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The Valley: The Druid Chronicles #2
Llwddawanden is a hidden sanctuary where remnants of a once-powerful pagan cult carry on their ancient ritual practices, supported by a small but faithful following of servants, craftsmen, and laborers.
Cut off from the outside world by both geography and conviction, the Druids of Llwddawanden continue to venerate the Great Mother Goddess and to view themselves as the first-born and favorite of Her mortal children. While the belief that the most important of all divine beings gave birth to their ancestors and that Her spirit inhabits the body of their highest priestess is a tenuous conclusion in view of their reduced lot in life, the Druids of Llwddawanden believe it and are, for the most part, committed to carrying on the traditions handed down to them by their forbears.
Herrwn, the shine’s chief priest and master bard, has the responsibility of overseeing the education of Caelym, the orphaned son of the cult’s previous chief priestess, as well as keeping the peace within the upper ranks of their order—two tasks that grow more difficult as the rivalry over which of the three highest priests will claim Caelym as his disciple grows, and as mounting conflicts between the current chief priestess and her only living daughter threaten to rend the fabric of a society that has endured for more than a millennium.
Cut off from the outside world by both geography and conviction, the Druids of Llwddawanden continue to venerate the Great Mother Goddess and to view themselves as the first-born and favorite of Her mortal children. While the belief that the most important of all divine beings gave birth to their ancestors and that Her spirit inhabits the body of their highest priestess is a tenuous conclusion in view of their reduced lot in life, the Druids of Llwddawanden believe it and are, for the most part, committed to carrying on the traditions handed down to them by their forbears.
Herrwn, the shine’s chief priest and master bard, has the responsibility of overseeing the education of Caelym, the orphaned son of the cult’s previous chief priestess, as well as keeping the peace within the upper ranks of their order—two tasks that grow more difficult as the rivalry over which of the three highest priests will claim Caelym as his disciple grows, and as mounting conflicts between the current chief priestess and her only living daughter threaten to rend the fabric of a society that has endured for more than a millennium.
450 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 27, 2022
1 person is currently reading
36 people want to read
About the author
A.M. Linden
3 books27 followersAnn Margaret Linden was born in Seattle, Washington but grew up on the east coast, returning to the Pacific Northwest as a young adult. She has undergraduate degrees in anthropology and in nursing and a master’s degree as a nurse practitioner. After working in a variety of acute care and community health settings, she took a position in a program for children with special health care needs where her responsibilities included writing clinical reports, parent educational materials, provider newsletters, grant submissions and other program related materials. In a somewhat whimsical decision to write something for fun, she began what was to be tongue-in-cheek historical murder mystery involving Druids and early medieval Christians. It wasn’t meant to be long or involved, but the characters kept getting into trouble and she had to keep writing to find out what happened to them. After a lengthy journey of her own that included taking adult education creative writing courses, researching early British history, and traveling to England, Scotland, and Wales, the first book of The Druid Chronicles, a five volume quasi-historical fiction series, is scheduled for publication by She Writes Press in June 2021.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
June 28, 2022
The Valley is book two in The Druid Chronicles. I enjoyed book one, The Oath, quite a bit, and this second book is even better. A.M. Linden’s research and attention to detail make this book come alive. It is rich in history, culture, and mythology, which is a combination I’ve come to love in historical fiction.
I think I resonate so well with The Druid Chronicles because, while this is a historical fiction, it brings in a taste of what ancient cultures might have looked like. I love the exploration of the rituals and day-to-day life of people we know very little about. The research and guesswork this author put into this novel allowed it to have a life of its own.
The writing is superb and allows the reader to get lost in the story and forget the world around them for a while. I thoroughly enjoyed The Valley. I look forward to more from A.M. Linden. I would recommend reading these in order to get a fuller picture of the story. Great read!
Thank you to HFVBT for the review copy and tour invite. All opinions are my own and unbiased.
I think I resonate so well with The Druid Chronicles because, while this is a historical fiction, it brings in a taste of what ancient cultures might have looked like. I love the exploration of the rituals and day-to-day life of people we know very little about. The research and guesswork this author put into this novel allowed it to have a life of its own.
The writing is superb and allows the reader to get lost in the story and forget the world around them for a while. I thoroughly enjoyed The Valley. I look forward to more from A.M. Linden. I would recommend reading these in order to get a fuller picture of the story. Great read!
Thank you to HFVBT for the review copy and tour invite. All opinions are my own and unbiased.
July 1, 2022
Although this is book two in The Druid Chronicles series it actually reads as book one. Without having much historical content to rely upon, Linden recreates an entire culture with all of its religious traditions, familial strife, and the encroaching influence of outside ideas. The Druids are brought to life through the eyes of the chief priest and storyteller, Herwyn. In a sense, this is a story of a bard told in the way of a bards tale.
