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The Tales of Aeron #1
The Copper Crown
WHEN EARTH MEETS KELTIA WILL STAR EMPIRES FALL?
When lore became legend on ancient Earth and the powers of magic waned, the Kelts and their allies fled the planet for the freedom of distant star realms.
When lore became legend on ancient Earth and the powers of magic waned, the Kelts and their allies fled the planet for the freedom of distant star realms.
But the stars were home to dangerous foes, and millenia later, the worlds of Keltia still maintained uneasy truce with two enemy empires -the Imperium and the Phalanx. Then, at the start of the reign of Aeron, mistress of high magic and queen of all the Kelts, an Earthship made contact with her long-fled children. And while Earth and Keltia reached out to form alliance, the star fleets of the enemy mobilized for final, devastating war....
432 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published November 1, 1984
15 people are currently reading
1655 people want to read
About the author
Patricia Kennealy-Morrison
12 books135 followersPatricia Kennealy-Morrison was an American author and journalist. Her published works include rock criticism, a memoir, and two series of science fiction/fantasy and murder mystery novels. Most of her books are part of her series, The Keltiad
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 79 reviews
August 8, 2013
The Copper Crown and The Throne of Scone - one story.
What a muddle!
Okay, first things first. These covers are just gorgeous. Thomas Canty isn't given any credit in the actual books, but it's his artwork. (And he even sells signed prints of the images.)
I fully expected to love these. I got a whole bunch of the books of the 'Keltiad' in advance of reading any of them. I don't think I'll be reading all of them.
Fine, the premise is a bit absurd: In the 27th century, a probe ship from Earth discovers an interstellar Empire, Keltia, made up of the descendants of Celts who fled persecution by Christians back in the 5th century, and, aided by the denizens of Atlantis, went out to space.
If it was done well, I could run with it. I love both space opera and fantasy; Celtic and pagan mythology is always full of good opportunities for stories. But it's not done well. The author doesn't pull it off.
The minor problem is that a complex situation with a great number of characters is set up, and the writing just doesn't do it justice. I usually love twisty conflicts and court politics, but here, as I said earlier, it just feels muddled.
The worst problem is not the complexity, however, it's the way that events seem to progress independent of any kind of logic stemming from characterization. People love and hate each other, turn traitor, change their minds, are loyal, etc - seemingly for no reason. One of the main characters (Sarah O'Reilly) is supposed to be a mature, competent naval officer. However, through both books she's written as if she's a star-struck, ditzy 10-year-old with a celebrity crush on Keltia's queen, Aeron. (And why would Earth military officers be impressed at all by foreign royalty? And why would Earth people instantly want to get involved in someone else's war?)
Another thing that bothered me: the use of the phrase "Any road" on practically every other page. I know this is British slang equivalent to "anyways," and maybe the author thought it made her characters sound more Celtic? But it was used in places where no such interjection was necessary, and no single phrase should ever be used with the frequency that this one is in these books.
In addition, the story seriously suffers due to the author completely failing to think things through logically. The people of Keltia have psi powers - but hardly ever use them, for no given reason. They and their enemies both have advanced technology including hyperspace ships - but don't use technological weapons. There's also magic - but with the exception of one past incident, the ramifications and potentials of that are not explored.
When everything happens due to the author's "cause I said so," as opposed to because that would be the logical thing to happen in a theoretical scenario, things just get boring.
I also owned the prequel to these, 'The Silver Branch,' but I've decided not to read it.
What a muddle!
Okay, first things first. These covers are just gorgeous. Thomas Canty isn't given any credit in the actual books, but it's his artwork. (And he even sells signed prints of the images.)
I fully expected to love these. I got a whole bunch of the books of the 'Keltiad' in advance of reading any of them. I don't think I'll be reading all of them.
Fine, the premise is a bit absurd: In the 27th century, a probe ship from Earth discovers an interstellar Empire, Keltia, made up of the descendants of Celts who fled persecution by Christians back in the 5th century, and, aided by the denizens of Atlantis, went out to space.
If it was done well, I could run with it. I love both space opera and fantasy; Celtic and pagan mythology is always full of good opportunities for stories. But it's not done well. The author doesn't pull it off.
The minor problem is that a complex situation with a great number of characters is set up, and the writing just doesn't do it justice. I usually love twisty conflicts and court politics, but here, as I said earlier, it just feels muddled.
