Journey to SRL

[twyrch]

dinadan said:

the Mabinogian is the surviving collection of ancient Welsh tales...you should try the translation done by Lady Charlotte Guest in the late 19th century.

Yep! Found it. The Mabinogian Tetrology.

Thanks, Dinadan!

[Gwalchmai]

I'm aware of who Percival is. And yes I've read the Mabinogion several times. I'm just saying that according to some versions of the tale, Percival is the nephew to the Fisher King... in this case Avallach.

[strider]

Hi all...first post on this forum etc etc.....

Twas perhaps 15 years ago that I discovered Taliesin at the bookshop, read the blurb, read the first few pages, and then asked for the (then) trilogy for Christmas. Spent the summer reading and re-reading them. Then re-read them annually for the next few years and snapped up the sequels as soon as I could.

Albion Cycle was a uni pleasure - especially given the Oxbridge architecture of my uni. Couldn't get enough of SRL and so I sought after Avalon as soon as I found out about that too.

The Celtic Crusades - a post uni delight.

Looking forward to Hood turning up in the shops... not holding my breath though.

[bear]

Hmm this is the first time I've read this thread. Reading through has made me realize I was a Lawhead late bloomer. I really started reading about a year and a half ago and blazed through quite a few books by Lee Child (Jack Reacher Series) and then after I saw "Eragon" I decided to read the novel which is almost always better than the movie anyway. While I was looking for "Eldest" the second book in that series I happened to see a book with tribal art and green flame that caught my eye. I picked it up and read a little bit and there and then got hooked. I started with SOA I guess last Christmas and have since gotten DKS, Celtic Crusades, Patrick, Hood, and won't stop til I have read everything he has written.

[flammie]

Hey everyone! It has been over 3 years since someone has posted on this thread, so i guess it is up to a newbie here to get it going again. In 2004 my Mother had randomly picked up The Paradise War at a christian bookstore and gave it to me saying "I think this is something like the books you usually read, hopefully you like it" and gave it to me for Christmas that year. It sat on my bookshelf until 2009 when one day i picked up and read the jacket and figured i would finally give it a shot. Dang, i wished i would have listened to my Mother when she gave it to me! I instantly fell in love with it and purchased the final 2 books in the Song of Albion trilogy, and since then i have been trying to get everyone i know to read them. I have just finished Patrick, which i also thoroughly enjoyed, and yesterday i started The Skin Map. After The Skin Map i am not sure where i am going possibly The Celtic Crusades? or Byzantium? or possibly Dream Thief? I am really curious to read Stephen's writing in a space setting!! Any comments or suggestions would definitely be appreciated.

[Tegid]

Hi, flammie, and welcome here! Thanks for telling us how you came to fall in with such a crowd. The Song of Albion did it for a good number of us. And [brown]Cynan[/brown] could possibly be persuaded to discuss Patrick at greater length with you.

You are really going to like The Skin Map! The downside will be the wait for the rest of the installments. Of course, if you keep it on your shelf for five years like you did with The Paradise War, then you won't have this problem, but please don't do that.

Not that Lawhead's latest book is 'like' Dream Thief, I would still say that a person who really enjoys The Skin Map and wants to know which of the books you've listed should be next, then Dream Thief would be a great choice.

Byzantium and The Celtic Crusades would be more of a shift of gears to historical fiction. Many consider Byzantium to be their favorite Lawhead book. It will be a bit heavier reading than The Skin Map.

And what about the Pendragon cycle? Surely that's on your list of things to read, isn't it? I hope you intend to read all his novels before too very long. Please let us know what you think about them as you continue this journey.

[squire]

Welcome, flammie!

I love those books that just sit on my shelf for years, and then when I DO read them, I realize the awesomeness I was missing all that time!

I also strongly recommend the King Raven Trilogy, though I am sort of in the same boat with you in that I have only read a handful of Lawhead's masterpieces.

I actually discovered Mr. Lawhead a couple of years ago when I picked up "Hood" in my local Christian bookstore. I read the first chapter in the store and was so captivated that I decided to buy the second book, "Scarlet" too. He instantly became my favorite author and has also become a sort of role model when it comes to style and his writing career. (I, too, aspire to become a proffessional fiction author.)

I am currently reading The Skin Map (and, after adjusting to the different style, quite enjoying it). I am slowly working to buy the Pendragon Cycle so as to read it, and also look forward to reading all of Mr. Lawhead's books some day soon.

[CynanMachae]

Sept 7, 2010 19:05:43 GMT -5 Tegid said:

And [brown]Cynan[/brown] could possibly be persuaded to discuss Patrick at greater length with you.

Yes indeed. I do believe I stand alone in this forum in choosing Patrick as my favorite Lawhead book (though, really, it's impossible to say any of his books are better than the Albion trilogy, so I have to call it a tie). But I'm definitely okay with that -- it is a testament to the uniqueness of every reader and of SRL's writing!

[flammie]

Thanks for the comments guys! I just finished The Skin Map this afternoon, and wish i could go out and buy the next book! Truth be told, so far it is not my favorite work by Mr. Lawhead, but i realize that is it the first book in a series and is setting up the other 4 books. It stinks that we have to wait another year for the next book, but i guess it gives me time to read all of Mr. Lawhead's other works. That is a very lofty goal for me considering i do not always have a lot of time to read, but it is my goal nonetheless. Cynan, thank you very much for your comments on Patrick (in the Patrick thread) and i have to agree with you that so far i believe Patrick and the SOA trilogy are tied for my favorites. I have ordered Dream Thief from Amazon and plan to start that as soon as it arrives. I will keep everyone posted, and thanks for letting me join the forum. Hopefully with the release of The Skin Map more people will start reading Mr. Lawhead's works and this forum will become more active.

[rhiannon]

Hi Flammie, I'm francine, welcome to the SRL forum. I have been waiting to read it; gotta pay off my friend first alas. Looking forward to finally getting the skin map. SRL and Bernard Cornwell's works have me interested enough to pursue a Masters in History.