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Macsen's Treasure #1
Into the Path of Gods
In the war-torn fifth century, after the end of Roman rule and before King Arthur's rise to power, spy and master of disguise Marcus ap Iorwerth diligently works to place the rightful high king in control of Britain. One of his duties, discrediting brokers of foreign mercenaries, leads him to Claerwen, an ethereal woman whose gift of visions draws him into the path of gods, a destiny as unshakable as the love they come to share. In time, they realize Claerwen has inadvertently become ensnared in a lethal conspiracy to locate the priceless sacred symbols of Britain's high kings. Known collectively as Macsen's Treasure and lost for decades, the symbols have become the target of a mazelike network of unknown enemies seeking power. Claerwen knows nothing of the treasure and Marcus makes every effort to protect her, but he is betrayed and disappears. Alone and homeless, Claerwen must decide whether to believe what everyone tells her, that Marcus is dead and she should go into hiding, or to follow her instinct and the path of gods on a daunting quest to find him and the truth of Macsen's Treasure.
Hardcover
First published March 1, 1998
2 people are currently reading
53 people want to read
About the author
Kathleen Cunningham Guler
8 books22 followersNovelist Kathleen Cunningham Guler is the author of the multi-award winning Macsen’s Treasure series that includes Into the Path of Gods, In the Shadow of Dragons, The Anvil Stone and A Land Beyond Ravens. She has studied Celtic history and Arthurian legend for almost thirty years in both the United States and Great Britain and has published numerous articles, essays, reviews, short stories and poetry. A descendant of the Celtic nations of Wales and Scotland, the author is a member of the Historical Novel Society and the International Arthurian Society.
See my blog: http://kathleenguler.blogspot.com
See my blog: http://kathleenguler.blogspot.com
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
January 27, 2010
I received this book from the LibraryThing Member Giveaway.
I really wanted to like this book. The book summary sounded intriguing: a story about an ancient Celtic treasure in the time before the Arthurian legends. The author's note indicated that the book had been painstakingly researched, even though it was fiction. I usually LOVE this type of book - right up my alley! However, the language of the book detracted so much from the story that it was laborious to read. The writing was, at times, stilted, other times, just awkward. At times, I felt I was reading a book that had been written in another language and then poorly translated to English. Other times, it just felt like there had been little effort in the editing - grammatically, there were split infinitives, sentences ending with prepositions, subject/noun agreement, and distracting passive voice. Typographically, there were distracting misspellings (for example: 'dessert' instead of 'desert' and the non-word, "drunkened" as in (p237) "...drunkened with the sensuous craving....").
Some of what bothered me may have been mere stylistic choice - I am not fond of the overuse of inanimate objects taking actions - throughout the book, faces hovered, swords launched, daggers propelled, and on p192 a "thump bounced around inside the house and they turned towards it." Other descriptive terms were awkward, as well - there was a description of a "tender thud", and while I understand that there are many authors that use the phrases, "he embraced her to him" and "he curled his mouth" turn me off. Also, every other expression of good humor was described as "light" - the characters laugh lightly, chuckle lightly, smile lightly - I think once, someone even frowned lightly. Sometimes it just felt like the wrong word was chosen from the thesaurus.
The story itself was rather entertaining, however I figured out the male lead's secret about 1/3 of the way through the book and spent the rest of the book wondering why the female lead was so dense. I felt the book did not have much in the way of character development, and I did not feel drawn to any of the characters. This felt more like a romance novel that happens to be set in Dark Ages Britain than a story about Dark Ages Britain that happens to have some romance.
I really wanted to like this book. The book summary sounded intriguing: a story about an ancient Celtic treasure in the time before the Arthurian legends. The author's note indicated that the book had been painstakingly researched, even though it was fiction. I usually LOVE this type of book - right up my alley! However, the language of the book detracted so much from the story that it was laborious to read. The writing was, at times, stilted, other times, just awkward. At times, I felt I was reading a book that had been written in another language and then poorly translated to English. Other times, it just felt like there had been little effort in the editing - grammatically, there were split infinitives, sentences ending with prepositions, subject/noun agreement, and distracting passive voice. Typographically, there were distracting misspellings (for example: 'dessert' instead of 'desert' and the non-word, "drunkened" as in (p237) "...drunkened with the sensuous craving....").
