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The Dalriada Trilogy by Jules Watson

enelya
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Post by enelya » Fri March 6th, 2009, 5:10 pm

I kinda hide the tbr amongst my other books..so my husband doesn't notice how big the stack is getting, lol

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LCW
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Post by LCW » Thu March 12th, 2009, 7:44 pm

I finally finished The White Mare and I really enjoyed it! 4/5 for sure! I'm glad I have the second book in the trilogy waiting right her on Mt. TBR as it seemed things didn't really heat up between Eremon and Rhiann until the end.
Books to the ceiling,
Books to the sky,
My pile of books is a mile high.
How I love them! How I need them!
I'll have a long beard by the time I read them. --Arnold Lobel

Carla
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Post by Carla » Fri March 13th, 2009, 4:32 pm

[quote=""LCW""]I finally finished The White Mare and I really enjoyed it! 4/5 for sure! I'm glad I have the second book in the trilogy waiting right her on Mt. TBR as it seemed things didn't really heat up between Eremon and Rhiann until the end.[/quote]

I read them more or less back to back, and they work really well as a pair - almost as if it was one long story split into two books.
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Rowan
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Post by Rowan » Sun March 15th, 2009, 3:39 pm

I agree Carla. Ideally they need to be read back to back or as close to as possible. That's how I read them and it worked well for me.

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Leyland
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Post by Leyland » Sun March 15th, 2009, 4:39 pm

I just got The Dawn Stag delivered last week, but Mosse's Sepulchre has usurped its prominent TBR position. I'll read it after Mosse though, based on the advice on this thread.
We are the music makers, And we are the dreamers of dreams ~ Arthur O'Shaughnessy, Ode

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Anna Elliott
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Post by Anna Elliott » Mon March 30th, 2009, 2:13 am

I just finished the third of the trilogy, The Boar Stone, and it was lovely! She has a new book out, as well. I believe it's called The Swan Maiden--although I haven't read it yet.

I love the level of detail in her books--she makes the whole historical world come so vividly alive.

Author of the Twilight of Avalon trilogy
new book: Dark Moon of Avalon, coming Sept 14 from Simon &Schuster (Touchstone)

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diamondlil
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Post by diamondlil » Mon March 30th, 2009, 8:14 am

Anna, you may be interested to read an interview with Jules that we did recently at Historical Tapestry.

BTW, welcome to the boards!
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rex icelingas
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Post by rex icelingas » Sat April 4th, 2009, 12:42 pm

I think im going to give `The Boar Stone` a try on my next Book spend
I do enjoy the late Roman period
Ive not read any of her books,(i ended up clicking the link in her sig actually)

Didnt fancy the first two of the trilogy as have a book called `the Pict`by Jack Dixon that seemed similar
Can anyone tell me if the Romans are portrayed as one dimensional village burning bad guys or otherwise?

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Ludmilla
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Post by Ludmilla » Fri April 10th, 2009, 4:48 pm

I tore through the trilogy this past week. Thought they were great page turners, but in retrospect, I might have been better served by waiting a little bit to catch my breath between the 2nd and 3rd book, because the emotional level they are written on is quite intense. I do think the first and second book should be read together, though. The stories are very much driven by a great love story and the Goddess religion, and those two elements can be a little overpowering. In fact, I thought those elements worked better in The Swan Maiden, where they are better balanced and really elevate the story to something quite special (maybe because that story is much more firmly rooted in myth and legend?). The epic nature of the struggle and the spiritual elements of the Dalriada trilogy often give it that larger than life feeling of an epic fantasy.

As for how Romans are depicted, Agricola is the antagonist in the first two novels, but villains are not limited to the Romans. Agricola is depicted as ambitious but patient and intelligent (as you would expect). However, the story is very focused on the Alban tribes, and Rome’s wider concerns aren’t explored. Agricola isn’t as complex as I would have wished, but I realize that was a limitation of his role.

In the 3rd book, you see abuses on both sides, as one would expect in a conflict of this nature, but the Albans get much more screen time than any of the Romans. One of the biggest threats from Rome is not the Romans themselves but their way of life and turning away from old ways and traditions. Does that help?

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rex icelingas
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Post by rex icelingas » Sat April 11th, 2009, 6:26 am

That helps immensley thanks Ludmilla
It sounds all the more enthralling now thanks to your review :)

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