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Taliesin

(The Pendragon Cycle #1)

Stephen R. Lawhead

3.99 · Rating details · 15,631 ratings · 647 reviews

It was a time of legend, when the last shadows of the mighty Roman conqueror faded from the captured Isle of Britain. While across a vast sea, bloody war shattered a peace that had flourished for two thousand years in the doomed kingdom of Atlantis.

Taliesin is the remarkable adventure of Charis, the Atlantean princess who escaped the terrible devastation of her homeland, a ...more

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Paperback, 496 pages

Published August 26th 1998 by Harper Voyager (first published 1987)

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Best Arthurian Fiction

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471 books — 753 voters

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· 15,631 ratings · 647 reviews

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Jan 10, 2009 Krista rated it it was amazing

Of all of the great books I've read around the King Arthur legend, this is my favorite. It is acutally about Merlin's parents, and involves the lost city of Atlantis and it is a beautiful but sad love story. At least that is what I feel when I remember the book; it has been years since I read it. [time passes:] I just looked it up to see if it is still in print, which it is. And what's more interesting is that the description on Amazon talks of a message and symbolism in the story akin to C.S. L ...more

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Jan 31, 2011 Werner rated it really liked it

Recommends it for: Fans of Arthurian fantasy; Lawhead fans or fantasy fans in general

Recommended to Werner by: It was a common read in one of my groups

Shelves: fantasy

While the above Goodreads description of this book reads like it was a publisher's book-jacket blurb (and it probably was!), the basic description of the premise of this series opener is correct --and aside from its overwrought language, the implied assessment isn't far off the mark, either, as my rating shows. (If I could give half stars, I'd probably have added one.)

That isn't to say that there aren't eye-rolling flaws here. Atlantis, according to Plato (who apparently created the legend out o While the above Goodreads description of this book reads like it was a publisher's book-jacket blurb (and it probably was!), the basic description of the premise of this series opener is correct --and aside from its overwrought language, the implied assessment isn't far off the mark, either, as my rating shows. (If I could give half stars, I'd probably have added one.)

That isn't to say that there aren't eye-rolling flaws here. Atlantis, according to Plato (who apparently created the legend out of whole cloth), was destroyed "9,000 years before Solon," or ca. 9600 B.C. In this book, Atlantis was real, but was destroyed in the late 300s A.D. (the mention of the Roman emperor Theodosius near the end of the novel anchors that date). This has something of the same effect produced in the various episodes of the old Xena, Warrior Princess TV series, in which Xena could encounter everybody from the biblical Abraham to Julius Caesar. (And anybody in between --Trojan War? David and Goliath? Sure; easy as pie!) In itself, that strains credibility like a rubber band, and it creates serious problems of internal consistency. The kind of cataclysm that destroyed Atlantis, for instance, would certainly have caused tidal waves in western Europe on the scale of the Asian ones of several years ago, but they don't happen here. And while Atlantis has trading relations with places in the Roman Empire like Phrygia, King Avallach apparently has heard of the "Roman tribe" only vaguely; and though Atlantean seers know about Mithraism and the cult of Isis, they haven't heard of Christianity. To put it bluntly, that's not believable. (It's also not realistic to portray Christianity as relatively new and unknown in Western Britain at this time; Theodosius had made it Rome's state religion in, I think, 380, but it had been widespread long before that, even in western Britain; St. Patrick came from there, in this era, and was already a third-generation Christian. And Isis was not the "female aspect" of Mithras; the two religions were completely unrelated, the one being Egyptian, the other Anatolian.) Atlantean culture, as the author depicts it, is a sort of grab-bag of elements from Greece, Crete (where he gets the "bull dancing" that plays such a large role) and the Semitic East, from which he gets the worship of Bel --though Bel or Baal was actually a sky/rain god, not a sun god as he is here. Lawhead also takes chronological liberties with his title character, who was a real person attested in actual Welsh sources, but really born around 530 A.D. While I'm nit-picking, I also don't think an infant could be wrapped in a water-tight bundle, as Taliesin was here, without suffocating!

