Lawhead, Stephen: The Pendragon Cycle

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I found this author by accident and am very glad that I did. After watching Merlin on TV, I decided that I wanted to read some more about the character and time. I had already read Le Morte de Arture and the Mary Stewart books. Being the sucker for books that I am, I did a search on Amazon and found Lawhead.

The Pendragon Cycle is a series of books:

The Taliesin
Merlin
Arthur
Pendragon
Grail

These books are so well written and full of so much imagery that I read them from cover to cover, one right after the other as fast as I could.

The Taliesin begins with:

I will weep no more for the lost, asleep in their water graves. I have no more tears for my youth in the temple of the brindled ox. Life is strong in me and I will not grieve for what was or might have been. Mine is a different path and I must follow where it leads.

But I look out from my high window onto fields of corn reipening to the scythe. I see them rippling like a golden sea, and in the rustling of the dry leaves I hear again the voices of my people calling to me across the years. I close my eyes and I see them now as they were from my earliest memories. They stand before me and I enter once more that glad time when we were young and the cataclysm had not come upon us -- before Throm appeared with dire prophecies buring on his lips.

It was a time of peace in all Atlantis. The gods were content and the people prospered. We children played benieath Bel's golden disk and our limbs grew strong and brown; we sand our songs to fair Cybel, the ever-chaning, to grant us dreams of joy; and we lived out our days in a land rich with every comfort, thinking it would always be that way.

The voices of the departed speak: "Tell our story," they say. "It is worthy to be remembered."

As so I take my pen and begin to write. Perhaps writing will ease the long months of my confinement. Perhaps my words will earn a measure of the peace that has been denied throughout my life.

In any case, I have little else to do; I am a captive, made prisoner in this house. So, I will write: for myself, for those who come after, and for the voices that cry out not be forgotten.


Taliesin is the tale of Charis, an Atlantean princess who survived the terrible devastation of her homeland and the see and druid prince Taliesin. It is a story of love that joins two worlds and brought forth the miracles of Merlin, the Magician and Arthur, the King.

If you enjoy Arthurian legend, read this series of books. I guarantee you won't be disappointed.

Cheers,
 
Lawhead has always been one of my favorite authors.

I believe his Pendragon series to be one of the best series written around Arthur and Merlin. The characters are so well developed.

I also encourage anyone intersted in Arthurian legend to read this series. It is definetly worth the time.
 
I haven't, but I have read two other series by Lawhead: Song of Albion and The Dragon King Saga - in both cases I loved the first two entries and was disappointed with the third/final books. The last TDKS book was just underwhelming, but the last SoA book was shockingly bad. Still, I enjoyed the journey with both series enough to want to return to him at some stage. I've also been meaning to reread Dragon King since its been so long I don't really remember the details.
 
Anyone read this series ?

Yes many years ago. I am a fan of Lawhead and would recommend them. The first two books in the series are excellent.

However if you are interested in reading one of his books try Byzantium. Probably his best work.
 

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