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Stone Lord: The Legend of King Arthur, The Era of Stonehenge
With totems of power and an ancestral sword from the depths of the sacred lake, Ardhu Pendraeg assumes the mantle of the Stone Lord, ruler of the Great Trilithon, protector of ancient Britain... A retelling of the Arthurian legends that seeks out their oldest roots in the bronze age, the era of Stonehenge.
Kindle Edition
First published September 1, 2012
About the author
J.P. Reedman
98 books171 followersBorn in Canada, J.P. Reedman has been a UK resident for over 30 years. She has been writing since the age of 5, and preferred genres are fantasy and historical (or a mixture of both.) Interests are British history and prehistory, especially the neolithic and bronze ages, archaeology, anthropology and features of the countryside. She is author of the STONEHENGE SAGA a novel that places the legends of King Arthur back into the bronze age, and a number of works about King Richard III, including the epic, I RICHARD PLANTAGENET, which, with both parts combined, is over 250,000 words long and written from Richard's first person perspective. She is also the author of the bestselling medieval novel, MY FAIR LADY, about the little known Queen, Eleanor of Provence which is first in an ongoing series about lesser-known medieval noblewoman. 13 SO FAR!
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
December 27, 2012
About a month ago, I was fortunate to interview author J.P. Reedman about her new debut novel, Stone Lord. At the time, I knew very little about the book, other than it was Arthurian legend set in the Bronze Age. This unusual concept, combined with her interview and excerpts posted online, were enough to convince me to buy her book. Given that I can be a bit of a tough sell when it comes to anything Arthurian, I was happily surprised by how much I liked the book. And "liked" is an understatement. Ask anyone who had to listen to me rave while reading it.
Despite its title, this book isn't only Arthur's tale. It begins with the story of the boy who would become Merlin, how he escaped the clutches of Vhortiern (Vortigern), and grew to guide U'thyr (Uther), Arthur's father. Once the young king is born, his story comes to the forefront. Throughout the book, Reedman gifts us with truly creative takes on classic Arthurian legend, including the dragons under the tower, Merlin's relationship with Nin-Aeifa (Nimue), the nature and purpose of Afallan (Avalon), the Sword in the Stone, the finding of Excalibur (called here Caladvolc), and more. The only place where I felt it fell a little short was in Mordred's conception, which reminded me of other versions I have read, but with a gothic chill that the others lack. I especially appreciated her inclusion of the Green Knight and his beheading game and the hunting of the boar T'orc, neither of which I've seen touched by authors in quite some time.
Honestly, I haven't been this captivated by a book since The Mists of Avalon. But then again, I'm a sucker for all things mythological, and that is where Reedman truly excels. Her descriptions of the ancient monuments and the rites associated with them will take your breath away. She has a way of making such an obscure period of the past come to life, that you half expect to be there when you put the book down. It is a story firmly rooted in its time period, one that actually caused me, as a writer, to reexamine some of my character's motivations to make sure they are historically accurate. (That is one of the highest compliments I can pay an author - to have learned something about my own work by reading theirs.) Reedman's insertion of the Arthurian story into the Bronze Age is done so seamlessly that it's easy to forget this isn't its usual time period. I'm not in a position to judge the archeology, but I am certain her expertise in this area is a major contributor to making this book feel so real.
The pacing of this book is well done. I didn't want to put it down. The only place where I felt it was a little off was Fynavir's (Guinevere) kidnapping. It's my understanding that in most tales, Melwas holds Guinevere captive for quite some time. But in Stone Lord, she's being carried away on one page and 25 pages later (most of which is taken up by another part of the story), Fynavir is rescued. Reedman spends far more time on the hunt of the boar than she does on the event that is the catalyst for Fynavir and An'kelet's affair, which doesn't seem equitable. I also felt that the ending was a little rushed, like Reedman was in a hurry to wrap things up, but this is a common complaint I have about many books, so it may be more me than the author.
In a few places, just a little more explanation would have helped the overall story. I felt that the background between Fynavir (Guinevere) and An'kelet (Lancelot) depended a lot on the reader's knowledge of the myth of King Arthur. There are furtive glances and reddening cheeks that make you aware there is an attraction and some sort of past between the two, but the nature of this is never made clear. I would have liked at least a few pages of background to help me understand why, in Reedman's world, these two are so heartbroken that they can't be together and what bonded them in the first place. I also would have liked a little more motivation for Morigau (Morgan). She's as crazy as crazy comes, but the only explanation we really get is a preternaturally intelligent girl of "no more than three" wailing in jealousy that Merlin picked Ardhu to train rather than her. Later, she rails about how Ardhu took everything away from her, especially the love of her family, but here again there's so much reliance on prior knowledge of legend that Morigau's motivation feels forced on her. If we could have seen one or two scenes showing how her life changed for the worse because of Ardhu, her venom would be easier to understand. Maybe these things will be further explained in the sequel, Moon Lord, but I would have liked to have had them in the context of this book.
