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    Marion Zimmer Bradley's Ravens of Avalon: A Novel
    Marion Zimmer Bradley's Ravens of Avalon: A Novel
    Marion Zimmer Bradley's Ravens of Avalon: A Novel
    Audiobook15 hours

    Marion Zimmer Bradley's Ravens of Avalon: A Novel

    Written by Diana L. Paxson

    Narrated by Lorna Raver

    3.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    Diana L. Paxson expands Marion Zimmer Bradley's beloved and bestselling Avalon series in a dramatic new installment. Marion Zimmer Bradley's Ravens of Avalon, the prequel to The Forest House, tells the story of the Roman conquest of Britain and the origin of the Forest House that preceded the return to Avalon.

    Marion Zimmer Bradley's Ravens of Avalon follows the journey of Boudica, a Celtic princess, and Lhiannon, a priestess who is Boudica's mentor on the Druid isle. When the Romans conquer Britain, Lhiannon fights them while Boudica marries a king who has surrendered. Theirs is a great love story, but when he dies, the Romans brutalize her and her daughters. Enraged, Boudica raises the British tribes and nearly succeeds in driving the Romans from Britain, claiming a place in history. Lhiannon survives and becomes the guardian of the Druid traditions in the new Roman Britannia as high priestess of the Forest House.

    Epic in its sweep and peopled by the remarkable women who have always inhabited Avalon, Marion Zimmer Bradley's Ravens of Avalon expands the legendary saga that has enchanted millions of readers over the years and is sure to please Bradley's loyal readership as well as anyone who loves wonderfully told stories of history, myth, and fantasy.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateAug 27, 2007
    ISBN9781400174966
    Marion Zimmer Bradley's Ravens of Avalon: A Novel
    Author

    Diana L. Paxson

    Diana L. Paxson is the award-winning author of The Lord of Horses, The Wolf and the Raven, The Dragons of the Rhine, The White Raven, and The Serpents Tooth, and coauthor (with Adrienne Martine-Barnes) of Master of Earth and Water, The Shield Between the Worlds, and Sword of Fire and Shadow, the chronicles of Fionn mac Cumhal. She lives in Berkeley, California.

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    Reviews for Marion Zimmer Bradley's Ravens of Avalon