All of that said, Lawhead's storytelling ability here draws you in and enthralls you early on, so that you leave those concerns lurking in the background (or, at least, I did!). :-) The two alternating strands of narrative, Charis' and Taliesin's, which will finally intertwine, are eventful and attention-grabbing; the characterization is sharp (Charis was initially hard for me to relate to because her age in the first part of the book wasn't specified --I eventually deduced it to be 12 or 13-- but she grows into a splendid heroine); the Atlantean and Celtic worlds are vividly evoked, and some key scenes are drawn with great power. There's human drama here that grows out of believable human interrelationships (the magical element is muted; it takes a back seat to the natural events, or sometimes blends with the idea of spiritual reality); we have chaste romances that would warm any heart, violence and treachery, love and loss --and the powerful lesson that what we need for psychological wholeness is the guts to love in the face of loss, here in a world that's not perfect yet by a long shot. Some characteristic features of Lawhead's work are easily discernible: his strong female (and male) characters; his fascination with things Celtic; concepts like the Otherworld, the "time between times," the genuine creative power of music, and Druid mysticism in general. His evangelical faith shines through clearly as well (he reconciles it with the pre-Christian Celtic background in a way that C. S. Lewis, who was clearly one of his literary influences, would doubtless have approved!). Blended with the latter is a view of the coming Dark Ages, and Arthur's coming role in withstanding the darkness, that invests these with a cosmic spiritual significance. No spoilers here, but the ending of this novel is one that I did not see coming; and the quality of the writing in the last pages reaches a level that, so far in my reading life (and I'm 58) I've seen equaled, but not bettered.

To conclude, I picked this book up only because it was a common read in a group, but it proved to be well worth the time. And if I don't rush to add the sequel to my to-read shelf, it's only because there are too many books there already; eventually, I would like to follow up on this series. ...more

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Nov 10, 2009 Leila Bowers rated it really liked it

This five-book series is entitled The Pendragon Cycle, and I will review them all here. I have now taken and taught classes on King Arthur, and this stands as my favorite treatment of the legend. Lawhead is one of my favorite authors anyway, and he does his homework. His writing reflects the oddity of the many Arthurian source texts - Merlin is always problematic, the hugely variable character of Arthur, Guinevere's choices and actions,etc.

Considering if Arthur existed he likely lived around 400 ...more

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Dec 20, 2011 Shiloh rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: dissertation, fantasy, mythology, medieval

Lawhead's Pendragon cycle gets off to a rocky start with Taliesin. Perhaps it's that I set the bar too high, expecting great things from such a renowned author, or perhaps it's that I'm reading the cycle for my dissertation and hence got overly critical, but either way, the book suffers from poor writing, poor plotting, and a few major historical inaccuracies that ruined it for me.

The writing: passive voice abounds. The dialogue is stilted. The characters are two-dimensional and hardly have any Lawhead's Pendragon cycle gets off to a rocky start with Taliesin. Perhaps it's that I set the bar too high, expecting great things from such a renowned author, or perhaps it's that I'm reading the cycle for my dissertation and hence got overly critical, but either way, the book suffers from poor writing, poor plotting, and a few major historical inaccuracies that ruined it for me.

The writing: passive voice abounds. The dialogue is stilted. The characters are two-dimensional and hardly have any development at all. And when the romance gets started, the pathos is stifling.

The plotting: this whole book could have been done in half the space. Not much actually happens, and there is a ton of padding. Even with two concurrent storylines running for the first half of the book, nothing much actually happens. I spend most of the book wondering why any of the stuff Lawhead was telling us about was in any way important.

And the historical inaccuracies: unless some sort of time-travel occurs that I missed, Lawhead has Atlantis sink in the 400s AD, right around the time the Romans are withdrawing from Britain. Considering that the legendary Atlantis sank closer to 9600 BC, this completely ruined a huge chunk of the book for me. The British people believe that the Atlanteans are faery folk, and if that had turned out to somehow be the case--if they'd hung out for a few thousand years before the British ran across them--that would have been different. But they're mortal, and the legendary sinking is stuck right in the middle of recorded history. Also, Taliesin takes to Christianity entirely too quickly and with too much verve. Yes, the British people were Christian before the Anglo-Saxons came in, but in the space of a conversation with God (!!) during a spirit-walk (which, tellingly, Taliesin swears never to do again after converting), Taliesin is a full-blown Christian who refers to the pagans around him as heretics, blasphemers, and unlearned people--as if he wasn't a pagan twelve minutes before.

