The Hallowed Isle Book One: The Book of the Sword

Diana Paxson is a master at combining the mythical, historical, and, religious elements of Europe's dark ages (between the fall of Rome and the rise of European nation-states in the medieval period). The Hallowed Isle is her rendering of the often told tale of King Arthur. She sets the tale when it likely happened, a generation after the Romans left Britain just as the Angles, Saxons, and other Germanic tribes are carving the Western Empire into a new mosaic of kingdoms. Paxson, whose specialty is Germanic paganism, takes a little bit different route to telling this age old legend by including the Saxons and Angles as major characters in this drama that is usually told exclusively from the side of the Britons adding depth and breadth to what could have been a dry rehashing of familiar material. They are not just the bad guys, but people who have valid reasons for doing what they do. The book is well written with few slow parts. The main characters (and there are a lot of them) are well drawn and compelling. There are a few departures from the familiar that might bother some hard core fans of Le Mort D' Arthur or other older renditions of this story, but she makes up for it with a plausible setting set firmly in history. However, she does not sacrifice the fantastic and mythical elements that make ancient Europe so fun to explore through epic fantasy. My only complaint is that there are a few, in my opinion, needless sex scenes that actually detract from the story. I began to wince every time the story swung around to Beltaine b/c there would be the inevitable ritual fertility orgy. I got the idea after the first one, thanks. Anyway, apart from that this was a very fun and informative book. Highly recommended!

I loved it! Character development was great. Unlike other tales this one gives an angle to the story from a fresh new perspective. I could not put it down and cannot wait for the sequels to follow. Very exciting and adventurous.

Although the British King Arthur has seen his tale told in very many ways, ranging from the high medieval to the archaic to the straight historic to the mostly fantastic, this one gives us the story as it might have come down to us via the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles themselves. The Anglo-Saxons, of course, are the Germanic folk antecedents of the later English who formed the bulk (if not the totality) of the modern British nation. And real English history begins with them, their exploits and kingships in the dark ages attending the Roman decline in the west. Their Chronicles record their first entry to the Island of Britain as well as the ebbs and flows of their victories as they gradually expanded and came to supplant the Romanized Celts (the Britons) who were their predecesors. In later time, these Anglo-Saxons, these English came to recount the legends of their Island's past and among these legends was that of a British king who stood against invaders for a time to unite the fractious British in a single, glorious kingdom. Of course, this was the legendary King Arthur and among his foes (though not alone among them) were the Germanic tribes, their ancestors. Arthur's tales were retold and recorded among the Celtic people who remained in western Britain (Wales) as well as among the Celts of Brittany (along the rugged coast of today's France where many exiled Britons fled and settled). And from these two locales these tales entered the medieval lexicon and opus, via the French jongleurs and the Welsh, and later English, clerics. The tales took many forms and "grew" a variety of characters and episodes, coming in time to incorporate a complex set of legends, sometimes more Welsh folktale, sometimes more naieve history, sometimes anachronistic medieval adventures. But what they all had in common was the representation of a man (not clearly known to the historical record) who stood up to the tide of history for a time and established a royal court which later generations would look back on with wonder. In the modern world, this cycle has spawned many retellings, including those which emphasize the magical elements and those which harp on the historical. But none, to my knowledge, ever focused on how this king and his following would have looked to the Germanic tribesmen who came, in time, to inherit his homeland and his mantle. None, that is, until this book. Diana Paxson's tale, in this volume, is the one of Arthur (Artor, here) as seen not through Roman or British eyes, but as his erstwhile enemies might have perceived him. It is the story from the Saxon point of view. Oesc, the son of Octha the son of Hengest (that historical Saxon mercenary who rebelled, according to the histories, against Arthur's predecessor British rulers and who claimed land in Britain for his own), is the central character here as he grows from frightened boy in the old Saxon lands, awash with the encroaching sea, into a young man, firs

This fresh new version of the King Arthur story is a very enjoyable and intriguing new take on the old legend. If you liked Marion Zimmer Bradley's The Mists of Avalon, or Gillian Bradshaw's Island of Ghosts (I did!), this is the book for you. This one concentrates on Merlin's origins, ending where Arthur draws the sword from the stone; there will be three more volumes, each viewing the story from a different cultural perspective - a lot to look forward to (and I do)!

After conquering Britannia, the Romans ultimately deserted the isle leaving the land lawless as the various tribes fought for control. The Lady of the Lake worries about her people. She decides that a champion descended from her must emerge to unite the squabbling Britons. His uniting sword, Caliburn, will be forged by ancient spells and set in stone to await his arrival. Merlin waits for the hero to claim the power of the sword. For he will aid Artor, an orphan whose parents remain unknown, when the individual takes the sword from the stone to unite Britannia. Though THE BOOK OF THE SWORD is clearly a retelling of the opening segments of the Arthurian legend, Diane L. Paxson imbues much more in her fascinating story line. The tale provides historical reference as the influence of Rome ebbs, leaving the different tribes fighting for control and Christianity battling paganism. The Lady in the Lake, Merlin, and the Druids add an otherworldly feel to the tale. Artor provides a more human person with his foibles. The first of four tales by Ms. Paxson is a winner as an Arthur story and as a wonderful blending of mysticism within a historical fiction. Fans of both types of tales should read this clever novel.Harriet Klausner