    3.5/5

    102 ratings10 reviews

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    • 3/5
      A tedious attempt to blend Atlantis legends, Arthurian legends, Stonehenge legends, ley line theory and reincarnation into a cohesive whole.
    • 4/5
      I thought this was good and it was great of Paxson to put the effort in to do this, however it's just not the same, I prefer Marion's writing style. This is a must read though for anyone who is a fan of the Avalon saga, answeres many questons and fills in important gaps.
    • 2/5
      I loved Marion Zimmer Bradley's "Mists of Avalon". This book is loosely based on her mythology, but since Marion died shortly after "Mists of Avalon" was published, most of the other books attributed to her were written by Diana Paxson. Diana is an OK writer, but it isn't up to the quality of Marion, so that said, this book provides some backstory to "Mists of Avalon". It supposes that the people who founded the mythological Avalon came from world of Atlantis; that they escaped as Atlantis was falling into the sea. It also supposes that the 2 main characters, Micael and Tiriki are the former lives of Merlin and Morgaine in the Camelot era. It describes the creation and fall of Stonehenge and the discovery of the Crystal Caves which are mentioned in the myth of Merlin and Arthur of Camelot. All in all it's an interesting idea and story, but the writing leaves a little to be desired.
    • 3/5
      It was good to see Boudica's story- she deserves telling. I'm not certain that the Romans would have killed all the druids though- it's been my impression that as long as you say their Gods are okay, too, they left you alone. There were also aspects of Lhiannon's story that I wasn't big on- like the constant struggle with choosing between being head priestess and being with Ardanos.
    • 4/5
      After reading this book, I did a little research about the historical Boudica. For the most part, I would say that Paxson holds well to the historical record of Boudica while incorporating the mythology of Marion Zimmer Bradley's Avalon series. From the outset, I expected the battle that Boudica is famous for to occur within the first half of the book, but the whole thing actually leads up to it as the final climax.The book progresses in typical Bradley fashion, following the lives of Boudica and Lhiannon as they intersect and divide, like two parallel lines on a page. The sub-plots build and taper off, dealing with the typical issues of romance, religion, and cultural differences. Lhiannon stays in her role as priestess, seemingly never allowed to realize her full potential, despite prophecy and ambition. Boudica leaves Mona to be wed to the powerful King Prasutagos in the midst of a Roman takeover. Despite the power that these two women are certain resides in Brittania, their people lack the organization and man-power of the Roman Empire. Defeat after defeat only gives them more reason to seek out peace.Lhiannon's role seems to be that of victim, as she loses first in religious ambition, then in romantic ambition, and finally losing her best friend. Even so, I can't help feeling sorry for her and hoping that something will work out in her favor. The one thing that seems to go her way is when she adopts a girl, Caillean, whom the reader never actually gets to meet.Boudica's role morphs as the plot progresses from wife, to mother, and finally to Queen. For me, the most moving sub-plot was Boudica's miscarriage - I cried. This also involved the only "loose end" that really bugged me - the Morrigan addressing her lost son without really giving her an answer. Despite that, what drove her to become the great Queen that she is most known for is her love for her children and her anger at their treatment by the Romans. The way that she responded to these kinds of injustices are what humanized her and made her choices relateable. In the end, it was obvious that though she knew she had no room for regret in her choices, she likely wondered if there was truly any way that the peoples of Britannia could have defeated the Romans.Though this book did take a long time for me to read, I still felt that it stayed true to the writing style of the late Bradley and was an appreciated addition to the Avalon series.
    • 3/5
       Quite enjoyable but not to be compared with 'Mists' or 'Atlantis'
    • 4/5
      I don't think any of the prequels that have come out since Mists of Avalon are as good as the one that started them all, but I read them all just the same, to be able to visit that sacred isle. Ravens is about Boudica (and we all know how that ends) and a priestess, Lhiannon. I loved the stories of priestess training, the liturgy and ritual scattered throughout the books, and the gods that are present in the tale. Reading this reminded me how much my concept of what it means to be a priestess comes from these books, and why in my mind, a priestess should always wear blue.
    • 4/5
      Set not too long before the events on The Forests of Avalon/The Forest House following alternatively Priestess Lhiannon and Princess Boudica. The two meet when Boudica goes for training on the Druid's Isle. Boudica doesn't have as great a gift as some of the other Priestesses and trainees, but she does have a bond with the Goddess of War Cuthubodva. When the Romans attack England both women leave on seperate journeys but their paths often cross.Boudica leaves the Island to get married to Prasutagos who becomes King. Together they overcome early insecurites and truely fall in love and have two beautiful daughters. Prasutagos suffers a kick to the stomach from a horse which leads to complications later on in his life and he dies leaving Boudica to rule alone. She is soon set upon and beaten by a group of Romans who also rape her children. Boudica lets in Cuthubodva and starts her own war against the Romans inciting her people to join her.Lhiannon faces her own challenges. The man she loves is a fellow Druid but they are seperated early on at a battle and both beleive the other to be dead. They both survive and eventually meet up only for Lhiannon to find many things have changed. She is destined to be the High Priestess, but can't quite seem to get there as a rival causes problems. She witnesses much death and misses her friend Boudica. When the final battle comes Lhiannon must put aside her demons and stand by her friends side.I loved this story. It really swept me up and it was a great addition to the series originally begun by Marion Zimmer Bradley. Diana Paxson worked with her and picked up the series after Marion's death in 1999. A blend of Celtic mythology, druid lore and fantasy with a splash of historical truths (although there are many embellishments), if you haven't read this series I strongly advise picking it up if you are interested in any of the above.
    • 4/5
      In my endeavors to read new novels, I plucked this book off the shelf. Why wouldn’t I? I just finished The Mists of Avalon and was still in the mood to keep reading about the magical women of Britain. On the other hand, this book was about Boudica. I know enough about Boudica and the revolt against the Romans to know that things weren’t pretty and it didn’t go well for Britain. But, I’ve read a lot of stories knowing what was going to happen…so I started reading.This book was written by Diana Paxson, longtime friend and collaborator of Marion Zimmer Bradley. Like the other post-Mists of Avalon books, it has MZB’s voice but there’s something lacking. The vastness and dept of Mists just isn’t present in this book (or in The Forest House, Priestess of Avalon etc). But, I enjoyed it for what it was. Diana Paxson is an excellent writer and I think she’s done a good job continuing Avalon when when Marion Zimmer Bradley died in 1999.Boudica is the daughter of one of the chief-kings in Britain. She is sent to the Druid Isle for education, and meets the young priestess Lhiannon. The two become close friends, even though they have very different paths. Boudica, lacking the talents and patience to be a priestess, leaves to marry Praustagos and become Queen of the Iceni in the north. Lhiannon becomes a priestess who fights alongside the Druids against the invading Romans in the south. Boudica’s father had been a Roman collaborator, and she and Praustagos continue to live under Roman rule. This affords them a bit of peace. However, when Praustagos dies, the Romans deny Boudica and her daughters their rule and brutalize them. Pissed as hell, Boudica raises an army and marches through Brittania, destroying not only Roman legions, but those Britons who collaborated with them.Diana Paxson doesn’t pretend anything like “Oh, even though they were defeated the Britons really won in their own special way” (kind of like in The Mists of Avalon…but I didn’t really mind that). The Britons were slaughtered. I’ve read about how 10,000 Romans killed somewhere around 300,000 Britons. It was kind of depressing to read…but I never got so sucked into the book that I FELT it.I did enjoy this book. I don’t think that there’s anywhere else for the series to go (unless Diana Paxson wants to start writing about Atlantis). I wonder: if given the chance, would I read the Avalon series in chronological order (leaving The Mists of Avalon) for the end)? Hmm. Well, if she writes more, I’ll read them. I probably won’t re-read them, though.
    • 4/5
      After the disappointing Ancestors of Avalon, Diana L. Paxson bounces back to the rich blend of historical fiction and fantasy that she and Marion Zimmer Bradley produced in Priestess of Avalon. If there are any more stories in this series which she and MZB discussed but the latter did not survive to write, I can only hope that they involve historical figures, as that seems to be where Ms. Paxson shines.