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“Elidyr Mwynfawr, King of Aeron, was a weak, greedy fool, and like many another such fool, he died of his folly. But because he was a King, in his dying he cost many better men their lives as well, and this was the way of it: for I, Gwernin Kyuarwyd, was there, and saw much of it myself, and the tale that I tell you is true…”In 6th century Wales, the ash spear – pren onn – was a symbol of warfare and of manhood, but it also stood for awen, the poetic inspiration of the bards. As war comes to North Wales, bardic apprentice Gwernin must master all three of its meanings in order to keep himself and his friends alive. From otherworldly dangers to rich rewards in the fire-lit halls of kings, from bloody battle and grueling labor to tender romance, The Ash Spear follows him in the thrilling conclusion of this first trilogy in the Storyteller series.… (more)
User reviews
This is the third in the Storyteller series, and there are often references to events of previous summers, which I assume are taken from the previous two novels. They don't get in the way however and I don't think that reading this will dull my enjoyment of the first two books when I go back to read them (with the exception of having the secure knowledge that certain characters will survive to make it to the next book!). I on't feel I really lost out in starting with the third book.
I found it took a little while to get into the story – partly as I spent most of the first chapter flicking between the main story and the pronunciation guide/glossary in the back to try and get the hang of the Welsh names and words. While it was really useful to have this, it is written in some kind of ‘proper’ phonetics rather than ‘stupid person’ phonetics that I understand, so I was still mystified about a few pronunciations…
After I had my head around that the story started to flow as Gwernin and his companions set out for Ynys Môn where Neirin would walk the ‘dark path’. This part of the story is not ‘realistic’, involving as it does characters taking part in each other’s dreams, but this fits into the rest of the story so well it was very easy to suspend my disbelief. Gwernin believed in what was happening and so did I and I never felt the book was crossing the line from historical fiction into fantasy, merely showing the reader that there wasn’t really such a line for our characters and this sort of ritual was a part of life (at least for bards anyway!).
After this episode Gwernin never really stops, moving from adventure to adventure at a very fast pace. This kept my interest very well - I found I was really looking forward to the chance to read more each day. The only downside was that I couldn’t help but feel sorry for poor Rhianneth worrying at home!
I also really enjoyed the poetry in this book, both in the poems and songs that Gwernin and friends perform for their numerous hosts and in the narration itself. Gwernin’s poetic voice comes through even when talking about the loss of his ‘trews’. It is at its best when he is describing his surroundings and the author uses this to create some beautiful images, for example the sea ‘silver-shining as a salmon in the sunlight’ was one of my favourites.
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys either historical fiction or mythology (it fits well into both) and a poetic and yet so easy to read writing style. I’ll definitely be adding the two other books in the series to my wishlist (and any future ones, I hope there will be more as things are not entirely resolved at the end)
The series follows Gwernin, a young storyteller in the generation after Arthur as he travels across the land, much of the time with Taliesin the bard. In this book the story becomes an adventure filled with dispute and rivalries and many a self contained short tale. It culminates in a thrilling adventure, through which the young storyteller comes of age. Whether that is the end of his tale is not clear, but it wraps things up in a satisfying manner for this book at least.
The research is as good as the story here. We are treated to snippets from early medieval writings, and allusions to others. The Gododdin feature in this story (and I note that the author and I share a book containing that poetry, among others), and there are also allusions to Anglo Saxon literary tradition and just a snippet of Old English. All this adds wonderfully to that sense of place I mentioned.
The author's historical note makes clear on one area where the story departs deliberately from the more commonly accepted view of the 6th Century bardic tradition - but again, as the notes say, the literary tradition is nevertheless not always supported by the archeological evidence. They don't call this the dark ages for nothing! So for the purposes of a good work of fiction, no one would quibble with the digression I think.
So this book was an enjoyable read. It may be hard going for anyone unfamiliar with Welsh names and pronounciation, but that all adds to the flavour of the book. Anyone enjoying historical novels or celtic themes should enjoy this variation on the coming of age theme.
In The Ash Spear, two themes helped distinguish this book from the previous two titles: Gwernin's initiation into Druidic wisdom, and his journey through (and time spent) in Saxon lands. Both fit the style of the series, but bring forward ideas and people only hinted at up to now. Grove notes her description of Druidic rites is, necessarily, invented for the most part, due to lack of strong evidence indicating what rites were used. I'm always interested in discussion of the meaning and significance of esoteric tradition, though, and while The Ash Spear builds upon the hints left in the previous books, the two main sections deal primarily with Druidic rite and Gwernin's experience of them. That fits the narrative voice, and while I am not expecting the detailed discussion available in such books as Schwaller de Lubicz's Her-Bak, I look forward to continued expansion of this side of Gwernin's character in future books.
