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The Meeting Of The Waters (The Watchers
book 1) by Caiseal Mor check out website: www.earthlight.co.uk
Here, the story begins with a darkened forest and the death of a young man. This event is pivotal because of who the man turns out to be, the son of the Danaan King, and in dying in the care of the Fir-Bolg King. The boy, Fearna, had been placed by the Druid council in the Fir-Bolg King, Brocan's, court as a hostage to ensure good relations between the clans.
Fearna was spurred on by Brocan's own jealous children to drink heavily then try to ride a skittish horse in the middle of the night. He fell and was crushed to death by the horse. Brocan's children denied all knowledge of his death and hostilities between the two clans resumed as Brocan refused to pay blood money for, what he believed to be, Fearna's own foolishness. Their fighting is only halted by the intervention of the Druid Council, and the prospect of a new threat from over the sea. The novel begins with promise. The eerie mystery in the fog-wreathed forest and the death of Fearna all contribute to making the opening of the story that so important part, enticing and intriguing. However, this promise is swiftly broken. The plot is basic and the characters act out their roles depending on what the story requires and not what would work in a realistic fashion depending on their characters. Hence, Brocan, a supposedly generous, wise, elected king, acts like the worst kind of stubborn child throughout the novel. The level of writing is basic and random acts are incorporated into the text simply to further a plot that is full of holes. If Brocan did not keep arguing with his wife so publicly and detest his children for no apparent reason, the resultant situation would be wholly different. It would also require more from the author in terms of writing ability. ‘The Meeting Of The Waters’ ultimately suffers from a serious lack of depth in every aspect, from character development to storyline. The one original feature lies in the creation of the entities known as the Watchers. These are beings raised from humanity to something other by a Witch-King from a by-gone era, who employed them to sow discord amongst the enemy. Even these characters, however, turn out to be shallow and capricious with no real substance behind the illusory facades. Caiseal Mor struggles to create the air of mystery that permeates Zimmer Bradley's novels. Mor possesses all of the raw ingredients but has managed to go very wrong somewhere with his method. Sana Master
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OTHER REVIEWS - July 2004
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‘The
Meeting Of The Waters’ attempts to draw on the traditions of Celt
mythology and reminds one strongly of the conventions of Arthurian
literature. The druidic culture prevails and is the source of all
magic in this novel. It also incorporates the bardic power revitalised
by authors such as Marion Zimmer Bradley and Stephen Lawhead.
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