The worst problem is not the complexity, however, it's the way that events seem to progress independent of any kind of logic stemming from characterization. People love and hate each other, turn traitor, change their minds, are loyal, etc - seemingly for no reason. One of the main characters (Sarah O'Reilly) is supposed to be a mature, competent naval officer. However, through both books she's written as if she's a star-struck, ditzy 10-year-old with a celebrity crush on Keltia's queen, Aeron. (And why would Earth military officers be impressed at all by foreign royalty? And why would Earth people instantly want to get involved in someone else's war?)
Another thing that bothered me: the use of the phrase "Any road" on practically every other page. I know this is British slang equivalent to "anyways," and maybe the author thought it made her characters sound more Celtic? But it was used in places where no such interjection was necessary, and no single phrase should ever be used with the frequency that this one is in these books.
In addition, the story seriously suffers due to the author completely failing to think things through logically. The people of Keltia have psi powers - but hardly ever use them, for no given reason. They and their enemies both have advanced technology including hyperspace ships - but don't use technological weapons. There's also magic - but with the exception of one past incident, the ramifications and potentials of that are not explored.
When everything happens due to the author's "cause I said so," as opposed to because that would be the logical thing to happen in a theoretical scenario, things just get boring.
I also owned the prequel to these, 'The Silver Branch,' but I've decided not to read it.
July 8, 2011
Ok, this is my 4th time reading this book. I came across it at my parents' house rotting in a pile of other old books and, delighted, snatched it up to read again. It had been a long while since I read it last and so, to me, it was like reading it anew. It was just as good as I remembered it.
This book is a strange mix of ancient Celtic/Keltic mythology and futuristic Science Fiction. There are mentions of magic and ancient rituals juxtaposed with starships and datapads. Somehow, it works. The characters are nuanced, the plot is layered, and the setting is lush with descriptions. Though, since I had recently watched the latest Star Trek movie again on Netflix, I have to say that most of the science fiction seems to have been directly taken from there (ie. starship going out to meet alien cultures, a federation of planets, datapads). It did drag a teensy-weensy bit in the middle but overall, the action moved pretty swiftly.
I say try this book if you're a fan of both history/mythology and science fiction.
This book is a strange mix of ancient Celtic/Keltic mythology and futuristic Science Fiction. There are mentions of magic and ancient rituals juxtaposed with starships and datapads. Somehow, it works. The characters are nuanced, the plot is layered, and the setting is lush with descriptions. Though, since I had recently watched the latest Star Trek movie again on Netflix, I have to say that most of the science fiction seems to have been directly taken from there (ie. starship going out to meet alien cultures, a federation of planets, datapads). It did drag a teensy-weensy bit in the middle but overall, the action moved pretty swiftly.
I say try this book if you're a fan of both history/mythology and science fiction.
August 13, 2017
From the late eighties to early aughts, I read a lot of fantasy and science fiction. This one stood out. Happened upon a reference to the book during a recent trawl through Wikipedia and memories came rushing back. Bad memories.
An Earth spaceship reaches the annoyingly misspelled world Keltia, founded by the Irish and Atlanteans fleeing Christian persecution, who use magic and high-technology and psionics and have a monarchy and every other fantastic ingredient of which the author had heard.
You can mix blue and red and make purple. Or red and yellow and make orange. But if you dump all your paint colors together you get a muddy brown.
An Earth spaceship reaches the annoyingly misspelled world Keltia, founded by the Irish and Atlanteans fleeing Christian persecution, who use magic and high-technology and psionics and have a monarchy and every other fantastic ingredient of which the author had heard.
You can mix blue and red and make purple. Or red and yellow and make orange. But if you dump all your paint colors together you get a muddy brown.
November 25, 2012
I'm sure there are people who condemn this books as a blatant case of Celtic wish fulfilment. I don't disagree. But you know what, it's exactly my kind of wish fulfilment, so I really don't care. I just love reading them.
This was a lovely (if rather slow) reread and I hope to get to the sequel before too long (there's a whole bunch of book group books I'd rather like to read this month which will keep me busy).
All I need now is ebooks of the entire series to make the rereading easier and for the author to write those extra books she always promised. Please?
This was a lovely (if rather slow) reread and I hope to get to the sequel before too long (there's a whole bunch of book group books I'd rather like to read this month which will keep me busy).
All I need now is ebooks of the entire series to make the rereading easier and for the author to write those extra books she always promised. Please?
December 29, 2018
Three is something of a gift. Remember, first, that this book is fantasy, not science fiction. Having said that, it's not a bad read, though it begins at an uneven pace. It finishes well.
Kennealy-Morrison successfully evokes fringe Celtic myth and culture (and explains why its fringe, not core Celtic). Her characters are rich, if two-dimensional--perhaps because her cast is so large. She does a lot of telling us why people act rather than showing, and some of it is not obvious.
Despite having hyperdrive, sub space communications, space defenses and magic, the main fighting is on land . . . with horses and chariots. Fifteen hundred years in the future. Yeah, I thought so, too. Though she provides a rationale, it is unconvincing. (Oh, and there are "laser swords." We know where she got that idea.)
For one interested only in the story, read the first four or five chapters, then skip to Chapter Thirteen and read the rest of the book. You will have missed a few things, but several are so illogical that you're better off not knowing them, and just picking up what you need from the subsequent flow.
Kennealy-Morrison successfully evokes fringe Celtic myth and culture (and explains why its fringe, not core Celtic). Her characters are rich, if two-dimensional--perhaps because her cast is so large. She does a lot of telling us why people act rather than showing, and some of it is not obvious.
Despite having hyperdrive, sub space communications, space defenses and magic, the main fighting is on land . . . with horses and chariots. Fifteen hundred years in the future. Yeah, I thought so, too. Though she provides a rationale, it is unconvincing. (Oh, and there are "laser swords." We know where she got that idea.)
For one interested only in the story, read the first four or five chapters, then skip to Chapter Thirteen and read the rest of the book. You will have missed a few things, but several are so illogical that you're better off not knowing them, and just picking up what you need from the subsequent flow.
June 30, 2009
Am only going to review one of the Ketiad books, but merely because they are, one and all, wonderful stories. I began reading them years ago, when I was a young woman, just barely out of my teens. One of the great tragedies of my life was losing my original copies in a house fire some 20 years later...yes, they ARE keepers.
The characters are multifaceted, believable, and, for the most part, very likable. There are no black-or-white generalizations, every individual is drawn with a depth of color and shading that is so very natural.
Even the villans are fascinating in their own right, and their motivations for villany are understandable and ring true. I loathe "bad guys" who are just "tossed in for the badness." This never happens with Ms. Kennealy-Morrison's books.
The story line runs true from book to book, but each book stands very well on its own, a thing that I very much like in a series.
If you are a fan of Science Fiction, of the Arther legends, of Celtic/Gaelic history, or just a good adventure story (with JUST the right touch of romance), these books are for you!
The characters are multifaceted, believable, and, for the most part, very likable. There are no black-or-white generalizations, every individual is drawn with a depth of color and shading that is so very natural.
Even the villans are fascinating in their own right, and their motivations for villany are understandable and ring true. I loathe "bad guys" who are just "tossed in for the badness." This never happens with Ms. Kennealy-Morrison's books.
The story line runs true from book to book, but each book stands very well on its own, a thing that I very much like in a series.
If you are a fan of Science Fiction, of the Arther legends, of Celtic/Gaelic history, or just a good adventure story (with JUST the right touch of romance), these books are for you!
April 16, 2008
Wow, I read all three of the first Keltiad books at one sitting, (of course spread out with a bit of sleeping in between). First of all, I found the lanquage completely intoxicating, the story engaging, and the whole Keltic universe fascinating. I had no idea who Patricia Kennealy was, all three books came in to my store at the same time and looked interesting so....
Anyway, I loved them and have re-read them several times so these I will NEVER get rid of unless I get better copies - haha.
Anyway, I loved them and have re-read them several times so these I will NEVER get rid of unless I get better copies - haha.
June 10, 2025
The friend who lent it to me said, "If you want more, there are only about 24 books in the trilogy."
August 4, 2017
Finally finished. It didn't take too long but it felt like it.
The world was kind of cool and I liked the characters but the whole setup was extremely odd and left a weird taste in my mouth. The Irish being descended from Atlantis? EVERYONE thinking the Kelts and their queen were the best thing that's ever happened? It smacked of all my real-life Irish relatives thinking that being Irish makes you God's gift to the universe and it just felt...weird.
Which is a shame, because I actually like Celtic cultures, and Irish inspired fantasy (it's so easy to do) but other fantasy writers manage to base their sci fi/fantasy on specific cultures without having to shove how much better the culture is than the others down everyone's throats.
