Like I Need More Books...

I have recently discovered an author whose books I have been trying to track down. Her name is Morgan Llywellen and she writes about all things Irish. Her fiction usually gets put in the fantasy section, but covers a variety of different topics, some historical fiction both recent and reaching back to the dawn of Irish history, some based on mythological figures. The first book of hers I read is 'Druids' and it is the story of the Celtic tribes of Gaul, focusing on a tribe in northern Gaul around present-day Chartres where the sacred druid grove was. The tale centers around Ainvar, the Chief Druid and his friendship with Vercingetorix, the warrior who united the Celtic Gauls against Julius Caesar and the Romans. A fascinating story of the Gallic wars from the other perspective. It did make me want to find a translation of Caesar's 'The Gallic Wars' which I haven't done yet. The sequel to it dealt with Ainvar and his tribe fleeing Gaul for Ireland after the Roman's victory and the capture of Vercingetorix. I found a couple more at Half-Price Books dealing with Cuchulain and Finn Mac Cool. Irish history and mythology has always fascinated me but I have never known where to start, and it's funny to see all the old familiar place names that I knew from playing Hibernian characters in Dark Age of Camelot come to life and find out about the real places they were based on. Of course it is readily apparent that Irish history and mythology have a habit of intertwining and it's not always easy to tell what is truth and what is myth.

music I'm currently listening to:

Ella Fitzerald

books I am currently reading:

Star Wars: Truce at Bakura
Red Branch by Morgan Llywellyn
Ragamuffin Gospel (yes, again) by Brennan Manning
(I was inspired by his recent visit to our church for a weekend conference)

currently playing:

World of Warcraft