Some of what bothered me may have been mere stylistic choice - I am not fond of the overuse of inanimate objects taking actions - throughout the book, faces hovered, swords launched, daggers propelled, and on p192 a "thump bounced around inside the house and they turned towards it." Other descriptive terms were awkward, as well - there was a description of a "tender thud", and while I understand that there are many authors that use the phrases, "he embraced her to him" and "he curled his mouth" turn me off. Also, every other expression of good humor was described as "light" - the characters laugh lightly, chuckle lightly, smile lightly - I think once, someone even frowned lightly. Sometimes it just felt like the wrong word was chosen from the thesaurus.
The story itself was rather entertaining, however I figured out the male lead's secret about 1/3 of the way through the book and spent the rest of the book wondering why the female lead was so dense. I felt the book did not have much in the way of character development, and I did not feel drawn to any of the characters. This felt more like a romance novel that happens to be set in Dark Ages Britain than a story about Dark Ages Britain that happens to have some romance.
March 13, 2011
"I feel that flouncyninja's review is fair and accurate, and agree with it.[return][return]Specifically, I felt as though I was slogging through most of this book. It turns out it was a romance novel, rather than an adventurous historical fiction.[return][return]The character of Clarwen was not only a Mary Sue, but the literal embodiment of Deus ex machina. She's stunningly beautiful, with iridescent blue-green eyes and long lashes, and she's perfect - perfectly devoted to her man, perfectly able to completely fend for herself while travelling through the wilderness, etc. At critical moments (but never ""when she seeks it"" of course) she is led by the gods to see or do certain things that conveniently advance the plot.[return][return]I had been given the impression that this novel was thoroughly researched, and as historically accurate as possible. How then were they able to drink tea? It didn't show up in Britain for more than a thousand years after this story was set. Granted, most people won't know that, but it made me question the accuracy of the entire novel.[return][return]I rolled my eyes at the repeated instances of nursing people back from the brink of death. Life-threatening illness and injury shouldn't feel routine.[return][return]Is your lover missing? Maybe you should look for a previously unnoticed pile of rags in the corner.[return][return]I knew who the mysterious warrior was from the moment he was introduced.[return][return]The last hundred pages were indeed the most interesting, but not enough to save this book. I really wanted to like it, but it was just so mediocre."
July 14, 2022
Set during Vortigern's reign. The story of Marcus and Claerwen. Marcus is the prince of Dinas Beris and a master spy. Claerwen is a lesser noblewoman who has lost her home. She is also the keeper of Macsen's torque--although she doesn't know it for most of the story. She also gets visions--fire in the head.
Circumstances bring them together, and they eventually marry and fight together to save their home. There is much hardship, but, eventually, they are victorious, bringing the torque to Ambrosius Myrddin Emrys--Merlin--who also helps Claerwen from time to time.
Setting the stage for the coming of Arthur. First of a three-book series.
Circumstances bring them together, and they eventually marry and fight together to save their home. There is much hardship, but, eventually, they are victorious, bringing the torque to Ambrosius Myrddin Emrys--Merlin--who also helps Claerwen from time to time.
Setting the stage for the coming of Arthur. First of a three-book series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 6, 2022
It's a tale set in "Wales" 60 years after the Romans left. Wales didn't really exist yet, but then, neither did the POTATOES the people were eating occasionally in the story. Sorry, I just couldn't get past this.
July 13, 2025
Interesting story a bit of mystery as well. Enjoyed it.
January 2, 2010
This book ended up not being what I thought it was. The blurbs all read as though the main character is a spy-warrior named Marcus, but really it's the Mary Sue-ish female character that is mostly followed. Most of the more interesting occurrences happen "off-screen" when Marcus is away doing his spying.