One key thing I thought was missing from the book was a list of place names, both then and now, and maybe even a map, since they are so different from anything most of us would be familiar with. Reedman has a list on her website, but even that individual post is difficult to find and this isn't a convenient solution when you're reading and don't feel like getting online on to verify a location. I made it through just fine without the map, but it would have been nice to be able to flip to the front or the back to verify the characters were going where I thought they were.
Also, if you buy a first edition, there are several typos, so be forewarned. The author is aware of these and will be correcting them in future editions.
But even for its flaws, Stone Lord is a fantastic book. I think it is worthy of a Big Six publisher's attention, but I'm pretty much the ideal audience for a book like this. If you like the story of King Arthur and can handle a non-traditional setting, you'll enjoy this book. Congratulations to Reedman on a fine contribution to the Matter of Britain. I look forward to reading more of Ardhu's adventures in Moon Lord when it comes out.
Despite its title, this book isn't only Arthur's tale. It begins with the story of the boy who would become Merlin, how he escaped the clutches of Vhortiern (Vortigern), and grew to guide U'thyr (Uther), Arthur's father. Once the young king is born, his story comes to the forefront. Throughout the book, Reedman gifts us with truly creative takes on classic Arthurian legend, including the dragons under the tower, Merlin's relationship with Nin-Aeifa (Nimue), the nature and purpose of Afallan (Avalon), the Sword in the Stone, the finding of Excalibur (called here Caladvolc), and more. The only place where I felt it fell a little short was in Mordred's conception, which reminded me of other versions I have read, but with a gothic chill that the others lack. I especially appreciated her inclusion of the Green Knight and his beheading game and the hunting of the boar T'orc, neither of which I've seen touched by authors in quite some time.
Honestly, I haven't been this captivated by a book since The Mists of Avalon. But then again, I'm a sucker for all things mythological, and that is where Reedman truly excels. Her descriptions of the ancient monuments and the rites associated with them will take your breath away. She has a way of making such an obscure period of the past come to life, that you half expect to be there when you put the book down. It is a story firmly rooted in its time period, one that actually caused me, as a writer, to reexamine some of my character's motivations to make sure they are historically accurate. (That is one of the highest compliments I can pay an author - to have learned something about my own work by reading theirs.) Reedman's insertion of the Arthurian story into the Bronze Age is done so seamlessly that it's easy to forget this isn't its usual time period. I'm not in a position to judge the archeology, but I am certain her expertise in this area is a major contributor to making this book feel so real.
The pacing of this book is well done. I didn't want to put it down. The only place where I felt it was a little off was Fynavir's (Guinevere) kidnapping. It's my understanding that in most tales, Melwas holds Guinevere captive for quite some time. But in Stone Lord, she's being carried away on one page and 25 pages later (most of which is taken up by another part of the story), Fynavir is rescued. Reedman spends far more time on the hunt of the boar than she does on the event that is the catalyst for Fynavir and An'kelet's affair, which doesn't seem equitable. I also felt that the ending was a little rushed, like Reedman was in a hurry to wrap things up, but this is a common complaint I have about many books, so it may be more me than the author.
In a few places, just a little more explanation would have helped the overall story. I felt that the background between Fynavir (Guinevere) and An'kelet (Lancelot) depended a lot on the reader's knowledge of the myth of King Arthur. There are furtive glances and reddening cheeks that make you aware there is an attraction and some sort of past between the two, but the nature of this is never made clear. I would have liked at least a few pages of background to help me understand why, in Reedman's world, these two are so heartbroken that they can't be together and what bonded them in the first place. I also would have liked a little more motivation for Morigau (Morgan). She's as crazy as crazy comes, but the only explanation we really get is a preternaturally intelligent girl of "no more than three" wailing in jealousy that Merlin picked Ardhu to train rather than her. Later, she rails about how Ardhu took everything away from her, especially the love of her family, but here again there's so much reliance on prior knowledge of legend that Morigau's motivation feels forced on her. If we could have seen one or two scenes showing how her life changed for the worse because of Ardhu, her venom would be easier to understand. Maybe these things will be further explained in the sequel, Moon Lord, but I would have liked to have had them in the context of this book.
One key thing I thought was missing from the book was a list of place names, both then and now, and maybe even a map, since they are so different from anything most of us would be familiar with. Reedman has a list on her website, but even that individual post is difficult to find and this isn't a convenient solution when you're reading and don't feel like getting online on to verify a location. I made it through just fine without the map, but it would have been nice to be able to flip to the front or the back to verify the characters were going where I thought they were.
Also, if you buy a first edition, there are several typos, so be forewarned. The author is aware of these and will be correcting them in future editions.
