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The Endless Knot (The Song of Albion #3)
Picture a world intricately entwined with our own yet separate, pulsing with the raw energy and vivid color of Celtic myth come to life. Picture Albion. And enter Lewis Gillies, an Oxford student whose search for a missing friend leads him through a door to another reality -- and unimagined discoveries about life, good and evil, and his own identity and destiny. Having asc...more
Hardcover, 416 pages
Published
May 28th 1993
by Lion Publishing Corporation
(first published 1991)
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I honestly did not read all of this book.I read some of the beginning and skipped ahead to see how it ended. First of all, it was boring and unnecessary. This series only needed the first book. Secondly, it was a little too PG-13 for my liking. There were some very suggestive moments, and one scene went a little beyond that. Also it was kind of um, different. ***Spoiler!!!!* For instance the story is written through the main character's point of view. When he is killed, the story still continues...more
My review from http://grahamchops.blogspot.com/2009/...
(Whole trilogy reviewed)
This one is over a year in the making. I first read The Paradise War last summer on audio when my mom got me the book for my birthday. I'd read Lawhead's Hood and Scarlet and totally loved them, so I wanted to get into his backlist. The cool thing about this trilogy is that, unlike his other books (which are all period pieces about King Arthur, Robin Hood, Saint Patrick, etc), this trilogy is contemporary and perhaps...more
(Whole trilogy reviewed)
This one is over a year in the making. I first read The Paradise War last summer on audio when my mom got me the book for my birthday. I'd read Lawhead's Hood and Scarlet and totally loved them, so I wanted to get into his backlist. The cool thing about this trilogy is that, unlike his other books (which are all period pieces about King Arthur, Robin Hood, Saint Patrick, etc), this trilogy is contemporary and perhaps...more
Beginning with the continuation of the story of Llew Silver Hand, The Endless Knot tells of the golden age when all of Albion is united under the Aird Righ (High King). Llew is established among the people, and even takes a bride. The book shows how he helps to build up his city and his people, until little things start showing up, saying that not is all right with the land. When his most beloved treasure is stolen, he goes on a journey that shows destruction and despair like never seen before,...more
This book was an odd ending to the trilogy. There were things I really liked and things I didn’t. Honestly, overall, I still don’t exactly know how I feel about this particular novel. I liked the second volume in the series the most and I do think this book the weakest in the series. Doesn’t mean I disliked _The Endless Knot_, but…well, let’s look at the particulars.
Strong points first. Most of the book – a mild spoiler here I think – takes place not on Albion per se but another landmass, that o...more
Strong points first. Most of the book – a mild spoiler here I think – takes place not on Albion per se but another landmass, that o...more
It's delightful to return to books you read years ago and be surprised by them all over again, having totally forgotten the plot twists in the meantime.
In the conclusion of the Song of Albion trilogy, we return to Llew as narrator--again, it's a little confusing, because it takes a page or so to figure out we've left Tegid behind. And Llew is now most definitely Llew; Lewis has been totally overtaken by this strong kingly figure.
It's rare that the second book of a trilogy is my favorite, but I j...more
In the conclusion of the Song of Albion trilogy, we return to Llew as narrator--again, it's a little confusing, because it takes a page or so to figure out we've left Tegid behind. And Llew is now most definitely Llew; Lewis has been totally overtaken by this strong kingly figure.
It's rare that the second book of a trilogy is my favorite, but I j...more
May 18, 2010
Douglas Hayes
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
fiction-fantasy-science-fiction
I have just re-read (for the umteenth time) The Song of Albion Trilogy - and loved it as much as I did the first time.
Lawhead is an outstanding writer that knows how to bring historical fiction to life. He writes as a Christian, without destroying the storyline with awkward Christian-esque metaphors, allegories and evangelical slogans.
In this series one cannot help but think of the main character as a Christ figure, and yet it is set in an alternate ancient pagan Celtic religious context. At va...more
Lawhead is an outstanding writer that knows how to bring historical fiction to life. He writes as a Christian, without destroying the storyline with awkward Christian-esque metaphors, allegories and evangelical slogans.