The book started off reading as a bad romance novel with two many unnecessary adjectives describing the heroine's hair and eyes, among other things. It got soppy and uninteresting very quickly. By two hundred pages in, I realize that Claerwen has blue-green eyes that she uses to stare longing at Marcus; please stop telling me. It didn't help that the main characters' love-at-first-sight felt forced and uncomfortable. The first love scene also felt sudden and, despite the pining that took up much of the first third of the book, forced (not in a rape-y sense, but more of a "what? wait... huh?!" sense).
All the twists and turns were predictable and came too late in the story to salvage it. Many of the events seemed coincidental or conveniently placed. When a character who has been trapped in a hole in the ground for months and is half asleep/ill remembers something that he witnessed happen to somebody else twenty years ago based only on a vague description of somebody involved, it seems more like lazy writing than explanation.
With all that said, the last 100 pages or so started to get intriguing. As soon as Claerwin became more than just a pining, melancholy girl and the story stopped being about people becoming ill for months at a time (it works as a way to pass time once, maybe twice, but after the third time, it just makes me roll my eyes), the story flowed more quickly and things began to happen that were interesting. Claerwin became more likable as a self-reliant woman and her "fire in the head" visions became more abstract. Still, all of Marcus' adventures happen off screen and, instead of having fully-realized flashbacks to the incidents, it was explained away through a few paragraphs of dialogue sprinkled throughout a few chapters.
The concept was interesting, Guler's afterward even more so, which makes the whole thing more disappointing. I just feel like the execution (and the many typos not caught in editing) didn't live up to the potential of the story, and the blurbs on which I went into this book having read were very misleading.
The book started off reading as a bad romance novel with two many unnecessary adjectives describing the heroine's hair and eyes, among other things. It got soppy and uninteresting very quickly. By two hundred pages in, I realize that Claerwen has blue-green eyes that she uses to stare longing at Marcus; please stop telling me. It didn't help that the main characters' love-at-first-sight felt forced and uncomfortable. The first love scene also felt sudden and, despite the pining that took up much of the first third of the book, forced (not in a rape-y sense, but more of a "what? wait... huh?!" sense).
All the twists and turns were predictable and came too late in the story to salvage it. Many of the events seemed coincidental or conveniently placed. When a character who has been trapped in a hole in the ground for months and is half asleep/ill remembers something that he witnessed happen to somebody else twenty years ago based only on a vague description of somebody involved, it seems more like lazy writing than explanation.
With all that said, the last 100 pages or so started to get intriguing. As soon as Claerwin became more than just a pining, melancholy girl and the story stopped being about people becoming ill for months at a time (it works as a way to pass time once, maybe twice, but after the third time, it just makes me roll my eyes), the story flowed more quickly and things began to happen that were interesting. Claerwin became more likable as a self-reliant woman and her "fire in the head" visions became more abstract. Still, all of Marcus' adventures happen off screen and, instead of having fully-realized flashbacks to the incidents, it was explained away through a few paragraphs of dialogue sprinkled throughout a few chapters.
The concept was interesting, Guler's afterward even more so, which makes the whole thing more disappointing. I just feel like the execution (and the many typos not caught in editing) didn't live up to the potential of the story, and the blurbs on which I went into this book having read were very misleading.
June 16, 2010
I received this book as part of LibraryThing's Member's Giveaway program. I'm still iffy on my feelings about it.
At some points, it seemed like I was reading a soap opera. Now, there's nothing wrong with that, but it wasn't what I was expecting when I first read the description of the book. There seems to be a constant stream of people growing ill, disappearing, or being generally injured, but as this is the 5th century, I suppose it's to be normal.
I didn't find myself liking the main character, Claerwen, much. There are thinks she did, and a stubborn streak, that seemed way over the top. There were times I wanted to take her shoulders, shake them, and ask what she was thinking. Of course, she gets what she wants in the end, and she does work hard to get them, but I still question her decisions.
I liked Marcus, though I could guess his secrets early on. He was a strong character, and I enjoyed reading about him when he was off spying.
Grania I just felt bad for. She had no clue about anything regarding relationships. I found myself wishing she'd just have some good luck at some point, but I suppose since her character wasn't the most sympathetic, she couldn't have everything.
