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The Greener Shore: A Novel of the Druids of Hibernia |
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Author:
Morgan Llywelyn
By Del Rey
Average Customer Rating:  
List Price: $14.95
Our Price: $8.89
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Product Description
At last, the haunting sequel to Morgan Llywelyn’s phenomenal epic Druids. The Greener Shore unfurls the story of a brave and mystical people who learned to manipulate the forces of nature–in order to control magic.
As druids in Celtic Gaul, they had been the harmonious soul of their tribe, the Carnutes. But when Julius Caesar and his army invaded and conquered their homeland, the great druid Ainvar and his clan fled for their lives, taking with them the ancient knowledge. Guided by a strange destiny, they found themselves drawn to a green island at the very rim of the world: Hibernia, home of the Gael.
Here they would depend for survival on an embittered man who had lost his faith–and a remarkable woman who would find hers. Burning with hatred of the Romans, Ainvar can no longer command his magic. But his mantle falls on unexpected shoulders. In a beautiful, war-torn land of numerous kingdoms and belligerent tribes, Ainvar and his beloved wife, Briga, struggle toward an uncertain future. Their companions include the volatile Onuava, widow of their fallen chieftain; Lakutu, Ainvar’s dark and mysterious second wife; Ainvar’s son, Dara, who seems more drawn to poetry than to combat; and the “Red Wolf,” the young warrior who is as close as kin and is determined to find Ainvar’s missing daughter.
Other forces are at work in Hibernia as well–the spirits that haunt the island, forces older than even the magic of the druids. Through them Ainvar seeks his redemption . . . as Briga seeks her rendezvous with history.
Filled with the deep feeling, stunning detail, and rich characters that made Druids a masterwork, The Greener Shore is a superb saga of an amazing world and its wondrous ways–a much-awaited novel that will delight all the devotees of this admired author.
From the Hardcover edition.
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Another masterpiece, 2008-07-25
Morgan once again has captured the Celtic spirit. It is a great sequel to her novel Druids. Her novels give the reader a glimpse into another time. A must read for those who have an interest in all things Celtic...She has made each character come alive with the gift of an art she possesses. I look forward to another of her creations...
New age credo, not much plot, 2008-07-14
Over the past 20 years, I've read several of Morgan Llewellyn's books, including "Lion of Ireland," "Bard," "Grania,""1916," "1921," and the companion novel to "The Greener Shore," the book "Druids." I have always admired her ability to weave fact and fiction, using the latter to flesh out the former into compelling reads that really make you feel as if you're there and can understand the characters, the landscape, and the times.
This novel, however, disappointed me. There is material in this that is drawn from historical, archaeological, scholarly, and literary sources. However, there's also MUCH poetic license taken. Please don't read this thinking you're getting any kind of accurate portrayal of the ancient druids. This is a fantasy story, like "Mists of Avalon" or "Lord of the Rings."
And, even as stories go, it was less a story and more a spiritual credo. It had a kind of "Celestine Prophecy" "Bridge Across Forever" quality to it, as if the novel were simply a vehicle for expressing a particular set of (very modern New Age) beliefs. The writing was saturated with repetitious talk about "the pattern," "the Source," the sanctity of nature, the experience of death, reincarnation, etc., not in a way which engaged the reader nor furthered any plot, but as an end in itself.
The novel is written in the first person, from Ainvar's point of view, and most of it takes place entirely in his head as he ruminates over past failures, current failures, possible future failures, the nature of the universe, the perfection of nature, the magic which has seemingly abandoned him, crises of belief, and the hatred he has for Caesar and the Romans. But very little actually HAPPENS. Ainvar is little more than a spectator watching as various, disconnected activities, triumphs and tragedies, swirl around him. There are characters who seem terribly important to him -- such as Red Wolf, his wife Briga, his lost daughter Maia, and the fairy spirit woman of Ireland -- but these characters are mostly absent from the novel and the promise of their importance never plays out, other than as macguffins for sparking Ainvar's metaphysical and mental meanderings.
'Remember us.', 2008-03-07
Escaping from Gaul when Julius Caesar and his army conquer their homeland, the High Druid Ainvar leads his clan to a new life in Hibernia. This novel writes of the adjustments made, the learning shared between the customs and traditions of the Celts and the Gaels. Overshadowing all, are the mysterious Tuatha De Danann who ask simply to be remembered.
Ainvar finds his own magical power as a druid diminished, yet the power of others in his clan notably Briga (his senior wife) increases. Over time, members of his clan find their space and their peace in Hibernia and Ainvar himself finds his own balance between chaos and pattern.
Highly recommended to those who enjoy Ms Llewelyn's storytelling, and the magic of Celtic fantasy. This is the sequel to `Druids'.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
Very disappointing, 2007-10-19
(WARNING: Some possible spoilers below - though I tended to try and be vague)
Druids is one of my favorite books, so I was very excited to hear of this sequel. Unfortunately, this story is disappointing on many levels.
To sum it up: Nothing happens. Period. There is no excitement in this book. It is a droll account of day to day existence for Ainvar and the survivors in his small clan of the Carnutes. There are some periods where you begin to believe that something exciting might happen, but then it either never materializes (such as a "Druid showdown" of sorts - which appears to start and then all animosity is later forgotten), or it fizzles out quickly. Basically, we just hear endlessly about how Ainvar is sad and how great Briga is. Even when there is a murder, it barely gets a few pages worth of excitement before it appears to have been completely forgotten (from what I could tell, it wasn't even mentioned to this person's son when we meet up with him again later in the book - or at least, he never showed any signs or emotions of knowing about it). We also get treated to a huge amount of "magic" that goes well beyond the suspension of disbelief we had to have with the first book - to the point that it actually annoyed me.
I love Morgan Llywelyn's work, and I will always continue to read it. This, however, was a very painful read.
Historic Fiction, 2007-10-06
This book kept my interest and helped me to understand the many cultures that influenced Irish life before Chrisitanity. Very interesting!
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Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813
EAN: 9780345477675
ISBN: 0345477677
Label: Del Rey
Manufacturer: Del Rey
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 320
Publication Date: 2007-06-26
Publisher: Del Rey
Release Date: 2007-06-26
Studio: Del Rey |
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