But even for its flaws, Stone Lord is a fantastic book. I think it is worthy of a Big Six publisher's attention, but I'm pretty much the ideal audience for a book like this. If you like the story of King Arthur and can handle a non-traditional setting, you'll enjoy this book. Congratulations to Reedman on a fine contribution to the Matter of Britain. I look forward to reading more of Ardhu's adventures in Moon Lord when it comes out.
November 16, 2012
J.P. Reedman's debut novel, like Bernard Cornwell's "Stonehenge," takes for its principal setting the landscape around the iconic monument on Salisbury Plain. It is a landscape with which Reedman clearly has an intimate knowledge (her website states that she lives nearby), and this is an intimacy which shines through in the telling of the story. It is a story that is also closely informed, as Cornwell's (published in 1999) clearly cannot be, by the results of the archaeological researches that have been undertaken within this landscape over the past ten years or so. The result is a setting, both in terms of the physical landscape and the imagined culture, which is strikingly vivid and believable. Elements of the plot may be more familiar, since Reedman has embroidered, onto the warp of this remote time period (deliberately inexact, but somewhere around 1900 BC), a narrative tapestry from which leap out the figures of Arthurian heroes and heroines whose deeds were first committed to writing 1500 years later. The author's note makes clear that she has, in places, used "artistic license" to bring together the historical and mythic components of her creative project, but it all adds up to an engaging and well-paced story.
September 9, 2019
Thought I would give this a bash - a fantasy version of Arthurian legend adapted for Wessex. Found the mix of modern English language and fantasy Celtic very hard going, but excellent conclusion.
August 29, 2014
A retelling of the Merlin - Arthur story, set in the pre-Roman period and (Tolkien-style) artfully weaving many known myths and legends associated with Arthur into the story.
Now, in theory I like reading historical fiction because i love to feel my way back into a different time and place. But there are so few writers who can do this. So in practice I like reading historical fiction because I have fun picking out where the anachronism shows through. On this latter criteria, this book was really good fun.
Reedman has really got her head around the latest teachings of archaeology and anthropology - the kind of postmodernist emphasis upon the radically different subjectivity of 'the primitive', the ways in which nature is experienced as alive and enchanted. This comes out nicely in her real gift for interweaving local British geography (which she knows from living in it) with primitive mythologies and religious beliefs, such that her characters experience the land as inherently magical - it is not that there is a hill where a god lives, the very hill is experienced as a sacred place while the god is part of the geographic nature of the hill.
The counter to all this is a quite astonishing blind spot with regard to social status and interaction. Completely absent is the kind of 'objective' take on kinship relations upon which anthropology was founded over a century ago but which have now been thrown out by the new academic fashions. Anthropologists in 1900 saw primitive society as a kinship system in which everyone was born into a particular status and the relation of every person to every other person - as well as their likely occupation - was determined by this kinship system. Whether or not this generated valuable insights into primitive community, Reedman's book - like so many others - illustrates the dangers of throwing the baby out with the bath water. What we end up with is a view of primitive society as composed of a number of individuals, all of whom relate to one another as one individual to another - more or less like today.
An epitome of this - and the point where at some deep level I gave up on the book - occurs quite early on, with Merlin's 'job interview' at Stonehenge. An old priest has died and a new one must be chosen from among three candidates. Each of the three stands before the committee of priests and gives a talk about why they would be the best man for the job. Reedman actually has the young Merlin tell himself that he must show the priesthood that he would be "an asset" if they select him.
I find it astonishing - but fascinating - that such marvelous invocation of a primitive mystical experience of the English countryside can be combined with such a blatantly anachronistic conception of the nature of primitive British social interaction.
But then, that is why reading historical fiction is such fun.
Now, in theory I like reading historical fiction because i love to feel my way back into a different time and place. But there are so few writers who can do this. So in practice I like reading historical fiction because I have fun picking out where the anachronism shows through. On this latter criteria, this book was really good fun.
Reedman has really got her head around the latest teachings of archaeology and anthropology - the kind of postmodernist emphasis upon the radically different subjectivity of 'the primitive', the ways in which nature is experienced as alive and enchanted. This comes out nicely in her real gift for interweaving local British geography (which she knows from living in it) with primitive mythologies and religious beliefs, such that her characters experience the land as inherently magical - it is not that there is a hill where a god lives, the very hill is experienced as a sacred place while the god is part of the geographic nature of the hill.
The counter to all this is a quite astonishing blind spot with regard to social status and interaction. Completely absent is the kind of 'objective' take on kinship relations upon which anthropology was founded over a century ago but which have now been thrown out by the new academic fashions. Anthropologists in 1900 saw primitive society as a kinship system in which everyone was born into a particular status and the relation of every person to every other person - as well as their likely occupation - was determined by this kinship system. Whether or not this generated valuable insights into primitive community, Reedman's book - like so many others - illustrates the dangers of throwing the baby out with the bath water. What we end up with is a view of primitive society as composed of a number of individuals, all of whom relate to one another as one individual to another - more or less like today.
