Book Review: Moon Lord - The Fall of King Arthur. The Ruin of Stonehenge.
Submitted by Feanor on Tuesday, 26 November 2013 Page Views: 3592
EventsCountry: England County: Wiltshire Type: HengeInternal Links:
JP Reedman's Opus of the two-book saga, Stone Lord, was received last year with wide acclaim from many different literary corners. As a surprisingly original take on the Arthurian Legend, she sought to cast the well-known panoply of characters into the deep Bronze-Age and give them familiar motivation under the shadow of the most iconic prehistoric monument in the world: Stonehenge.The success of this effort need not be detailed - follow the above link for my review - but sufficient here is the nod to an author who should be congratulated for an outstanding contribution to this narrow genre.
Moon Lord stands by itself and completes the Tale begun in the first. The two are complimentary, though very different stories.
Picking up the legend twenty years after the close of events in Stone Lord, we find the long peace and bounty of the land threatened by a blossoming evil that had germinated long before. Ardu is now older and cagey with wisdom. His guileless, plucky young heir Gal'havad chafes at the lateness of his Manhood Rites. Merlin, life-tired and nearing the end of his cycle, becomes ensnared in the high plots of the Lady of the Lake. Sinister Mordraed schemes the downfall of his father and the mighty citadel of Khor Ghor itself, while the secret lovers Fynavir and An'kelet grow into careless unease ...
As the next generation strives to find a place within the Stone Lord's court, Morigau, Ardu's evil half-sister, brings her long-woven conspiracy to unholy fruition.
The narrative is an intimate, richly layered dialogue between the Reader and the landscape. The action and pacing are controlled, decisive and dramatic. The texture is deceptively silky, painted with the vivid earth-colors which subtly mirror those of an October forest.
The characters are flesh and blood, thoughtful, and prone to grave mistakes ─ but also great virtue. Their motivation is never suspect, mysterious or sprung unannounced, but is indeed often shielded from view by the very pitfalls of foible and manipulation for which we are all occasionally subjected. In matters great and small, glad or dreadful, we cannot stand aloof. We are compelled by our intimacy to identify with them; to laugh, bleed and weep with them.
In short, Moon Lord is darker in tone yet more sweeping in scope than its prequel and showcases the burgeoning talent of Reedman. I will be waiting impatiently for her next effort.
4 of 5 stars
Review by ND Wiseman
Moon Lord: The Fall of King Arthur. The Ruin of Stonehenge.JP Reedman
2013 Mirador Publishing, UK.
265 pages with Index
Paperback:$12.95 amazon.com / £8.99 amazon.co.uk
Kindle: $4.99 amazon.com / £3.18 amazon.co.uk
(prices subject to change)
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