The world was kind of cool and I liked the characters but the whole setup was extremely odd and left a weird taste in my mouth. The Irish being descended from Atlantis? EVERYONE thinking the Kelts and their queen were the best thing that's ever happened? It smacked of all my real-life Irish relatives thinking that being Irish makes you God's gift to the universe and it just felt...weird.
Which is a shame, because I actually like Celtic cultures, and Irish inspired fantasy (it's so easy to do) but other fantasy writers manage to base their sci fi/fantasy on specific cultures without having to shove how much better the culture is than the others down everyone's throats.
January 14, 2009
Some of the most beautifully written books I have ever read
July 31, 2010
The first book in the Keltiad series. Lots of action, lots of drama, great story telling. An excellent blend of past and future elements. A must read for anyone who loves science fiction/fantasy.
August 21, 2010
Part of one of my favorite trilogies of all time.
July 31, 2011
I probably read this series once every 18 months or so. Likely my favorite book series. It has the additional benefit of portraying my religion in a way that is accurate while accessible.
May 7, 2014
Celts.... in SPAAAAAAAACE! Really silly and indulgent, but marginally fun.
Update: Ugh, I gave it up. It was just too silly. None of the character's decisions were realistic, I kept yelling at them.
Update: Ugh, I gave it up. It was just too silly. None of the character's decisions were realistic, I kept yelling at them.
September 12, 2024
In theory, I should have loved this novel, a combination of Arthuriana, Anne McCaffrey style universes, and Star Wars galactic battles.
Alas, I found it to be a disappointingly shallow novel. The world-building is self-contradictory, the character motivation is heavy-handed in service of the plot, and everything is overshadowed by a saccharine sentimentality. Maybe I've grown old and cynical. I'm sure I would have liked it better and seen less of its faults as a teenager.
Alas, I found it to be a disappointingly shallow novel. The world-building is self-contradictory, the character motivation is heavy-handed in service of the plot, and everything is overshadowed by a saccharine sentimentality. Maybe I've grown old and cynical. I'm sure I would have liked it better and seen less of its faults as a teenager.
December 28, 2015
Someone once said 'The golden age of fantasy is eleven'.....and I've found this to be broadly true. Some of the fantasy works I adored in early adolescence remain touchstones I return to every so often, like the Lord of the Rings. Others, alas, do not fare so well in the harsher light of approaching middle age. This is one of the latter.
I find it hard to review this one dispassionately, because my inner twelve year old remains so damned enamored of this series. It's Star Wars smashed into Celtic myth with a female heroine who conquers all, what's not to like? I straight up loved this series, both this trilogy and its prequel series, the books about Arthur....and recently rebought this trilogy for a re-read.
Whereupon it turned out to be fabulously uneven. The heroine, Aeron, High Queen of Kelts, is a flaming Mary Sue. There's just no denying it. A beautiful redhead who is a mighty warrior, an unparalleled sorceress, an ace starship pilot and apparently bad at not a goddamned thing. Her enemies tend to come off as cardboard cutouts set up to oppose her. The whole main plot, wherein the rest of the spacefaring cultures, including several who have been foes of the Kelts time out of mind because Atlantis (I'm serious), all dogpile on Keltia for fear that the Kelts will make an alliance with the recently recontacted Earth.....which serves to cement exactly that alliance. Nice job breaking it, hero.
And yet....often, despite these things, it works. It's compelling, if mostly because of the world. I'd give it three and a half if I could, because Kennealy-Morrison is not a bland or bad writer. There are daring escapes, treachery, sword battles, magic, quests, and romance. Honestly, it might do better republished now in teen fantasy. And I do intend to go on and reread the Arthur trilogy, which I remember as being a little deeper and more polished.
AS a sidenote, and as at least one other reviewer remarked, the covers Thomas Canty did for this series and its prequels are gorgeous. I've kept my early editions of Jacques' Redwall series for the Canty covers.
I find it hard to review this one dispassionately, because my inner twelve year old remains so damned enamored of this series. It's Star Wars smashed into Celtic myth with a female heroine who conquers all, what's not to like? I straight up loved this series, both this trilogy and its prequel series, the books about Arthur....and recently rebought this trilogy for a re-read.
