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Review - Ravens of Avalon... A True Unkindness

Image credit: Penguin Publishing Group

Celts, Pagan magick, warriors defending their homeland. What's not to like?

    At first glance, Ravens of Avalon sounds like something that would be right up my alley. I have always had a fascination with the history behind Boudica. Hell, I've even thought of writing my own historical novel surrounding the warrior queen. Ancient Britons defending their land from the Roman Empire is always going to be something that sparks my fire. Call me an underdog kind of guy. I just love when people punch above their weight.

    Ravens of Avalon tells the tale of Boudica from the very beginning of her life as a young adolescent through her death. For those who don't know their history too well, I will preface here by saying that there is not very much known about Boudica in general. As a matter of fact, it wasn't until some cultural renaissances hundreds upon hundreds of years after her death that she suddenly became a topic of interest. Boudica's importance as a feminist symbol aside, her main claim to fame is the rallying of tens of thousands of Britannia's warriors determined to expel the Roman tide from their shores.

    Diana L. Paxson gives us an imagining of Boudica's youth steeped in the mysterious background of Marion Zimmer Bradley's Avalon. Centuries before Arthur, the druids and priestesses of Avalon work together to bring nature's magick to those who need it most. Individuals like the priestess Lhiannon also instruct many of the young Celts from noble families in their ways. Boudica is one such youth. Promising in spirit and body, but not so much in spellcraft, Boudica eventually leaves with her druidess education to begin life as the new wife for a lesser king of Britannia. As time goes, and the Roman atrocities pile on, Boudica's anger fills to enough of a breaking point that she finds it necessary to call on the Raven Queen, the Morrigan herself, to exact vengeance on the Romans who have devastated the land.

The Good

The action sequences in the book are pretty solid. I've definitely read better from the likes of Joe Abercrombie or Mark Lawrence, but Paxson did surprise me in her ability to craft the detail necessary to thrust us readers into the fray. There are definitely plenty of details as a whole, and the book's consistency probably should be listed among its strong points as well. There was never really a time where I felt that Boudica or Lhiannon acted out of character. 

The Bad

The book is a slog. It takes a long time to trudge through, and the vast majority of it truly feels like filler. Boudica's rebellion literally only takes up the final 20-25% of the novel, so the rest of virtually everything is just stuff that Paxson piled on to build a story. That's perfectly fine. I've done some of that myself. The problem lies more in the fact that the narrative Paxson builds is... boring.

    Lhiannon is not an interesting character. Point blank. And the unfortunate part is that her story takes up half of the book. Every other chapter showcases a druidess who whines about her self-sacrifice in the form of the virginity that she refuses to part with because of a fear of losing her abilities. This despite the fact that she's madly in love with a fellow druid who wants nothing more than to make her happy. Yawn.

    If Lhiannon represents self-discipline, however, Boudica is just the opposite. While mainly just lusting after her husband, it's something that Paxson felt the need to remind us of every fifth page. Just in case you were still wondering, Boudica wants to ride her stallion. And I don't mean the horse. We get it. Can we have something with a bit more substance?

    Guess not.

The Verdict

Ravens of Avalon had the potential to be something really great. Something really interesting. The fact that the Morrigan plays such a strong role in it alone should have meant more. But it really didn't. The whole book fell flat to me, and unfortunately that will be the end of my interest in anything from the Mists series.

4/10

Worse than Most

Want to check out my own historical fiction? Check out Leatherneck.

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