The Druid Isle

Druid #2

by Ellen Evert Hopman

For Aífe, the beautiful, adopted daughter of Drui healer Ethne and her warrior partner Ruadh, life revolves around the sacred beauty and ancient mystery of the Old Ways. Surrounded by lush, green trees and frolicsome wildlife, the Forest School has been the heart of her Druidic education-and her beloved home. But to become a healer and priestess, she must leave behind all that she loves and journey to the Druid Isle . . .Handsome and spirited, Lucius is resolved to seek adventure outside of the Christian monastery where he was raised. Following a daring escape one night, Lucius arrives at a Pagan Gaulish village and discovers their gentle way of life. But a political firestorm is brewing, and Lucius is caught in the middle as the church and the Romans attempt to destroy everything the Druids hold dear. In his desperation to escape ruthless enemies and untold dangers, Lucius finds himself on the Druid Isle, where he will face the biggest decision of his life.Set on a third-century island off the coast of Scotland, this instructional Celtic tale delves deeply into the spiritual mysteries of the Druids, offering glimpses of Druidic daily life, herbal lore, and ancient rituals, along with a fascinating look at the Romans, Gauls, and Britons. Includes a Celtic/Druidic glossary.

Genres: Fiction, Fantasy, Paganism, Historical Fiction

201 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 18, 2021

About the author

Ellen Evert Hopman is a Master Herbalist and lay Homeopath who holds an
M.Ed. in Mental Health Counseling. She is a certified writing instructor
through Amherst Writers and Artists. She is Archdruid of Tribe of the Oak www.tribeoftheoak.com, a Druidic teaching Order, and was a former Co-chief
of the Whiteoak Druid Order (Ord na Darach Gile) and Vice President of
The Henge Of Keltria, an international Druid Fellowship, for nine years. She
is the founder of the Whiteoak internet mailing list, an on-line Druid ethics study
group, and a co-founder of The Order of the Whiteoak (Ord Na Darach Gile)
www.whiteoakdruids.org. She is also a co-founder of the North East Druid
Coalition

She is the author of a trilogy of Iron Age Druid novels; Priestess of the Forest: A Druid Journey, The Druid Isle and Priestess of the Fire Temple - a Druid's Tale.

Her books on trees include a revised and expanded new edition of Tree Medicine Tree Magic (Pendraig Publishing) and
A Druids Herbal of Sacred Tree Medicine (Destiny books/Inner Traditions Bear
and Company)

Her other books include;
Secret Medicines from your Garden (Healing Arts Press), Secret Medicines of your Kitchen (mPower Publishing), The Sacred Herbs of Samhain (Destiny Books) The Sacred Herbs of Beltaine (Destiny Books), Scottish Herbs and Fairy Lore (Pendraig Publishing), A Legacy of Druids (Moon Books),
A Druid's Herbal For the Sacred Earth Year ( Inner Traditions/Destiny Books ),
Being a Pagan (with Lawrence Bond)(Inner Traditions/Destiny Books), Walking
The World In Wonder - A Children's Herbal (Healing Arts Press), she is a
co-author of Grimoire For The Apprentice Wizard (Newpage Books).

She has released the
video/DVDs Gifts From the Healing Earth and Pagans -the Wheel of the Year ( From
Sawmill River Productions, http://www.sawmillriver.com/ )

She has released three audio tapes The Druid Path: Herbs And Festivals,
Celtic Gods and Goddesses, and The Herbal And Magical Powers Of Trees (from
Creative Seminars, POB 203, West Hurley, New York 12491).

She has been a teacher of Herbalism since 1983 and of Druidism since 1990 . Find her books, workshops and blog at www.elleneverthopman.com

Reviews

[Utmost Cookie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The overarching story was okay. Aife passively waiting to be saved from a ridiculous abusive relationship after having become such an enlightened Druid was frustrating. The Druids practicing yoga and talking about chakras was bonkers and only made worse by the p.s. note of the author. Also this cover is terrible. I was actually embarrassed to read the book in public.

[Sally Handley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Captivating story. Fantastic introduction to the beliefs of the Druids.

[Quietone317 · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was good until the character got to Druid isle, after that story got unbelieveable.Sorry I don't think Druids charkas system.

[Janessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this entire series, it has Druid and herbal lore mixed in with a fantastic story.

[Jo Fryer · Rating 5 out of 5]

My only criticism is that I wanted more! I wish it was longer.

[Vanessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second in the trilogy of Bardic teaching tales. Easy to read, interesting plot, but the characters weren't as fleshed out as the first one. However, I did enjoy the juxtaposition of chakra system/Kundalini power/crystal magick with ancient Druid lore. Now I'm dreaming of the Scottish Isles and the Hebrides. Oh, and I plan to read the next one.

[Nora · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book. Lots of great celtic traditions and words, with an enjoyable story about two young people becoming Drui. The only reason it is 4 stars is that the ending seemed so rushed.

[Tommy /|\ · Rating 3 out of 5]

The sequel to Hopman's excellent book "Priestess of the Forest". Druid Isle picks up at what seems to be approximately fifteen to sixteen years after the end of "Priestess of the Forest". Honestly, it wasn't quite the novel I was expecting. This one is full of superb teaching moments concerning religious differences between Paganism and early Christianity, as well as detailing and dove-tailing the similarities. I was expecting something a little closer to an adventure type of story, so my initial expectations came up a little short. Placed in a proper frame of reference, I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a tale of teachable moments within the context of two individuals from opposite ends of the religious spectrum.

