One of my favorite scenes is Morgaine weaving Avalloch’s death-the scene is poetic in its execution and in many ways, the perfect metaphor for lengths that Morgaine will go to in order to preserve Avalon’s ways. Magic is given a subtle treatment, and she embeds Avalon’s mysteries into the world very organically. From the thrushes on the floors to placing a cat in the birthing room, Bradley weaves the details of the era into the story flawlessly. Gwenhwyfar succeeds in bending Arthur to her will and drives Avalon into the mists, yet she never succeeds in the complete annihilation of either Avalon or the old ways.īradley gives new and believable motivations to all of the characters, women and men alike, and she brings the time period to life with skill. As she slides deeper into Christian fanaticism, she and Morgaine become embroiled in a psychological and ideological war over which religion will rule Britain. Gwenhwyfar believes the pagan rituals that Arthur refuses to relinquish are the root cause for her inability to conceive an heir. Morgaine’s antagonist is Arthur’s young wife Gwenhwyfar, who turns to the new religion, Christianity, in desperation. Yet Bradley renders her as a very human character, multidimensional and flawed. Morgaine’s strength is in her intelligence and her determination to win at any costs. Bradley’s themes of love and honor seem fresh and new each time, and I suppose that is what makes this one of the greatest fantasy novels for me-the very timelessness of the story.īradley tells her version of the Arthurian legend primarily through Morgaine’s eyes as she tries to save her religion and the Celtic old ways from extinction. Good books entertain, but great books work on multiple levels if ever there was a fantasy novel that boasted a multifaceted story, it is The Mists of Avalon.
The Mists of Avalon has everything: an excellent story, beautiful prose, magic, adventure, religion, and a host of memorable characters. I don’t know how to tell you about this novel without gushing-I mean seriously gushing. Is The Mists of Avalon the Great Fantasy Novel? Our next nomination for The Great Fantasy Novel comes from Teresa Frohock, author of Miserere: An Autumn Tale.
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