Overall, this book was a huge disappointment. Considering all the hype around Lawhead (I've heard he's right up there with Marion Zimmer Bradley for authoritativeness in modern Arthurian fantasy), I expected much more. ...more

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Aug 09, 2009 Paul Schulzetenberg rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Two stars is a bit harsh for this book, as Lawhead deftly weaves together two separate storylines for much of the book. Charis, our female protagonist in Atlantis, lives some interesting family drama. Meanwhile, Taliesin, our male counterpart, is growing up in Britain as a wunderkind with destiny written all over him. As the cover so coyly tells us, there is a love story coming, and we the readers are left with a surprising amount of tension as we are attempting to figure out how, exactly, these Two stars is a bit harsh for this book, as Lawhead deftly weaves together two separate storylines for much of the book. Charis, our female protagonist in Atlantis, lives some interesting family drama. Meanwhile, Taliesin, our male counterpart, is growing up in Britain as a wunderkind with destiny written all over him. As the cover so coyly tells us, there is a love story coming, and we the readers are left with a surprising amount of tension as we are attempting to figure out how, exactly, these two people are ever going to get together.

Then, the cataclysm hits, and *spoiler* Atlantis sinks. Suddenly, the book speeds up to an alarming pace, and Lawhead decides that he's going to stop building character, and instead plow through tons of legend-inspired storyline to show off that Yes, he did do his research and Yes, he'd be happy to prove it. What follows is a rushed retelling of a mishmash of legends, droning on like a combination the worst of all types. It reads like Beowulf at its most laconic combined with preachy Mallory and served with a generous side of distracted Tolkeinesque world-building. None of which appeals to me, the reader, as I am just wishing that I could figure out what's going on with the characters. What started as a compelling, if somewhat simplistic, character drama, turns instead to a very distracted tale of legend.

Adding insult to injury is the (to me) intolerable way that Christianity is shoved down the reader's throat in the last half of the book. Our title character, Taliesin, is a druid, born with a destiny to be THE BEST DRUID EVAR!!!!1 and everything he does proves just how amazing he is. He's connected with the gods, he walks in the otherworld, and he has prophetic visions. He kicks ass and chews Druidic willowbark. Then, this fuddy little priest comes along, and Taliesin, with next to no warning, forsakes everything he ever knows. Clearly this monotheistic God is better than all those other Gods. We, the readers, know this because... well, because Taliesin has an internal monologue which goes "Why would this God be better than the rest? Because the priest said so! Why would the priest say so? Because his God is better than the rest!" Better justifications for this major transformation from Pagan to monotheism can be found at any old Tent Revival. Was Lawhead even trying?

I've worked myself into a review-lather and now the book sounds awful. The book isn't that bad. Or, more accurately, it's exactly that bad, but no worse. My advice is to read the first two thirds, write it off as a tragedy, and don't bother with the rest of the book. Now I'm off to get the second book in the series and see if there's any point to continuing. After all, there's promise here, and I'm a glutton for punishment. ...more

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Jul 14, 2012 Sean rated it did not like it

This book made me angry. I've read several takes on the Arthurian legend, and I've disliked a few, but none of them pissed me off as much as this one. The only possible reason I can conceive of for it's existence is to serve as a counter point to Marion Zimmer Bradley's Mists of Avalon, in much the same way as Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials is a counter point to C. S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia.

Let's begin. The world building is a bit shoddy. It's set in the 4th century, but for some reas ...more

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Aug 15, 2014 Richard Derus rated it it was ok

Rating: 2* of five

The Publisher Says: It was a time of legend, when the last shadows of the mighty Roman conqueror faded from the captured Isle of Britain. While across a vast sea, bloody war shattered a peace that had flourished for two thousand years in the doomed kingdom of Atlantis.

