From Booklist
In this pre-pre-pre-prequel to The Mists of Avalon (1982), a kingdom sinks into the sea--but the spirit of a deceased author appears to rise again. Paxson, who completed Bradley's Priestess of Avalon (2001) after the widely revered novelist died in 1999, fashions an entirely new entry in the Avalon saga, one that telescopes the evocative notion that the otherworldly forces supporting Arthur were remnants of Atlantis. The curtain opens on an Atlantean island just prior to its destruction; most of the novel, however, is set among refugees of the doomed kingdom who make landfall in pre-Christianity Britain. Parallel stories unfold as two lovers separated during the cataclysm, the priest Micail and the priestess Tiriki, establish two settlements and struggle with the need to adjust to a new environment (with native peoples playing a major role) while still honoring their lost civilization's spiritual legacy. The colonies develop in opposing directions, mirroring Bradley's primary thematic interests: the (typically male) desire to compete and conquer versus the gentler impulses associated with goddess worship. Paxson's storytelling features the requisite veins of mysticism, but, like Bradley, she excels at bringing the vast sweep of imagined history to an accessible level, as when the refugees of sun-drenched Atlantis struggle to acclimate to Britain's notoriously dismal weather. A rich and respectful homage that will dazzle readers longing to revisit Bradley's sacred, storied isle. Jennifer Mattson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

The New York Times Book Review
Monumental ... a deeply moving and at times uncanny experience... An impressive achievement.

Book Description
Once again, Diana L. Paxson has beautifully elaborated on Marion Zimmer Bradley’s beloved Avalon saga with this dramatic new installment, which for the first time reveals the past of the ancestors of Avalon, from their beginnings on the doomed island of Atlantis to their escape to the mist-shrouded isle of Britain. It follows the extraordinary journey of two powerful women whose destinies will shape the fates of their physical and spiritual descendants: Tiriki, a high priestess exiled by the fall of Atlantis, torn between the claims of love and duty, and Damisa, a young acolyte of royal blood, tempted by ambition to forsake her spiritual path. Hints of this mysterious past have haunted all the novels of Avalon, but until now the full sweep of this rich history has not been revealed. Dramatic, peopled with the remarkable women who have always inhabited Avalon, and set in a world of enchantment that will sweep readers to a richly imagined time and place, Marion Zimmer Bradley’s Ancestors of Avalon is another spectacular epic that is sure to please Bradley’s many ardent readers.

About the Author
Marion Zimmer Bradley was the bestselling author of The Mists of Avalon, Lady of Avalon, Priestess of Avalon, The Forest House, and The Firebrand, as well as the popular Darkover series of science fiction novels published by Daw. Diana L. Paxson is a noted fantasy author who collaborated with Bradley on many of her later works, including Priestess of Avalon. She has written twenty books, including the Arthurian series, The Hallowed Isle.

FROM OUR EDITORS

The Barnes & Noble Review
Ancestors of Avalon, another installment in the saga begun by Marion Zimmer Bradley's Arthurian classic The Mists of Avalon, chronicles the heroic plight of a small group of priests and priestesses -- ancestors whose spirits will, generations later, be reincarnated as focal characters in the Avalon sequence (The Mists of Avalon, The Forest House, Lady of Avalon, et al.) -- who are forced to flee the destruction of their beloved sea kingdom, Atlantis, and take refuge in the British Isles.

Like other novels in the Avalon saga, the story revolves around a handful of deeply spiritual and highly intelligent women. Tiriki is a Guardian in the Temple of Light who is married to Micail, an admired prince and dedicated priest. But as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions destroy Atlantis, Tiriki and her husband are separated in the chaotic exodus. On a ship full of anxious Atlanteans headed for a strange land; Tiriki despairs over the loss of her soul mate and -- most likely -- her country's long and storied heritage￯﾿ﾽ

Since Bradley's tragic death in 1999, Diana L. Paxson has done a commendable job of continuing this beloved Celtic saga. Set in a rugged Neolithic wilderness practically oozing supernatural energy and filled with cultural and religious conflict, this imaginative novel goes far in intermeshing the diverse story lines of all five novels in the Avalon sequence as well as Web of Darkness, a relatively obscure Bradley novel about the fall of Atlantis written in the early 1950s and not published until the 1980s. Paul Goat Allen

FROM THE PUBLISHER

"This new installment of Marion Zimmer Bradley's beloved Avalon saga tells the story of the ancestors of Avalon, from their life on the doomed island of Atlantis to their escape to the mist-shrouded isle of Britain. Woven into this tale are the journeys of two powerful women whose destinies will shape the fate of the new line of descendants." "Tiriki is Guardian of the Light, but she has grown up in the shadow of the curse of Atlantis. Graceful and gifted, she is the beloved wife and partner of Micail, a spiritual leader and prince. But when disaster divides them, she must find her own path in a new land, and the world she discovers could change her innermost desires forever. Will she find Micail? And if they are reunited, can they find love once again?" Damisa has inherited royal blood, and royal pride. In Atlantis she was only an acolyte, but in the new land she could become a queen. She is fierce and ambitious despite her tender years, but her heart remains torn. Will she choose the path of the priestess or the path of power?

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

Marion Zimmer Bradley's Ancestors of Avalon, Diana L. Paxson's latest prequel (after 2001's The Priestess of Avalon) to the late author's The Mists of Avalon, merges myths of Avalon and Atlantis in an adult faerie tale notable for its understated supernaturalism. An elegant stylist, Paxson captures the awe, tragedy and resounding mystery of ancient Britain and mist-enshrouded Atlantis while reminding readers of the pain and turmoil of real people locked in painful struggles for self, the future and the integrity of the past. Agent, Russ Galen at Scovil, Chichak, Galen Agency. Regional author tour. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

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