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Title: Mystic Rose, The by Stephen R. Lawhead ISBN: 0-380-82018-8 Publisher: Eos Pub. Date: 03 December, 2002 Format: Mass Market Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.58 (12 reviews)
Rating: 3
Summary: Par ending to a Par series
Comment: I feel like I am commiting a sacriligeous act by writing a bad review of a Stephen Lawhead novel.
I loved the Pendragon Cycle. read the series twice
I wept in the Song of Albion read the series 4 times
I was enheartened by Byzantium. third time reading
And I reminisced in Avalon. read twice
But I was disappointed in the Celtic Crusades. Its not that they were bad. They weren't at all. But they weren't good either. They were just "there". Kinda like your belly button. It doesn't look bad, it doesn't look good. It just "exists".
I was dissapointed in the character developement. I never cared much for any of the characters in this series, least of all Cait in the "Mystic Rose". There is not much motivation to continue reading a series when all the characters bore you. I did like Rognivald (sp?).
I never cared much about the plot either. Searching and recovering holy artifacts is just plain boring and not to mention its already been done. Stick with the stories about men and the love they have for their people and their country (Albion and Pendragon) and stick with stories of men on historic and spiritual journies (Byzantium).
Did anyone else get the feeling that the rest of the series was written because he just "had to finish the series"?
Very dissapointed but not so dissapointed that I am not eagerly awaiting his next novel or series.
Rating: 5
Summary: Good conclusion to an exciting series
Comment: This is the third volume in the Celtic Crusades series and I would rate this one as "not as good as the first, but better than the second." All of the books in this series are very good. The characters are well-developed, the plots are good and there are many interesting sub-plots. My only gripe is that the first two get started a little slowly, but if you hang in there for the first 50-75 pages then the action gets going well.
The Mystic Rose does the best job of the three in grabbing your attention at the beginning and holding it. Within the first few pages an event happens that sets the tone for the rest of the book. The heroine, Caitriona sets off on a quest to avenge her father's murder and capture Christendom's most sacred relic. In fact, capturing Christendom's most sacred relic is integral to her plan for revenge. This sets up a dicey moral dilemma that is resolved nicely at the end.
I find things like this moral dilemma to be one of Lawhead's strengths. In so much Christian fiction the heroes are cookie cutter Christians who seem to rise above all of the sins and temptations of the common man. Lawhead's heroes, and Caitriona in particular are very earthy, and very sinful people. The upshot of this is that he tells a story that leads one to believe that God, in his mercy, is the real hero of the story, not the protagonist of the book.
At the end of this story, Caitriona is less conquerer and more conquered by the love and mercy of God. This is a very gospel based story line.
All in all, the entire series is a worthwhile read.
Rating: 3
Summary: Good ending to a GREAT trilogy.
Comment: I have to say that, after reading some other reviews on here, that I almost didn't buy this book. Thankfully, my desire to finish this trilogy overcame any trepidation caused by poor reviews, so I purchased the book and brought it to the beach.
The book is not up to Lawhead's usual fare. The plot tends to drag in places, and some of the description becomes tediously overdone. I did enjoy the story, and found myself reading more than I had planned at each sitting(thank God for sunscreen, or I'd have been a lobster!). Cait's quest for the Grail, her desperate search for her sister -- these parts of the book drew me further. Her encounter with both the subjects of her search in the same place and her ... but I will say no more, so as to not give away precious plot points. Suffice to say that the book is well worth the time and effort in reading it. For those who have followed Murdo and Duncan, this book contributes to the BOTH stories that we have been following -- the story of the returning Crusader, and the story of the modern-day Cele De.
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Title: Black Rood, The by Stephen R. Lawhead ISBN: 0061051101 Publisher: Zondervan Pub. Date: 01 June, 2001 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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Title: The Iron Lance (The Celtic Crusades, Book 1) by Stephen R. Lawhead ISBN: 0061051098 Publisher: HarperCollins Pub. Date: 04 April, 2000 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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Title: Byzantium by Stephen R. Lawhead ISBN: 0061057541 Publisher: HarperCollins Pub. Date: 01 August, 1997 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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Title: Patrick by Stephen R. Lawhead ISBN: 0060012811 Publisher: William Morrow Pub. Date: 01 March, 2003 List Price(USD): $25.95 |
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Title: Avalon: : The Return of King Arthur by Stephen R. Lawhead ISBN: 038080297X Publisher: HarperTorch Pub. Date: 01 December, 2000 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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