During the closing years of Druid power in Roman-occupied Cambria, a powerful Druid takes a young girl for training.
In Roman-occupied Cambria, a powerful druid does all he can to undermine Roman authority and influence the future.
He claims a young girl as novice because she has the Sight, but her sight opens into the past and she wonders how she can be of help to him. When the answer comes, it is not what she expected.
Excerpt
CHAPTER ONE
Her small audience seated on the grass before her, Ninian closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and began. "The thud of hooves filled the warrior woman’s ears and drummed in time with the war beat in her heart. Beneath that thunder, she was aware of the creak of the wattle chariot and the grinding of the wheel hubs as they charged at breakneck speed across the moor. In response to each jarring jolt, she adjusted her stance with an inborn grace no invader could match.”
One of her friends shifted. Probably Gwyneth, who was often frightened, but Ninian could not stray from the vision she saw earlier.
"Behind her, the scream of the carnyx pierced the wild cries of her warriors. Beside her, the ligaments of the charioteer’s hands rose like ropes as he fought the sweat-blackened leather and whipped the lathered flanks of the horses. The matched pair bolted forward, barely keeping abreast of the ragged line of Britons. She braced herself, one hip pressed to the chariot’s side as the platform bucked like an unbroken stallion. With the ease of long practice, she checked the straps holding the burnished shield to her forearm. Satisfied, she raised the shield breast high and reached for her spear. Hefting it to her shoulder, she cried: Death to the Eagle!"
The words that poured through Ninian were not her own. Words like the bards used. Words she knew were beyond her understanding, yet the scene was so vivid they tumbled from her mouth with abandon. The warrior-woman’s sweat beaded her skin. Her heart burned with the same pent-up anger and, beneath it all, Ninian knew the heavy stone of fear in the pit of the woman’s belly.
Professional Reviews
Beautifully imagined,intriguingly told
A well-researched preface to P.L. Crompton's The Last Druid promises a realistic tale of Rome's retreat from the British Isles. British tribes are named, their battles, subservience to Rome, and secrets recorded; the Demetae live under their old religion, keeping themselves to themselves in the wilds of Wales while Roman occupation enslaves and rules. Then the story begins.
Ninian is an innocent young girl dreaming dreams and telling stories. She catches the eye of a passing druid and finds herself drawn into a vastly different world from the comforts of father's house and servant families. There's Seisyllt, her teacher, Myrddin the bard, and mysterious Gwynfyr. There's a learning of powers, coming of age, rejection, love, and gradual sensing of danger over all. And there's the wonderful way the author chooses names to evoke the legends of mystery, giving the reader an almost druidic feel of half-knowing, half-seeking the future distantly glimpsed.
Great things are afoot, Rome is under siege, the world of druids is failing under the weight of self-sufficiency and fear, and England's soon to be left defenseless as tribal warfare looms. Meanwhile Ninian grows to adulthood, watching and learning, innocent, eager, and devoted to the teacher who alternately delights and frightens her.
The Last Druid is epic in scope but beautifully tied to the person of Ninian. Details of her ancient world are brought to vivid life, as are the curious touches of druidic skill, Ninian's innocent wisdom and surprise, and surprising strength. Tragedy and hope weave their threads through the years of her coming of age, until the mystery of the "last druid" in the title is finally revealed, fully satisfying and delightfully real.
I read short books more frequently than long, but P.L. Crompton's The Last Druid is a long book I'll happily reread, so full of intriguing, enticing scenes, well-imagined and beautifully told with scarcely a word or symbol or image to spare. The plot, characters, location, history and imagination all mold into a really enjoyable book--definitely one to file on the "favorites" shelf.
Disclosure: I received an ecopy of this book directly from the author in exchange for an honest review.
Third Book in Five Book Series - Southern Swallow - a tale of 12th Century China. Li K'ai-men becomes entangled in an intrigue that becomes his undoing.
Book I of Southern Swallow Series – 12th Century scholar Li K'ai-men takes command of his first official assignments during a time of political unrest and barbarian invasions.
Tralee, Ireland. September 1948.
An arrogant, and highly agitated, priest arrives home after 40 years.
Days later he's dead. Suicide? Or did his past catch up with him?