Whereupon it turned out to be fabulously uneven. The heroine, Aeron, High Queen of Kelts, is a flaming Mary Sue. There's just no denying it. A beautiful redhead who is a mighty warrior, an unparalleled sorceress, an ace starship pilot and apparently bad at not a goddamned thing. Her enemies tend to come off as cardboard cutouts set up to oppose her. The whole main plot, wherein the rest of the spacefaring cultures, including several who have been foes of the Kelts time out of mind because Atlantis (I'm serious), all dogpile on Keltia for fear that the Kelts will make an alliance with the recently recontacted Earth.....which serves to cement exactly that alliance. Nice job breaking it, hero.
And yet....often, despite these things, it works. It's compelling, if mostly because of the world. I'd give it three and a half if I could, because Kennealy-Morrison is not a bland or bad writer. There are daring escapes, treachery, sword battles, magic, quests, and romance. Honestly, it might do better republished now in teen fantasy. And I do intend to go on and reread the Arthur trilogy, which I remember as being a little deeper and more polished.
AS a sidenote, and as at least one other reviewer remarked, the covers Thomas Canty did for this series and its prequels are gorgeous. I've kept my early editions of Jacques' Redwall series for the Canty covers.
July 12, 2013
A beautifully written blend of magic and science fiction. Long ago the Celts (spelled Kelts in the book so the reader is sure to mentally pronounce the name accurately) fled Atlantis and landed on the shores of Ireland, only to find themselves expelled as snakes and serpents when St. Patrick brought Christianity to the Emerald Isle. They fled in a spaceship built with technology that had been in their people for millennia, and landed in a star system thousands of light-years away from the inhospitable Earth, where they have lived for countless generations. Now Terrans have once again discovered them, and Aeron, the Queen of Keltia, is ready to welcome them as long-lost kin. Keltia's enemies are not eager for an alliance that could tip the scales of power in the universe, and launch an attack. When both technology and magic are used in war, you KNOW things are going to get exciting!
I read this book many years ago, and it became one of my favorites. Whenever I pick up an old favorite, it's with a bit of trepidation, because now I've studied writing techniques and it's a lot harder to lose myself in a novel the way I could when I wasn't able to identify the author's storytelling skills. Therefore I was delighted to discover that I love this book now just as much as I did back then! I absolutely love the "science fantasy" aspects, and found my chest swelling just a little because of my Irish roots. Who knows, maybe I, too, am a distant descendant of the people who fled Atlantis!
One warning to those who intend to read The Copper Crown - it's the first of a trilogy, and it was written in the days when trilogies were really just one long story broken into three books. It leaves the characters in dire straits, sort of like Han Solo was left frozen in carbonite at the end of The Empire Strikes Back. That's okay - I own the other two books as well as the following trilogy!
I read this book many years ago, and it became one of my favorites. Whenever I pick up an old favorite, it's with a bit of trepidation, because now I've studied writing techniques and it's a lot harder to lose myself in a novel the way I could when I wasn't able to identify the author's storytelling skills. Therefore I was delighted to discover that I love this book now just as much as I did back then! I absolutely love the "science fantasy" aspects, and found my chest swelling just a little because of my Irish roots. Who knows, maybe I, too, am a distant descendant of the people who fled Atlantis!
One warning to those who intend to read The Copper Crown - it's the first of a trilogy, and it was written in the days when trilogies were really just one long story broken into three books. It leaves the characters in dire straits, sort of like Han Solo was left frozen in carbonite at the end of The Empire Strikes Back. That's okay - I own the other two books as well as the following trilogy!
August 26, 2021
I bought this book when it was first published as a hardcover by the old Bluebird publishing house. I since had to purchase a paperback copy for loaning out, because the hardcover copies of this first and its successors are not leaving my possession!
Celtic (spelled with a 'k' in Ms. Kennealy-Morrison's books) mythology has long been a favorite subject, and to have it writ large in space and made more personal somehow was a real treat. I find Ms. K-M's writing to be easily digested, and always leaving me wanting more. I like the way she fleshes out her characters, even the 'bad' ones, and her descriptive passages make it so I'm there in her world with her.
The story lines are interesting enough to keep one reading the book without wanting to put it down, and to make one want to have the next one immediately on hand.
Upon occasion, a meme will arise on one of the various social media sites as to where one might wish to live, if not where one is now. I always choose Keltia.
Celtic (spelled with a 'k' in Ms. Kennealy-Morrison's books) mythology has long been a favorite subject, and to have it writ large in space and made more personal somehow was a real treat. I find Ms. K-M's writing to be easily digested, and always leaving me wanting more. I like the way she fleshes out her characters, even the 'bad' ones, and her descriptive passages make it so I'm there in her world with her.
