Helpful Score: 1
I really wanted to like this book. In the end, I could respect the underlying idea, but the story-telling execution was sloppy. There are no dates used in this book, so that made the timeline very murky. The back of the book sets the beginning of this book at 1000 AD, England. So, if I use that as a starting point, I still have lots of issues. Terms like ESP (yes, an actual acronym, set in 1000 AD), astral projection, force field, standard earth reality, & comprehensive global memory were used throughout this book.
Lisa Lody used real places that still exist int he UK today, like Glastonbury (which is tentatively linked to ancient Avalon) and Snowdonia. I really liked this aspect a lot, because I look this stuff up. However, she has a group of ladies traveling between these 2 points on horseback in 3 days (no, they werent hurrying). By todays roads, that trip is 192 miles. A good horse can usually do 20-30 miles per day walking.
Animals, especially cats, features heavily in this book, another bonus. There were also beavers, a fox, and various birds. However, some of these animals strayed outside of their known ancestral habitat for this book such as the Great Blue Heron (uncommon in Europe) and the Blue Jay (native to North America). There was also the use of red coral and an Indian tapestry is a ceremony that was set in 1000 AD (best guess since dates arent used). There just wasnt a whole lot of trade world wide at that time.
While I liked the inclusiveness of various religions, I found the tale a bit one sided; the focus was on the lost knowledge of Avalon and not a sharing between it and the existing religion of the land. Most of the characters are one dimensional and the plot was weak, making it difficult for me to suspend my disbelieve and enjoy this tale. Additionally, the ending was not satisfying (but I wont spoil it here).
Lisa Lody used real places that still exist int he UK today, like Glastonbury (which is tentatively linked to ancient Avalon) and Snowdonia. I really liked this aspect a lot, because I look this stuff up. However, she has a group of ladies traveling between these 2 points on horseback in 3 days (no, they werent hurrying). By todays roads, that trip is 192 miles. A good horse can usually do 20-30 miles per day walking.
Animals, especially cats, features heavily in this book, another bonus. There were also beavers, a fox, and various birds. However, some of these animals strayed outside of their known ancestral habitat for this book such as the Great Blue Heron (uncommon in Europe) and the Blue Jay (native to North America). There was also the use of red coral and an Indian tapestry is a ceremony that was set in 1000 AD (best guess since dates arent used). There just wasnt a whole lot of trade world wide at that time.
While I liked the inclusiveness of various religions, I found the tale a bit one sided; the focus was on the lost knowledge of Avalon and not a sharing between it and the existing religion of the land. Most of the characters are one dimensional and the plot was weak, making it difficult for me to suspend my disbelieve and enjoy this tale. Additionally, the ending was not satisfying (but I wont spoil it here).
