The Last Pendragon

The Last Pendragon Saga #1 - original verison

by Sarah Woodbury

Set in 7th century Wales, the Last Pendragon is the story of Cadwaladr ap Cadwallon (Cade), heir to the throne of Arthur and of Rhiannon, the bastard daughter of the man who usurped Cade's father's throne. Born to rule, yet without a kingdom, Cade must learn to be both Christian king and pagan hero, and Rhiannon must decide how much she is willing to risk to follow her heart.

Genres: Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Arthurian, Historical, Historical Fantasy, Romance, Fiction

Nook

First published September 26, 2010

About the author

With over a million books sold to date, Sarah Woodbury is the author of more than forty novels, all set in medieval Wales. Although an anthropologist by training, and then a full-time homeschooling mom for twenty years, she began writing fiction when the stories in her head overflowed and demanded that she let them out. While her ancestry is Welsh, she only visited Wales for the first time at university. She has been in love with the country, language, and people ever since. She even convinced her husband to give all four of their children Welsh names.

Sarah is a member of the Historical Authors Fiction Cooperative (HFAC), the Historical Novel Society, and Novelists, Inc. (NINC).


She makes her home in Oregon.

Reviews

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sarah Woodbury weaves a tale of Myth and Magic in "The Last Pendragon: A Story of Dark Age Wales." The author brings together the Arthurian and Welsh myths, while adding her own style to this story. As a lover of historical fiction and fantasy genres, I quickly found myself immersed into the story that contains a bit of both. We see Cade the last of the Pendragon line trying to take hold of his destiny as King. The theme is non traditional and sets it self apart from most Arthurian legends and stories.


The plot is well written and moves at a pleasant pace, while bringing together a core group of characters. With the threat of the sidhe, demons, hell hounds and the Welsh Gods who try and control the outcome at every turn, the characters are tested. I found myself getting caught up in the feelings of brotherhood, loyalty, friendship and the longing of love, all while facing the knowledge that they might not make it in the end. I could not put this book down and read every chance I had, even losing sleep to finish the story.


The amount of historical research that went into this book was evident throughout the story. The author's knowledge of life during dark age Wales and the history of Wales gave believability to this story. I found myself once again on the Isle of Anglesey, seeing it from a different perspective all while reliving my own journey through the rugged country side of Wales.


All in all this was a great story to read. I felt my love for the Arthurian era come alive again. I would recommend this book for anyone who would like to venture out of the norm when it comes to the tales of King Arthur and his descendants. I for one am looking forward to reading the next two books in the series. This book is worthy of 4.5 Stars!

Reviewed for DarkissReads www.darkissreads.com

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Last Pendragon is about King Arthur's successor. It has a touch of magic to it, but is fully grounded in the real world in an almost magical realist way. What I liked best about it was the fully-realized heroine, who can fight with the best of the men, but still retains her femininity. She falls for Cade, the rightful heir to the throne, but because of his title and the fact that he has been touched by a goddess who made him into a demon (this is known in the first third of the book, so I don't feel like it's a spoiler) their romance is star-crossed and seemingly doomed from the start. I look forward to seeing how they work it out in the upcoming books.

I think the author is dealing with real names of people and places in ancient Wales. Which is fine, but everything seems to begin with the letter "c" and is followed by an alphabet soup of consonants. ***If you pay careful attention to the pronunciation guide at the beginning of the book, you'll be able to enjoy this wonderful book very easily!***

[Melinda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book. I downloaded it to read on the airplane, and I wasn't disappointed. It reminded me a little of Robin McKinley's book The Blue Sword, though not quite as well written. Fun read. It is categorized as historical fiction, but I think that might be stretching it a bit. Is there such thing as historical fantasy?

[Selaya Morton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not bad at all but I think I'm going to reserve an honest opinion until after I've read #2 & #3. It seems that this "saga" is a series of short novellas - 8 in all - portions of which add up to novels in their own right. It would seem that there are volumes of said installments available so perhaps that is how they should be approached. Watch for updates.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the book! Ready to read more by this author! I love her addition to an old legend and mythology. Made for an extremely entertaining read!

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A gem of a free e-book. The author really did her homework on this one. The discriptions and "feel" of the north Wales locations are right on. The blending of many of the old tales and beliefs into the background did not at all detract from the story as it all too easily could have done.

[Zoe]

I read only 4 chapters of this book so I don't feel that I have the right to rate this book. I just don't want to continue reading it. Characters don't interest me much.

Interesting historical background though. I liked the Welsh element.

[Charles Sheehan-Miles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book. Mix of fantasy and historical fiction with a dash of romance. All around great read!

[Dinnl · Rating 3 out of 5]

well written as I expected from the writer of the outposts in time series. I dont intend to read the rest of the series because of the supernatural element.

[Paul Devall · Rating 4 out of 5]

I do like fantasy. And I did enjoy this book as a good train read whilst commuting to work, but I am undecided whether to download the next book.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Third book in Medieval Romantic Redemptions
A hidden child grows to be a formidable yet compassionate leader. As much as he strives for peace, the Gods use him in their battle changing him to a sidhe, immortal with phenomenal strength & other skills. He set out a quest, loyal companions with a variety of skills, gather to him to fight and devise strategies.

It's not so much a romance as a paranormal tinged journey to restore balance between the underworld & humans, clash of old & new religion, with a medieval flare with the hope of a united Wales.

[Bluejay44 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have enjoyed reading all your books but the Pendragon series are my favourites. They combine places that I visited and loved during my years in Wales and the period that I read much about during my years of studying Welsh.
Was fortunate to have several tutors that really loved their national history and its characters and took us to visit key places while reading each book. So I could revisit them in my mind’s eye while reading the Pendragon series.

[Flo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book although the magical side of it was rather cliche the story line was good up untill the end, the I felt it was rushed.

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A story about Arthur's grandson and the challenges that he faces in northern Wales. Very interesting - wasn't sure how this first book would end and I like that! It was hard to put down too...

[Chali Grinnell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent

Good for a quick read. Names of people and places are a bit challenging so slightly distracting but otherwise an easy and engaging story.

[Brenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great characters, I enjoy her writing style. Excited about the second book.

[Vonley7 · Rating 4 out of 5]

The whole series is very well done.