The writing, though, is what throws me off. I'm not a huge fan of the third-person omniscient point of view writing. It just feels a bit tell-y to me (from the old caveat "Show, don't tell!"). But that's a personal preference.
There were some points of the novel that I wish were expanded upon, maybe in Marcus's POV, such as the escape from the druids. Just having him relay it to Claerwen and Owein via dialogue almost made me feel cheated. Like the story was rushed.
Also, the first half of the novel flies by in years. Literally. We skip four years in five pages. I understand that this was to get the story out and on paper, but it just added to the feeling of it being rushed.
All in all, I did enjoy the book. The story and the characters are what kept me reading, to see if all that I had guessed was right (and not all of it was!). I would recommend it to people looking for an Arthur series that sees things a little differently.
At some points, it seemed like I was reading a soap opera. Now, there's nothing wrong with that, but it wasn't what I was expecting when I first read the description of the book. There seems to be a constant stream of people growing ill, disappearing, or being generally injured, but as this is the 5th century, I suppose it's to be normal.
I didn't find myself liking the main character, Claerwen, much. There are thinks she did, and a stubborn streak, that seemed way over the top. There were times I wanted to take her shoulders, shake them, and ask what she was thinking. Of course, she gets what she wants in the end, and she does work hard to get them, but I still question her decisions.
I liked Marcus, though I could guess his secrets early on. He was a strong character, and I enjoyed reading about him when he was off spying.
Grania I just felt bad for. She had no clue about anything regarding relationships. I found myself wishing she'd just have some good luck at some point, but I suppose since her character wasn't the most sympathetic, she couldn't have everything.
The writing, though, is what throws me off. I'm not a huge fan of the third-person omniscient point of view writing. It just feels a bit tell-y to me (from the old caveat "Show, don't tell!"). But that's a personal preference.
There were some points of the novel that I wish were expanded upon, maybe in Marcus's POV, such as the escape from the druids. Just having him relay it to Claerwen and Owein via dialogue almost made me feel cheated. Like the story was rushed.
Also, the first half of the novel flies by in years. Literally. We skip four years in five pages. I understand that this was to get the story out and on paper, but it just added to the feeling of it being rushed.
All in all, I did enjoy the book. The story and the characters are what kept me reading, to see if all that I had guessed was right (and not all of it was!). I would recommend it to people looking for an Arthur series that sees things a little differently.
March 11, 2010
This author sets the series in the mid 5th Century in Wales and Briton. The Romans abandoned Briton, and the people still living there are loosely organized under various local princes and chieftains. They face invasions from Picts to the north, Irish and Vikings from the sea, and the Saxons that were invited over to fight by the evil and illegitimate king Vortigern. Life is difficult.
The story follows the main characters Claerwyn and Marcus who meet under dangerous circumstances and fall in love. People are chases Claerwyn claiming she has some treasure that she knows nothing about.
The story is exciting with espionage, fighting, living in hiding, and life threatening illnesses. The details of the setting are very realistic, such as descriptions of clothing, buildings, and food preparation. Some people have commented on the panther that shows up momentarily in the story, as panthers have never been native to Wales. I filed that away as "magical realism" (along with Claerwyn's visions) and didn't let that one thing bother me. The rest seemed pretty realistic, at least as far as I could tell.
The plot does have its faults. The romance between the main characters seems to happen too fast. I also figured out one of the secrets of the novel very early on as it seemed very obvious to me. The ending also seemed to wrap up a little too neatly, with characters remembering small events from 20 years ago which suddenly make everything make sense. But I still found I was able to enjoy this book.
These characters are paving the way for King Arthur. King Arthur is only mentioned once by name, and even then, they don't really understand who he is. I liked this take on the legend, that his becoming king depended on these two people.
The story follows the main characters Claerwyn and Marcus who meet under dangerous circumstances and fall in love. People are chases Claerwyn claiming she has some treasure that she knows nothing about.
The story is exciting with espionage, fighting, living in hiding, and life threatening illnesses. The details of the setting are very realistic, such as descriptions of clothing, buildings, and food preparation. Some people have commented on the panther that shows up momentarily in the story, as panthers have never been native to Wales. I filed that away as "magical realism" (along with Claerwyn's visions) and didn't let that one thing bother me. The rest seemed pretty realistic, at least as far as I could tell.
The plot does have its faults. The romance between the main characters seems to happen too fast. I also figured out one of the secrets of the novel very early on as it seemed very obvious to me. The ending also seemed to wrap up a little too neatly, with characters remembering small events from 20 years ago which suddenly make everything make sense. But I still found I was able to enjoy this book.
These characters are paving the way for King Arthur. King Arthur is only mentioned once by name, and even then, they don't really understand who he is. I liked this take on the legend, that his becoming king depended on these two people.
July 3, 2017
When I first recieved my copy of this book (courtesy of the LibraryThing Member Giveaway Program), I wasn't necessarily looking forward to reading it. It was the beginning of finals week at school and I assumed that I might get around to it eventually. By the time I finished reading the first page, I realized that I was quite wrong. I was unable to put this book down. It is well-paced, features engaging characters and a fascinating plot full of twists and turns, and draws the reader in to the timeframe.
The books shapes up to be an alternative take on the events surrounding the King Arthur/Merlin saga, following the lives of a powerful heroine with the gift of visions from the gods and a Prince who spends most of his time as a spy, fighting for the freedom of Britain. Their story, while very interesting in the King Arthur context, is well worth reading in its own right.
From the author's attempts to adhere as much as possible to names and words that would have actually been used in fifth-century Wales. One of the features that I've enjoyed ever since reading James Michener's 'Poland' is a pronunciation guide. Names such as Cunedda (Coo-neth-ah), Gwynedd (Gwih-neth), or Marcus ap Iorwerth (Yor-worth) would by horribly mangled by any modern reader not familiar with a Celtic language, but add a very Celtic feel to the whole book once you are pronouncing them in your head.
This book is absolutely worth the read, and I don't shy away from predicting that the other three books of the Macsen's Treasure Series are as well-written and as worthwhile as this. Five stars, and especially recommended for fans of the King Arthur story and of early British history.
The books shapes up to be an alternative take on the events surrounding the King Arthur/Merlin saga, following the lives of a powerful heroine with the gift of visions from the gods and a Prince who spends most of his time as a spy, fighting for the freedom of Britain. Their story, while very interesting in the King Arthur context, is well worth reading in its own right.
From the author's attempts to adhere as much as possible to names and words that would have actually been used in fifth-century Wales. One of the features that I've enjoyed ever since reading James Michener's 'Poland' is a pronunciation guide. Names such as Cunedda (Coo-neth-ah), Gwynedd (Gwih-neth), or Marcus ap Iorwerth (Yor-worth) would by horribly mangled by any modern reader not familiar with a Celtic language, but add a very Celtic feel to the whole book once you are pronouncing them in your head.
This book is absolutely worth the read, and I don't shy away from predicting that the other three books of the Macsen's Treasure Series are as well-written and as worthwhile as this. Five stars, and especially recommended for fans of the King Arthur story and of early British history.
January 29, 2010
I received this book through the member giveaway program at library thing in exchange for a review. There were some good points and some bad points to this book so I suppose I'll start with the good.
This was a well paced book and an easy read. I loved that the author included a pronuciation guide along with a map. This is so much easier than fumbling through the book not knowing how to pronounce names. This book had romance and action throughout and I enjoyed the perspective through the female character Claerwen. I also liked how the author interwove the magical aspects into the book.
So onto what I didn't care for. I thought the dialogue really hindered the book. It was too modern and really failed to bring me into Dark Age Britian. Also it was way too repetitive. How many times can Marcus ap Iowerth state you astonish me Claerwen...I get it already. I'm not sure why he didn't. The characters were a little too 2 dimensional and too predictable.
I'll admit I'm a little curious to see if the writing improves in the second book but I'm not sure if I am going to seek it out.
