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    Priestess of Avalon
    Priestess of Avalon
    Priestess of Avalon
    Audiobook14 hours

    Priestess of Avalon

    Written by Marion Zimmer Bradley and Diana L. Paxson

    Narrated by Rosalyn Landor

    3.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    When a British princess falls in love with a Roman officer destined for imperial greatness, their forbidden desire exacts an unexpected price: banishment from Avalon. Journeying outside the enchanted isle, Helena grows from maiden to mother to wisewoman, experiencing both joy-with the birth of her child-and loss, when politics forces her lover to choose between the Empire and her.

    Then Helena's son, Constantine, becomes Emperor, and her position as Empress-Mother propels her to prominence at a crucial turning point in Western history. Seeking a way to bridge the pagan world of the Goddess and the new Christian Empire, Helena embarks on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land to find the truth that transcends both the old religion and the new.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateDec 24, 2010
    ISBN9781400187799
    Priestess of Avalon
    Author

    Marion Zimmer Bradley

    Marion Zimmer Bradley is the creator of the popular Darkover universe, as well as the critically acclaimed author of the bestselling ‘The Mists of Avalon’ and its sequel, ‘The Forest House’. She lives in Berkeley, California.

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    Reviews for Priestess of Avalon

    3.5/5

    433 ratings8 reviews

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    • 3/5
      Marion Zimmer Bradley's Priestess of Avalon tells of the life of Helena, the Roman emperor Constantine's mother. A his-fic, you might think, however little is actually known about Helena's life, and this is where Avalon comes in - at the time of this story, Avalon has existed uninterrupted for thousands of years as an isle which bridges the mundane world and the world of faerie. This is where Helena's story begins as the 10-year-old daughter of a noble Roman, yet also the daughter of Rian, high priestess of Avalon. The theme, however, is not a star-crossed relationship between an Avalonian and a Roman (see Bradley's earlier Avalon story, The Forest House), but the tale of a woman who spends much of her life alone.Helena tells her own story, which begins in Avalon with a prophecy that will change her days as a trained priestess of Avalon, into a life filled with the political intrigues of Rome, circa 250-329 AD which happens to be the time when Christianity is first adopted as the preferred religion of the Roman empire. I couldn't have been more interested in this particular time period, when the Roman empire is fragmented by various barbarian invasions, the corruption of its own leaders and the introduction of a brand new theology from the middle-east. In fact, I wish there had been more drama in the book, that was more involved with this theme of political and religious change throughout Europe, but I guess I'll just have to go read more history for that. The story of Helena's life as a pagan priestess, who, cast out of her home, becomes a sympathizer of the new religion, is a sad one. This woman begins as a rather bold, precocious child just learning the ropes as novice of a life-affirming, female-based faith. But once she is cruelly dismissed by her high priestess for choosing to fulfill her destiny, she must surrender her independence, her nerve and boldness, as well as prejudice against Christianity:"In the realm of idea, the great principles behind the forms that we see are the same," says Helena's first tutor Corinthius. Helena doesn't believe at first that all the world's gods are just facets of one single deity, but this skepticism dissipates with the rest of her resolve as the story continues, until finally she surrenders to the future ahead: "There is power here, I thought, as the drama of the Mass came to a conclusion. It may not be the only truth in the world, but in some way, this story they are telling is true." I couldn't help but feel sorry for Helena. Most of the female characters of Bradley's books seem to watch life happen to them, and she is no exception. Women are ruled, in the Avalon novels, not by men, but by women (and the Goddess). This ironic sort of feminism usually makes for some great reading - prophecies and the fulfillment thereof, the will of the gods, the fight for or against destiny. But something was missing in this book that was present in The Mists of Avalon, and I think that is an interesting, fiery female protagonist. I did not find myself any more attached to Helena by the end of Priestess of Avalon, than I was at page 142 when she began her Roman life. She does not fight for what she believes in, and I'm convinced that after she left Avalon she just didn't care anymore. In light of this, I think the novel may have been better from a different, more emotional perspective, or from the third-person to get a better glimpse of events and daily life during this time period. A decent book, but sadly twice-read (once to review it) was more than enough for me.emilysanecdotes.blogspot.com
    • 3/5
      This book had me on a bit of a seesaw. On some occasions, I couldn't wait to find out what happened and couldn't put it down. At others, the language really put me off and I was bored with it. I enjoyed reading the context it was in, because I haven't read a lot based in that era, but sometimes the story got lost in the language. 2.5 stars.
    • 3/5
       Quite enjoyable but not to be compared with 'Mists' or 'Atlantis'
    • 4/5
      While no where near the epic tale that was "Mists of Avalon," this book is still a wonderful tale of a woman who gives all for her destiny and later finds that she changed the world, for the worse, through her destined son Constantine. Bradley has a way of making history seem tangible and characters seem very sympathetic and understandable. She is one of the master's of her craft, I think few would dispute that. An enjoyable read.
    • 4/5
      This is the final book in the Avalon series. In it a young princess goes to Avalon to train as a priestess. However, she falls in love with a Roman officer and that forbidden love causes her to be cast from Avalon. When I went to the library, it was to seek out the Mists of Avalon which I haven't read, but came away with this one when the other wasn't available. While this was a fine stand alone book, I would have preferred to have it center around Avalon. Instead, it is about the Roman Imperial families, warfare and traisping across Europe and beyond. There was a lot of Army A conquered Army B who conquered Army C and who was deposed along the way--all following the prophecies of a vision Helena had back on Avalon.
    • 5/5
      I had a very hard time getting into this book, but once I did I really enjoyed it. Contrary to many of the tags on Library thing, this book is much less about Arthurian Fantasy as it is about the Roman Empire just before it's conversion to Christianity. If you read it for what it is, a historical fiction of the romans instead of an Arthurian story, you will enjoy it.Many parts of the novel could have been further expanded as well. But overall I enjoyed it in the end.
    • 4/5
      Started off terrible, ended great. Not enough detail, somethings just flew by when they could/should have been expanded on. Romance was good but too short. Good characters.
    • 2/5
      Another Mists of Avalon prequel that cannot be considered in the same class as Mists.