From Publishers Weekly
The Mists of Avalon (1982), a feminist goddess-oriented retelling of the legend of Arthur, won acclaim and a crowd of lifelong fans for Bradley, also author of the Darkover series. Now, after Bradley's death in 1999, this prequel coauthored by skilled fantasy writer and friend Diana L. Paxson (Hallowed Isle) completes her story of the women of mystical Avalon and their attempts to influence a world caught in the grip of unavoidable change. In A.D. 296, young British princess Helena goes to the Isle of Avalon to learn the path of the goddess. Helena grows in spirit and wisdom, awaiting the day when her initiation prophecy will become real and she'll meet the man of her dreams. He turns out to be Flavius Constantius Chlorus, fated to become the Roman emperor. Her aunt, High Priestess Ganeda, aims to wed a more biddable girl to the Roman power structure, but when Constantius chooses Helena, Ganeda exiles her from Avalon. Helena gives birth to Constantius's son, Constantine, and counsels her lover through the intrigues of a vast and dangerously unbalanced empire. Separated by civil demands from her family, Helena seeks the answers her troubled soul demands during a pilgrimage through the Holy Lands. The message that all religions call on the same higher power should go over well with fans of Mists. Paxson's own skill at bringing historical characters and places to vivid life enriches Helena's story. This final book in the Bradley canon is sure to please her devotees and win her more. (May 7)Forecast: This title will get an extra boost from The Mists of Avalon miniseries starring Anjelica Huston, Joan Allen and Juliana Margulies, due soon to run on TNT.Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
Though destined to achieve distinction as the pious mother of Constantine, the young woman once called Eilen or Helena first served as a priestess of the old deities on her native island of Briton. Returning to the alternate version of Arthurian legend created in her best-selling Mists of Avalon, Bradley creates a powerful tale of magic and faith that enlarges upon pagan and Christian traditions to express a deeper truth. Though Bradley died before she finished the novel, veteran fantasy author Paxson brings to completion this last work of a master of the genre. For most fantasy collections. Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From AudioFile
Go back to the second century A.D., when Rome influences all and the "old" religions are struggling to keep their foothold in Britain. The Priestess, who is from the royal House of Avalon, that mysterious island shrouded in mists and magic, marries Flavius Valerius Constantius, who becomes a Roman Emperor, and she becomes the mother of Constantine. As we learn about Roman history, we also see Christianity grasp and then hold sway in the world. Bradley and Paxson add flavor and beauty to this chaotic time in the Roman Empire. Davina Porter tells this first-person tale in voices that alternate between soft and imperial, with slight variations for the men. She brings the magic and mystery to the surface with gentle intonation and fluid narration. As Roman history and Christianity make their marks on the world, Avalon seeks to keep its mists and with them the strength of alternate beliefs about the nature of the world. M.B.K. © AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

From Booklist
In this stunning prequel to The Mists of Avalon (1982), 10-year-old Eilan, whose greatest wish is to serve as priestess for her goddess, is brought to Avalon for training. From a prophetic vision, she knows she is destined to love one man and to bear his son. When the man of her vision, a young Roman soldier, comes to Avalon, Eilan is compelled to follow her heart, which means defying her high priestess, the Lady of Avalon. For that, she becomes an outcast from her spiritual family and embarks on a lifelong path of love, treachery, heartbreak, and fame in the outside world. Her Roman soldier is to become the emperor Constantius, and their son, Constantine, will succeed him on the imperial throne. When Eilan, her name Latinized to Helen, becomes the empress mother at the heart of Constantine's flourishing Christian empire, she quietly continues to worship the goddess on her own while seeking the truth in the sacred teachings of all people. Thus, she becomes a powerful force for union between her people's pagan beliefs and the new religion of the Christ. Completed by Paxson after Bradley's death in 1999, this rich and moving novel merits its place beside Bradley's fantasy classic. Paula Luedtke
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

FROM OUR EDITORS

The Barnes & Noble Review
My paperback copy of The Mists of Avalon is a worn and tattered wreck, but I would never trade it in for a new one. In fact, rather than lend it to friends, I'd buy them their own copies! Were I an author and saw such a tattered copy of my book, I'd take it as a great compliment, for it shows that my words had enough influence on someone for them to read them over and over again. Marion Zimmer Bradley's novels have that very effect on me. Her worlds are so vivid and her characters so human that I find myself completely absorbed by them.