In this series one cannot help but think of the main character as a Christ figure, and yet it is set in an alternate ancient pagan Celtic religious context. At va...more
Lawhead mixed Celtic lore with some very traditional epic qualities. At a couple of points I actually imagined them as looking a bit more Grecian than they really should. Here Llew continues filling his role as epic hero and makes his journey through the underworld, his mythological weapon (the titular silver hand of the prior novel) is given more explanation and usefulness, and he shows much more growth and understanding of his role. The series as a whole is culminated effectively with the clos...more
I think I would give this 2.5 stars, if there were half stars. Mostly because it took me forever to get through this book. I just wasn't compelled to read it.
At first I thought it was just fatigue. By the time I got to the third book, all the things I didn't love about Stephen R. Lawhead's writing were piling up. Like being frustrated with ignorant characters who should see and react to certain things because you're learning of them through the characters point of view. But then I realized that...more
At first I thought it was just fatigue. By the time I got to the third book, all the things I didn't love about Stephen R. Lawhead's writing were piling up. Like being frustrated with ignorant characters who should see and react to certain things because you're learning of them through the characters point of view. But then I realized that...more
En este último libro de la trilogía, volvemos a encontrarnos con que la historia es de nuevo contada por Lewis ahora llamado Llew Mano de Plata. Llew es ahora el soberano rey (Aird Righ) de Albión, y parece que la vida le sonríe. Pero de nuevo nubes de tormenta aparecen en el horizonte, demostrando que Llew todavía no ha acabado de cumplir lo que el destino demanda de él.
Este libro es principalmente un libro de búsqueda, de viajes, y está lleno también de grandes hazañas.
El autor termina el lib...more
Este libro es principalmente un libro de búsqueda, de viajes, y está lleno también de grandes hazañas.
El autor termina el lib...more
Llew has once again taken his place as the PoV character, and finally things seem peaceful in Albion. In fact, things seem peaceful for quite nearly half of the book. There's a lot of buildup, but you can't help but wonder for the first two hundred pages if it's actually going to be as dreadful as it pretends it's going to be. I won't exactly support or disprove of where it goes with it's buildup, because it really is a matter of opinion.
Overall, I felt a little betrayed by this book. While bein...more
Overall, I felt a little betrayed by this book. While bein...more
If I could cut this book in half and rate each one differently, I could. The first half = 1 star. Besides the fact next to nothing happened - a whole chapter on how he decides to build a mill, Really? Really? Because everyone just wants to read about that - and with Llews marriage it got a bit too sexual for me.
The second half was much much better. I would give it 4 stars. Monsters, quests, action.
The ending was a bit of a suprise (view spoiler)...more
The second half was much much better. I would give it 4 stars. Monsters, quests, action.
The ending was a bit of a suprise (view spoiler)...more
I loved the beginning until I was a quarter way through and then it turned disturbing. I now know what a glimpse of hell might be and for any Christian based person,it will humble you to submission as at first glance of the horrid details reading about the ordeal endured by the characters, I was questioning the writers Christianity and questioned why the Christian book store would be selling such a disturbing series with so much evil. As you get to the end, you start to realize what it means, an...more
It's been many years since I read this book. I think that perhaps it is more years than I originally thought....I remembered very little from my first reading (I was only a teen at the time).
It continues on from when Llew Silver Hand has become Aird Righ (High King) of Albion and lives at Dinas Dwr in Caledon. Obviously, things don't go quite according to plan and the long sought after peace is not in evidence although fleetingly it makes an appearance.
Llew, Cynan, Tegid and other main characte...more
It continues on from when Llew Silver Hand has become Aird Righ (High King) of Albion and lives at Dinas Dwr in Caledon. Obviously, things don't go quite according to plan and the long sought after peace is not in evidence although fleetingly it makes an appearance.
