mystery, spy, adventure, or romance. Reviewer: Lisa Haselton, Allbooks Reviews.

5.0 out of 5 stars A must-read for fans of Celtic history, October 6, 2009

By	Feathered Quill Book Reviews (Goshen, MA) - See all my reviews

If you've read the first three books in Kathleen Cunningham Guler's Macsen's Treasure Series, you will not require any encouragement to pick up the fourth book in the series, A Land Beyond Ravens. No doubt you already are hooked on the action and intrigue surrounding fifth century spy Marcus ap Iorwerth. However if you haven't yet discovered the series, A Land Beyond Ravens should be on your map if you enjoy fantasy and the Celtic legendary history of King Arthur. In fact even if your book genre interests extend beyond those categories, you may still want to sink your teeth into Guler's series. For although A Land Beyond Ravens is classified as historical fiction, it gracefully incorporates other genres, such as mystery, romance, action-adventure, and fantasy. If you are a fan of Diane Gabaldon's Outlander series, then you will enjoy the same scrumptious mix of historical context, exciting escapades and tender moments in A Land Beyond Ravens.

As the high king Uther's health deteriorates, cunning spy Marcus ap Iorwerth wrestles with rogue king Cadwallon over control of the kingdom. Marcus is an expert swordsman and spy with keen intelligence, plus he's a romantic who is utterly devoted to his wife Claerwen. In a phrase, Marcus ap Iorwerth is a fifth century James Bond, and he must utilize all his many skills to make sure Uther's secret son, Arthur, succeeds his father as king. Unbeknownst to Cadwallon and the others of the kingdom, Merlin the Enchanter has been grooming the boy Arthur for just this eventuality. But perhaps the young man is still too immature to hold such a weighty position while fending off others who will fight to the death to usurp his power? Add to the mix, a land battle between the Britons and the Saxon, throw in a dash of religious inquiry as the "new" Christian religion becomes introduced to the primarily Druid kingdom, and then sprinkle a generous serving of a love story about the affection, respect and honor shared between two strong people, and you have the zesty ingredients for A Land Beyond Ravens. As Marcus ponders, "So many years had passed, waiting for the moment. But it had to be the right moment. Arthur may be good - he had just proven he understood tactics well - but that could have been luck alone. Arthur was still so young...And time was running out..."

As readers piece together clues, the suspense surrounding Arthur's possible ascension to the throne easily maintains interest throughout this well-paced novel. The story is chocked full of tasty morsels of period details, and the addition of the Welsh language lends historical veracity and flavor. Guler's solid descriptive writing style gives good weight to both details and plot as she integrates neat summaries of the plotlines of earlier books in the series. In a clever manner, the author creates individual books that can stand alone as well as a series. As Guler writes in the author's note, "I wished to portray a period of history through the eyes of people who could have lived then and set the events that led to Arthur's rise to power as an influence upon their lives. Each book in the series can be read alone; the prominent characters, chronology, themes and background tie them together."

However if you enjoy one book in this The Macsen's Treasure Series, Merlin himself couldn't stop you from hunting up the rest.

Quill says: A must-read for fans of Celtic history with a taste for intrigue, romance and swordplay!