Product Description: Not since The Mists of Avalon has there been such a powerful and mesmerizing portrait of goddess-powered womanhood and women's spirituality. In Priestess of Avalon, the legendary Marion Zimmer Bradley once again reaches back in time to create a magnificent prequel to her undying classic of Camelot.
Priestess of Avalon tells the timeless story of Eilan-known to the Romans as Helena-a British princess raised on the holy isle of Avalon as she grows from maiden to mother to wise woman. It is Helena's destiny-at a crucial turning point in Western history-to bridge the pagan world of the goddess and the new Christian empire founded by her own son, Constantine. When Helena embarks on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land she will find the intrinsic truth that transcends both the old religion and the new.
The legions of fans who cherish The Mists of Avalon will find its promise brought to rich fulfillment in Priestess of Avalon. For those new to the series, undreamed-of enchantment awaits.
Missing: Mysteries, magic, Marion Zimmer Bradley Set mainly outside Britannia, Priestess of Avalon marks a departure from Bradley's Avalon series and the buildup to the Matter of Britain. Bradley and Paxson trace the acceptance and spread of Christianity to the goddess through the travels and actions of one of her Avalon priestesses--Flavia Helena Augusta.
For the first time that I remember, astrology plays a significant role in the series. When Helena is born, the Merlin consults the stars, but his words are strangely misinterpreted. ". . . the maid shall hide the moon she bears upon her brow" inexplicably leads the priestesses to murmur, "He prophesies greatness--she will be Lady of the Lake like her mother before her!" The Merlin's reading of the stars proves accurate in every detail, but Helena discovers that prophecies are problematic. Convinced that she is destined to bear the "Child of Prophecy," she remembers only years later what she as a priestess should have always known--that prophecy and its interpretation do not always take the expected path to the anticipated end.
After defying her hated aunt, the High Priestess Ganeda, so that she may bear the "Child of Prophecy," Helena drifts through life just as she and her lover Constantius drift through the Empire. She carefully describes her son's innate leadership talent and his developing personality, but she does little to shape or understand either. Even before he is taken from her, she is oddly passive toward the boy she is sure will change the world--he is born at the end of one chapter of her narrative and is 10 years old at the beginning of the next. When requested, she foretells the future for Constantius and his friends, and later she takes the place of the sybil at a shrine. She makes no effort, however, to see what lies ahead for her "Child of Prophecy." She says, "'All the gods are one God, and all the goddesses are one Goddess, and there is one Initiator' . . . Somehow I must get its meaning across to Constantine," but she refuses to reveal the mysteries to him. It should be no surprise that Constantine fails to follow an example never set for him, yet Helena finds him and his choices strange and disturbing.
In the acknowledgments, Paxson sets Helena up as a mythological figure associated with Christianity and relics such as the True Cross. In the novel, the Helena's life and opportunities are remarkable, but Helena herself is surprisingly ordinary. Helena tries to reconcile paganism and Christianity, but each new epiphany contradicts those that came before. While the spiritual ideas underlying Priestess of Avalon are intriguing, they are wasted in a rambling, undisciplined story that needs a firmer hand to keep it tight, free of unnecessary detail, and consistent.
Set in the expanse of the declining Roman Empire, Priestess of Avalon is interesting and compelling at times, but ultimately it's unsatisfying. More Paxson's work than Bradley's, the novel never connects the parts of its premise, including Helena's belief in Constantine and her emotional distance from him. It also fails to bridge the gap between the fall of paganism and the rise of Christianity.
Avalon is missing here, and so are the mysteries, the magic, and Marion Zimmer Bradley.
Not Free SF Reader Fails to capture any of what makes the first book more special. There is no Arthur, no Merlin, no Morgan, none of those characters at all really, but more of other priestesses that on reading, that I had no interest in. I guess it boils down to the less Arthuriana, the lower the rating, for this series.
A wonderful ending to a magical tale! Mists of Avalon ranks up there as one of my favourite books of all time, but I am glad that I took the time to read the other books about the mystical place called Avalon. I think that these books are so important that all women should read them. This particular book highlights the blending of the old ways with the new ways which at this time (from 250 - 350 AD)is the Christian religion. This book delves into the life of one remarkable woman who plays a key role in the making of history. She also bridges the old pagan ways with the new Christian empire. This woman is Helena, the mother of the Emperor Constantine. Helena starts out as a priestess on Avalon, but follows her heart and her lover which takes her out to the wide Roman empire, far from the insular safety of Avalon. She gives birth to a son who is destined to rule the world. But the most remarkable thing about this book is the way that Ms. Bradley, and in her absence, Diana Paxson deals with the aging process. We watch spellbound as Helena ages and the last third of the book occurs from when she is in her sixties until the end when she is in her eighties. I don't know if I've ever read a book that dealt so pasionately with aging and dying. It was a revelation to me. I laughed and cried with Helena as she goes through her life's journey. This is a marvelous and wondrous series about a magical and mystical place called Avalon.
Series being misread? I am rather dissapointed with the other reviews. It sounds to me like everyone else who has read the book/series is completely missing the societal overtones of the entire series, but most notably with Priestess of Avalon. Not a single person has mentioned what a wonderfull book this is in respect to teaching/reminding us of religious tolerance and womens rights. The entertwining stories of the series are entertaining but I think these most important points are being missed by the other readers and perhaps everyone should reread them with that in mind. Certainly a great series for teenagers as it is easy to read and many good lessons in life can be taught by reading them (so long as you have an open mind). All in all this is a good book but a bit dry compared to the others in the series.
Rich Story Priestess of Avalon is a rich story of color, flavor, and texture. The details given make it so I felt that I had seen and heard as the main character did. The story is told in first person--a change from the rest of the books in The Mists series--that I find effective, and somewhat more insightful. I could almost feel myself age with her, as she was a girl in the beginning, growing through her life, then as mother, and finally as crone.
The placement of this book is rather tricky in "The Mists of Avalon" series. I tried very much to figure out whether I should be reading this book before "Lady of Avalon", after, or before "The Forest House." I found that it actually falls in between the first and second sections of "Lady of Avalon." The whole series starts with "The Fall of Atlantis," then continued in "Ancestors of Avalon," a break of time then, but the following novel is "The Forest House" which is immediately followed by the first part of "Lady of Avalon." The story in "Priestess of Avalon" starts the story that is continued in the second part of "Lady of Avalon" which actually follows Dierna's story once she becomes a priestess. I hope that helps others figure out the order if they are trying for a chronology as I was.
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