Llew, Cynan, Tegid and other main characte...more
This is book #3 of the Song of Albion series. There is treachery afoot in the Llew's glorious kingdom. His and his best friend's (Cynan) wife have been abducted. They spend the book trying to find the hostages on the barren island of Tir Aflan where nothing lives and to where evildoers have been cast off. Bothersome to me is how Llew repeatedly and headstrongly insists upon impetuously dashing off to do whatever emotion pulls him to do even though he knows better. And not only does he jump, but...more
Aug 28, 2011
Branwen
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
fantasy-science-fiction
I won't lie, when I got to the end of this book I cried. Not only because it was such a touching and emotional ending, but also because I knew it was the end of my stay in Albion. This series...it's simply amazing. I know I've said this before, but the characters in this series are so incredibly full of honor and virtue, it makes you wish you knew them in real life. And Albion itself is such a beautiful land of wonder and beauty that you can't help but wish you could live there forever. There is...more
Aug 16, 2012
Jonathon Shannon
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
everyone
Recommended to Jonathon by:
family
I liked seeing Lewis develop a love that would shape him. I feel like he developed more in this book than any of the others. I also loved their little community that they built in their own private place. I was very involved in it. At the end it broke my heart that he was forced apart from the woman that he loved, but it made it so more poignant. I especially liked how it came back around full circle to the first book. It really got the mind spinning but in a wonderful way.
Though I missed out on the Second book in the Song of Albion Trilogy, it wasn't difficult for me to get sucked back into this beautiful tapestry of Celtic mythology and metaphysical contemplations. The plot, though somewhat simplistic in this particular book, has to be acknowledged as part of a much greater story. The development of the protagonist and the struggles that he bears as a wanderer in both worlds, the bridge that gaps the dimensions, is introduced in book 1 and very well finalized in...more
I first started reading Stephen Lawhead because of some books published by The Chrystostom Society, a group of Christian authors. I stumbled upon this society because of my love for Madeleine L'Engle.
I found the first two books of this trilogy compelling and exciting, but was dissapointed in this final volume until the end. Even though the "Quest" part of the story seemed unending and was hard to get through, the ending made it all worthwhile!
The quote at the beginning explains it all:
"Since all...more
I found the first two books of this trilogy compelling and exciting, but was dissapointed in this final volume until the end. Even though the "Quest" part of the story seemed unending and was hard to get through, the ending made it all worthwhile!
The quote at the beginning explains it all:
"Since all...more
I really enjoyed this series. The first book was a good introduction to the main plot. The second was an exciting adventure of building the kingdom and reclaiming the land. This third and final book of the series dragged on a bit with the wretched situation, and had some pretty depressing parts, but the end was amazing. Perhaps, it ended a bit suddenly, but the themes of sacrificial love and redemption were beautifully portrayed. I will definitely recommend it!
Otherwise known as "Everything Is Terrible." God, this is a dull, depressing end to an otherwise entertaining series. People are happy for approximately five minutes, then shit catches fire. After that, it's one long slog through boring, gray territory being menaced by various monsters and never quite catching up to the enemy. When they finally do, everyone dies.
Well, not exactly, but close enough. It solves the central problem of how to get Lewis out of the place he doesn't belong, and the sect...more
Well, not exactly, but close enough. It solves the central problem of how to get Lewis out of the place he doesn't belong, and the sect...more
I was so angry at the ending of this book - although it really was the way it should have been. It's been about two years since i've read this trilogy, and I was so impacted by them that I hadn't wanted to read them again until now. I'm just starting to THINK about wanting to read them again. I wanted to live in Albion.
This is the third installment of the series, and I had hoped for a better book. The first book in the series was fantastic, but as the series progressed, it seemed that it was languishing and lacked a balance of positive content. This book dragged on and on - boring, not enough movement or action - and I felt that he was saying the same thing throughout. Great potential, but failed to keep me interested to the end, although I read it for the sake of the series.
