The Well of Shades

Two brilliant novels precede this one and I was a little worried that perhaps the depth of characters and story telling might wane. My worry was for nothing. This book takes one of characters in another direction and gives an incredible backdrop as to why he became the man he did. The arrival of Christians in a Celtic land and the power games of strong leaders / kings give a vast scope to the ups and downs of family life - weaving the ordinary and the extraordinary in a tapestry that makes great reading. I hope their is a Chronicle 4 and look forward to it.

A great read. Written beautifully and with much historical information which I like. I had difficulty putting the book down so anxious was I 2 get 2 the end yet not wanting 2 miss anything either.

This is volume 3 of The Bridei Chronicles and it would be wiser to read volumes one and two before starting it, not least because they’re pretty good. So is this, though at times I thought it should be titled the Faolan Chronicles. I thought the same about volume two. Bridei is King of the Priteni in ancient Scotland and Faolan, a Gael, is his bodyguard and best spy. In volume two Faolan was unlucky in love and the start of this book finds him back home in Erin trying to put his past to rest and pay old debts. Previously a man called Deord saved Faolan’s life at the cost of his own. Faolan tracks down Deord’s daughter, Eile, and finds her in difficult circumstances, that is, half starved and being serially raped by her stepfather. She has a three year old daughter, Saraid, from this union. Faolan’s debt of honour to her father means he ends up taking charge of their destinies. But his own is troublesome enough. Confrontation with his family, who thought him long dead, brings several surprises. Back home in Fortriu King Bridei has his own troubles. He wants a time of peace in the realm but others want him to seek the throne of the sister Kingdom of Circinn to the south. Fearing another war he doesn‘t want to do this, which means some chiefs may turn against him. Meanwhile his wife Tuala confronts Chief Druid Briochan with the fact that he is her father. Briochan then vanishes into the wilderness just when Bridei needs him most. He needs him because the charismatic Christian Colm, a monk, is coming to petition for a colony on Iona. Bridei is faithful to the Old Religion but there are Christians all around him and offending them is risky. Then there is a beautiful blonde guest at his court who is, it turns out, as crazy as a shithouse rat, and far deadlier. I can’t say more without giving away the plot. Suffice to say anyone who enjoyed the first two Chronicles will love this as well. In fact, it’s probably the best of the bunch. It has the Druid magic of the first two books and accurate descriptions, too, of the cold, harsh reality of life in ancient Scotland. Juliet Marillier’s writing is simultaneously elegant and easy to read. The characters are loveable, likeable or dastardly enough to stir the emotions and clever plotting keeps the suspense building right to the end. I thoroughly enjoyed it. The story is loosely based on Pictish history in the latter half of the sixth century and several of the main characters were actual historical figures, notably St. Columba. This book ends with Bridei still a young man, a political/religious situation still in flux and a large cast of interesting characters all set for further adventures. There is lots of scope for more Bridei Chronicles and I, for one, hope more will be forthcoming.

After reading the Sevenwater series I did not expect the Bridei series to be as good ,but it was amazing I found it impossible to put down ,in fact I went through withdrawal symptoms after finishing it

Good follow on in the series - compulsive reading

Engaging historical fantasy novel. Full of intrigue, plotting and love. Good character development. It is clearly a well researched novel.

Excellent service great book

Juliet Marillier is one of my most favourite authors. I love all her books and I loved this one too. The only problem I found with this story is that I didnt like one of the main characters very much. I thought Eile came across rude and very ungrateful. I understand the circumstances that she came from and that she cant trust anyone because of that... but I just didnt like her very much. It was weird really. I found myself wishing she had more manners, humility and grace. However it is testament to JM's writing skill, that I feel so strongly about a character that I must write a review! Wonderful writer.

A great final book to the trilogy, though as always, I could definitely use more of this world!

Brilliant book, by a great author.

Nachdem dieser dritte Teil der Bridei-Triologie nach zwei Jahren nicht auf Deutsch erschien, fragte ich beim Heyne-Verlag nach. Mir wurde mitgeteilt, dass die Übersetzerin leider überraschend gestorben war. Somit habe ich mir das englische Original gekauft, weil ich auf Faolans Schicksal mega-gespannt war. Ganz schnell bin ich in den Fluss der klaren englischen Sprache von Juliet Marillier gekommen. Juliet Marillier setzt hier spannend und folgerichtig fort, wie er das Schicksal seiner eigenen Familie mutig aufrollt und zum Frieden bringt. Gleichermaßen trifft er auf Eile, die Tochter von Deord. Diese lebt mit ihrer kleinen Tochter Saraid bei der Schwester von Deord und deren Mann. Es ist ein Leben in totaler Erniedrigung und Abhängigkeit. Die junge Frau ist äußerst mißtrauisch, aber Faolan nimmt sich der Beiden an. Juliet Marillier entwickelt hier genial die Geschichte von zwei Menschen, die sich beide in ihrem Leben als Einzelkämpfer sehen. Es entwickelt sich mit der Zeit der zu bestehenden Abenteuer eine innige tiefe Beziehung. In lebensbedrohlichen Situationen sind sie für einander da. Daraus erwächst für beide eine Lebenserfüllung, die keiner von Beiden für möglich gehalten hatte. Juliet Marillier versteht es hier wieder meisterhaft, die Spannung bis zuletzt aufrecht zu halten. Ein besonders tolles Buch!

This is the third and last book of the Bridei Chronicles, and it will be a long time before I get these characters and their story out of my head. I even have dreamed about them at night - I never do that! This beautiful story takes place in sixth century Scotland and the series itself begins with Bridei coming to be foster son to the Druid Broichan at the age of four and the books go through the first years of him being King of Fortriu. However it is not Bridei's story alone but the story of those around him. The Well of Shades is Faolan's story and he may well be my favorite male character ever. In this book Faolan combines a mission for Bridei with a quest to face his very dark past. He did something too terrible for him to ever share with anyone when he was seventeen and has never returned to his home or known what followed after he left that bloody night. Due to events in the second book, he is becoming a changed man from the cold "King's assassin" he had become. The third part of his mission is to seek out his fallen companion's family and tell them how he died. Faolan's journey is one of bravery, despair, discovery, and love of not only a woman but a child. This story goes back and forth between what is happening to Faolan and what is happening in Bridei's court, but it is done smoothly and since it is all happening simultaneously it all needs to be read in that way. Marillier's characters make the reader care so much about them and they are so totally individuals. Bridei's wife Tuala is from the Otherworld, their son (whose story I want written!) has special gifts at the tender age of two. This is also the time when Christianity is coming to the land where the Old Religion has been since time immortal, and Marillier is not afraid to address this especially in this book. LOVED LOVED LOVED this trilogy.

Another great story which l couldn't put down !!!