Featured Book Review
'The Forest House' by Marion Zimmer Bradley © 1995 Signet ISBN 0451454243. 416 pages
A prequel to the "Mist of Avalon" series, this book is set in Briton in the age of declining Roman occupation. The Forest House is the name of the sanctuary created for the remaining priestesses of the Goddess after the Romans attacked the sacred site, Mona, over a decade before. It is a story of Eilan, a talented young woman who is chosen by the Goddess to become the next High Priestess, and Gaius Macellius, the half Roman, half Briton man who dared to love her. Full of politics, love and war, it gives a good idea of what life may have been like under the failing Roman rule and neatly sets up the background for the "Mists of Avalon" series.
While I really enjoyed the book - indeed, I can't think of a single Mrs. Zimmer Bradley's book I dislike - I found once more that her stories has a talent for putting men in a less than favorable light. Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of good men and bad women in the book. But for whatever reason, whenever I read anything by MZB, my blood rises and I get downright irate at men in general. Not a very nice feeling - and confusing as hell for my poor husband. But that's just a personal failing of mine that evidently doesn't take much to bring out to light.
So... personal failings aside - I'd recommend this book to anyone who enjoys MZB's work, or anyone interested in pre-Arthurian legends. It's well a well written prequel to the better known legends.
Reviewer: TygerCub
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