The only reason I gave this one three instead of four was that the end became very preachy. Lawhead tried too hard to draw Jesus parallels and instead of trusting his readers to draw their own conclusions, he spelled it out like a Baptist preacher. This would have otherwise been an excellent trilogy.
Interesting ending to the trilogy. I felt it "wrapped up" the characters and storyline without violating the ban on outsiders staying in Albion/the Otherworld. Lawhead also used modern characters standing in for ancient ones in the last book of the Pendragon Cycle, to similar effect.
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Not an author I know very well. this book looked interesting and I thought I would read it. I was pleasantly suprised with it. It was slow paced sometimes but overall pretty good. If you are thinking about getting, but not sure, then give it a go.
Deu magia à minha infância! A trilogia é viciante e embebeda qualquer espírito. Este é, para mim, o mais fraco dos três.
Gave magic to my childhood! The trilogy is addictive and drunks any spirit. This one is, for me, the poorest.
Gave magic to my childhood! The trilogy is addictive and drunks any spirit. This one is, for me, the poorest.
What an ending!! Some of it was unexpected but a lot of the plot direction was obvious to me. However just because I knew the direction didn't mean I knew the route. I enjoyed this book just as much if not more than the first two. I LOVE this author and am starting an older series right now!! CAN'T WAIT!!
I love Stephen Lawhead and I think this is the best book of his I've read. This whole series was awesome. Good versus evil, ordinary people doing great things, a good love story . . what's not to love?
This was the last of this series and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It kept me interested to the end. It was an interesting ending and actually was a touch religious. I won't reveal any more .
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Stephen R. Lawhead is an internationally acclaimed author of mythic history and imaginative fiction. His works include Byzantium, Patrick, and the series The Pendragon Cycle, The Celtic Crusades, and The Song of Albion.
Also see his fanpage at Myspace:
http://www.myspace.com/stephenlawhead...
Stephen was born in 1950, in Nebraska in the USA. Most of his early life was spent in America where he earned...more
More about Stephen R. Lawhead...
Also see his fanpage at Myspace:
http://www.myspace.com/stephenlawhead...
Stephen was born in 1950, in Nebraska in the USA. Most of his early life was spent in America where he earned...more
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“Earth and sky, rock and wind, bear witness!
By the power of the Swift Sure Hand, I claim this ground and sain it with a name: Bwgan Bwlch!
Power of fire I have over it,
Power of wind I have over it,
Power of thunder I have over it,
Power of wrath I have over it,
Power of heavens I have over it,
Power of earth I have over it,
Power of worlds I have over it!
As tramples the swan upon the lake,
As tramples the horse upon the plain,
As tramples the ox upon the meadow,
As tramples the boar upon the track,
As tramples the forest host of heart and hind,
As tramples all quick things upon the earth,
I do trample and subdue it,
And drive all evil from it!
In the name of the Secret One,
In the name of the Living One,
In the name of the All-Encircling One,
In the name of the One True Word, it is Bwgan Bwlch,
Let it so remain as long as men survive
To breath the name.”
—
5 people liked it
By the power of the Swift Sure Hand, I claim this ground and sain it with a name: Bwgan Bwlch!
Power of fire I have over it,
Power of wind I have over it,
Power of thunder I have over it,
Power of wrath I have over it,
Power of heavens I have over it,
Power of earth I have over it,
Power of worlds I have over it!
As tramples the swan upon the lake,
As tramples the horse upon the plain,
As tramples the ox upon the meadow,
As tramples the boar upon the track,
As tramples the forest host of heart and hind,
As tramples all quick things upon the earth,
I do trample and subdue it,
And drive all evil from it!
In the name of the Secret One,
In the name of the Living One,
In the name of the All-Encircling One,
In the name of the One True Word, it is Bwgan Bwlch,
Let it so remain as long as men survive
To breath the name.”
“It is right to pay heed to the stories of our people, for that is how we learn who we are and what is required of us in this life and the life beyond.”
—
3 people liked it
More quotes…
Jun 03, 2010 05:12pm