Celtic Books

As a fan of Larry Bird, I found that this book did not meet my expectations. As one of the best trash talkers in the game, I anticipated a larger degree of wit among this writing. Unfortunately, although detailed, Bird's story comes off somewhat bland and does not encompass much of Bird's state of mind; instead focusing merely on citing the events in his life.

For those seeking to learn about the life of one of the NBA's greatest champions and who also have an interest in basketball, there are some good nuggets of information available. When Bird first came into the league, for instance, he considered the three point shot as something that was well out of his range, the distance too great. Revelations such as this will come as a surprise to those who only know of his champion style heroics. Had the book contained a more significant amount of this new and fascinating information, it certainly would have rated higher.

Bird certainly provides a behind the scenes look into basketball; however it lacks any noteworthy reflection from Bird on the topic. If you are looking for an inspirational piece from the mindset of one of sports great champions, you will be rather disappointed.

It is quite likely that this bloke from absolutely nowheresville Indiana's picture would be next to a dictionary that had an entry that said 'White Men Can't Jump'. If you can do everything else though, you can win a lot, and even get some of those Championship type ornaments to hang in your stadium and about your preosn.

This is the story of a person who is one of the greatest players of all time, Larry Bird. He grew up in the small town of French Lick, Indiana. He came from a very poor family of six. His mother was a hard worker and took care of the family. Larry's father, Joe, worked for little money at a shoe company. This was hard for Larry, but it got worse. His father committed suicide when he is young, which forces his mother to work two jobs.

Larry didn't always love basketball. His first love was baseball. He also liked football, but these two sports didn't work for him, so he decided to play basketball. Larry didn't really start liking basketball until his sophomore year, but then he starts to live for the sport. His high school coach helped him improve his skills and during Larry's junior and senior year he goes to the state championship. After high school Larry goes to Indiana State University, where, during his senior year, they go to the NCAA championship to face Michigan State and Magic Johnson. Unfortunately, Larry lost in the most watched final ever.

My favorite part of the book is the Foreword by Magic Johnson because it explains how Larry Bird changed the game of basketball forever.

This book is similar to with other sports biographies. It shows how Larry worked hard to get where he is similar to Bo Knows Bo by Bo Jackson. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys sports and is a fan of Larry Bird

Book review on Drive


Dedication, spirit, and heart are some of the words you can use to describe Larry Bird. Larry is a small boy growing up in the rural town of French Lick, Indiana. He never thought that one game of basketball would change the course of history and send him on the road to stardom. This book takes you on a journey inside the game and the life of an N.b.a. superstar. I recommend this book to basketball fans of all ages.
The combined themes of sadness and irony make this a great and unique novel. An example of irony is when Larry enrolled at Indiana University. He spent less than a month there then hitch hiked back to French Lick. An example of sadness happened when Larry was 19 years old. His father committed suicide so his family could have the money from his life insurance.
There were many characters that Larry talks about in his book. He talks about his first basketball coach Jim Jones who taught him the fundamentals of the game. He talks about his siblings Mike, Mark, Linda, Jeff, and Eddie. He talks about his teammates Kevin McHale and Robert Parish. He even talks about his opponents (Ervin Johnson, Moses Malone, Julius Erving, and James Worthy to name a few).
When he played in the N.B.A., he traveled across the country playing basketball. Therefore, their were many settings in this book. The main setting was Indiana. It was very hot there and most of the men around where he lived were farmers. Another main setting was Boston, Mass.
I recommend this book to any basketball fan wanting to know about the game. This book brings you closer to the game and shows you the life of a basketball star. The main lesson in this book is that nothing comes easy in life. It's hard to realize how much work it takes to become successful. Read this book and you'll find out.

A great and truly under-rated sports book. Bob Ryan (the actual writer) is a long-time Boston Globe columnist and a terriffic writer. He captures the essence of Larry Bird, from his childhood to his journey through high school and college to his emergence as both a basketball legend in the NBA and a larger-than-life sports hero in Boston. You may like this book even if you don't care for basketball. You will definitely enjoy this book if you area a hoops fan. And if you are a Larry Bird fan and you haven't read this book... shame on you!