The story lines are interesting enough to keep one reading the book without wanting to put it down, and to make one want to have the next one immediately on hand.
Upon occasion, a meme will arise on one of the various social media sites as to where one might wish to live, if not where one is now. I always choose Keltia.
February 20, 2014
This is a review of memory because I loved this book and haven't found it again. But it takes you through the coming of age of Aeron, Queen of the Kelts. It is an amazing growing up tale that just makes you want to know Aeron as an adult (good news- you can in the next two books). Rich and colorful, pure escape. I need to get my hands on a copy again- alas it appears to be out of print so I may have to start scouring used book stores and get serious about it.
I will recommend this book with the recommendation that someone gave me many moons ago: "Kelts in space. Seriously, Kelts in space."
I will recommend this book with the recommendation that someone gave me many moons ago: "Kelts in space. Seriously, Kelts in space."
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December 25, 2008I love this series, I read it over and over again
February 14, 2009
Love the book!
March 1, 2011
Love this...great imagination and storytelling.
February 24, 2009
Celts in space! Who could resist? I have read this several times and love the series
January 15, 2021
This book was very good at being what it set out to be: a mythopoeic telling of Kelts in Space. The world-building was excellent, the writing was first-rate, it worked. But there is still an inherent strain in assigning mythic deeds to characters, and then making those characters people the readers can find likeable. When your main character destroyed a planet out of revenge (not a spoiler, happened before the events of the book and revealed early on) it's hard to warm to her, even though she had reason to be angry and is sorry she did it. I think I was looking for something a bit cozier.
All in all the people are larger than life - amazing Kelts! So fair, so wise, such a just society. And they love their queen! And nobles are people who deserve our love, because they are descended from gods. And all that racial/ blood stuff is pretty easy to look a bit askance at in a science fiction story, even if perhaps more tolerated in a mythic fantasy. It's squicky in the current context.
The plot is really neither here nor there. Bad stuff happens and the characters move and work to overcome it. I had to school myself to read 30 pages a day to finish it, because though the writing is lovely, I never bought into the Kelt Love and the plot is a series of events to fulfill a prophecy and the characters were only beginning to seem real to me toward the end. Even when Aeron is trying to have human flaws and doubts, her friends support her so strongly that she never really reads as human.
I bought this because I already had the second book for some reason. I do not regret reading it, and I will read the second book. I think it might be better. It certainly has a wider scope to work with, and even if I don't read it for a while I'll remember the plot. The four star rating might seem odd after all my criticisms, but there was a lot to admire here, and the craft of the book deserves respect even if it wasn't the escape I was after.
(p.s. I love that she was married to Jim Morrison, AND wrote this book. Good for her.) (Also I love that she managed to work Atlantis into the history of the Space Kelts and how they got there. The 1984 of this book shines through.)
All in all the people are larger than life - amazing Kelts! So fair, so wise, such a just society. And they love their queen! And nobles are people who deserve our love, because they are descended from gods. And all that racial/ blood stuff is pretty easy to look a bit askance at in a science fiction story, even if perhaps more tolerated in a mythic fantasy. It's squicky in the current context.
The plot is really neither here nor there. Bad stuff happens and the characters move and work to overcome it. I had to school myself to read 30 pages a day to finish it, because though the writing is lovely, I never bought into the Kelt Love and the plot is a series of events to fulfill a prophecy and the characters were only beginning to seem real to me toward the end. Even when Aeron is trying to have human flaws and doubts, her friends support her so strongly that she never really reads as human.
I bought this because I already had the second book for some reason. I do not regret reading it, and I will read the second book. I think it might be better. It certainly has a wider scope to work with, and even if I don't read it for a while I'll remember the plot. The four star rating might seem odd after all my criticisms, but there was a lot to admire here, and the craft of the book deserves respect even if it wasn't the escape I was after.
(p.s. I love that she was married to Jim Morrison, AND wrote this book. Good for her.) (Also I love that she managed to work Atlantis into the history of the Space Kelts and how they got there. The 1984 of this book shines through.)
June 15, 2021
I've owned the first two books of this series for decades, but never read the series because I couldn't find the third book (and then forgot about it). Thanks to readily available ebooks, I pulled the first two off my shelf and am finally reading them!
