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This is the newest book from Stephen Lawhead. After Pope Urban II declares the crusades, a young Celt is left behind as his father and brothers join the Holy war. Burdened by a corrupt king and clergy, he travels to the Holy Land where he receives an object which will protect his family for years to come.
 Taliesin |
 Merlin |
 Arthur |
 Pendragon |
 Grail |
The Pendragon Cycle consists of five parts. They are 'Taliesin', 'Merlin', 'Arthur', 'Pendragon' and 'Grail'. 'Taliesin' tells of the destruction of Atlantis, and the development of Charis and Taliesin, Merlin's parents. 'Merlin' is the tale of Merlin's childhood and as an adult in his almost immortal life, telling of the saving of Arthur and the sword in the stone. 'Arthur' is tells of Arthur's childhood and destiny. 'Pendragon' is about Merlin aiding Arthur's rise to power and the earning of his immortal name, Pendragon. 'Grail', the final part of the series tells of a great treachery, and the establishment of the Summer Kingdom.
 The Paradise War |
 The Silver Hand |
 The Endless Knot |
The 'Song of Albion' is a trilogy made up of 'The Paradise War', 'The Silver Hand' and
'The Endless Knot'.
The style of writing is a little more mature than 'The Lord of the Rings'. It is a very
intellectual book, and makes for an interesting read. The trilogy follows the adventures
of an Oxford University student who stumbles into the Otherworld. It is based on Celtic
mythology.
Stephen Lawhead has also written a sci-fi saga entitled 'Empyrion'; 'Byzantium', the tale of an Irish monk's adventures in the Byzantine empire, and 'The Dragon King Trilogy', a fantasy set in Atlantis.
This interesting trilogy sends Tory Alexander travelling through time to the Dark Ages and Atlantis, to change the future. The first book "The Ancient Future: the dark ages" sends Tory to the time of Maelgwyn of Gwynedd, where she changes the future of Britain. In "An Echo in Time: Atlantis" she goes to Atlantis to learn their secrets when her husband is dying. In the final episode "Masters of Reality: the gathering" people from her past incarnate return for the final struggle against an interstellar army sent to destroy them at the Gathering of Kings.
 The Fellowship of the Ring (Book 1) |
 The Two Towers (Book 2) |
 The Return of the King (Book 3) |
This is an obvious one, but this book is great. It is a book you will read again and again. The plot is so thick that when you read it for a second and third time you discover new things right throughout the story. It is hard to put down, because it is so cleverly written. Little sub-stories continuously appear, and many of the mysteries discovered in one, usually aren't explained till a few chapters later. In this way the reader is forced to endlessly ask questions. The book explains the destruction of Sauron and the One Ring, and the beginning of the Fouth Age. The Appendices at the end explain some of the history of the Second Age of Middle Earth.
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Also by Tolkien, in the 'Lord of the Rings' saga, 'The Hobbit' and 'The Silmarillion'. The Hobbit is wonderful, although not as much an epic as The Lord of the Rings. It explains how Bilbo Baggins first got the One Ring, along with Tolkien's typical sub-stories. The Silmarillion is a much slower read, with difficult language, but is full of adventure. The book explains the early history of Middle Earth. |  |
