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Authors: Marion Zimmer Bradley,Diana L. Paxson

Lady of Avalon

BOOK: Lady of Avalon
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Marion Zimmer Bradley
Lady of Avalon
Praise for the novels of Avalon

Lady of Avalon

“Bradley’s women are, as usual, strong and vibrant, but never before has she so effectively depicted the heroic male… An immensely popular saga.”


Booklist

“No prior familiarity with Bradley’s Avalon titles will be required in order to enjoy this ongoing saga… Fine characters mark a moving story.”


Midwest Book Review

“A nice blend of historical and mystical elements, and Bradley’s interpretation of the priestesses and their role in Britain’s power struggles is quite interesting.”

–FutureFiction.com

The Forest House
“Compelling, powerful.”


San Francisco Chronicle

“The setting evokes a fascinating time of change… The mythic elements grow to hint satisfactorily at the Arthurian wonder to come… The stuff of legend.”


Locus

“A seamless weave of history and myth.”


Library Journal

“The sure touch of one at ease in sketching out mystic travels.”


Kirkus Reviews

“Compelling reading.”

–The Green Man Review

Priestess of Avalon
“The message that all religions call on the same higher power should go over well with fans of
Mists
[
of Avalon
]. Paxson’s own skill at bringing historical characters and places to vivid life enriches Helena’s story.”


Publishers Weekly

“Stunning…this rich and moving novel merits its place beside Bradley’s fantasy classic.”


Booklist

“Bradley creates a powerful tale of magic and faith that enlarges upon pagan and Christian traditions to express a deeper truth.”


Library Journal


Priestess of Avalon
does a stunning job of recapturing the legendary power of the original…brings rich imagery to its prophetic scenes.”

–The Green Man Review

Marion Zimmer Bradley’s Ancestors of

Avalon

“Magical…[
The Mists of Avalon
] devotees won’t feel let down by
Ancestors
… Provides plenty of pleasurable reading hours.”


Fort Worth Star-Telegram

“An elegant stylist, Paxson captures the awe, tragedy, and resounding mystery of ancient Britain and mist-enshrouded Atlantis.”


Publishers Weekly

“Paxson fashions an entirely new entry in the Avalon saga… [Her] storytelling features the requisite veins of mysticism, but, like Bradley, she excels at bringing the vast sweep of imagined history to an accessible level… A rich and respectful homage that will dazzle readers longing to revisit Bradley’s sacred, storied isle.”


Booklist

“Once again, Diana L. Paxson has beautifully elaborated on Marion Zimmer Bradley’s beloved Avalon saga with this dramatic new installment… [An] extraordinary journey.”

–SFRevu

“Paxson is an excellent choice as successor to Bradley for this series. Her style and the details of the plot retain the sense of the mysterious past and the feminist awareness that was an underlying theme in the originals.”


Chronicle


Ancestors of Avalon
may be the best of the Avalon tales. The story line stands alone due to the strength of the characterizations…yet also interconnects the myriad plots from the previously published books.”


Midwest Book Review

OTHER BOOKS IN THIS SERIES
The Mists of Avalon

The Forest House

Priestess of Avalon

Marion Zimmer Bradley’s Ravens of Avalon

Marion Zimmer Bradley’s Ancestors of Avalon

Lady
of
Avalon

Marion Zimmer Bradley

ROC
Copyright
Published by New American Library, a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, USA Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto, Ontario M4P 2Y3, Canada (a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.) Penguin Books Ltd., 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England Penguin Ireland, 25 St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2, Ireland (a division of Penguin Books Ltd.) Penguin Group (Australia), 250 Camberwell Road, Camberwell, Victoria 3124, Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty. Ltd.) Penguin Books India Pvt. Ltd., 11 Community Centre, Panchsheel Park, New Delhi -110 017, India Penguin Group (NZ), 67 Apollo Drive, Rosedale, North Shore 0632, New Zealand (a division of Pearson New Zealand Ltd.) Penguin Books (South Africa) (Pty.) Ltd., 24 Sturdee Avenue, Rosebank, Johannesburg 2196, South Africa

Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England

Published by Roc, an imprint of New American Library, a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc. Previously published in Viking hardcover and Roc trade paperback editions.

Copyright © Marion Zimmer Bradley, 1997

All rights reserved

Ritual excerpts in chapters 10 and 23, and the song in chapter 19, courtesy of Diana L. Paxson.

Map by Peter McClure.

REGISTERED TRADEMARK-MARCA REGISTRADA

ISBN: 1-4295-4496-1

Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

PUBLISHER’S NOTE
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party Web sites or their content.

The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.

To Diana L. Paxson,

without whom this book could not have been written,

and to Darkmoon Circle, the priestesses of Avalon

Contents
People in the Story

Places in the Story

The Faerie Queen speaks:

P
ART
1
The Wisewoman

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

P
ART
II
The High Priestess

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

P
ART
III
Daughter of Avalon

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-one

Chapter Twenty-two

Chapter Twenty-three

Chapter Twenty-four

A
BOUT THE
A
UTHOR

People in the Story
{Part 1}
Priests and Priestesses of Avalon
Caillean
-High Priestess, formerly of the Forest House

(Eilan) -formerly High Priestess of the Forest House, Gawen’s mother

Gawen
-son of Eilan and Gaius Macellius

Eiluned, Kea, Marged, Riannon
-senior priestesses

Beryan, Breaca, Dica, Lunet, Lysanda
-junior priestesses and maidens in training

Sianna
-daughter of the Faerie Queen

Bendeigid
-former Arch-Druid, Gawen’s British grandfather

Brannos
-an ancient Druid and bard

Cunomaglos
-High Priest

Tuarim, Ambios
-younger Druids

The Christian monks of Inis Witrin
*
Father Joseph of Arimathea
-leader of the Christian community

Father Paulus
-his successor

Alanus, Bron
-monks

Romans and others
Arius
-Gawen’s friend in the Army

Gaius Macellius Severus Senior
-Gawen’s Roman grandfather

(
Gaius Macellius Severus Siluricus
)-Gawen’s father, who was sacrificed as a British Year-King

Lucius Rufinus
-centurion in charge of recruits for the Ninth Legion

Quintus Macrinius Donatus
-Commander of the Ninth Legion

Salvius Bufo
-commander of the cohort to which Gawen is assigned

Waterwalker
-a man of the marsh folk who pole the barge of Avalon

{Part II}
Priests and Priestesses of Avalon
Dierna
-High Priestess and Lady of Avalon

(
Becca
-Dierna’s younger sister)

Teleri
-a princess of the Durotriges

Cigfolla, Crida, Erdufylla, Ildeg
-senior priestesses

Adwen, Lina
-maidens being trained on Avalon

Ceridachos
-Arch-Druid

Conec
-a young Druid

Lewal
-the Healer

BOOK: Lady of Avalon
10.61Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
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