This book accomplishes the seemingly impossible: it breaks continuity with both The Fall of Atlantis (which it follows) and The Mists of Avalon (which it prequels), and it completes both of these feats while being a complete and utter bore.
The chief failure of this book may lie in how plot-driven it is. It seems as though the writer was so intent on getting through her plot that she forgot to devote any page-space to characterization at all, and was obliged to add bits and pieces of character moments at a later date. The fall of Atlantis is rushed through on the way to the actual plot, and has no emotional resonance. The emotional core of the novel rests instead with the separation of the main characters, Tiriki & Micail, and their desire to reunite. Unfortunately I found their love for one another hard to buy: readers are informed that this is a great love affair, but we aren't shown much evidence of it. Tiriki at least is a somewhat likable character, unlike Micail, who spends much of the novel whingeing.
The continuity problems are major: the book cannot exist in the same universe as Mists of Avalon. Paxton excuses this in the Afterword by pointing out that Marion Zimmer Bradley wasn't a stickler for continuity; She should have thought of her readers, instead.
I loved The Mists of Avalon, The Forest House, and most of The Fall of Atlantis. I stuck with the series through the diminishing quality of Lady of Avalon and Priestess of Avalon. Someone- the publishers, Paxton, Bradley's estate- seems intent on milking the franchise for all it's worth; But I'm done. |
Marion Zimmer Bradley's Ancestors of Avalon Books In Print, Audio Books.