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Slave, soldier, lover, hero, saint,--his life mirrored the cataclysmic world into which he was born. His memory will outlast the ages. Born of a noble Welsh family, he is violently torn from his home by Irish raiders at age sixteen and sold as a slave to a brutal wilderness king. Rescued by the king's druids from almost certain death, he learns the arts of healing and song, and the mystical ways of a secretive order whose teachings tantalize with hints at a deeper wisdom. Yet young Succat Morgannwg cannot rest until he sheds the strangling yoke of slavery and returns to his homeland across the sea. He pursues his dream of freedom through horrific war and shattering tragedy--through great love and greater loss--from a dying, decimated Wales to the bloody battlefields of Gaul to the fading majesty of Rome. And in the twilight of a once-supreme empire, he is transformed yet again by divine hand and a passionate vision of "truth against the world," accepting the name that will one day become legend . . . Patricius!… (more)
User reviews
Lawhead does not give us a saintly portrait; this Patrick is a selfish and deceitful person as he deals with life in Europe at the time the Roman Empire was teetering. When Patrick finally breaks and acknowledges God, he determines to return to Ireland. Some readers may disagree with Lawhead's conclusions, but the story does well in illuminating a dark time.
Of
But as the whole thing settles into my mind, I am beginning to like it more. The plot really is first rate, and the characters very interesting. The change in Succat (Patrick) is believeable and interesting. Lawhead's settings are alive, from Britain, to Ireland, to Gaul, to Rome.
In the end, I must recommend it, but not without the warning that this is not the story of a priest in Ireland. It is about the making of a priest.
As long as you don't use this as a historical source book, there is much to enjoy in this story. My only criticism is that, having read quite a lot of Lawhead this year, I am beginning to find the formula for his books somewhat rehearsed. Not totally though - this is still a fine read.
All in all, a lovely book.
Torn from his noble Welsh family, who were killed by raiding bands of Irish barbarians, and consigned as a slave, Succat, as St. Patrick's real name, he makes failed attempts to escape, is threatened with death if he tries to escape again, is educated in the
First of all, I found it quite boring up to page 294, which is two-thirds into the book, so boring I almost laid the book aside. Then, there is action and adventure that keeps me reading. There are some very good dialogues of wisdom in the pages that follow; for example, "Grief only sharpens a man's vision" (p.420; and, see my favorite quote in "comment" section).
However, the story is somewhat disjointed. Especially at the end where, all of a sudden, Succat becomes somewhat of a Druid "priest" challanging a king to humble himself before God. For me, his change from a man despairing and doubting God to one of a solid faith, so much so that he performs miracles before a king, is sudden, vague, and unconnected. The author does not clearly develop a consistent story where you can clearly follow Succat's transformation. The author seems to have either not been too interested in writing the book, got too involved in the story itself and did ignored character's transformation or didn't know exactly how to end it.
In any case, this book was rather disappointing. Even though the last few pages had some good insights, the story itself was, for the most part, boring and flowed unevenly.