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Guardians of the Tall Stones #2
The Temple of the Sun
1st Corgi 1979 edition paperback fine condition. In stock shipped from our UK warehouse
240 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1977
7 people are currently reading
60 people want to read
About the author
Moyra Caldecott
60 books29 followersStarted academic career by obtaining degrees in English Literature and Philosophy.
* Briefly lectured in English Literature at university level.
* Raised three children and had a most interesting and stimulating life as the wife of Oliver Caldecott in London from 1951 to 1989. (Oliver was an editor at Penguin, Readers Union, and Hutchinson and founded his own publishing firm Wildwood House with his partner Dieter Pevsner. His last editorial post was at Rider, for Century Hutchinson. He was also a very good artist.)
* Took evening classes in palaeontology (geology always a favourite subject), religious studies and mythology.
* Was secretary of the Dulwich Group in the ’sixties, a most successful poetry reading group. Read a lot. Wrote books. Met many interesting people and had many interesting discussions. Travelled a lot.
* Her life has also been enriched by the interests of her children: Religion – Conservation – Art.
* She has had various experiences she considers to be ‘paranormal’, including a dramatic healing from angina. She gives talks to various personal growth and consciousness raising groups, and groups interested in the ancient sacred sites of Britain.
* Her most successful book so far, Guardians Of The Tall Stones, is set in ancient Bronze Age Britain, and is required reading for some groups visiting the sacred sites of Britain from America. It has been in print continuously since 1977.
* Myths and legends are a particular passion and she follows Jung and Joseph Campbell in believing that they are not ‘just’ stories but actually deep and meaningful expressions of the universal and eternal in the human psyche.
* Briefly lectured in English Literature at university level.
* Raised three children and had a most interesting and stimulating life as the wife of Oliver Caldecott in London from 1951 to 1989. (Oliver was an editor at Penguin, Readers Union, and Hutchinson and founded his own publishing firm Wildwood House with his partner Dieter Pevsner. His last editorial post was at Rider, for Century Hutchinson. He was also a very good artist.)
* Took evening classes in palaeontology (geology always a favourite subject), religious studies and mythology.
* Was secretary of the Dulwich Group in the ’sixties, a most successful poetry reading group. Read a lot. Wrote books. Met many interesting people and had many interesting discussions. Travelled a lot.
* Her life has also been enriched by the interests of her children: Religion – Conservation – Art.
* She has had various experiences she considers to be ‘paranormal’, including a dramatic healing from angina. She gives talks to various personal growth and consciousness raising groups, and groups interested in the ancient sacred sites of Britain.
* Her most successful book so far, Guardians Of The Tall Stones, is set in ancient Bronze Age Britain, and is required reading for some groups visiting the sacred sites of Britain from America. It has been in print continuously since 1977.
* Myths and legends are a particular passion and she follows Jung and Joseph Campbell in believing that they are not ‘just’ stories but actually deep and meaningful expressions of the universal and eternal in the human psyche.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
January 29, 2009
Inspiration comes in many forms. For Moyra Caldecott, a trip to Scotland in 1975 was the spark for her trilogy, The Guardians of the Stones. The Temple of the Sun continues the story of Kyra, Karne and Fern. Where The Tall Stones was a mystery/ thriller with elements of magic, this one is more introspective.
This novel suffers from two main problems: pacing and an abundance of flowery language. The first novel was quickly paced to keep the tension building. Here though, the plot comes to a grinding halt, constantly stopping for Kyra to meditate or to learn a new lesson at college. There are also long passages of her vision quests which quickly cease to shock or even interest.
Besides the slow pacing, The Temple of the Sun hits on one of my pet peeves when it comes to Celtic fantasy: the Arthurian legend. Although Arthur isn't mentioned by name, there are enough trappings of the legend to bring it mind. There's a lady of the lake, an king in an unhappy marriage to his queen and the land suffering from it.
The next problem and another of my pet peeve: the return of the defeated antagonist. Wardyke is back for a guest appearance in the last third of the book. He isn't needed and he's just a last minute attempt to get the plot back in line with the first book. There's no reason for him to follow Kyra, Karne and Fern on their journey to the college. He was completely defeated and humiliated by them at the end of the last book. His return cheapens the ending of the last book.
The final nail in the coffin for my enjoyment of the book: predestination. I enjoy books with prophecy especially when the prophecy is a starting point with wiggle room for interpretation. The Tall Stones have a strong free will grown on the foundations of traditions theme. The Temple of the Sun tosses aside this thesis for one of predestination. There is less wiggle room for Kyra and it's frustrating to see her give into those teachings even when they threaten her life and those of her loved ones.
This novel suffers from two main problems: pacing and an abundance of flowery language. The first novel was quickly paced to keep the tension building. Here though, the plot comes to a grinding halt, constantly stopping for Kyra to meditate or to learn a new lesson at college. There are also long passages of her vision quests which quickly cease to shock or even interest.
Besides the slow pacing, The Temple of the Sun hits on one of my pet peeves when it comes to Celtic fantasy: the Arthurian legend. Although Arthur isn't mentioned by name, there are enough trappings of the legend to bring it mind. There's a lady of the lake, an king in an unhappy marriage to his queen and the land suffering from it.
The next problem and another of my pet peeve: the return of the defeated antagonist. Wardyke is back for a guest appearance in the last third of the book. He isn't needed and he's just a last minute attempt to get the plot back in line with the first book. There's no reason for him to follow Kyra, Karne and Fern on their journey to the college. He was completely defeated and humiliated by them at the end of the last book. His return cheapens the ending of the last book.
The final nail in the coffin for my enjoyment of the book: predestination. I enjoy books with prophecy especially when the prophecy is a starting point with wiggle room for interpretation. The Tall Stones have a strong free will grown on the foundations of traditions theme. The Temple of the Sun tosses aside this thesis for one of predestination. There is less wiggle room for Kyra and it's frustrating to see her give into those teachings even when they threaten her life and those of her loved ones.
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March 5, 2019I loved it. It was a peaceful and magical book that sends a good message about acheveing your goals
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews