Lady of Avalon

by Marion Zimmer Bradley

Book Overview

Before the legend of Arthur and Camelot, there was Avalon, a beautiful island of golden vales and silver mists. In this prequel to "The Mists of Avalon," three powerful priestesses shape the destiny of Roman Britain, as they fight to regain the magic and traditions of a glorious past.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0670857831
• ISBN13: 9780670857838
• Release Date: June 1997
• Publisher: Viking Books
• Length: 460 Pages
• Weight: 1.54 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.5" x 6.3" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Eloquent display of the cycle of life

Lady of Avalon is actually 3 books in one. Each part is a separate story, yet they are all interwoven in the Pagan idea of the life cycle, and reincarnation. The first section is called "The Wisewoman" and takes place from 96AD to 118AD. This is mostly Caillean's story as left off in "The Forest House" including the rest of the life of Eilan's son, Gawen. This story also reveals how and why Avalon came to have it's infamous "mists" and different time tract. The second section is called "The High Priestess" and takes place from 285AD to 293AD. This is mostly Dierna's story picking up from the story line started in the book "Priestess of Avalon." I would personally recommend reading "Priestess of Avalon" between reading the first and second parts of this book, if one wishes to read the stories in chronological order. Part 3 is called "Daughter of Avalon" and takes place from 440AD to 452AD. This is mostly Vivianne's story, which directly leads in to "The Mists of Avalon." Although I thoroughly enjoyed the story that was presented, I was wanting even more. I felt it ended a little too early with a larger gap in time from the end of this to the start of "The Mists" than I would prefer. This story is VERY insightful to the character of Vivianne, and gives much more understanding of her actions carried out in "The Mists of Avalon." As with all the stories in the series, it was very spiritual. The desription of what Vivianne felt and thought as she went to part the mists for the first time was moving. The books preceeding this one in the series are: "The Fall of Atlantis," "Ancestors of Avalon," and "The Forest House."

Nice blend of historical and mystical elements

Lady of Avalon is a forerunner to Bradley's biggest commercial success, The Mists of Avalon. Written after the success of Mists, Bradley returns to Avalon, but at a much earlier time in history. In all honesty, I enjoyed this novel much more than The Mists of Avalon. This time, Bradley manages to tell the stories of three different women, beginning in 96 AD and ending in 452 AD, in about half the space! Each of these women's stories could be a stand-alone novella. Their main connection is that they all, at some point, become the Lady of Avalon, the sisterhood's highest and most respected position. Common themes run through each section - devotion to duty, personal sacrifices, self-doubt, to name just a few. The book begins with the tale of Caillean, the first Lady of Avalon. Fleeing the destruction of her previous community by the Romans, she arrives at Avalon with a young boy whose bright spirit will return again during the times Britain will need him most. To help ensure that Avalon will continue to be a refuge from the Romans, it is Caillean who eventually shrouds the island in the mythical mists, removing it from the mortal world. More than seven generations later, Bradley returns to Avalon. Dierna is High Priestess in a land beset by troubles. Although Britain still pays tribute to the Romans, their protection from overseas raiders is sadly lacking. After years of seclusion within the mists, Dierna believes it is time for the Priestesses to return to the world and use their influence for the protection and preservation of Britain. The third and final portion of this tale brings the reader to the time immediately prior to the events that will occur in The Mists of Avalon. Viviane has been raised as the foster daughter of a simple farmer and his wife, until the day Taliesin comes to return her to her rightful place as heir to the Lady of Avalon. Amid personal and religious strife and political upheavals, Viviane must find her own path. This path will ultimately lead to the Holy Grail and the bestowing of a new title, the Lady of the Lake. Her actions will set the course for the mythical figures to come after her - Igraine, Arthur, Morgaine, to name just a few. I suspect the shorter length of this book influenced my opinion, by contributing to my enjoyment of these three interrelated stories. Each era was filled with enough history to be informative and enough action to be interesting, without a lot of the extra verbiage and minutiae Bradley introduces in her earlier Avalon novel. My only complaint regards the way in which Bradley would drop one section and move on to the next. She introduces a number of interesting supporting characters, but you are never really sure what becomes of them when Bradley is through with the main character's story. Still, this is true of real life as well, so it is probably more a matter of my curiosity rather than a flaw of Bradley's. This book is a nice blend of historical and mystical elements and Bradley's i

The Link

I was confused as to what order I should read "Forest," "Mists," and "Lady," so I started to read "Mists" before "Lady." I am so glad that I stopped because I was confused! "Lady" definitely belongs between "Forest" & "Mists." This book tells the tale of how the priestesses came to be on Avalon & how Avalon itself became separated from the rest of the world. You won't understand all the characters & their past relationships in "Mists" unless you read this book. Although this book is well written, you can tell that it was meant to be the link between the other two--the characters are not COMPLETELY developed, and the action moves VERY fast.

1,000 stars!

A wonderful book.A great tie between The Forest House and The Mists of Avalon.I loved the characters(especially Vivane and Ana) and the plot was spectacular! A 5 star book. Marion Zimmer Bradley is a wonderful author. It seems like she had experience with the religion(the way an autobiography is better than a biography). My second favorite book in the series!A spectacular mix of history and religion. An interesting battle of the old and the new. It is definetly on my list of favorites. I've already read it 3 times! I wish constantly that there were more to the series. (If your reading this Ms. Bradley, please considder more prequels!) A must on your summer reading list.

Absolutely wonderful, magical and captivating!

The Lady of Avalon, as with all of the Avalon series books, is a very captivating book! The writing is of a very high quality. Bradley's writings have kept me in suspense chapter to chapter and book to book. She is one of only two authors (Stephen King being the only other) who I can gladly read all night long, loosing all track of time. I believe Marion Zimmer Bradley to be a very gifted writer. As for the Lady of Avalon, I can't say enough about what a wonderfully detailed, magical book it is. I admire the entire Avalon series for one very specific reason: the detail that ties the three books together. Although The Mists of Avalon was written many years before it's prequel, The Forest House, then Lady of Avalon, all three books refer to people, places, events, and even changes in cultural norms and explain what led up to them and what followed. She gives an interesting account of the spread of Christianity and its impact on the pagan culture of the time. A lot of reasearch was put into this book, although it is a fantasy book, the accuracy of the minor day-to-day details makes it seem as though you are a part of the culture. It is a must to read all three books. Although each book holds its own very well, I recommend all three books to gain a fuller understanding of the characters and events. (Besides, by reading all three books the magic lasts three times as long!) I would also suggest reading the books according to the timeline in the books, not the order they were written. I can't wait for the next! I hope she keeps writing forever! Thank you for this opportunity to praise my favorite author