LCW
09-28-2008, 03:56 AM
This is a novel about the life of Epona, the ancient Celtic Horse Goddess. I've heard nothing but good things about Morgan Llwelyn's writing but I have to say what I read here did not impress me at all.
The novel opens with Epona about to undergo her ritualistic transition from childhood to womanhood. Epona's mother plans to give her to the village Shaman to pursue a life as a "drui". Epona, however, has other plans and rebels by running away with Khazak, a warrior from far away who happens to be passing through the village. Of course, they fall in love on the way and are blissfully unaware that the shape-shifting Shaman is following them trying to take back what was supposed to be his.
To put it plainly, this novel dragged! Not only was it boring but I found it to be shallow with nearly all the characters being one dimensional and none of them entirely likeable. The author gave all the characters the weirdest grammar that made them all seem like third grade idiots. Sometimes she was trying to portray that they were speaking in an accent but it just made them appear like backwards Neanderthals. I mean, I realize this was the eight century B.C. but come on!!
Khazak, the hero, was annoying, self important, treated Epona horribly, and each time he opened his mouth I wanted to slap him. Unfortunately, Epona has no choice but to take it unless she wants to be abandoned in the middle of nowhere. The author took a lot of much needed creative license with this story since in is so ancient and was nearly entirely passed down by word of mouth. You'd think she would've done so much better with it and made Epona a little less of a doormat.
Judging by the mostly positive reviews it seems I'm in the minority. The story line could've been made into a fantastic story and I wanted to like the book, I really tried to like it but in the end it was just a real chore to finish. I'm very interested in reading books about ancient Pagan religions but this one just didn't do it for me and I just can't recommend it at all.
2 stars!
The novel opens with Epona about to undergo her ritualistic transition from childhood to womanhood. Epona's mother plans to give her to the village Shaman to pursue a life as a "drui". Epona, however, has other plans and rebels by running away with Khazak, a warrior from far away who happens to be passing through the village. Of course, they fall in love on the way and are blissfully unaware that the shape-shifting Shaman is following them trying to take back what was supposed to be his.
To put it plainly, this novel dragged! Not only was it boring but I found it to be shallow with nearly all the characters being one dimensional and none of them entirely likeable. The author gave all the characters the weirdest grammar that made them all seem like third grade idiots. Sometimes she was trying to portray that they were speaking in an accent but it just made them appear like backwards Neanderthals. I mean, I realize this was the eight century B.C. but come on!!
Khazak, the hero, was annoying, self important, treated Epona horribly, and each time he opened his mouth I wanted to slap him. Unfortunately, Epona has no choice but to take it unless she wants to be abandoned in the middle of nowhere. The author took a lot of much needed creative license with this story since in is so ancient and was nearly entirely passed down by word of mouth. You'd think she would've done so much better with it and made Epona a little less of a doormat.
Judging by the mostly positive reviews it seems I'm in the minority. The story line could've been made into a fantastic story and I wanted to like the book, I really tried to like it but in the end it was just a real chore to finish. I'm very interested in reading books about ancient Pagan religions but this one just didn't do it for me and I just can't recommend it at all.
2 stars!