This is an odd case of the gorgeous cover doing this book no favors. The cover screams "this is high fantasy," but then when you open it you find yourself on a military spaceship. I could imagine some readers would give up here, but as it turns out, the cover is pretty true to the tone of the book, because one the Terran military spaceship enters Keltic space, most of the scifi trappings fall away into high fantasy tropes. In fact, I really got the feeling sometimes that this originally started as a more traditional fantasy along the lines of "group of modern college students fall into the world of Celtic myth"--that would, for example, explain why the "military" Terrans seem so very un-military, over-awed and unregimented. Make Theo Haruko a college professor and the other three his students and the characterization makes so much more sense.
Anyway, once you get into the full-on fantasy parts of the book, it works very well as a re-telling of Welsh myth. The characters are outsized and epic--yes, a bit "flat," as other reviews have mentioned, but that's part of the high fantasy style. Many of their actions (like Arianeira bringing down the Curtain Wall) have a sort of fated/doomed quality to them--they do these things because their mythic counterparts do them, and the book is more about creating the atmosphere and tone where it works. The worldbuilding is detailed and evocative, the language lush and detailed; after the off-putting space stuff I didn't expect to like it as much as I did.
This is an odd case of the gorgeous cover doing this book no favors. The cover screams "this is high fantasy," but then when you open it you find yourself on a military spaceship. I could imagine some readers would give up here, but as it turns out, the cover is pretty true to the tone of the book, because one the Terran military spaceship enters Keltic space, most of the scifi trappings fall away into high fantasy tropes. In fact, I really got the feeling sometimes that this originally started as a more traditional fantasy along the lines of "group of modern college students fall into the world of Celtic myth"--that would, for example, explain why the "military" Terrans seem so very un-military, over-awed and unregimented. Make Theo Haruko a college professor and the other three his students and the characterization makes so much more sense.
Anyway, once you get into the full-on fantasy parts of the book, it works very well as a re-telling of Welsh myth. The characters are outsized and epic--yes, a bit "flat," as other reviews have mentioned, but that's part of the high fantasy style. Many of their actions (like Arianeira bringing down the Curtain Wall) have a sort of fated/doomed quality to them--they do these things because their mythic counterparts do them, and the book is more about creating the atmosphere and tone where it works. The worldbuilding is detailed and evocative, the language lush and detailed; after the off-putting space stuff I didn't expect to like it as much as I did.
June 25, 2023
i don't usually read science fiction but I love this story. The culture and myths of Ancient Ireland transported into space. Three thousand years age Brendan took those who wished to leave Ireland, Scotland, Wales and other Keltic communities into space to preserve their way of life and culture. They used technology from the Atlantans. Others also used that technology also and set up rival colonies in space. In this book, war breaks out between Keltia and the Imperial Forces for a variety of reasons - revenge, blood feuds and desire for more land. Enter the Terrans - people from modern day Earth - modern day being 3512 CE. I have all but one book in the 9 book set and I am looking forward to reading them all. I first found these books twenty plus years ago and read the first 3 but it has been so long that it is like reading them for the first time.
June 8, 2024
My number one Roman Empire Series that I read in the late 80's early 90's, and am currently re-reading for the umpteenth time. This is a comfort read for me probably because I wish I could live in Keltia. I discovered these books back when my family was doing their geneaology and I was hooked. The mythology of it, the lore, added to the space opera story setting...totally my thing. I don't even mind that there really isn't any steam or romance. The Celt in me just loves these stories.
I will always love this book. I'm just sorry PKM didn't get to finish what she envisioned.
I will always love this book. I'm just sorry PKM didn't get to finish what she envisioned.
August 4, 2025
I have loved these books for many many years now, and re-read them regularly. The premise is interesting: a Celtic (or Keltic!) kingdom set amongst the stars that is re-discovered by Terrans many years in Earth's future. There are strong echoes of the Celtic legends and myths, and the whole setup is a fantastic sword-and-sorcery-meets-scifi with really believable, sympathetic characters and a strong story.
Definitely worth tracking down: they are hard to find now as they are mostly out of print but brilliant if you can find them.
Definitely worth tracking down: they are hard to find now as they are mostly out of print but brilliant if you can find them.
October 15, 2020
This was an interesting mix of fantasy and science fiction in a way I haven't really seen before. If you're interested in Celtic traditions and storytelling, you'll probably enjoy the magical Celtic utopia that is the main setting for this book. The writing isn't very subtle, but I did find that I wanted to keep learning what happened next.
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