Herwyn uses reflection as a means to provide information about the evolution of the Druids and their religious beliefs. Through Herwyn the reader experiences how the reincarnation of the Great Mother Goddess guides this matriarchal society. He and his two cousins are key members of the high council and are sworn to uphold the traditions passed down to them. The reduced number of children available to fill the roles of the chief priests and priestesses leads to a power struggle over which chief priest will obtain the most viable candidates. As outside influences leak their way into their secluded sanctuary, key members of the upper echelon make choices that impacts the Druids entire way of life.
This is a book to be savored. The writing is rhythmic with lush descriptions and complex characters. It provides so much content that was needed to supplement the plot of The Oath. The series just gets better and better!
I received this copy via NetGalley in conjunction with Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours.
Herwyn uses reflection as a means to provide information about the evolution of the Druids and their religious beliefs. Through Herwyn the reader experiences how the reincarnation of the Great Mother Goddess guides this matriarchal society. He and his two cousins are key members of the high council and are sworn to uphold the traditions passed down to them. The reduced number of children available to fill the roles of the chief priests and priestesses leads to a power struggle over which chief priest will obtain the most viable candidates. As outside influences leak their way into their secluded sanctuary, key members of the upper echelon make choices that impacts the Druids entire way of life.
This is a book to be savored. The writing is rhythmic with lush descriptions and complex characters. It provides so much content that was needed to supplement the plot of The Oath. The series just gets better and better!
I received this copy via NetGalley in conjunction with Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours.
December 22, 2023
Set during the Dark Ages, a time when Druids faced prosecution from the now dominant Christian faith in the British Isles, The Valley tells the story of the people and events that led to the adventure in the first book of The Druid Chronicles by A.M. Linden, The Oath.
Told mainly through the experiences of Herrwn, the chief priest and master bard, this is a fascinating recreation of the daily life, learning, and rituals of a pagan people who have been lost to time. As Herrwn mediates between his bickering cousins, maintaining their community and beliefs become increasingly difficult as new generations are raised up while their dedication to the old ways seems to wane.
In creating Herrwn and his community of druids, A.M. Linden has crafted an intriguing story of individuals and a way of life that has few facts upon which to be built. With shifting timelines that weave in knowledge and experiences of the past with an awareness of what is to come, The Valley is another fantastic tale sure to please historical fiction readers. Recommended.
This review refers to an Advance Reader Copy I voluntarily received and read courtesy of the publisher. A positive review was not required and all opinions expressed are my own.
Told mainly through the experiences of Herrwn, the chief priest and master bard, this is a fascinating recreation of the daily life, learning, and rituals of a pagan people who have been lost to time. As Herrwn mediates between his bickering cousins, maintaining their community and beliefs become increasingly difficult as new generations are raised up while their dedication to the old ways seems to wane.
In creating Herrwn and his community of druids, A.M. Linden has crafted an intriguing story of individuals and a way of life that has few facts upon which to be built. With shifting timelines that weave in knowledge and experiences of the past with an awareness of what is to come, The Valley is another fantastic tale sure to please historical fiction readers. Recommended.
This review refers to an Advance Reader Copy I voluntarily received and read courtesy of the publisher. A positive review was not required and all opinions expressed are my own.
July 22, 2022
This book was received from the Author, and Publisher, in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.
This is a non spoiler review, because you as reader need to read this book. Also, I feel sometimes I have in the past gave away to much of the plot line. This has diminished the pleasure for would be readers.
The Valley by A.M. Linden is second installment in The Druid Chronicles series.
A.M. Linden newest book takes us back before The Oath. The Valley is more of a prequel story. As the spread of Christianity advances, people start to change faiths,
turning away from old traditions of the pagan gods and goddesses.
A sect of Druids living in a secluded valley of Llwddawanden, still follow Great Mother Goddess. We follow Herrwn, the shrine's chief priest and master bard, as the continuous division amongst Druids grows steadily.
Once again I was completely drawn into the engaging writing, of the very talented author, A.M. Linden. A beautiful created historical world with pagan rites and rituals. Readers will be absorbed deep within these characters fleshed out lives. The political drama within the religious sect, keeps you turning the pages. Loyalties will be questioned, and Herrwn will become a peacekeeper, as choices arise that could change everything.
This is a non spoiler review, because you as reader need to read this book. Also, I feel sometimes I have in the past gave away to much of the plot line. This has diminished the pleasure for would be readers.
The Valley by A.M. Linden is second installment in The Druid Chronicles series.