This was a well paced book and an easy read. I loved that the author included a pronuciation guide along with a map. This is so much easier than fumbling through the book not knowing how to pronounce names. This book had romance and action throughout and I enjoyed the perspective through the female character Claerwen. I also liked how the author interwove the magical aspects into the book.
So onto what I didn't care for. I thought the dialogue really hindered the book. It was too modern and really failed to bring me into Dark Age Britian. Also it was way too repetitive. How many times can Marcus ap Iowerth state you astonish me Claerwen...I get it already. I'm not sure why he didn't. The characters were a little too 2 dimensional and too predictable.
I'll admit I'm a little curious to see if the writing improves in the second book but I'm not sure if I am going to seek it out.
January 5, 2014
When I first got the book, I wasn't entirely sure I was going to enjoy it. Using the old cliche -- I was judging the book by the cover I was seeing. With the singular character looking like a swarthy member of the Italian mafia with a sword -- I just didn't see the book being that much of a page-turner. On a whim, I picked it up one evening while searching for something new on my shelves to read. My thinking was that I would be putting it down fairly quickly in favor of something else. How wrong I was. One chapter in -- and I was fairly well hooked. The plot moves along fairly quickly, and the characters are actually given the chance to not only grow, but to also keep secrets from members of the fourth wall. That provided a twisting, turning plot that keeps you breathless throughout. The only complaint I had -- aside from the overly cheese-filled artwork for the cover -- was that the written was somewhat elementary in places, along with some thinly veiled plot mechanisms. Then again, these are the same complaints that I had in regards to the first Harry Potter novel as well. Pick up the book, give the first three chapters a read -- and see if you like it too.
February 25, 2010
Book One of Four. Here we meet Marcus and Claeri, or rather, they meet each other. The story centers around two fictional characters that will come to support the comming of Arthur, future high Kiing of Britain. But I get ahead of myself. Arthur isn't even born yet. There's lots of adventure, deception, disquise and intrigue. There's sword play and spying and it's not all on the male protagonist either. I've already read the second book and it's even better than this one. I'm off to start book three :)
October 19, 2011
I really enjoyed this book! At first the premise, a spy in the Dark Ages, sounded a bit hokey but it was a nice refreshing change from some of the other books I've been reading. I'll definitely be finishing out the series. I greatly enjoyed reading a Celtic/Arthurian, modern, book that wasn't a poster child for Wicca (though I love those as well). The characters were engaging, foreshadowing ample but not overwhelming, and some interesting little twists that you actually don't see coming. I'm so happy to have received this through the Member Giveaway.
September 3, 2010
While I enjoyed the fourth book in the series more, I still thought this was a great start to the series. I love the main characters and think they were simply a great addition to arthur legends. I think part of the reason I prefer the later book is because it dives more into arthur legend whereas this one is more build up for the greater story to come. I also would have preferred not already knowing the ending. But I still loved reading it and can't wait to read the second and third books.
February 2, 2010
I won this book from LibraryThing.
After reading this first book of the Macsen's Treasure Series, I was pleasantly surprised that the book was a lot better than I expected, and I can't wait to sink my teeth into the next installment of the series.
This was a page turner and a fairly fast read. I may have to read this book again, knowing what I know now.
After reading this first book of the Macsen's Treasure Series, I was pleasantly surprised that the book was a lot better than I expected, and I can't wait to sink my teeth into the next installment of the series.
This was a page turner and a fairly fast read. I may have to read this book again, knowing what I know now.
Read
February 22, 2011This edition, available as an ebook, is a completely recrafted version. The storyline is the same as the original, but new scenes have been added, old fluff removed, historical errors corrected and the writing tightened up to match the tone and quality of the other three books in this award winning series.
December 23, 2016
If it has one star I liked it a lot
If it has two stars I liked it a lot and would recommend it
If it has three stars I really really liked it a lot
If it has four stars I insist you read it
If it has five stars it was life changing
If it has two stars I liked it a lot and would recommend it
If it has three stars I really really liked it a lot
If it has four stars I insist you read it
If it has five stars it was life changing
Read
February 4, 2012Read as Colorado Book Awards selector
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews