Out of Avalon

The Heart of the Hill- Marion Zimmer Bradley and Diana L. Paxson The Fourth Concealment of the Island of Britain- Katharine Kerr Prince of Exiles- Rosemary Edghill The Secret Leaves- Tricia Sullivan The Castellan- Diana Gabaldon and Samuel Watkins Lady of the Lake- Michelle Sagara West The Mooncalfe- David Farland Avalonia- Kristen Britain Finding the Grail- Judith Tarr Me and Galahad- Mike Resnick and Adrienne Gormley A Lesser Working- Jennifer Roberson Grievous Wounds- Laura Resnick Black Dogs- Lorelei Shannon Marwysgafn (Deathbed Song)- Eric Van Lustbader The Mouse's Soul- Nina Kiriki Hoffman

This is a collection of short stories centered around Avalon and King Arthur written in tribute to Marion Zimmer Bradley (author of the infamous "avalon" novels). These short stories are very enjoyable and fun to read. One of my favourites was the one written by Bradley herself which centred around Morgaine teaching (or trying to) this young, wild girl, the ways of Avalon. She runs off and finds this stone which tests the courage and will of everything Morgain ever knew. And I loved the one about Morgaine's cousin (!) who is sent from her court in disgrace to live with her because she nearly killed her brother. She is attacked by a wolf (her and her party) and is the only survivor and meets as well as falls in love with a psycho named Myriddin (who I think is Merlin, but with maybe the welsh spelling?) He reminds me of how Merlin was portrayed in the movie Excalibur, this crazy eccentric psycho wizard. Escapt in this story his magic is really shapeshifting abilitues. And we watch as this girl tries to learn his ways. And on and on and on. All these stories are way fun to read. If you like this subject, get this. It's fun.

"Out of Avalon" Is a fantastic anthology put together by a mindspring of artists/authors whom have all been inspired by the Authorian Legends of old. Tales ranging with Artur being portrayed as the cruel king, and Myrddin as a light hearted creature afraid of being chained. These various shorts happily visit many, often unexplored, avenues of these fascinating spins. A must for the Mythology follower, or just plain young at heart. This pleasing book will most definately give one a refreshing new persepctive and reinstall a sense of magic to the soul and imagination.

This anthology is for everyone who loves re-takes on the Arthurian legends, and especially those readers who loved _The Mists of Avalon_ and are seeking more of the same sort of retellings, laced with gender politics, religious issues, and romance. As in all anthologies, some of the stories are to my taste, some aren't, and there is probably somethig for everyone. In my opinion, the stunner of the bunch os Rosemary Edghill's "Prince of Exiles". Set among bloodthirsty warlords rather than knights-n-ladies, it is narrated by Ator (Arthur)'s bitter illegitimate son, as he unfolds his intricate plan for revenge against his father. It's a darkly engrossing story until you get to the last line--at which point it becomes a shocking, chilling, incredible, six-star story. WOW. I also enjoyed Tricia Sullivan's "The Secret Leaves", the romantic tale of young Vivien, who loves and seduces the ethereal Merlin, but eventually loses him to hs shamanistic dreams. And Judith Tarr's "Finding the Grail" is best described as "sweet", a story about a young girl named Melisende who quests for the Grail with the help of the pretty-boy knight Beaumains. Beaumains hides a secret--and it's not the secret you were expecting.These stories and many others await you. If you liked _Mists of Avalon_ or any of the wave of women-centric Arthurian novels it inspired, give this book a chance; it's even cheap! LOL.

Having read Mists of Avalon about a dozen times, I figured reading this book would be the next logical step. Admittedly, I'd read Marion Zimmer Bradley's other books about Avalon (The Forest House, etc.) and found them seriously lacking, so to say that I was skeptical about this collection is an understatement. I decided to give it a whirl, though, when I saw that Jennifer Roberson (whom I love) was the editor on this . . . thus, I bought it.It's good stuff. This is a collaboration of short stories that deal with different perspectives of Avalon, Morgan Le Fay, and the entire Arthurian legend in the feminine aspect. What really entranced me was the various views/religious aura's surrounding each story - some from the druidic perspective, some from the more traditional Christian perspective. It's an interesting dynamic. If you bought the book JUST for the Marion Zimmer Bradley story because you're a Mists of Avalon fan, you won't be disspointed. It's a brief story, but sweet . . . I don't know how well it fits into the book part of things, but it is still well written and fun. Make sure you delve into the other writings in the book as well, though. It's good stuff. (Roberson is in there, I know, and her story was pretty darn good).Happy reading!