The Hawk's Gray Feather

The Hawk's Gray Feather is the opening of an unusual and masterful retelling of the Arthurian legends by Ms. Kennealy-Morrison. Her graceful prose style has always reminded me of having my own Celtic bard retelling an ancient Celtic legend. Her use of connections are amazing and completely orginal. Of the 26 different versions of the Arthurian legends I own, this is my all time favorite.

This book seems to be nothing more than another retelling of the Arthurian legends. But it is so much more than that. It majestically weaves colorful characters and intriguing storylines with a fresh plot. I highly recommend it for any fans of Celtic legends and certainly any Arthur fans.

In what has to be one of the most original takes on the Arthurian mythos, Patricia Kennealy-Morrison places Arthur's early years in Keltia, as a rising star and prince in the struggle to free the Keltic worlds and Keltia from the Theocracy and the Death-Druid that has taken power. All this seen though the eyes of Arthur's foster brother, who becomes one of Keltia's greatest bards and mate to Arthur's sister, Morgan. Very well done - and leaves you wanting more.

The Athurian legend has been done and redone so many times that no one quite knows what's historical or not any more. Ms. Kennealy has built a mythical universe in which the Athurian legend is told with new flavor and color. She mixes traditional elements with aspects of a deeply spiritual nature. I found myself thoroughly engrossed the entire time. It is a mark of her talent, that even though I had foreknowledge of how the story went (it's written as a journal account), I found myself moved to tears in certain points. Her characters are vivid, three dimentional beings and as they move about her universe I feel for them. While I do not think this is quite as good as her Tales of Aeron (there isn't much that is), The Hawk's Grey Feather is a solid beginning to a completely enjoyable trilogy. I highly recomend it.

I have read this book 8-10 times and the language Ms. Morrison finds to express her characters thoughts and emotions never ceases to amaze me and bring tears to my eyes. Arthur's speech to the crowd is the best example of this, and it is truly magical how an earthling (?) like Ms. Morrison can tell us what Arthur would say.