Taliesin is the remarkable adventure of Charis, the Atlantean princess who escaped the terrible devastation of her homeland, and of the fabled seer and druid prince Taliesin, singer at the dawn of the age. It is t ...more

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Feb 07, 2011 Joe rated it it was amazing

This is my first review here so I thought I would start with one that has meant the most to me. I was blown away from the very start. Stephen Lawhead writes with such a passion for his characters in this book frankly I was surprised. He has taken something that is so familiar and, judging by the many other adaptaions of the Arthurian legend, breathed wonderful new life into it. Taliesin is the seldom told story of the Druid singer Taliesin. Forebear of Merlin who later became teacher, advisor a ...more

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Feb 24, 2020 Abbie rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, fantasy, fiction, mystery

“...he burned with the vision of a world he meant to create.
That vision must not die.
I, Charis, Princess of Lost Atlantis, Lady of the Lake, will keep the vision alive.”

So ends the first book in the Pendragon Cycle — and what a book it has been! This novel completely changed how I view Arthurian works by going against all the cliche, boring sagas that we see as that time periods best. Stephen Lawhead brought to life the Lady of the Lake and the Legend of Atlantis in a way I never thought possibl ...more

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Apr 06, 2017 Emelia rated it really liked it

I have begun a game with myself where I go to the library and pick books from the free shelf, you know books with "those" dust jackets, the ones you would normally never read because of the cover and because of the synopsis written on the inside by some bored reviewer that doesn't do the book justice. I am discovering small gems on the free shelf and so it is with "Taliesin".

"I will weep no more for the lost, asleep in their water graves......" is how the book begins. Stephen R. Lawhead has mana I have begun a game with myself where I go to the library and pick books from the free shelf, you know books with "those" dust jackets, the ones you would normally never read because of the cover and because of the synopsis written on the inside by some bored reviewer that doesn't do the book justice. I am discovering small gems on the free shelf and so it is with "Taliesin".

"I will weep no more for the lost, asleep in their water graves......" is how the book begins. Stephen R. Lawhead has managed to combine the tale of Atlantis and the tale of the most famous bard (out side of Merlin that is) Taliesin. I enjoyed the book and found it charming. While the first half lags a bit, but sometimes that happens with the introduction of characters, the second half is a page turner where you find yourself wanting more. It was a bold venture to say the least for Lawhead; Combing two subjects that everyone has heard of, but have not read about in the same sitting. And he writes in the old school classic form, which adds to the charm of the book.

Charis is the princess of King Avallach, an Atlantean King and is our heroine who lives a life of comfort and decadence on Atlantis taught by the court seer Annubi who has visions of the destruction of Atlantis. Meanwhile a son is born to a Celtic King Gwyddno Garanhir, who is cursed with bad luck. Nothing that Elphin puts his hand to flourishes and his clan would drive him away were it not for his father the King and the Druid Hafgar. Trying to change his son's luck King Garanhir sends him off to the salmon weir in hopes of Elphin will come back with enough salmon to feed the clan through the winter months. Naturally, Elphin finds no salmon, but he does find a leather satchel in the frigid water. Inside he finds a beautiful baby that is near death. He quickly warms the babe and is rewarded with a small cry. And thus begins the story of Taliesin of the radiant brow.

This book, as I said, is a charming read, and the reader is enveloped in the mysteries of Druids and seers, Roman occupation, war, and the destruction of Atlantis. And of course a love that carries on through the ages. A love that Bards write songs of. A love that brings about the birth of another famous child........ who is named Merlin.

If you find yourself needing a book on a rainy day, when you are snuggled up in your bead with a warm cup of tea, I strongly suggest you read Taliesin. You will be transported from your bed into a land of ancient times where magic lives, trees speak, and history is written on the strings of harps. ...more

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Aug 04, 2011 Jacob Aitken rated it it was amazing

Begin your Lawhead reading here. In my humble opinion this is Lawhead's best, least cyclical work of the Pendragon series. From reading the other reviews you probably have a plot summary of what's going on. Thus, I won't bore you with them.

THE GOOD ASPECTS OF THE BOOK (and the first few books in the series)
Since no one rightly knows what, if anything, happened to the City of Atlantis, mankind is free to speculate and write fiction about it. The author is to be commended for his retelling of the ...more

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Aug 21, 2017 Ashley Marie marked it as eventually-possibly

Shelves: i-own-it, mythology, fantasy-high, histfic-celtic

Tried it a second time and I'm the first to admit this time it was purely my own fault that I didn't get further than page 100 -- I'd borrowed the audiobook while listening to something else, and then once I got around to Taliesin I had 6 days in which to read it, listened for 2 days and then missed 3 because of a combination of things -- once again, mainly not in the mood for it. But I was unable to renew it so it had to go back into the system so the rest of the people with holds on it can lis ...more

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Dec 11, 2016 Lauren Stoolfire rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: romance, religion-and-spirituality, historical-fiction, fantasy, adventure

Epic historical fantasy series opener! I loved seeing Arthurian legend begin to come together with Merlin's parents - Charis, a princess of Atlantis who just managed to escape the devastation, and Taliesin, a druid Prince and talented seer. If you're interested in Arthurian legend, you have to try this novel. Now, I need to get my hands on the sequel! ...more

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Apr 01, 2016 Jonathan rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: loved-when-i-was-12

Reading Porius reminded me how much I liked this book when I was 12 or 13 and got it from a little bookshop in North Wales. I figure if it stayed with me this long, it must be worth 4 stars at least.

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May 11, 2011 Maggie K rated it liked it

Shelves: arthurian

I wish I liked this book more than I did. I should have liked it, it has a lot of stuff I like in it.
But it just seemed to go on and on about things that werent pertinent, and then just gloss over things that it seemed should have got more attention.
In the end, I didnt care enough when main characters died, because I really wasnt understanding their purpose in this world....
I did like the writing, and I get that this novel is mostly just set up for the rest of the series, but i really wanted to ...more

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Oct 17, 2015 John rated it it was ok

I was anxious to read this when I heard Peter Enns (a contemporary theologian) cite the Pendragon Cycle as having made a strong impression on him. After two pages the writing seemed solid enough. But after two chapters it somehow didn't translate into a gripping narrative. A lot of scale running with no real movement. I was never able to situate comfortably into whatever tale Lawhead was trying to tell me. His efforts at building suspense were completely lost on me and I never once developed an ...more

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Jan 24, 2019 Joanne rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy-read

This is Book # 1 in Stephen R. Lawhead's first series The Pendragon Cycle, yes another re-telling of Arthur and The Merlin. However, this was one has grabbed me. I have also got The Mists of Avalon going(since early December)-the difference, I put that one down and it's hit or miss when I will pick it up again-it's not bad, it just does not pull me in as I want a book to do.

A lot of bru-ah-ah in the reviews on this that Lawhead took too many liberties with time frames(Atlantis was well gone in P ...more

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Jun 02, 2017 Amanda rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: read-2017

This was quite an engaging read. I love how Atlantis is worked into the early beginnings of a King Arthur tale. Can't wait to see how the story continues with the next book: Merlin! ...more

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Oct 01, 2009 Mike (the Paladin) rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy

One of the best adaptions of the Aurthorian legend (this is the first step in said legend).

And believe me I'm sick to death of all the adaptions. Enough already King Arthur is a great character but let him rest.

Still this is a good series of books. ...more

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Dec 10, 2016 Abi Stewart rated it it was amazing

This was an amazing book! It had a great combination of fantasy, adventure, tragedy and romance. I found the style of writing engaging and the plot was great. I really enjoyed it - one of the best books I've ever read! ...more

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Mar 05, 2010 Erika rated it liked it

Originally posted at: http://jawasreadtoo.wordpress.com/201...

Charis is an Atlantean Princess living in a seaside paradise, but too young to understand that Atlantis is on the brink of war. When her family is betrayed and her mother killed, Avallach takes his daughter and their remaining servants into the safety of their stone walled home. Or at least he tries to. Charis is too overwrought with the guilt he places on her over the loss of her mother and joins a religious band of performers, the b Originally posted at: http://jawasreadtoo.wordpress.com/201...

Charis is an Atlantean Princess living in a seaside paradise, but too young to understand that Atlantis is on the brink of war. When her family is betrayed and her mother killed, Avallach takes his daughter and their remaining servants into the safety of their stone walled home. Or at least he tries to. Charis is too overwrought with the guilt he places on her over the loss of her mother and joins a religious band of performers, the bull dancers, who once enchanted her as a child. She returns as an adult, only after an injury wounds her ability to perform and finds home a much different place than when she last left it.