I discovered Bradley very early in my fantasy-reading experience, and it didn't take me long to run the gamut of her titles -- science fiction and fantasy alike. I have great respect for her writing talent and her unique ability to masterfully address the human psyche from the character's perspective. Bradley revisited the land of Avalon in novel form three times before her death. I ripped through each and every one of them and enjoyed them all immensely. And I know I am not alone in this -- The Mists of Avalon is one of the foremost books written from the female perspective on Arthurian legend.

Priestess of Avalon was an unfinished manuscript, but Diana L. Paxson, an accomplished author in her own right, completed it for Bradley posthumously. Here then, is the fourth -- and last -- installment of the Avalon series. It is the only book in the series that travels beyond the boundaries of the British Isles, but it legitimately keeps to Bradley's tradition of a story told through the eyes of a strong female character.

Priestess of Avalon shares many characters with another book in the series, Lady of Avalon. This is Eilan's story and follows her through the three stages of life: maiden, mother and old woman. Eilan is a somewhat historical figure of whom much is unknown. It is delightful to read the history Bradley and Paxson fabricated for her. Eilan was born in A.D. 249 to the Roman citizen King Coel and the High Priestess of Avalon, who died while bearing her. She is sent to live with her Roman father, where she is known by the Roman version of her name, Helen. After a decade with King Coel, Eilan returns to Avalon to be initiated into the sisterhood of the goddess.

As a maiden, Eilan again attaches herself to Rome when she falls in love with the charismatic Roman Constantius. The Roman noble takes her away from Avalon and, before long, Helen bears him a son, who later becomes Constantine the Great. Helen's status in Roman society allows her freedom to travel about in the Pax Romana. As Helen is confronted by the spread of the new Christian religion, she draws frequently from her own knowledge of the goddess to deal with her life and with the people that surround her. Like the other Avalon books, Helen's story is told from the woman's point of view. Violence and wars are addressed, but not from the battlefield itself. Rather, they are told as important incidents in the way that they directly affect Helen.

Priestess of Avalon does not disappoint. It doesn't really matter if you have read the other Avalon books or not -- all of the Avalon stories stand well on their own. If you have read the other Avalon books and were sorrowful that no more would be forthcoming after Bradley passed away, then rejoice! Priestess of Avalon fits into the rest of the series very smartly. Diana L. Paxson has does an excellent job of honoring her mentor and does credit to the spirit of Bradley's writing. Priestess of Avalon is a more than fitting eulogy to Marion Zimmer Bradley's memory. (Sierra Phillips)

FROM THE PUBLISHER

"Priestess of Avalon tells the story of the British princess Eilan, known to the Romans as Helena. Helena's journey begins in Avalon when she falls in love with a Roman officer destined for imperial greatness. But she will find that forbidden love comes at an unexpected cost; she is banished from Avalon. We follow Helena as she grows from maiden to mother to wisewoman, experiencing both joy, with the birth of her child, and loss, when politics will force her lover to choose between her and the Empire. But when her son Constantine becomes Emperor she slowly discovers that her role has gone far beyond that of the traditional mother." "Helena finds herself at the center of a crucial turning point in Western history as she seeks a way to bridge the pagan world of the Goddess and the new Christian Empire. And, as Empress-Mother, Helena embarks on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land to find the truth that transcends both the old religion and the new."--BOOK JACKET.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