As one with distant Celtic heritage, that did not grow up with any of the wonderful stories that Llewelyn tells, I am grateful for for insights into the make up of my families psychology. Bard, Red Branch, Lion Of Ireland ect. Help me to both understand where we get some of our predelictions and temperments. So blah, blah, blah, to reviewers who want to show thier scholarly prowess by proving her inacurate.They are stories based on myths and legends, that are most likely based on some exagerated truth. I loved this story.

This is what a novel based on Celtic legends should look like. Llywelyn certainly knows how to write, but where she goes above and beyond the call of duty is her willingness to extensively research scholarly and oftentimes dry sources. Likely, she heard the legends of Ireland's past growing up, yet she nevertheless presents extensive bibliographies at the end of her novels. Bard is no exception. While artistic license is taken in order to draw the modern reader into the tale, it is clear that Llywelyn knows what she is doing, breathing new life into the people of Ireland's mythological tradition while remaining faithful to the source.

However, I did find difficulty with references to "the Mother" regarding the earth, given that Llywelyn cited Robert Graves' silly The White Goddess as a source, but it is a mistake easily overlooked. Also, the end of the novel seemed slightly forced, as if Llywelyn was stretching to connect the De Danaan natives to the Milesian conquerors.

Regardless of its slight flaws, Bard is an excellent read filled with compelling characters, comfortable prose, and an exciting retelling of the events of The Book of Invasions.

I've been fond of this author's work for many years now, despite the heavy reliance on archeology that is often, by now, rather outdated. To read Llewelyn's work is to be transported into the world she creates, and to be surrounded by some very real and interesting characters.

The sons of Mil act very much like a real family would, loving eachother and yet competing much of the time. Everyone has flaws, and the most distatesful character (Colptha, the druid)still has some decent traits, or things that one might respect about him.

I will warn that if you MUST have a perfect, or at least solidly resolved, ending that you should leave this book alone. I thought, however, that the hanging ending was highly appropriate, given that the main character Amergin spends much of his time attempting to resolve a saga which he could not finish, since it is the story of his people, who continued to live.

There were a few problems with Bard. I am a serious student of Celtic mythology, and as such, I had a bit of a problem with the way the Tuatha are described in this book. They are, for lack of a better term, megalithic hippies. The fondest wish of the lightest of neopagans is realised within these pages. Since archeology can only give hints as to the character of a people who left no written clues, I will leave that at the wayside. The myths that we do have featuring the Tuatha, however, do not paint a picture of enlightened pacifists. The Morrigan, Diancecht, or anyone else with a violent nature or sad story are largely left out of it to paint this picture of unlikely love and harmony. I found this love-and-light group too jarring a counterpoint to the colorful and well realised Milesians, and it is this trait that ensured four stars were not forthcoming from me. (Although I'd give three and a half if it were possible.)

If you like a good historical seeming fantasy with subtle magic and a decent plot, by all means, pick up this book. If Robert Graves is your enemy, and continuous talk about a nebulous mother earth goddess (that the Celts did NOT worship) will irritate you too much, then don't.

Irish Celtic history is heavily saturated in myth and romanticism. I was an avid fan of Morgan Llywelyn in high school, and joyfully devoured her mythological and historical novels. I remember her as being relatively well-researched, balancing fancy and fact to craft enjoyable bits of literary escapism. I picked up Bard, the first of her novels I've read in years, and was sorely disappointed. I expected more of the decent scholarship, dynamic myth, and engaging plots I remembered from my earlier reads. Instead, Bard delivered a cast of weak and predictable characters, a dragging storyline that takes far too long to deliver, and a surprising distortion of familiar Celtic icons.

Bard describes an Iberian origin of the Celts as one of many groups of invaders in Erin's long history. She depicts the Tuatha de Danan and the Fir Bolg as two other such cultures, mortal beings who eventually grew into the larger-than-life myths of today. While I liked this historical rooting of the tale, one of my biggest problems with this book was her depiction of the Tuatha de Danan, whom Llywelyn depicts as New Age-y, hippie-fied mystics. Rather than being a fresh and exotic interpretation of the traditional myth, this choice instead seemed discordantly modernized, unrealistic, and self-serving. The segments of the book devoted to their characters could have been eliminated entirely, and it would have made little impact (save to salvage somewhat the stunted flow of the story). References to the "Earth Mother" are historically innacurate and frustrating to any Celtophile, especially given the wealth of colorful deities known to have been worshiped by the Celtic peoples. I found myself rolling my eyes more than once at some of these passages.

Amergin, the bard of the title, is an introspective and potentially fascinating character, but he simply isn't given enough life in these pages. This is due in part to the lack of depth given to the supporting characters. Llywelyn relies too strongly on telling us what characters think and feel, rather than letting the reader see actions and interpret their dialog. Characters often act in contradictory ways, which comes across more as the result of poor planning on the writer's part than any kind of personal conflict. My opinion is that the book really should have been started right about where it ended (with the tribe's arrival in Ireland), and indeed Bard has one of the most unsatisfying endings of any book I have every read; it seems as though Llewellyn floundered a bit and simply gave up.

Readers interested in literary treatments of Irish Celtic mythology or history should turn to Llywelyn's other (excellent and very fun!) novels; Lion of Ireland, Finn McCool, Red Branch, or her more modern Irish historical fiction (e.g. 1972).

~Jacquelyn Gill

It's hard to truly say what happened back in the swirly mists of time, especially going as far back as when the mythical Milesians arrived, accompanied by the legendary bard, Amergin. However, this book does a fine job of evoking that past as it might have been. I read Llywelyn many years ago, before I had even begun reading Celtic history, and I was surprised by the wealth of authentic detail as found in this book. One item that particularly sticks out in my mind is the description of the burial of Mil. Llywelyn used such precise detail, even down to the couch he lay on, that I could remember seeing a pictures and drawings of just such a burial, all the way down to its intricate wheels. So, relax and enjoy this book, confident that the author put as much true history into her tale as possible, yet creates an astounding epic.

A Witch's Guide to Faery Folk is a rich, detailed, book on exploring and working with the world of faery folk. It is not just a dictionary to 230 faeries but also has hints and helpful information on how to find them, make friends with them, and involve them in the spells and magic you creat.
It also has tons of information on mediation, how to travel in Faeryland, and how to protect you home and loved ones from the darker, unfriendly, forces among the faery.
Get it used or new. Even if you don't believe, it is still fun to read.

This is a rare find, a book for which I'll bother writing a bad review.
This book has things like "Create your own faery being for protection." And essentially, how to pick out a type to order around and use. Obviously the author would not do well at a Peter Pan show "Do you believe in Fairies?" Edain McCoy in this book teaches disrespect, at a time its really not needed. As some other reviewer recommended, read Katherine Briggs - who was a great author on the subject of Faeries. Courtesy is important and valuable in dealing with the Fair Folk. This book is horrible, badly written, the scholarship stinks, even if its premises of how she would have people treat the Folk (if they allowed it) don't offend a person. The seeker for the Faery tradition would be looking elsewhere, and confused what to do with this item should it arrive - do they burn it? Can they get it recycled?

There are many books on the Fey and Faery folk out on the market today. Many are good resources, but Mccoy's is the best. Informatoin on any and every aspect of the folk you could imagine. Origins, history, how to protect against, how to attract, and a encyclopedia of faery species. Very useful resource.

This has been one of my favorite books about the faery folk.
Not only informative, but can help you slide into another world and meet enchanting beings while reading. If you love getting to know the little people ( oops they don't like to be called that )and being with them, this book is for you.

This book is a wonderful referrence for Fay folk. However some discriptions and locations are off. Not all of her research is accurate either, over all this is a fairly good book. Just read it with a grain (maybe a couple?) of salt.

This book is brutally fast-paced, and seems to assume a pretty solid knowledge of linguistics. For example, in lesson 2, it states, "A second person singular pronoun, e.g., tú, tusa, is used wen addressing one person. A second person plural pronoun, e.g. sibh, sibhse, is uned when addressing more than person. The plural is not used to express politeness or formality". That last sentence would be utterly cryptic to someone who has never studied a language that makes a T-V distinction. On the other hand, if you're already a polyglot, this book is probably exactly what you're looking for.

As a side note, the binding is not very good. I've owned the book for one week and the pages are already falling out.

I've used the textbook in class, and it was great with the help of a teacher. But as a teach-yourself with audio cassettes...I mean, audio cassettes!! It is a hopelessly outdated - not to mention annoying to use - technology. Wait for a version with CD's, otherwise this is a very difficult text for self-instruction.

Overall, I say this is a great book. I have learned how to speak the Irish language as fluently as an American who has not traveled across the seas can. What leaves this book at four stars and not five for me is the complexity of the design in the book and the simplicity of the explanations.

