The Greener Shore

This sequel to <a href="https://goodreads.com/book/show/618232.Druids" title="Druids by Morgan Llywelyn" rel="noopener">Druids</a> is much more compelling, more personal, and more magical. We rejoin Ainvar some years after the conclusion to Druids, during a journey in search of a new home, one which has not been spoiled by the presence of Romans. <br /><br />Ainvar is bitter and defeated, but still with the responsibilities of a chief druid, even though he no longer <i>feels</i> like one. His people still look to him for answers. Will he find them in the magical green land they settle in? Will he find answers for himself as well?<br /><br />I got to know Ainvar better here, he seemed more real. And even though I did get annoyed with his attitude at times, I understood his despair as well as his attempts to deal with it. <br /><br />I don't always find that sequels are better than first books, but for me this one definitely was. It would not be absolutely necessary to read Druids before The Greener Shore; but without reading that history you would not have a full appreciation for everything that happens in Hibernia.

Over the past 20 years, I've read several of Morgan Llewellyn's books, including "Lion of Ireland," "Bard," "Grania,""1916," "1921," and the companion novel to "The Greener Shore," the book "Druids." I have always admired her ability to weave fact and fiction, using the latter to flesh out the former into compelling reads that really make you feel as if you're there and can understand the characters, the landscape, and the times.<br /><br />This novel, however, disappointed me. There is material in this that is drawn from historical, archaeological, scholarly, and literary sources. However, there's also MUCH poetic license taken. Please don't read this thinking you're getting any kind of accurate portrayal of the ancient druids. This is a fantasy story, like "Mists of Avalon" or "Lord of the Rings."<br /><br />And, even as stories go, it was less a story and more a spiritual credo. It had a kind of "Celestine Prophecy" "Bridge Across Forever" quality to it, as if the novel were simply a vehicle for expressing a particular set of (very modern New Age) beliefs. The writing was saturated with repetitious talk about "the pattern," "the Source," the sanctity of nature, the experience of death, reincarnation, etc., not in a way which engaged the reader nor furthered any plot, but as an end in itself.<br /><br />The novel is written in the first person, from Ainvar's point of view, and most of it takes place entirely in his head as he ruminates over past failures, current failures, possible future failures, the nature of the universe, the perfection of nature, the magic which has seemingly abandoned him, crises of belief, and the hatred he has for Caesar and the Romans. But very little actually HAPPENS. Ainvar is little more than a spectator watching as various, disconnected activities, triumphs and tragedies, swirl around him. There are characters who seem terribly important to him -- such as Red Wolf, his wife Briga, his lost daughter Maia, and the fairy spirit woman of Ireland -- but these characters are mostly absent from the novel and the promise of their importance never plays out, other than as macguffins for sparking Ainvar's metaphysical and mental meanderings.

Druids was one of my favorite books so this long-awaited sequel was a must-read. I was not disappointed. The writing was fluid and the story so interesting I never wanted to pause my reading. At the end I was not ready to leave that world. I want more! There was just enough "magic" to give it that mythic feeling but what was most enjoyable was watching the practical blending of the technologies and cultures that came together and seeing the "roots" of the customs, laws, place names and legends that we know today.

Enjoyed this one more than the first (Druids). It gave me a similar sense of magic, but lacked the elements I disliked most in Druids - well worth the read!

Began slowly for me. Then began to captivate me. In the end, it humored, charmed and reminded me. A good tale!

