Review: Post-Roman Brittania battles and kings
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 01 7, 2012
(For transparency's sake, I should mention that the author and I belong to the same online writer's community.)The key to Yseult is knowing what you're getting yourself into.This book is very heavy on the history. If you are interested in the British Isles/Ireland of King Arthur's time, then you will indeed enjoy this book. Or if you enjoy books that delve into Kings and wars and political maneuvering, you will also enjoy this book.It's got quite a lot of historical cast of characters mucking about with swords in historically-accurate sounding locations and ladies using mugwort, marigold, and comfrey to heal and detailed descriptions of Bretain, Eraiin, and Saxon Kings and generals fighting battles and raiding coast against a backdrop of Post-Roman colonnization of the British Isles.As well as some authentic-sounding religious portrayals of St Patrick and the pagan religion of those times. (which I enjoyed. This Patraic is very believable as a Christian in the middle of a Pagan land trying to prove his God is the only God, while dealing fairly with the tension between Brehon law and Christian morality. I liked how possible the magic element of this book was portrayed. Yseult is of the Feadh Ree, a race in ancient Ireland who have 3 powers: the power of knowing, the power of calling, and the power of changing. The first two powers are always used in the book in such a way that they could be just force of personality and coincidence..while the third one is slightly more magical.I also enjoyed meeting well-known characters and trying to guess where they fit into the Arthur mythology in general. We meet Mordrun and Myrrdin in this story, thought they play no big part.On the other hand, if you're looking for romance, this book is probably not so much for you. Don't get me wrong, in the middle of the political maneuvering is some romantic maneuvering between Drystan and Yseult as they contrive ways to be together despite their social circumstances driving them apart. And there are certainly two or three very steamy scenes (my 10 year old daughter won't be reading this one quite yet) but it is easy to lose their thread of romance in the overall fabric of the story.This Book's Snack Rating: Buffalo Wing Blue Cheese Kettle Chips, because of the intense historical flavor. If you like Buffalo and Blue Cheese, you'll love it, but if you don't care for Blue cheese, I don't recommend opening the bag.