First of all, I spent ten minutes trying to find the pronunciation table of the different consonants and vowel combinations. They were hidden in the back with a bunch of other appendixes that I felt should have been a part of the book. But that also goes with my issue with the simplicity of the book.

This is not going to teach you how to understand the Irish language. Having studied ancient languages such as Latin and Sanskrit I am rather used to the formal training of understanding each word and how it is formulated and transformed throughout the sentences. This book has an appendix that if you took the time to learn on your own you could attempt something like that, but there is no chapter based around such a structured understanding of the language.

But of course, although I do have these complaints, I am only taking it down to four stars because it is a good book to learn to speak the Irish language. So if you want something that is in-depth enough to teach you the pronunciations and a great CD accompanying it as well as learning common sentences and a good learning structure, then this is perfect for you. However, if you are looking for a complete understanding of the language and the ability to break down the structure then perhaps you should look for something else.

This book is an essential one for anyone who wants to learn Irish. It contains 34 well-written chapters, pronunciations, and a lot of grammar. The glossary in the back is useful, but to get into the nitty-gritty of grammar details and for a more comprehensive word list, you should probably buy a companion dictionary or grammar book.

Many others have reviewed fairly the strengths and weaknesses of LI. I wanted to offer advice to beginners wondering if this is the best book for their needs. Yahoo groups are making their way through LI as one group focused on Connemara dialect-- for the Cois Fharraige version as spoken along the Co Galway coast is that which Ó Siadhail teaches; other Yahoo groups are learning Munster or Ulster Irish with different texts; another group takes the Standard "school" Irish via Mairead Ní Ghrada's primer "Progress in Irish." So, you have options that combine introductory textbooks with web- based discussion lists, often with sound files added by learners. This improves upon the dodgy semi-audible cassettes that some editions of LI come with and others do not. A CD version is rumored.

This book also came out in different printings; the latest 1992-era cover boasts of it being an improved edition, but little changes within beyond a somewhat clearer font and resetting of the layout (not enough if you ask me-- this book takes scrutiny and sharp eyes to make out crucial accents over many small-type letters; the italics are not easily discerned from a quick glance of many passages). LI contains errors; the answer key is not always correct, and explanations occasionally are lacking for idioms or vocabulary necessary for what a chapter may expect you to translate. This can be a far more frustrating book than an idealistic learner may expect.

I have taught grammar in English, but the linguistic explanations provided here at times bewilder me. It's not a well-organized progression of content for each lesson. Not until Ch. 12 do you learn the copula. Verbs begin to be taught in greater number later than you'd expect. The author may insert essential information into a tiny footnote or a blip of a phrase (often an exception to a rule he's explaining, or an idiom otherwise not to be found in the 30 chapters) within an otherwise unrelated paragraph. This book, the back cover tells us, is for the self-tutored learner or the intrigued linguist, but it may please the latter who's able to understand the convoluted and compressed paradigms and examples better than the clueless newbie.

I do like the little texts ending each chapter to translate from Irish-- these are my "reward" for finishing a chapter after the grueling work of making the English sentences in the other exercise into Irish. Despite answer keys, much will elude you as to what Ó Siadhail wants you to write and what you thought you must write given the past lesson. Also, that lesson may give you many words that you will not use until much later-- if at all. This hit-and-miss approach may reflect real-life uses of a language learned in the real world, but it does try a learner's patience.

Still, it's the only book teaching a dialect between north and south, and thus considered as the Connacht mean between Munster and Ulster extremes! Unlike most primers, it plunges you into a dialect with its own irrational peculiarities, and this immersion is necessary once you leave standard "school" Irish texts for learners behind. However, for absolute beginners, I would supplement this with a more concise, friendlier introduction such as Gabriel Rosenstock's "Beginner's Irish." This concise text is more "updated" than "Progress in Irish," but "PiI" features short chapters and the latter is easier to consult; Rosenstock combines an overview of the language with samples of how it works and has evolved alongside lessons.

If you're only curious for now about the language's context and what it's like past and present, "The Irish Language" by Darerca Ní Chartúir is recommended. Grammatical explanations much more detailed but also much clearer than those in LI can be found in a reference guide that anyone slogging through LI will soon need: Donna Wong's "A Learner's Guide to Irish". (I review Rosenstock, Ní Chartúir, and Wong on Amazon.) Nollaig Mac Congáil's "Irish Grammar Book" is a shorter reference while Éamonn Ó Dónaill's "Teach Yourself Irish Grammar" (unlike the dreaded revision of "Teach Yourself Irish"!) is another useful self-learning text combining explanations and exercises.

got this for my husband. He liked it but wasn't overly enthused. He likes historical more than this kind.