A.M. Linden newest book takes us back before The Oath. The Valley is more of a prequel story. As the spread of Christianity advances, people start to change faiths,
turning away from old traditions of the pagan gods and goddesses.
A sect of Druids living in a secluded valley of Llwddawanden, still follow Great Mother Goddess. We follow Herrwn, the shrine's chief priest and master bard, as the continuous division amongst Druids grows steadily.
Once again I was completely drawn into the engaging writing, of the very talented author, A.M. Linden. A beautiful created historical world with pagan rites and rituals. Readers will be absorbed deep within these characters fleshed out lives. The political drama within the religious sect, keeps you turning the pages. Loyalties will be questioned, and Herrwn will become a peacekeeper, as choices arise that could change everything.
July 11, 2022
As you all know by now I love reading historical fiction. I really love when the book goes way, way back as The Valley and the first book in this hopefully 5 book series does. All the way back to the Druids. We are talking back to before Julius Caesar in what is now England. According to the Wiki, the earliest known reference is 4th Century BCE. That is a long time ago.
I read the first book in this series (it is planned to be 5 books and I hope! I hope!), The Oath and found it quite compelling. I found The Valley even more so as the story gets deeper and a little darker. Forces are trying to keep control over the heir to power and some of those forces are not doing so for the good of the whole.
I can’t but relate this to current events.
But I digress. I love the characters, I adore the time period and Ms. Linden does a wonderful job of bringing the world she creates to life. Not much was left to history from this time period but out what there was you can now immerse yourself in the fictional imaginings of a very talented writer. I liked this book even better than the first book.
Now we all wait for the next installment in this fascinating look at a time long ago and a peoples far, far away.
4.5
I read the first book in this series (it is planned to be 5 books and I hope! I hope!), The Oath and found it quite compelling. I found The Valley even more so as the story gets deeper and a little darker. Forces are trying to keep control over the heir to power and some of those forces are not doing so for the good of the whole.
I can’t but relate this to current events.
But I digress. I love the characters, I adore the time period and Ms. Linden does a wonderful job of bringing the world she creates to life. Not much was left to history from this time period but out what there was you can now immerse yourself in the fictional imaginings of a very talented writer. I liked this book even better than the first book.
Now we all wait for the next installment in this fascinating look at a time long ago and a peoples far, far away.
4.5
September 2, 2022
The Valley is the story of a small group of druids trying to survive in an increasingly hostile world where Christianity is on its way to becoming the country’s common religion.
The druids’ way of life is disappearing; people no longer rely on them for their spiritual, educational, or legal needs. The group itself is dwindling, becoming smaller and smaller, so children who could learn and carry on their traditions are coveted by various factions within the group.
Although this book is the second in the series it actually serves as a prequel to the first book, The Oath. The story is beautifully told with lush imagery of a world and way of life that has no written record.
The druids’ way of life is disappearing; people no longer rely on them for their spiritual, educational, or legal needs. The group itself is dwindling, becoming smaller and smaller, so children who could learn and carry on their traditions are coveted by various factions within the group.
Although this book is the second in the series it actually serves as a prequel to the first book, The Oath. The story is beautifully told with lush imagery of a world and way of life that has no written record.
July 1, 2022
The Druid Chronicle is a medieval historical fiction set in the late 700s ad Britain and so far this series has been an enjoyable read! I haven't read too many books that take place that far back so it was interesting to read something different. There's adventure and wonderful characters! All of the characters are interesting and I had no problem getting invested in them! Especially Annwr for me she was the one I was most interested in! Both books are well written and entertaining! I look forward to continuing the series!
May 15, 2023
I’ll preface this by saying I did not read book #1 in this series before I read this one. I received this book as an ARC and decided I’d read it before reading the first book, which I don’t normally like doing. I will say that it was very easy to follow even without reading book 1 first, but I will now be putting book 1 on my TBR list because I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The story really pulls you in and transports you to another time. The characters are all well-developed and their actions make the reader feel anger, compassion, and humor as their stories progress.
My only issue with this book was that the pronunciation key is located at the back of the book. I spent far too long mispronouncing the word Llwddawanden in my head until I found that. :) But overall I really enjoyed this book and will be looking forward to reading the next.
My only issue with this book was that the pronunciation key is located at the back of the book. I spent far too long mispronouncing the word Llwddawanden in my head until I found that. :) But overall I really enjoyed this book and will be looking forward to reading the next.
October 11, 2022
Wow this was so amazing!! Detail, ancient rituals, and mythology wow this was right up my alley!! I could not put this down and I will need to go back and read book one. I really don't know what to say about this but that you need to read it.
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October 25, 2022It is nice the author put a synopsis of book 1 in the beginning
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews