Average customer rating:
- Two Minute Warning
- A Good Read
- The Two Minute Rule
- The Two Minute Rule
- I thought it was bitchen!
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The Two Minute Rule
Robert Crais
Manufacturer: Pocket Star
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Binding: Mass Market Paperback
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ASIN: 1416514961 |
Book Description
Max Holman knew the two minute rule: Get in, get the cash, and get out. But two minutes can be a lifetime. . . . In one moment of weakness he botched a bank job and was sent away for years. Now released from prison, Max wants to reconcile with his estranged son, an L.A. cop. Instead he receives the devastating news that his son's been gunned down in cold blood. To uncover the truth about the killing, Max aligns with Katherine Pollard, the ex-FBI agent who put him away -- in a father's search for justice and revenge.
Download Description
"Two minutes can be a lifetime. Ask anyone on the wrong side of the law about the two-minute rule and they'll tell you that's as long as you can hope for at a robbery before the cops show up. Break the two-minute rule and it's a lifetime in jail. But not everyone plays by the rules. . .
Customer Reviews:
Two Minute Warning.......2007-09-25
This starts out as the downbeat tale of an ex-con who finds his police officer son has been murdered on the day he gets out of the joint. He sets out to find the killers as we get all the degrading details of return to civilian life. This is good stuff. Then about halfway through we learn that he's a lovable rouge and we're supposed to root for his romance with the damaged federal agent he enlists to help him. (She's not dissimilar to the damaged bomb squad pro from Crais' Demolition Angel.) Still, Crais is a pro and I appreciate that he offers up ambitious standalones. And the breathless climax delivers.
A Good Read.......2007-09-22
Robert Crais does a good job with character development and Max Holman is a good example. Just enough 'edge' bumps up against him to challenge the daunting task of being a 'civilian' again and reconciling himself not only to having some good traits but also to learn that his son is the man he wanted him to be; honest and of excellent character. He learns about having 'feet of clay' and survives to grow another day.
The Two Minute Rule.......2007-09-18
.The Two Minute Rule: This was very boring to me. I really enjoy mystery/thrillers, but this one just did not have enough drama to it. Slow go all the way, did not even finish. I think it would have been more intriguing if the son and Dad had stayed in touch with each other
The Two Minute Rule.......2007-09-15
Listened to the audio cd on a recent trip and all liked it...
While it is a typical who done it
(I mean how many ways CAN you write a who-done-it? :-} )
it still had some twist that "got us" :)
Well written & EXCELLENT voices by the reader(s)....
I thought it was bitchen!.......2007-07-05
I have not been as ardent a fan of Robert Crais as I have with some other mystery writers, having read only five or six of his books. I'm pretty certain I've experienced all of his major characters and was ready for a new face. I found this book in a used bookstore and pretty much figured it would kill a day or two and that would be that. Frankly, I was blown away by this one, I think it's his best book yet! I don't know any background on the author's personal history but judging by the presumed cathartic release evidenced by this book's content, he either had one solid bummer of a childhood or is a far better novelist than I had previously given him credit for! Read it! This book can make you chew your fingernails while you cry! How many authors can make their readers do that?
Product Description
573 pages. 4 separate stories.
Product Description
A quarterly publication by the Reader's Digest Association, Select Editions offers four excellent works of fiction packaged together in a single volume.
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Multiple books shipped as one item. Save on Shipping/Handling charges.
Amazon.com
This addition to the Matter of Britain is an omnibus volume of the first two (of four) novels in Diana L. Paxson's Hallowed Isle series. The first novel begins in the chaos of early fifth century Britain: the Roman legions have left, and the Romano-British aristocracy, along with various Picts and Scotti, and a few assorted Teutonic tribes, are circling the power vacuum like vultures. The heart of the matter is, of course, Arthur (or Artor, as he is known here). Paxson surrounds Artor with all the usual suspects--Cei, Merlin, Betiver and so on--and sends him down the by-now standard path to his destiny. Her Once and Future King is smart and likeable, has equally good sword and people skills, and loves to infuse his followers with his own personal vision of peace, unity, and civility for all. Where Paxson departs from the usual fare is in her consideration of the Saxons (and Angles and Jutes and Frisians, etc.) as people with their own goals and beliefs and lives, rather than as stock barbarians who exist only to destroy what is left of Roman civilization.
The sword and spear of the novel titles are totemic objects of the Romano-Britains (in particular Artor), and the Teutonic Myrgings (in the person of Oesc) respectively: humming with fantasical properties and mystical significance. Paxson uses them to full effect. There are battles (of will, of weapons, of religion), prophecies, and lots of intriguing historical tidbits. The author has obviously done her homework, and equally obviously relishes immersing her characters, and readers, in the dirt and poverty and epic heroism of a still not well-understood age. --Luc Duplessis
Book Description
The Arthurian saga is one of the most enduring legends of Western civilization. In her sweeping and magnificent multi-volume work The Hallowed Isle, acclaimed author Diana L. Paxson brilliantly reinvents the classic myth from the unique perspectives of four distinct tribal cultures that shaped Britain in the violent days of the sixth century.
Book One: The Book of the Sword
Mighty Rome subjugated the isle of Britain only to abandon it, leaving behind a bloody patchwork of warring tribes. To put an end to this conflict, Artoria Argantel--Lady of the Lake and Druid priestess--has called upon the Spirit of War and Justice to deliver a champion who will unite the broken land. A champion who will come from her own ancient and royal blood. For only one man can wield the sword forged from star-steel by ancient spells. Only one man can free the sword from its prison of stone: Artor, a fosterling of unknown parentage...the promised High King.
Book Two: The Book of the Spear
A Saxon of royal blood, Oesc has fled the drowned, doomed country to which he is heir in order to claim rich lands in Britannia. Though sworn to the spirits of his new home, he truly serves the dark sorcery of an older god--the power of the Spear. But the Spear's magic is opposed by that of the Sword of Rome, the sword wielded by young King Artor and his father Uthir before him. The sword that slew Oesc's own father. Now vengeance burns fiercely in Oesc's heart, a lust for revenge that could destroy a greatness before it fully blooms. Destiny lies in the clashing of magic steel...the hope of all Britannia rests in the hands of the warrior sons. The Arthurian saga is one of the most enduring legends of Western civilization. In her sweeping and magnificent multi-volume work THE HALLOWED ISLE, acclaimed author Diana L. Paxson brilliantly reinvents the classic myth from the unique perspectives of four distinct tribal cultures that shaped Britain in the violent days of the sixth century.
Customer Reviews:
Fun reading, but adds nothing new.......2000-04-26
If you've read the works of Rosemary Sutcliff and Gillian Bradshaw, as well as perhaps Bradley's The Mists of Avalon, you've read this book only better done. The only element which Paxson adds to the Arthurian story is her greater understanding of Saxon culture and magic. She does a good job of basing her reconstruction on near-contemporary texts, and is an engaging, though not "literary", writer. I'd recommend her other books, but this one is only for Arthur fans who can stand to hear the same thing yet again.
This beginning of another Arthurian tale is excellent!.......1999-10-29
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.
An Historically Intriguing Variant on the Arthurian Cycle.......1999-07-18
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, first as part of a new Jutish colony on the British coast and then as war-hostage at Arthur's court.
Oesc finds a soul mate of sorts in the noble young Artor and this tale recounts his growth and coming of age in a time when men's lives were short for the strife and rough living they must endure. It is more Oesc's tale than Artor's, as it should be, and it vividly recaptures the sense of the earliest Saxon inhabitants of the Island of Britain. One can see the Germanic folk of the Old Chronicles sharply here, both as they struggle on the fast eroding shores of their old, inhospitable homeland and as they strive to re-root themselves in the land which was to belong to their descendants. Here in America we sometimes forget that other people also colonized their lands in the past (that's how all nations got founded afterall, and most found others to displace -- a somewhat distasteful remembrance, given the harsh realities attendant on that). Britain, England, is no different in that sense from America. And so Oesc grows up to lead his folk, one of the Saxon tribes, in their ongoing struggle with the indigenous British.
In Arthur's time the Saxons were successful to the extent that they secured a permanent foothold on the British lands (though you can't always tell this from the tone and content of the old British tales) but Arthur, if he indeed lived, or his more historical compatriots, contained the Saxons through a number of historically remembered victories. But the Saxon tide in the land was inexorable and the Germanic folk gradually shoved their way across the island, squeezing the British into their mountain fastnesses or into the peninsula of Cornwall, or north into Scotland, or overseas to Ireland or Britanny. They took their tales with them, these exiled Celts, hence the Arthurian cycle, reclaimed in later days by the latter day English.
But Paxson goes the medieval English one better, turning the tale into a part of the Anglo-Saxon expansion as recorded in the Chronicles which remember the early Germanic heroes and war-leaders who gave way, in time, to the English kings, who were themselves finally overthrown by their Danish and Norse kinsmen -- and, still later, and with more finality, by the Norman French (who were themselves of Norse, therefore, Germanic, descent). If I have a quibble or two with Paxson it's that her tale seems too brief with not much in the way of plot structure or depth of characterization, especially of the British. Artor seems as he always does, bigger than life, noble and heroic, but barely there, while his companions seem to be little more than names. This, of course, is the tale of Oesc and his kind who are more vividly drawn and here the Germanic flavor is fully realized. Yet I'd have preferred to see more of the strains between the two sides, more pushing and pulling if you will. But the end is deeply moving as we see the hero fulfill a destiny which only those close to their roots and the seemingly spiritual forces of their heritage can embrace without deep regret. And yet we regret the loss, the waste which this forces upon our consciousness although it is plain that this path is the one we all trod, wasteful or not, in the end. -- Stuart W. MirskyThe King of Vinland's Saga
If you read Book I, you'll want to read this.......1999-06-24
I loved Book One (the Book of the Sword) so I was eager to read this one. My feeling about it was that it was a good follow-up to Book One, but on its own, not the book Book One was. If you like the first one (and it was great) you'll definitely want to read this one too. Maybe it's suffering from "weak second act" syndrome - I hope so, and that Books Three and Four fulfill the promise of the first book. Or that, when all four books are read, Book Two will fall into place and become better. Anyway, compared to most fantasy fiction and historical fantasies, even a weak second act by Diana Paxson is better than most other books!
A delight!.......1999-04-03
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)!
Average customer rating:
- What a treat!
- Readable, but does it add anything new?
- Delicious Read!
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The Book of the Cauldron (The Hallowed Isle, Book 3)
Diana L. Paxson
Manufacturer: Eos
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0380805472
Release Date: 1999-11-09 |
Book Description
The Romans came, conquered, and departed, leaving behind them a strange new religion called Christianity. The princes of Britannia have driven back the invading Saxons and dream of a return to bygone days, while others on the island invoke the magic of a time older still. For the revered ancient goddesses Eve on in the hearts and memories of the proud royal women of the old British tribes. And now, King Artor -- wounded in body and spirit -- proclaims that the sword and the spear must be put to rest, and summons his mother Igierne, Lady of the Lake, to use the powers of the Cauldron to heal a troubled, wartorn land. But old jealousies and new power struggles threaten disaster, as Artor's sister Morgause hides a deadly secretand a darker magic. It is Guendivar the queen who holds the key to their survival, if she can master her own power in time.
For a darkness is emanating from high places -- and it threatens to devastate a realm.
Customer Reviews:
What a treat!.......2000-05-09
I really loved this one. I liked the first two - a lot - also, but this was a humdinger! This is such an original retelling of the legends, and the first that really makes sense to me even though I've always loved the Arthurian stories. Paxson has a real genius for delving into the back-story of the stories we all think we know - and coming up with plausible explanations for much of what is puzzling to modern minds, even while seeming to remain true to the ancient culture. A great exercise in fantasy. And there are moments of real beauty here too. I could have wished the book were longer - but it's the economy that gives her retelling such impact; she just goes to the heart of each important scene, and then moves on, so the reader is left with a series of really vivid images; and this method is so appropriate to the nature of the Arthurian legend, whose truth comes to us in glimpses, through the distortions of history. This is a wonderful writer.
Readable, but does it add anything new?.......2000-04-28
The Arthurian canon has been written about over and over, and in some cases by better writers than Paxson. In this series' favor is her knowledge of Saxon culture and religion, which adds a new and different element, and her fairly good use of original texts as her sources. Negative points are her sometimes mundane prose and her occasionally clumsy, Bradley-influenced dialogue. I found it annoying that, as in many other fantasy books, a woman who seeks power for herself (Morgause) is seen as evil and corrupt, whereas a man who seeks power (Artor) is following his "destiny". And why is it OK for Guendivar (Guinevere) to sleep with several men but negative when Morgause does it? Overall, this book is an enjoyable read, but the flaws make it hard to recommend it whole-heartedly.
Delicious Read!.......2000-01-01
I finished "the Book of the Cauldron" in record time. This was a strong third in the series, with even better character development than the earlier two volumes. The persona of Morgause, especially, is delightfully wicked and motivated. Ms. Paxson knows her 'women's magic' well, and it shows.
Why in the world this publisher is not promoting these books better is a mystery to me. They rate a hardback contract, not to mention a bright, solid boxed-set presentation. Hello-o! This is a world-class writer you've got here: these books have cross-over potential, they are deep and well-researched, and not genre-fantasy at all. Maybe they could be classified as visionary history. Pay attention! This is more careful work than "Mists of Avalon", which sold so well mostly on the basis of its cover art.