The tale of this trip by kayak around Ireland is full of stories, history, observations, and best of all experiences in a kayak in these rough seas. The accounts of the history and people of Ireland are very well written. I enjoyed this book immensely and urge all you enjoy kayaking or travel to read it.

To kayak around Ireland is unfathomable for me. Incredible that a person can do that. Still, there wasn't enough variation in this story to push it to the realm of "great adventure books". The beautifully written descriptions of the landscapes and people, though, make up for the lack of thrills. It does earn the 4 stars. I enjoyed the book, but I was glad that it was over in the end. For more adventure, try Running the Amazon. For a similar book with 1) poorer writing but 2) "interesting" characters who are easy to laugh at, try Keep Australia on your Left.

This book is a pleasure to read. Chris Duff are a humble paddler who strike the essence of seakayaking and all it's about. His meeting with the people, the thought of the land he travels throug is some of the most enjoyable reeding I have done.

Trond Glesaaen
Norway

Chris Duff's journey and skill as a kayaker are not in question here. He's definitely got skills and experience.

What was maddening about this book was the starry-eyed reverence, awe and humility he had for every single damn rock and cliff and farmhouse he ran across. Every stone "spoke" to him, every cliff called out the timeless power of the sea, every ancient monastery still had ghosts running around in it.

His encounters with the people of Ireland at least brought him back to the living, somewhat, but even then, he has this sense of awe for the simple farming and fishing folk that, I'm sorry, just gets old after a while. He talks about visiting a pub on one stop, and being both exhilirated and driven to tears in the same song. Really? Call me a cynic, but Chris might want to adjust his meds.

I came away from this book thinking one of two things: Either Chris' "book" persona is a some ideal that he has in his head of what a serious "writer" and traveler should be... and that there are other bits of his character that for one reason or another he chose not to share. Like a sense of humor, perhaps.

Or this book really is a deep, honest, view into this guy's psyche. In which case, he sounds tedious, pretentious and boring.

This book promotes an effective, fruitful church model. It, not St. Patrick, won over an entirely pagan society. Contrast that with the Constantinian church model the Catholics and most Protestants use that leaves the churches vulnerable to infiltration by paganism!

The other two church models that are fruitful are the Wesleyan church model and the New Testament church model.

Hunter knows Evangelism and his explaination in this book is positive and detailed when dealing with past ways of Christianity. I read Hunter because he get the heart of the matter quickly in English I can understand easily.

"The Celtic Way of Evangelism"

I just finished The Celtic Way of Evangelism by George Hunter. I'd highly recommend it. Hunter explains how Patrick and friends engaged the "barbarians" of Ireland, moving from what they already knew to what they had no clue about, the God of Scripture. Also significant is how the missionaries used community to evangelize the Irish. The people found belonging before believing. In other words, they were committed to the church and the community they experienced there before they were actually converted to Christ. Interesting about this short book is how much the missionary ways of Patrick, Aidan, and others sound like what is needed in today's postmodern times. Also striking is how the Roman church swooped down and killed the entire thing, because they didn't know how to handle aggressive, indigenous missional movements. If you are on the frontlines of mission, trying to engage postmoderns with the gospel, this historical study will be very helpful to you.

I am deeply relieved, encouraged and challenged that the "kingdom life" of Christ and the sharing of that life has been done so lovingly, incarnationally, and effectively in the communal spirit of Jesus' own ministry... in a time other than the first century AD. I needed to hear that what I and others are prayerfully working toward has been done before.

We are those who love Christ but no longer fit in the institutional church. We have come to accept no vain substitutions for His kingdom. We have come to want no lesser form of outreach than His own demonstrated love, power, and life-changing presence in the midst of His people among the broken. We are struggling against the dominant culture of western, consumeristic, Christian individualism. So was Saint Patrick... and the results of his unbending devotion to Christ and those He longed to redeem were staggering.

For all Christ-followers already on the postmodern journey of awakening, this book is a dynamic help rooted in both history and humility. It's a powerful reminder that we are not a "revolution" but rather the continuation of generations of others who have imitated Christ's own intentional example on earth in spite of the dominant secular culture.