War has ravaged the land and strained her father’s fragile psyche. Nursed by a strange new woman calling herself Avallach’s wife, the King is a shadow of his former self and haunted by the ghosts of his bitter persistence. Charis will soon have to face other threats as visions of impending destruction plague her mind; her stepsister Morgiana’s strange lurking behavior and alien presence fail to ingratiate herself into Charis’ life. Whom should Charis trust? A father crawling toward senility, a step-mother who claims to rely on peculiar herb remedies to keep him alive and well, or a step-sister flirting with an unnameable darkness? And what exactly does any of this have to do with Elphin, the Briton-raised Prince of Gwynedd, his son, Taliesin, or Arthurian Legend?

Stephen Lawhead is going so far back to begin his Arthurian tale (the 5 book Pendragon Cycle) that Merlin isn’t even born yet. Ladies and gentlemen: I give you Taliesin and Charis, Merlin’s parents. I had a difficult time trying to keep the summary for this book short. Aside from Charis, who I’m only assuming is the main point of view because it’s her first person narrative that opens and closes the story, the text moves equally between Elphin and later, Taliesin. In fact, for most of the book I wasn’t even sure how any of this related—in my flimsy knowledge—to Arthurian Legend or how each POV related to each other.

That is, I was confused until Taliesin, hot off a dream-like vision of Charis, begins referring to her as the Lady in the Lake when they finally meet, two-thirds into the novel. It helped that after Atlantis crumbled into the ocean and what’s left of the kingdom moves to a new home, Avallach takes up fishing and is henceforth referred to as the Fisher King. Of course, suddenly every remaining Atlantean is then one of the ‘Fair Folk’ for no clear or apparent reason other than (I think) they are all remarkably tall and beautiful. It’s clear that Lawhead really wanted to establish some roots with these characters and the setting, but I’m not sure if going this far back makes the story more epic or cumbersome and slow instead. At times it seemed this novel was trying to provide too much history for the myth.

Naturally, there were some elements that worked or I wouldn’t have finished. I actually liked some of the historical aspects of the novel. Post-Roman Britain was particularly fascinating, as was the attempt to create a real place out of Atlantis. The characters are interesting (in particular, Charis, who improves marvelously as an adult; as a child, I found her a rather boring protagonist), if at times overshadowed by dialogue that I believe is meant to be archaic, but proved distracting and unrealistic for me. Despite this, it was easy to be drawn into the story, even as I abandoned all hope of understanding where it was going or how the seemingly disparate narrative threads came together. It was not always easy getting to know these characters, but Lawhead’s prose has an upfront simplicity to it that fails to be ignored. It’s never what I would call poetic, but there’s something atmospheric about it that served the religious, mythological, and romantic aspects of this story well.

There was a lot of romance in this book. None of it was very good. I say this as a reader who enjoys the courtship and exquisite build up of a relationship, who is willing to be patient for love in fiction rather than bombarded with clichés. Lawhead probably does not profess himself to be a romance writer, but I think the romance between Charis and Taliesin is only slightly better than Elphin and Rhonwyn (Taliesin’s parents) and that’s not saying much—especially when the front of the book claims to be about “the incomparable love that creates the miracles of Merlin and Arthur the King.” After a day’s acquaintance, Elphin proposes marriage, Rhonwyn accepts and before lunch can be served on the second day they’re each professing their undying love to one another and running off to get married in Elphin’s hometown. At least Taliesin only declares his love for Charis, never having spoken to her before and that because he wars publicly with Avallach about just whom is going to marry his daughter.

Unrealistic and ridiculously saccharine romance aside, the only other complaint I have (although I wish I had none) was the degree of enthusiasm a few of these characters had for Christianity. By the last third of the novel, when Taliesin finds God, there is an overabundance of religious hyperbole and self-affirming, circular logic. Religion, in this post-Roman Arthurian story is fine. Some might even say it’s central although, of course, not necessary to every version. The inclusion of religion is understandable. It even worked well (best, in fact) when Charis struggled to ameliorate Taliesin’s God with her own. This dialogue was very interesting. The rest appears to be sermons and shallow arguments.

I was not thrilled with the characters, although I was interested in their journey, if only to find out where in the Arthurian Legend it led them. While they are intriguing and slightly mysterious in this way, Lawhead’s lofty dialogue and atmospheric prose makes it difficult to connect to any one of them, especially when Christianity renders both Taliesin and Charis into flat, two-dimensional beings. The scale of the novel is perhaps, too large to be encompassed in one book and I hope the series doesn’t lose focus as I think this novel sometimes did. ...more

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Jan 26, 2011 Melissa rated it liked it

I really like Arthurian legends. And this one was supposed to be a good one. In some ways it was, and in other ways I did not enjoy the book at all.

This goes way back in the Arthurian legends to tell the tale of Merlin's parents. The beautiful strong Charis of Atlantis. And Taliesin, the enchanting druid bard who is son of a king. The book divides its time between the two and their families, telling of their early years. For Charis, this is the start of a war for her nation, her time spent as a I really like Arthurian legends. And this one was supposed to be a good one. In some ways it was, and in other ways I did not enjoy the book at all.

This goes way back in the Arthurian legends to tell the tale of Merlin's parents. The beautiful strong Charis of Atlantis. And Taliesin, the enchanting druid bard who is son of a king. The book divides its time between the two and their families, telling of their early years. For Charis, this is the start of a war for her nation, her time spent as a bull dancer, and the fall of Atlantis. For Taliesin, his tale shows the meeting of his parents, his training as a druid, and how he meets Charis. Charis especially meets with a lot of hardship and her story is the more interesting of the two. Taliesin seems to live a charmed life and is thought of as lucky and fortune favored.

The characters were well written. They had a lot of depth to them and Lawhead took the time to give them a full history. Charis is written as cold but capable. Taliesin is charming. There are many other characters that are all essential to the book. My only complaint about the characters is that Lawhead made the Christians perfect in action and the pagans somewhat evil at times. It was a little disconcerting to find that in what I thought was a fantasy novel rather than a religious work.

Lawhead is very descriptive. He gives an engaging plot and does a wonderful fantasy telling of the earlier parts in the Arthurian legends. He makes his characters mostly believable and especially in Charis' case, you want to know what is going to happen to them and care about them as a character. Nothing is overtly offensive in the wording and there isn't a lot of harsh language.

Let me touch on some criticisms however. As stated before Christianity is considered very good in this book. Lawhead took it to the point where it felt very preachy to me. I don't care that a writer reflects his religion in his works, but please don't announce it as the be all end all of religion because that can be offensive to some readers with different beliefs. In this Arthurian legend especially, where a lot of paganism is involved, it is very disconcerting to read a book that expresses the beliefs this way instead of being a fabulous work of fantasy. Also, for the purists who read this, the timeline seems a bit strange. For most, Atlantis takes place hundreds if not thousands of years before the time of Arthur and even though this is a couple generations back from Arthur, it still seems to be too close. There are some other historical data that doesn't quite sync up with normal Arthurian tales as well. While it is a fantasy tale, there are some genres like the Arthurian legends, where are you taking a risk by deviating well accepted norms within the genre. I think Lawhead dances a very fine dance on the line with these aspects. Overall though, these things brought the book down a bit for me and really were a disappointment.

I have the next book in the series so I will be continuing on. I can only hope they improve and become less preachy and truer to the Arthurian legend.

Taliesin
Copyright 1987
452 pages

Review by M. Reynard 2010 ...more

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Apr 14, 2010 Tim rated it really liked it

This book is about two characters. I loved one of them. Unfortunately, I didn't have much use for the other.

Lawhead's prose is never brilliant, but sometimes in simplicity he finds a certain elegance nonetheless, particularly when dealing with characters. Call me a sucker for a tough girl, but I adored the character of Charis. I loved her as a child, I loved her even more as an adult. I loved her as a brash, dangerous, wounded person, living on the edge and excelling. It's all very romanticized ...more

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Nov 17, 2010 Adman rated it it was ok

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. this book really captured my attention for the first 50 pages, but then it dawned on me in slow, painstaking, painful, redundant, multitudinously modified and slow-moving and redundant horror that this book is booooring.

parts of lawhead's story are fascinating. having never read atlantean or arthurian legends, i started out enthralled and eager to dive deeper into these myths. however, prose which is both overwritten and often shallowly phrased evaporates the life from the tale. trading off betw ...more

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Mar 22, 2016 Jane rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Wow. Just wow. I don't think there's much more I can say. It was an amazing read. Best ever Arthurian retelling.

There is so much to love about Taliesin starting with the names. They're all so pretty and lilting and beautiful, and I wish people had names like that nowdays.

Every single one of the characters is real and so 3-D. Charis and Taliesin, and all the rest were real and I completely lived the story through their experience. The struggles and thoughts they had were all so believable and rel ...more

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Jan 26, 2016 Jeff Miller rated it it was amazing

In the last year I had seen this book referenced a couple of times regarding the superversive literary movement.

I totally enjoyed this as a blending of the myth of Atlantis and King Arthurs Court. Just brilliantly done. I also liked how the story of the historical Taliesin was used to blend these stories giving it a historical fantasy flavor. Plus as any good historical look at the King Arthur story, Christianity should not be left out and it is part of the story here.

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Mar 18, 2008 Laura rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: read-2010, bookmooch, hf-ancient-europe

This book tells simultaneously the story of the fall of Atlantis, the subsequent travel of Princess Charis and her family to Ynys Prydein (Britain), and the discovery and training of Taliesin as a druid-bard. The two eventually meet, marry, and Myrddin (Merlin) is born, just weeks before a tragedy brought about by Charis' jealous half-sister, Morgian. ...more

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Sep 08, 2008 Ron rated it liked it

Shelves: historical-fiction, fantasy, arthuriana

Okay, a series on King Arthur opens in Atlantis? Atlantis! It's kind of downhill from there.

It was well done, and a fun read, but I expected better from Lawhead. ...more

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Sep 30, 2011 Toby Brennen rated it it was amazing

Recommended and given to me by a friend, I can't believe it sat on my shelf for almost 20 years before I picked it up to read! Once started, I could hardly put it down. It has been a long time since I have been so enthralled by a story that I could hardly wait until the next opportunity to sit and continue reading. I am starting 'Merlin' today!

A masterful integration of history, mythology, and story-telling, Lawhead creates a poignant retelling of a very old tale, creating a new vision of the da ...more

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Sep 06, 2015 A B rated it liked it · review of another edition

This ambitious series is a retelling of the King Arthur legend (one of my all time favorites!) from the very beginning. As in, the book opens with Merlin's great-grandfather.

The story switches between a princess of Atlantis, Charis, and Taliesin, the druid son of a Briton chief. The timelines are difficult to discern. The previously mentioned great-grandfather is on the page at the same time as Charis, who appears to be a teenager. Only later is is (sort of) clarified that she is a child, but th ...more

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About Stephen R. Lawhead

Stephen R. Lawhead

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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 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 a university degree in Fine Arts and attended theological college for two years. His first professional writing was done at Campus Life magazine in Chicago, where he was an editor and staff writer. During his five years at Campus Life he wrote hundreds of articles and several non-fiction books.

After a brief foray into the music business—as president of his own record company—he began full-time freelance writing in 1981. He moved to England in order to research Celtic legend and history. His first novel, In the Hall of the Dragon King, became the first in a series of three books (The Dragon King Trilogy) and was followed by the two-volume Empyrion saga, Dream Thief and then the Pendragon Cycle, now in five volumes: Taliesin, Merlin, Arthur, Pendragon, and Grail. This was followed by the award-winning Song of Albion series which consists of The Paradise War, The Silver Hand, and The Endless Knot.

He has written nine children's books, many of them originally offered to his two sons, Drake and Ross. He is married to Alice Slaikeu Lawhead, also a writer, with whom he has collaborated on some books and articles. They make their home in Oxford, England.

Stephen's non-fiction, fiction and children's titles have been published in twenty-one foreign languages. All of his novels have remained continuously in print in the United States and Britain since they were first published. He has won numereous industry awards for his novels and children's books, and in 2003 was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters by the University of Nebraska.

also write under the name Steve Lawhead ...more

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“...tell me the word that will win you, and I will speak it. I will speak the stars of heaven into a crown for your head; I will speak the flowers of the field into a cloak; I will speak the racing stream into a melody for your ears and the voices of a thousand larks to sing it; I will speak the softness of night for your bed and the warmth of summer for your coverlet; I will speak the brightness of flame to light your way and the luster of gold to shine in your smile; I will speak until the hardness in you melts away and your heart is free...” — 84 likes

“They are young and life has no limits. Nothing is impossible, nothing beyond doing or knowing. The world is theirs and everything in it.” — 14 likes

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