The Silver Branch

I have been interested in these books since I first heard about them several years ago. I finally bought The Silver Branch and decided to give them a try. I finished the book in record time and immediately went hunting for the rest of Patricia Kennealy-Morrison's books. This story is amazing. It's not just the plot, although that gets my highest praise for being so intricate and well-written. But, the world that has been created around the plot is so stunning and beautiful that I can't describe it. You just have to go there for yourself.

I really loved this book. It is basically a prequel to two other books within this trilogy but it can be read first.Enough background-- what I really want to say is how much fun this is to read, how smart it is, and how well written it is as well. The characters come to life for the reader and stay with them long after you finish reading the book. Dare I say "a classic"? (NOTE: This is all coming from someone who is not a sci-fi/ fantasy nut but someone who reads all genres of literature.)

The 'Aeron' series are a classic example of science fantasy: tightly plotted, well-characterised novels with a very beguiling setting. I defy any fan of Celtic history or Arthurian mythology not to read these and immediately wish to be transported to the world of Keltia: a planetary system where magic and spaceships are equally at home. The author has done a great job of taking the ancient elements of Celtic magic and placing them in this entrancing futuristic setting, sometimes - but not always - with a technological rationale. And unlike the heroines in other female-dominated Arthurian epics, the women of the Keltiad are not downtrodden by circumstances: they create their own. As a writer, I believe that I can tell when an author knows the world that s/he has created inside out, and this is clearly the case here. This is a believable, detailed setting for some great action.

Patricia Kennealy does a brilliant job of translating centuries-old myth into an absorbing fantasy novel. Although Kennealy's "Keltiad" series has certain science fiction elements, it is primarily fantasy based. Any reader ( & that does not include only fantasy/sf buffs) should be able to appreciate her writing, but if you have any knowledge of ancient Celtic myth and legend (see the "Mabinogion") you will absolutely love it. Kennealy's world is lovingly crafted, with equal attention to frontal detail and background colour. Moreover, it is peopled by a multitude of keenly visualised characters, each of them compelling in their own way, and usually displaying a level of characterisation rare in fantasy novels. The main characters, such as Aeron and Gwydion, are all memorable individuals, treading a fine balance between becoming the two-dimensional characters of most contemporary fantasy and the absolutely disgusting anti-heroes which are paraded around in the name of realism. Kennealy's protagonists are heroes and heroines, but they are simultaneously completely human. An excellent series worthy of a place in any fantasy collection.

This is the third book in Patricia Kennealy's Keltiad series, but it functions as a "prequel" to the first two novels. Kennealy (perhaps best known as the Wiccan who "married" the Doors' Jim Morrison and has written a book about their life together, "Strange Days") has created here a world rich in detail, combining authentic Celtic lore from many sources with space-age technology and science fiction thrills. The premise, that ancient Celts left Earth to found a new home on distant planets, is a fascinating one, showing what the powerful Celtic culture might have been had no other cultures influenced it for two thousand years. The Silver Branch focuses on the magical and spiritual training of the priestess/warrior queen Aeron. The intricacies of language, combining Gaelic with words of Kennealy's own imagining, add an extra touch of beauty and depth of reality to this extraordinary series opener. Kennealy plans twelve books in the series, of which six are already in print, and each one is a masterful interpretation of Celtic and Aurthurian legends. I love these books, and return to them again and again. A must for any fantasy collection.