ORIGINALLY POSTED AT <a href="http://www.fantasyliterature.com" rel="nofollow noopener">Fantasy Literature</a>.<br /><br />Chief Druid Ainvar, his three wives and their children, and about 15 other survivors from their Celtic clan are sailing west to Hibernia after years of hiding in the forests of Gaul after the Romans destroyed their clan and Julius Caesar murdered their charismatic leader, Vercingetorix.<br /><br />Ainvar, who relates their adventure in the first person, expended his druid magic in their last fight against the Romans and he knows how weak his tribe, the Carnutes, is. But the Romans are determined to wipe them out, so their only hope for salvation is to leave Gaul. When their little band arrives in Hibernia, they are at the sufferance and mercy of the Celtic clans who already inhabit the island. They must find a way to fit in with these Celts who have different beliefs and customs.<br /><br />The Greener Shore is a beautifully told historical fantasy. Morgan Llywelyn's language and characters are deep and vivid. Her female characters are particularly strong, wise, and believable. Ainvar himself is a thinker (we are often privy to his interesting inner musings on the nature of man and society) and he’s gentle except when the subject is Julius Caesar. Then he suddenly spouts delicious thoughts like these:<br /><br /> * The Romans kept coming. Tendrils of a poisonous weed, they extended their reach until at<br /> last we realized their true and deadly intent. Led by someone called Gaius Julius Caesar — a<br /> figure of walking excrement that needs three names to make it feel like a man — the Romans<br /> meant to steal everything from us, even the land on which we lived.<br /><br /> * With the splendid and shining Vercingetorix leading the united tribes of Free Gaul, we defied<br /> the despicable Caesar and his army of clanking dwarfs, and very nearly won.<br /><br /> * Druids read the future in entrails. The odious Caesar was only interested in spilling entrails<br /> for personal gain. He left the bloody ruin of an entire nation strewn across the lovely face of Gaul.<br /><br /> * As far as I was concerned, they were all Romans and equally guilty — maggots swarming over<br /> the corpse of Gaul<br /><br />Morgan Llywelyn’s language is most beautiful when describing the events that came before the Carnutes’ exodus: the shining glory of Vercingetorix and the horror of Roman ambition. Thus, The Greener Shore reads like an extended epilogue — all of the tension, action, and excitement have already happened and this is the last section that usually just explains whether or not they lived happily ever after. So I found myself thinking that Ms. Llywelyn should have written about Vercingetorix and the Romans instead. The Greener Shore is beautiful stuff, but it’s anti-climactic. The infrequent bouts of tension are quickly resolved and it feels like things are constantly winding down.<br /><br />When I went to post this review on the page I made two years ago for Morgan Llywelyn’s historical fantasies, I realized my mistake. The Greener Shore is an epilogue. It’s the sequel to Druids, which is a story about — you guessed it — how Vercingetorix and the Celtic clans of Gaul almost defeated Julius Caesar. I found The Greener Shore at Audible.com and incorrectly assumed, since it was the only Llywelyn book available, that it was a stand-alone.<br /><br />So I’m happy to report that The Greener Shore is a gorgeous novel that’s completely readable by itself, but it is the last act of what was likely a better story. I will read Druids someday and hope that it features less frequent reflections on The Source of All Being, The Pattern, The Balance, and Sacred Mother Earth, and will instead be full of dynamic characters, lots of action, and plenty of Morgan Llywelyn’s lovely language.

I love Morgan Llywelyn books, but this was not one of my favorites. The Greener Shore is comprised of far too much philosophy for my taste. The philosophy of the ancient Druids is used as the main subject that the book is built around. I would have been fine with a little philosophy thrown in, but not as 95% of the subject matter of the book. The book tended to meander and get very long-winded as well. <br /><br />I picked up The Greener Shore thinking it would be more about the day-to-day lives of this group of individuals who fled their home country of Celtic Gaul to make a new life in Hibernia (present day Ireland). Although the book does touch on the basics of that relocation and settlement, The part is told almost as an aside. It's very clear that the main purpose of the book is to expound on the nature of knowledge, reality, and existence. Not that there's anything wrong with that. It's just that I wasn't looking for an in-depth philosophical read at the moment.<br /><br />But . . . I do feel this is a good book if philosophy of the ancients is what you are looking to read. It's filled with pearls of wisdom. Had I not been listening to the audio version, I would have highlighted and saved many of the sentences and phrases I came across in The Greener Shore. <br /><br />So The Greener Shore is a great book if you are looking for this type of subject matter. Morgan Llywelyn is an excellent author. But just make sure you know what you are getting into when you choose this book. <br /><br />

I was really going with this story until the end. I enjoyed the author's take on the Druids and their magic. And the characters were well-drawn and believable. Unfortunately, the POV shift in the final pages was incongruous and disturbing.

Love this sequel to the first book, DRUIDS. I am looking forward to reading other books by Morgan Llywelyn.

Having read the first 'Druids' book by Llywelyn when it was originally published some 30 years ago, I was happy to find that a follow-up had been written. I found my hardcover copy recently in a used bookstore and was delighted to have it finally.<br />After finishing 'The Greener Shore' I immediately wanted to go back and read 'Druids'. Ainvar's journey and life is difficult to define and Llywelyn writes in a way that is honest about merely being able to skim the surface of a persons life. What we see in this second book is a wizened Ainvar, seasoned, a middle-aged man who has been exposed to life.<br />Ainvar carries a burden that I think many modern 'mystical' leaning folk are familiar with - the challenge of living in two worlds at once. Llywelyn uses the effigy of the two-faced god to represent a constant reminder that polarities exist in a complicated world, that sometimes two principles are in play, and that usually one wins over the other. <br />Ainvar questions himself in this book. He questions whether the Source is out there, whether Magic is something tangible, whether his senses are true - but it is never to heavy handed and never the focus, it is one of the many threads that Llewelyn plays out to portray a life lived. <br />There were many memorable quotes, and my copy is dog-eared from the words I want to carry with me...after I finished I thumbed through them as a reminder of what I had experienced.<br />Far and away one of the few books, in the last few years, that kept my attention to the last word. I would have gladly read another 500 pages.