Gwernin's journey to Saxon lands were an unexpected and welcome treat. For me, the contrast between the Saxon farmstead in Deira and Gwernin's now-familiar place in Powys served as a parallel universe. There was very much that was similar between the two, remarked upon by Gwernin himself, but enough different that it cast into high relief the world Grove builds when describing mediaeval Wales.
Finally, the book's perspective on war and military campaigns is refreshing. Once again, the overarching story is familiar from stories by Lamb and Pyle: a war party complete with infantry and cavalry rides out in defense of a threatened homeland, and there is opportunity for heroism and gallant adventure. For the most part, though, the heroism and adventure belong to others, not Gwernin. He rides in the pack train, and that makes a world of difference. A bit of the glamour rubs off, without it coming across like a lecture or modern moralising. A bit like hearing Hamlet's tale from Rosencrantz and Guildenstern ....
Like the previous two books, I will re-read The Ash Spear. It retains the strong sense of place and history established in the first books in the series, but is not so much "more of the same" (which would be welcome enough) as it is an extension into areas untouched or hinted at in the preceding stories.
I feel this gives us an good peek at what life at all levels was like during this period of history. It is a time hidden the mists because we have no real written record of what occurred at this time. We have only the stories and traditions that have been handed down to us. I believe Grove does and excellent job of weaving what is known with the traditions to give all a glimpse of what it would have been like to live at this time. From the position of the local kings down to what life would have been like for a slave of the time. I truly enjoyed reading this volume.
My only wish is that some how the story of Gwernin will be continued in the future. I believe he has a lot to tell us as he continues his life as a bard in the early days of Wales and the surrounding area. Gwernin please tell us more. Of course that "is truly a story for another day.
Gwernin is our still young hero, and apprentice bard. Having apparently spent last summer out on raids in the North, he is back home with his
What this book manages that the frist failed to do, is tell a cohesieve tale. This gives the story - even though still broken up by the annoying "tale for another day" ending of every chapter - better pacing and balance. It does flag a little bit in the middle, but not so much as to become boring. Gwernin still seems to live an idyllic life, without fear of disease or hunger, replete with easy women and warm clothes - but such is the lot of fantasy heros, even if historical evidence would suggest this was extremely rare.
One added bonus is that the short section of caving was well described, portraying an accurate feel of being underground. Overal this is much better book than the first in the series, and probably good enough to induce me to read the later works.
It took me until the end to realise just what is meant by an ash spear! I leave that to the reader!
The other books are Storyteller and Flight of the Hawk written by G. R. Grove.
Gwernin Kyarwyd is an apprentice bard, or storyteller, and this is a story of his journeys and trials. He is
Gwernim has a love, Rhiannedd, who is "the dark-haired delight of my heart" and she is carrying his child.
There are a number of characters in this book that have a close connections and loyalty to each other. Some other characters are Taliesin Ben Beirdd, Ieuan, Ugnach of Caer Sean and Neirin. The names are Welsh and hard to understand at first.
I had to go back and read the first chapters to get the names straight. I have not read the other two books and think they may have helped but this can be a stand alone book. I began to pull the pieces together.
The book is after the time of King Arthur and Taliesin tells the story of when he was the bard for Arthur and the final battle.
One character in the book, Neirin, is going to walk the Dark Path and needs the help of three bards. The Dark Path is a Druidic spiritual rite of passage. It is becoming a true bard. They go to the Island of Mon,
The Ash Spear was "the symbol of warfare and manhood but also stood for awen, the poet's inspiration of the bards". I had to find this on researching because somehow I missed the definition in the book.
I liked the saying after most chapters" O, my children, is a story for another day" which encourages the reader to keep reading. It was like a bard leaving you waiting.
G. R. Grove does an excellent job of descriptions and helps the reader know where the characters are and what they feel. There are emotions, pain, food, drinks, people, daily lives and worry. I really liked this book and look forward to reading her other books. I give it a five star because of the details and leaving me to want to do more research.
Go to the authors blog on treGwernin.blogspot.com to see what she is writing.
Leona Olson
This historical fiction book comes across as being well researched and entertaining. The characters feel natural and the setting seems fine. The
The author has some minor problems. The narrative is told from the main character's point of view instead of the normal omnipotent storyteller. The author sometimes makes too much of the description, something normal in writing but that doesn't feel natural when you keep in mind who is telling the tale. There were several instances where I thought that this isn't how you tell a story, this is how you write a story.
Over all it was a book well worth reading, with some things such as the catch phrase at the end of each chapter "But that, O my children, is a story for another day" is something you either like or get annoyed by the repetition. Other thing such as using especial instead of extra or special made me stop and consider. Something that I don't see as good while in the middle of reading fiction.
In the second novel, Flight of the Hawk, the young storyteller moves on to more adventures as he does in the Ash Spear. I was going to provide more information but quite frankly I don’t want to give anything away. I really enjoyed all three novels. They flowed from one to the other nicely and the best part, or I should say one of the best because there were many, is that at the end of the novel is a pronunciation guide for all of the rather difficult Welsh words as well as a wonderful postscript by the author that I almost wished was at the beginning of the novels as the pronunciation pages should have been as well. Some people may be put off by all the weird names and such but I promise if you stick with it the trilogy is well worth it.
The Ash Spear is set in sixth century Britain and tells of the continuing adventures of the bard-in-training Gwernin as he encounters kings, politics, war and hardship. I was impressed with the setting and background; the author did impeccable research and the history is brought to life with magnificent detail.
Written in the first person, the tale is spun with an effective tone, well flavoured in nuance and the right inflections. The narrating character is a genuine portrayal, coming across as a three-dimensional person with flaws. He was at various times amusing, heroic, irritating and unsympathetic, but always interesting. The book also does a nice job in depicting other characters and having them interact as a whole.
The Ash Spear does have a few problems, with occasional lapses in grammar and some poorly compiled sentence structure in the beginning of the novel. Also, the author ended the chapters with the same sentence, which I found quite annoying and repetitive. The novel, perhaps, could have benefitted from a shorter length as well; while beautifully written, some of the scenes had expansive descriptive passages which caused the pace to meander a bit.
Still, it was an enjoyable novel to read and appealing enough for me to consider reading the rest of the series.
This is the third book in a series, and I have not read the others so I'm not sure how this tale fits into the grand scheme, but as a stand alone it still held up. I'm not sure if he is a recurring character but the books main character is Gwernin a Storyteller. He is apprenticed to a renowned bard and is hoping to follow in his footsteps.
He grows a lot in this tale, he fights a little, he starts to find his poetic voice, and in the end he finds out more more about himself and his desires than he thought possible. There are elements of his character that I wasn't fond of, mainly his insatiable appetite for women without knowing more about who he was as a man. I don't know if it's his youth, or a permanent character attribute though I expect it's the latter.
It's an interesting book, and I'm glad I finally was able to curl up and read it.
Factional fighting between clans has erupted into full fledged warfare as Gwernin and Taliesin take to the road and before long they are literally in the thick of the battle. The research and detail appearing in the book are extensive and the author explains how she used the available resources and scant information available on that timeframe to weave a story as true to the time as is possible. She's done a very good job it seems, as the story flows along quite smoothly and believably. I felt immersed in this tale from the Dark Ages, of which we technically know so little regarding specifics. On a personal level, as a newbie to Dungeons and Dragons, this story has vastly improved my ability to imagine Druidic type characters and their lifestyle and the setting in which they lived by feeding my imagination so thoroughly with so many details.
Gwernin's adventures, besides bloody warfare, include "helping" his friend through a dark passage, a quite risky coming of age ceremony in which a psychedelic drug is drunk inducing an approximately 48 hour state of hallucinations that can easily prove to be fatal. Unfortunately for Gwernin, a young, insolent, obnoxious and unpopular acolyte is also under the tutelage of Taliesin and has taken a distinct dislike to our protagonist; a feeling that is mutual. This young lad and his foolish behavior very nearly end up being the end of Gwernin.
We are treated to realistic scenes of gatherings and festivities in the great halls of the time, and of course, the performances of the highly respected bards, including Gwernin, who hopes to become a full fledged member of their ranks before long. I enjoyed these scenes immensely, including the songs and stories that we are treated to. There is a refrain at the end of every chapter, as a segue into the next; and I liked that, too.
One detraction for me was the frequent gratuitous sexual escapades of Gwernin's which were eventually explained as something he just couldn't help and with which he continued throughout his life, apparently. All this while having a very pregnant girl back in his village who he was planning on settling down with before long, yet "settling down" he explained did not mean becoming monogamous. It was explained that his girl (presumed to be his wife eventually) allowed him this and turned her head the other way. That didn't sit well with me, particularly as it seemed against the grain of what we had come to expect of Gwernin, though while not perfect, of course, did usually seem to come off as better than that would indicate. I think that was an unnecessary dereogatory trait for him and took away somewhat from my enjoyment of an otherwise quite enjoyable tale of this time frame and setting.