An epitome of this - and the point where at some deep level I gave up on the book - occurs quite early on, with Merlin's 'job interview' at Stonehenge. An old priest has died and a new one must be chosen from among three candidates. Each of the three stands before the committee of priests and gives a talk about why they would be the best man for the job. Reedman actually has the young Merlin tell himself that he must show the priesthood that he would be "an asset" if they select him.
I find it astonishing - but fascinating - that such marvelous invocation of a primitive mystical experience of the English countryside can be combined with such a blatantly anachronistic conception of the nature of primitive British social interaction.
But then, that is why reading historical fiction is such fun.
November 10, 2012
Stone Lord is a historical fantasy,retelling the legend of King Arthur,but setting it in the Bronze Age. It's a highly original idea,adding a completely fresh twist to the Arthurian mythos.
Refreshingly,the characters aren't just 21st-century people dressed up in Renfaire costumes;their mindset is shown as being consistent with what we know of Bronze Age people-they seen spirits and gods surrounding them,every natural feature,megalith and barrow is home to a deity or the ancestors. In this setting are the familiar characters of the Arthur legend,the familiar tales cleverly intertwined with myths from the Mabinogion and Irish hero-legends. Obviously the writer knows both their archaeology and mythology. The story moves at a cracking pace,the characters are well-realized and rounded,and the ending leaves the reader impatient for a sequel.
If you're interested in well-written,original historical fiction/pagan/myth,I would recommended this book to you. If your idea of that genre is 'the Mists of Avalon' by Zimmer Bradley or one of Mercedes Lackey's books, read 'Stone Lord',and see what the 'real deal'is like.
Refreshingly,the characters aren't just 21st-century people dressed up in Renfaire costumes;their mindset is shown as being consistent with what we know of Bronze Age people-they seen spirits and gods surrounding them,every natural feature,megalith and barrow is home to a deity or the ancestors. In this setting are the familiar characters of the Arthur legend,the familiar tales cleverly intertwined with myths from the Mabinogion and Irish hero-legends. Obviously the writer knows both their archaeology and mythology. The story moves at a cracking pace,the characters are well-realized and rounded,and the ending leaves the reader impatient for a sequel.
If you're interested in well-written,original historical fiction/pagan/myth,I would recommended this book to you. If your idea of that genre is 'the Mists of Avalon' by Zimmer Bradley or one of Mercedes Lackey's books, read 'Stone Lord',and see what the 'real deal'is like.
August 22, 2016
Magical!
I thought I stood a pretty good chance of enjoying this book because I really love reading Arthurian Legend. The Arthurian Chronicles by Bernard Cornwell are my favourite series of books ever, closely followed by the Merlin Trilogy plus two by Mary Stewart. I was excited and interested to see how it would work out set in the Bronze Age. I have not been disappointed.
The familiar story featuring all the usual suspects is beautifully transferred to the period with all the magic and mysticism surrounding Stonehenge, a place of which the author clearly has an extensive knowledge. It is a very pacy tale, really easy reading, thoroughly entertaining, a real pleasure. I read 60% of it on the first day and bought 'Moon Lord' minutes after I had finished it. Can't wait for it to hit the top of my reading pile.
I thought I stood a pretty good chance of enjoying this book because I really love reading Arthurian Legend. The Arthurian Chronicles by Bernard Cornwell are my favourite series of books ever, closely followed by the Merlin Trilogy plus two by Mary Stewart. I was excited and interested to see how it would work out set in the Bronze Age. I have not been disappointed.
The familiar story featuring all the usual suspects is beautifully transferred to the period with all the magic and mysticism surrounding Stonehenge, a place of which the author clearly has an extensive knowledge. It is a very pacy tale, really easy reading, thoroughly entertaining, a real pleasure. I read 60% of it on the first day and bought 'Moon Lord' minutes after I had finished it. Can't wait for it to hit the top of my reading pile.
September 19, 2013
I started on it yesterday and gave up on it today, 82 pages in. It's trying too hard to be clever and tries desperately to be The Mists of Avalon but comes nowhere close. Far too descriptive, with one-dimensional characters, and too many typos which I gather is being addressed in the second edition. Very disappointed.
August 14, 2014
This book is an absolute nightmare. I made it through 11% before I gave up. I read another review where it said if you like Mists of Avalon, read this book for the "real thing". If that's the case, I think I'll stick to the fake stuff because this was nothing short of awful and a complete chore to sit through.
May 5, 2014
It took me longer than usual to read this book because the names of people and places were not easy to read. However I really enjoyed it and am looking forward to reading the next one.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews