The Mystic Rose

A great book at a wonderful price and fast shipping! All I could ask for!

After reading some of the other reviews here I had to voice my opinion. I am just grateful that I read the book before these reviews!!! Maybe the action is a bit slower in this final book of the series but what it lacks in action it makes up for in plot... Only Lawhead could give us a story of this depth set in this era!!! Maybe it's not the Pendragon Cycle (of which I am a huge fan) but it is still Lawhead and I was not disappointed!!! I really identified with Cait (the heroine). She struggled with herself and her world and was won over in the end by the God that had been chasing her throughout the story. The reemergence of de Bracineaux was utterly brilliant and true to his character from Rood only much more developed. And the ever present Cele De story was... well, let's not give that away, just know that our veiw of Murdo, Duncan, and Caitriona from within the Cele De was reconciled at last and beautifully. I felt he crowned the Celtic Crusades with gem!!! No one, and I mean NO ONE does historical fiction/fantasy the way Lawhead can... who else can wrap those 2 genres up together and make you like it?

Here is my review of "The Mystic Rose," the concluding volume in "The Celtic Crusades" by Stephen Lawhead. It's a good conclusion to a good series. This is the third volume in the Celtic Crusades series and I would rate this one as "not as good as the first, but better than the second." All of the books in this series are very good. The characters are well-developed, the plots are good and there are many interesting sub-plots. My only gripe is that the first two get started a little slowly, but if you hang in there for the first 50-75 pages then the action gets going well. The Mystic Rose does the best job of the three in grabbing your attention at the beginning and holding it. Within the first few pages an event happens that sets the tone for the rest of the book. The heroine, Caitriona sets off on a quest to avenge her father's murder and capture Christendom's most sacred relic. In fact, capturing Christendom's most sacred relic is integral to her plan for revenge. This sets up a dicey moral dilemma that is resolved nicely at the end. I find things like this moral dilemma to be one of Lawhead's strengths. In so much Christian fiction the heroes are cookie cutter Christians who seem to rise above all of the sins and temptations of the common man. Lawhead's heroes, and Caitriona in particular are very earthy, and very sinful people. The upshot of this is that he tells a story that leads one to believe that God, in his mercy, is the real hero of the story, not the protagonist of the book. At the end of this story, Caitriona is less conquerer and more conquered by the love and mercy of God. This is a very gospel based story line. All in all, the entire series is a worthwhile read.

This is the third volume in the Celtic Crusades series and I would rate this one as "not as good as the first, but better than the second." All of the books in this series are very good. The characters are well-developed, the plots are good and there are many interesting sub-plots. My only gripe is that the first two get started a little slowly, but if you hang in there for the first 50-75 pages then the action gets going well. The Mystic Rose does the best job of the three in grabbing your attention at the beginning and holding it. Within the first few pages an event happens that sets the tone for the rest of the book. The heroine, Caitriona sets off on a quest to avenge her father's murder and capture Christendom's most sacred relic. In fact, capturing Christendom's most sacred relic is integral to her plan for revenge. This sets up a dicey moral dilemma that is resolved nicely at the end. I find things like this moral dilemma to be one of Lawhead's strengths. In so much Christian fiction the heroes are cookie cutter Christians who seem to rise above all of the sins and temptations of the common man. Lawhead's heroes, and Caitriona in particular are very earthy, and very sinful people. The upshot of this is that he tells a story that leads one to believe that God, in his mercy, is the real hero of the story, not the protagonist of the book. At the end of this story, Caitriona is less conquerer and more conquered by the love and mercy of God. This is a very gospel based story line. All in all, the entire series is a worthwhile read.

The Mystic Rose concludes Lawhead's Celtic Crusade trilogy. It's a fine ending to the great story. I was afraid the book would fare poorly after the exciting start in The Iron Lance, and a bit slower The Black Rood. But the Mystic Rose brought the dramatic continuation to the Celtic saga started by Murdo, his son Duncan, and finished by Duncan's loved daughter Caitriona. Caitriona witnesses the tragic death of his father during the trip to the fable Byzantium, and swears the vengeance. Her travels and adventures are worth the movie. The plot is quite interesting and it is taking us to the Moorish Spain on the track to find mystic chalice. Caitriona and her sister Alathea undergo spiritual and physical change, and end up at achieving what their father ever dreamed. Book is a great read.