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The Mabinogion by Evangeline Walton (Fantasy
Masterpieces # 37) check out website: www.orionbooks.co.uk
Druidic culture and Warrior Kings at one with the land abound and many of the current best British fantasists draw on these myths to colour in their own created landscapes. 'The Mabinogion' begins with a character named Pwyll. He is a young powerful Lord in his land and we are told he is a part of the New Tribes. This immediately alerts us to the tension that is running throughout in the universal theme of Old versus New.
The Old Reaper appears to be in something of a quandary. His Kingdom is threatened and Death needs living power to combat his enemy. The subsequent stories trace the lineage of Pwyll whose manipulation by the Gods results in his sterility. Genial Bran, King of the Islands of the Mighty, whose desire for his son to take up the family business ends the Old Tribe tradition of ascribing Kingship by matrilineal descent. Finally, Māth the Ancient who has been reborn so many times he is approaching Divinity. All authors that write of this age often describe the power women held during this time. Without the benefit of science (and often common sense) they did not see the link between a man lying with a female and her producing a baby nine months later. Thus, the power of creation was seen as the province of woman alone. Men may have been stronger but it was through women that the race was increased and this was also the only sure way a child's parentage could be known. Hence, matrilineal descent. The New Tribes realised this and learnt to savour the value of man's seed. However, in doing so they began to denigrate the female role and undermine her previously more powerful position. The language Walton uses in this novel harks back to an earlier time when writing was done with great elegance. This decorum helps draw the reader far back into the mists of time and alters the British Isles, as we know them into this surreal, magical place. Evangeline Walton has done amazingly well with this work which draws together the fragmented parts of the Mabinogi, as it was known, and represents them in this cohesive prose form. There is great consistency in the way she portrays the stories of each branch of the disparate families and her principle theme of Old versus New is clear and conveyed with sensitivity and pathos. I began this review with an order to read this book and I unhesitatingly repeat this sentiment. It clarifies many of the allusions authors use and all in all is a fantastic read. Sana Master
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OTHER REVIEWS - January 2004
Books and Magazines By Moonlight Only edited by Stephen Jones The MasterHarper Of Pern by Anne McCaffrey The Complete Book Of Gerry Anderson's UFO by Chris Bentley Down The Bright Way by Robert Reed Dragon's Kin by Anne and Todd McCaffrey Cerulean Sins by Laurell K. Hamilton The Third Alternative # 36 - Autumn 2003 Southern Fire by Juliet E. McKenna The Mabinogion by Evangeline Walton The Glass Mountain by Jessica Rydill The Gathering Storm by Kate Elliott Lord Of Snow And Shadows by Sarah Ash The Wind From The Sun by Arthur C. Clarke DVDS and Videos Terminator 3: The Rise Of The Machines The Tomorrow People 3:3 and 3.4: A Man For Emily and The Revenge Of Jedikah
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'The Mabinogion' is a book that all lovers
of British fantasy should read. It is rooted in the Celtic myth
that makes up British pre-Roman history. 
During
a hunt, a good strong portrayal of masculinity, Pwyll is insidiously
drawn into a meeting with Arawn, also known as Death. 
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