Character-wise, Hopman displays a flourish in putting the doubts and fears of an individual taking a step on a wider, far-reaching journey within their life. The internal reflections of both main characters is refreshing and well spun. However, the storyline seemed a little disjointed and jumpy in places. This may be attributable to the extremely short chapters that comprise the story. Some chapters were less then three pages in length. The ending of the novel was another of those "tie it up nice and neat" endings that I deplore. Everything fell neatly into place in the last five pages of the story -- which just doesn't allow the characters to breathe in the bitter side of Life alongside the fresh air of Triumph over Tragedy.

In the final analysis of the book - I found it to be a wonderful book with a strong underlying purpose that it brought out in lovely detail. Despite some of the shortfalls in the writing style, I would very much recommend this book to anyone who asked about - with one tiny caveat: read "Priestess of the Forest" prior to reading "Druid Isle". The storyline in "Priestess of the Forest" runs as an undercurrent to some important character lines and story aspects within "Druid Isle" that will be much more concise to the reader if the two are read in that order.

[Star · Rating 4 out of 5]

Druids are mysterious to outsiders, feared and demeaned by the Church, and therefore their way of life was sought to be destroyed. "The Druid Isle" is a novel following Aife and Lucius, two individuals who find themselves on the Druid Isle, in the third century AD. This book, the sequel to Priestess of the Forest, follows the lives of the druid healer Ethne and her partner, Ruadh, as well introducing the new characters of Aife, their foster-daughter who is studying to be a druid, and Lucius, a young monk with a mysterious past.

This is a fast-paced and mesmerizing story with strong character development. It’s also a good book if you want to know about the Druid way of life – in practice, not just in theory. It’s beautiful the way that they live their lives in harmony. I’m not saying that their way of life is perfect, but just because they believed, worshiped, and lived differently than others doesn’t give those others the right to torture and destroy them (sorry, this is definitely one of my ‘soapbox’ issues). This is a spellbinding story which is a treat to read and definitely a keeper!

Druid Series: Priestess of the Forest (1), The Druid Isle (2), Priestess of the Fire Temple (3)

[Mark Albright · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book.
It picks up where Priestess of the Forest leaves off with Ethne and Ruadh who moved out into the forest with the other Pagani folk to continue and prosper in the old ways. They adopt a young girl, Aife, who takes to the teachings of the old ways.
Simultaneously, the reader is introduced to Lucius, a young man who seeks adventure outside of the monastery where he was raised.
Aife travels to the Druid Isle to become a healer and a priestess. After a narrow escape, Lucius finds himself on the Druid Isle.
Like Priestess of the Forest, the Druid Isle uses this story line to immerse the reader into the world of Druids/Pagani. The chapters where Aife and Lucius have there lessons are amazing. So much so, I found myself having to stop reading and ponder what was said. I may re-read those chapters to further meditate on those lessons.

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book for the most part. If you are a person who is very interested in learning about Druid life and culture (or at least what is known and what is speculated) then this book is a good choice. Story-wise, it was good but not fantastic. I feel as though if the author had developed the plot and the characters more, it could have made an amazing story. It had the potential for a lot of depth, but she spent a lot of time focusing on explaining the rituals and Druid beliefs. This is a good thing, but it would have been better if there had been a little more depth to the story to go along with the history.

All in all, I found it an interesting read since I am very interested in the Druids myself.

[The Phantasm · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just as amazing as Priestess of the Forest. The daily lives, rites and rituals of the Druid are fascinating enough, yet Ms. Hopman combines these insights with a spellbinding story, making it impossible to put down. Yes, some parts are somewhat unbelievable, but that's the license of fiction. As for the amount of time taken to describe what is believed to be the Druid religion, Ms. Hopman's books are meant to be akin to Bardic teaching tales; using an interesting story to bring life to lessons in order to be better absorbed by the student. If you'd rather skip the lessons and get to the 'good stuff', The Mists of Avalon would be a better choice.

[Justin Fisher · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book very much - the characters are appealing, and the overall tone of the book is very Druidic. By that I mean it has a very Pagan feel to it, and alludes to much Druidic teaching. Very few books provide that sense of profound respect for the ways of our ancestors; this one neither exploits nor sensationalizes the history and knowledge of the Druids.

My main regret is that it was too short. I wanted to linger with these fascinating people and learn more. Perhaps the author will write a sequel?

[Angela R. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Having loved The Mists of Avalon and all of Marion Zimmer Bradley's subsequent books, I thought that this would be right up my alley. Unfortunately I was disappointed. I did love the bits of druidic lore sprinkled throughout the book, but on the whole I did not particularly like the characters or believe in the reality of the storyline. Worth a read, but nothing too special. But maybe you'll like it better than me, who knows? It just wasn't my thing.

[Sue Davies · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this book, loved the warm words they way they wrap around the storyline, and the knowledge shared. Wonderful second book in the set. The story line takes you into her world, and I for one would love to relive that time again in that century, with the Druid's from that period.