2nd 5 Star Review for Sequel, MOON LORD

5.0 out of 5 stars Here, at the end of all things., 26 Oct 2013

By 

Aethelroad - See all my reviews

This review is from: Moon Lord: The Fall of King Arthur - The Ruin of Stonehenge (Paperback)

Moon Lord is the second of a two volume re-imagining of the Arthurian legend set in the Bronze Age, based largely around the Stonehenge landscape but branching out across the Irish sea and the Channel. For those of you who enjoyed Stone Lord you will not be disappointed, indeed it's far better even than the first surprising volume.

I continue to enjoy Reedman's almost blistering style of narrative, which matches the urgency of the storyline. I'll give away no spoilers but will say that the main characters are really developed and explored and made more real - no mean feat with pre-historic active pagans for whom the world turns with the fall of every leaf and the weather is a living thing.

Naming no names (I'm afraid you've got to read it for yourselves) but the novel's heroes may be great warriors or wise-folk but they are also, like most of us, filled with self-doubt and plagued with conflicting emotions about their own capabilities and their feelings for their friends, loved ones and even their enemies. The most active baddie is no simple evil character either. Reedman takes us through a storm of pride, jealousy, hatred and ambition and mixes in remorse terrible guilt and feelings of distressed empathy (I was curiously reminded of the Gollum/Smeagol character).

I will mention Merlin, but only to say that he becomes the most human version I've ever read of this great character.

And there's a chronological gap between the two novels, I can only hope that stories remain to be told and further novels may be forthcoming (that's a big hint J P Reedman!)

Thermal spring at Blick Mead, 1.5miles from Stonehenge. Venerated post-Ice Age, I used this location and the finds found by archaeologists in THE STONE LORD SAGA.