The Mists of Avalon (1982), a feminist goddess-oriented retelling of the legend of Arthur, won acclaim and a crowd of lifelong fans for Bradley, also author of the Darkover series. Now, after Bradley's death in 1999, this prequel coauthored by skilled fantasy writer and friend Diana L. Paxson (Hallowed Isle) completes her story of the women of mystical Avalon and their attempts to influence a world caught in the grip of unavoidable change. In A.D. 296, young British princess Helena goes to the Isle of Avalon to learn the path of the goddess. Helena grows in spirit and wisdom, awaiting the day when her initiation prophecy will become real and she'll meet the man of her dreams. He turns out to be Flavius Constantius Chlorus, fated to become the Roman emperor. Her aunt, High Priestess Ganeda, aims to wed a more biddable girl to the Roman power structure, but when Constantius chooses Helena, Ganeda exiles her from Avalon. Helena gives birth to Constantius's son, Constantine, and counsels her lover through the intrigues of a vast and dangerously unbalanced empire. Separated by civil demands from her family, Helena seeks the answers her troubled soul demands during a pilgrimage through the Holy Lands. The message that all religions call on the same higher power should go over well with fans of Mists. Paxson's own skill at bringing historical characters and places to vivid life enriches Helena's story. This final book in the Bradley canon is sure to please her devotees and win her more. (May 7) Forecast: This title will get an extra boost from The Mists of Avalon miniseries starring Anjelica Huston, Joan Allen and Juliana Margulies, due soon to run on TNT. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

VOYA

Historical fantasy, this prequel to The Mists of Avalon (Knopf, 1982) is a tale of religion, spirituality, power, and, above all, womanhood. Foregoing Avalon for her love of the Roman officer Constantius, Eilan (Helena to the Romans) accompanies him from Britain to Rome, giving birth to his son, Constantine. When Constantius is chosen for an imperial position, politics—and the safety of their son—require that he marry the emperor's daughter, leaving Helena behind. Later, as Constantine rises in power and becomes the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity, he seeks his mother's strength, drawing her again into the center of the pivotal transition time between pagan worship and Christianity. Helena's journey from novitiate on the Isle of Avalon to Empress Mother in Palestine and Rome is first and foremost a tale of the stages of a woman's life, as she moves from "procreativity to creativity," from serving all to claiming herself. Based on an intriguing hypothesis linking Helena with Avalon, the story flourishes and comes to life even as Helena herself does the same. Older teens who enjoy history, myth, and romance will be drawn to Bradley's last book, which was completed by Paxson after the noted author's death in 1999. Her fans will not want to miss it. VOYA CODES: 3Q 3P S A/YA (Readable without serious defects; Will appeal with pushing; Senior High, defined as grades 10 to 12; Adult and Young Adult). 2001, Viking, 394p, $25.95. Ages 15 to Adult. Reviewer: Kim Carter SOURCE: VOYA, February 2002 (Vol. 24, No.6)

KLIATT

When Marion Zimmer Bradley, queen of Arthurian fantasy, died, she left an unfinished manuscript, which one of her main followers completed. This tale is set in third-century Europe, and melds the religions of the times. The story takes historical characters and inserts possibly mythical elements that act as precursors to King Arthur. The main dynamic counterbalances historical reality and the enchanted world, here couched as a very real alterative universe. Helena ventures from her safe isolation to embrace a Roman officer. Her tryst shapes the future, and the question is: was that future pre-ordained or freely chosen? In the final analysis, Helena must accept the reality of her status, and she seeks to bridge the two realities throughout her life￯﾿ﾽand the lives of her contemporaries. The reader is provided with a unique "spin" on the conversion of Constantine and the role of the Holy Lands. There is a sense that the authors tried hard to use the historical evidence to bring credence to their Arthurian legend. As such, the writing can sometimes seem dragged down by historical fact so it does not have the free-flowing gossamer of typical Bradley. However, showing how an Avalon priestess can shape pre-medieval history does lend Arthurian legend more gravity. Category: Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror. KLIATT Codes: JSA￯﾿ﾽRecommended for junior and senior high school students, advanced students, and adults. 2000, Penguin Putnam, Roc, 394p., , Long B

Library Journal

Though destined to achieve distinction as the pious mother of Constantine, the young woman once called Eilen or Helena first served as a priestess of the old deities on her native island of Briton. Returning to the alternate version of Arthurian legend created in her best-selling Mists of Avalon, Bradley creates a powerful tale of magic and faith that enlarges upon pagan and Christian traditions to express a deeper truth. Though Bradley died before she finished the novel, veteran fantasy author Paxson brings to completion this last work of a master of the genre. For most fantasy collections. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

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