Average customer rating:
- Why isn't ridley scott making a movie of this???
- The Hallowed Isle: The Book of the Stone
- one of the greatest!
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The Hallowed Isle Book Four: The Book of the Stone (Hallowed Isle, 4)
Diana L. Paxson
Manufacturer: Eos
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0380805480 |
Book Description
After years of conflict, Britannia finally knows peace and Artor reigns from his throne at Camalot. But discontent rumbles through the kingdom. A new generation longs for the glory their fathers knew. Medraut, the son conceived by deceit, lusts for Artor's crown -- and his queen. Dreams of an empire draw the king to Gallia to battle again, leaving the sovereignty of the isle in Guendivar's hands. As Artor's painful absence grows longer, the land cries out for its champion -- and even the queen doubts his return. With the rise of revolt home to a country in turmoil. Only he can heal the land and reclaim the kingdom -- or else the hallowed isle will be ripped asunder once again.
A darkness born and bred for revenge shadows the nation. But one hope shines -- the Defender of Britannia.
After years of conflict, Britannia finally knows peace and Artor reigns from his throne at Camalot. But discontent rumbles through the kingdom. A new generation longs for the glory their fathers knew. Medraut, the son conceived by deceit, lusts for Artor's crown -- and his queen. Dreams of an empire draw the king to Gallia to battle again, leaving the sovereignty of the isle in Guendivar's hands. As Artor's painful absence grows longer, the land cries out for its champion -- and even the queen doubts his return. With the rise of revolt home to a country in turmoil. Only he can heal the land and reclaim the kingdom -- or else the hallowed isle will be ripped asunder once again.
A darkness born and bred for revenge shadows the nation. But one hope shines -- the Defender of Britannia.After years of conflict, Britannia finally knows peace and Artor reigns from his throne at Camalot. But discontent rumbles through the kingdom. A new generation longs for the glory their fathers knew. Medraut, the son conceived by deceit, lusts for Artor's crown--and his queen. Dreams of an empire draw the king to Gallia to battle again, leaving the sovereignty of the isle in Guendivar's hands. As Artor's painful absence grows longer, the land cries out for its champion -- and even the queen doubts his return. With the rise of revolt home to a country in turmoil. Only he can heal the land and reclaim the kingdom -- or else the hallowed isle will be ripped asunder once again.
A darkness born and bred for revenge shadows the nation. But one hope shines -- the Defender of Britannia.
Customer Reviews:
Why isn't ridley scott making a movie of this???.......2002-11-13
I don't even know where to begin. Of all the books I've ever read--and there have been many--involving king arthur, the fall of the roman empire, sub-roman britain, etc...paxson is one of those authors where I can just see the drama as it would unveil on the large screen cinema. Her twist on these characters is fresh and original, her female protagonists strong, intelligent, and unsentimental without outshining the men. Her action sequences are robust, yet she can write a berserker-rage of Oesc (the saxon prince of the second novel), as sensitively as she can write Gueniver's uncertain reluctance to be a queen, or the fledgling, star-crossed and belated love of arthur and his "white phantom". Her keenest strength is her portrayal of traditional "villains"; for with Paxson, they cease to be good or bad, but become complex characters, full of their own ideals and sense of honor within a savage world of changing customs and clashing cultures which so encompasses our own modern era. Three words--READ THESE BOOKS!! YOu will not regret it, i promise.
The Hallowed Isle: The Book of the Stone.......2001-06-21
I recently purchased The Hallowed Isle (The Book of the Sword, The Book of the Spear, The Book of the Cauldron, & The Book of the Stone. I am a major believer and admirer of King Arthur (Artor)and have read & own many books on him, fiction & non-fiction. I do believe that of all the fiction versions of his story I have read, Diana Paxson's is the best. She actually had me in tears at the end, even though I of course knew the ending already. The book is beautifully and believably written. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it & will eventually read it again. She made Artor a very real person.
one of the greatest!.......2000-03-15
What's in a novel? A great novel has characters that live forever in our imagination, high tension of destiny and free will, gripping emotions, an inspiration that takes us to archetypal heights. The Hallowed Isle is that, and more. Diana Paxson retells the most loved and haunting romance of the Western Soul,the Arthurian cycle. The Sword, the Spear,the Cauldron,and the Stone, the Hallows, are four books that open a fresh understanding of the myth,giving vulnerable human flesh and spirit to the inmortal story.It's a towering book, a masterpiece. Stays inside as a beacon bringing light to our Arthur, our Guendivar, our Merlin,the Lady of the Lake...
