Tuesday, December 07, 2010

Book Review: The Paradise War (The Song of Albion, Book 1)

Ancient history has always been a passion of mine, and when a book of Celtic mythology, the journey to the Otherworld, is written, I was peaked. It was not what I had expected, not by a long shot. A story that seemed to me to be a strange look at ancient Britain turned into a potential epic that was fascinating to explore. <br/><br/>That being said, the story did drag in several places. The imagery was lacking, and the book seemed somewhat passive to me. Things seemed to happen, but were not happening. It was not often, as the story was clearly written to draw one into the series as opposed to the contents of just one book, but enough that I started to skip paragraphs to get to the "good bits".


I also thought it interesting that it was taken from the Welsh point of view, which I have little knowledge. It was refreshing to learn more of the Welsh mythology, and how it wove itself with the Celtic ideals of the ancient Britons, Picts, Scoti, and other tribes I have studied in my undergraduate career. It was fascinating, and that held my attention. After all, there is something about the Celtic blood, the Gaelic that runs through our veins that awaken at the sound of bag pipes, the sight of a bright sword, or the beauty of the green world.


What was even more powerful to me was timing for reading the book: during the end of NaNoWriMo. This book gave me a taste of Albion as a desire to create a beautiful story. It also reminded me about the difficulty that surrounds that creation. Stephen Lawhead did a wonderful job in reaching me with this story, and the Celtic roots of my family history.


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