Average customer rating:
- Great addition to the Arthurian mythos
- good read
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The hallowed isle
Diana L Paxson
Manufacturer: SFBC Fantasy
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: 0739407767 |
Product Description
The legend of Arthur is brilliantly retold through the four "hallows," or sacred objects of Britain. This omnibus edition collects all four books in the series: The Book of the Sword, The Book of the Spear, The Book of the Cauldron, and The Book of the Stone.
Customer Reviews:
Great addition to the Arthurian mythos.......2006-05-01
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!
good read.......2006-03-26
I am now seeing on this site that these books actually are supposed to be seperate. This book is very odd how it goes through SO many years and actually allows you to feel the changes that have happened in the world.
It starts out with a young princess who is with a group travelling and are taking at unawares by a group of people who still live in this land, but there are not many left so never have strong forces but makes sure they attack smaller numbers than themselves. The girl ends up being rescued by a wild man, a type of human race that was thought to be extinct. There is a very touching moment whereit talks about cuddling with the woman, but never really harming her even though he could do whatever he wants because she has kind of been taken captive by him. So we then find out it mabe was not so touching of a moment because she is pregnant.
This book deals with a lot of that kind of stuff, discussion of what will happen type stuff.
Now obviously I won't spend the next 4 hours telling you about the story except it has it's slow moments but makes up for them with unique moments that I have not experienced before.
i have not had a lot of experience with these Arthurian types of books, but now feel I can say it is a good one to get and try and get into in them. The story tries to basically make their own King Arthur. Which is fine with me since it is done pretty well. There has to better Arthurian books than this, but this is still a pretty good read.
Also if you are wondering, the sword book has to do with King Arthur;s sword, pretty cool. Cauldron-revolves about a cauldron, yeah. Same with spear and stone, except that every time they start a new book, they are taking you to a different part of Brittania and following a different side of the fight for Brittania. Hard to follow, but worth reading once again.
Average customer rating:
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The Book of the Sword (The Hallowed Isle, Book 1)
Diana L. Paxson
Manufacturer: G. K. Hall & Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0783895585 |
Book Description
In her sweeping and magnificent multi-volume work THE HALLOWED ISLE, acclaimed author Diana L. Paxson brilliantly reinvents the classic myth of Arthur from the unique perspectives of four distinct tribal cultures that shaped Britain in the violent days of the sixth century.Book Three: The Book of the Cauldron
In the wake of the departure of the Roman conquerors and the defeat of the invading Saxons -- during the rise of a strange new faith called Christianity -- the princes of Britannia dream of a return to bygone days...while others on the island invoke the magic of a time older still. Wounded in body and spirit, King Artor summons the Lady of the Lake, his mother Igierne, to use the power of the Cauldron to heal a troubled, wartorn land. But a darkness is emanating from high places and it threatens to devastate a realm.Book Four: The Book of the Stone
A new generation longs for the glory their fathers knew. And Medraut, the son conceived by deceit, lusts for Artor's crown...and his queen. With the king drawn again to battle in Gallia by dreams of Empire, the royal lady Guendivar holds the sovereignty of the isle and must stand fast against the rising tide of revolt. But if the rightful Defender of Britannia does not return in haste to reclaim his kingdom, the hallowed isle will be ripped asunder and no power will heal the land.
Customer Reviews:
Surprisingly Moving.......2001-05-27
I picked up this book on a whim, not having read the first two books of the series, and not a particular fan of Arthurian fantasy. .... But I was caught up in these characters and the Goddess-magic that surrounds their lives - sometimes subtly, sometimes obviously. The characters are sympathetically portrayed, even Morgause and Mordred. Arthur and Guinevere are real people bearing the burden of larger-than-life roles. The plotting isn't complicated, but the emotions of the characters and their awareness of the profound consequences of their choices, adds a depth and richness to what might have been a simple story. I'm sure that reading the first two books would have added to my appreciation of these two - but the pair stand alone very well.
Average customer rating:
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Book of the Cauldron (Hallowed Isle)
Diana L. Paxson
Manufacturer: Tandem Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
Arthurian | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
Historical | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
Paxson, Diana | ( P ) | Authors, A-Z | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1417710454 |
Average customer rating:
|
Hallowed Isle Book Two: : The Book of the Spear (Hallowed Isle)
Diana L. Paxson
Manufacturer: Tandem Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
Arthurian | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
Historical | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
Paxson, Diana | ( P ) | Authors, A-Z | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1417710446 |
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