This book has opened up my eyes to knowing the history of evangelism! To long have i've been influenced with evangelizing "The Roman Way" This is my second time around reading this book and has great practices for building relationships. I highly recommend this book.

Confused tone, modern narrator voice with ancient setting, is not convincing. Also, there is confusion between who is speaking as the narrator. Is it the young Maeve, the older Mary Magdalene, or the author herself 2000 years later looking back. (Are we supposed to believe that the narrator is Maeve/Mary living 2000 years after the story occurs?)

The story tries to be a comedy at times, a drama at others.
Warning: In the midst of a humorous section, there is a violent rape and incest scene, wherein the main character is violated. This contradictory tone failed for me and ruined the entire story.

I also didn't buy the notion of Jesus and Mary meeting up as children in Celtic Britain. This is myth, and it makes the dramatic portions of the story less credible as an attempt at alternate history.

The concept and technique (story-within-a-story) appear clever, but they ultimately don't work. I agree with Publishers Weekly that this book misses its mark. This is another among the plethora of stories along the lines of the Da Vinci code fantasy. There are some good ones, but this isn't one of them.

Since zero is not available, I justify giving even 1 star, for the author's ability to get the book published.
Don't buy this book; check it out from the public library.

This is the Magdalene.org review: "Daughter of the Shining Isles" is the first part of an ambitious trilogy by Elizabeth Cunningham. She takes us to the Celtic-speaking world of 9 C.E. where the main character, Maeve Rhaud, is born and raised by eight weather-warrior witches on the island of Tir na mBam. There, she has a startling vision of her cosmic twin, Esus, in a back alley of Jerusalem: he is relieving his bladder.

If this is a startling image for you, then you should avoid the book. Cunningham's Maeve Rhaud is a headstrong, earthy character with no qualms about speaking of bodily functions, and she does so with great frequency. They are, in fact, important plot points in the story. This was a great drawback for me when I first started the book, and it wasn't until I was halfway through it that I decided the story was entertaining enough to compensate for Cunningham's Celtic witches' apparent scatalogical fascination.

A majority of the story takes place at the legendary Druid college of Mona, where Maeve Rhaud undertakes bardic training. The author accounts for the "lost years" of Jesus (Esus) by placing him in the college with her. He has a difficult time believing that his cosmic twin is someone so "unclean," and they have frequent theological arguments about monotheism versus her polytheistic ways. Maeve is constantly in trouble with the faculty of the college, clashing with personalities and breaking taboos. It is in this setting that she falls in love with the 15 year old man from Jerusalem and pledges her life to him.

Cunningham's novel is narrated by Maeve, who uses modern metaphors to describe the events in her tale. In spite of this chronological inconsistency, the story is extremely entertaining and told with good humor. It moves along quickly, and the main characters are well developed. If you are familiar with biblical accounts of the life of Jesus, you will be amused by the references to how his legend was shaped by people after his death.

If you're able to laugh at bawdy humor and don't have an easily tweaked sense of the blasphemous, this book will leave you satisfied and waiting eagerly for the next novel in the series.

Hark fellow pagan wymen ! Here be a tome of most rightious truth and beauty, consistent with the guidance of the Goddess! Herein all honor is given to the sacred moon-time flow. Blessed Be!

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. I don't usually enjoy first-person fictional accounts; however, this was an exception. There are a couple of reasons why I didn't give it five stars, however:

1. The protagonist occasionally wanders off on tangents in the middle of some of the premier events during the story. I do expect some tangents, especially when a book is written from a first-person POV; however, it seems like these could be a bit shorter to make the story more powerful.

2. The menstrual blood thing was kind of...strange. It didn't bother me the first time, and it at no point disgusted me, but I thought that the differences between the protagonist and the way other women were brought up were quite marked without the incident with the menstrual blood while she was at the druid college.

In all, I loved the story and am very much looking forward to reading the next one in the trilogy.

Three cheers for Elizabeth Cunningham and `Daughter of the Shining Isles'.

While weaving a picture of the ancient cults - their mysteries, their ceremonies, and their assumptions - this novel defines the concept `incarnate' like nothing I have ever read.

Between the lines of a dramatic love story, (I'm not a fan of love stories, so believe me, if I was yanked in, anyone who already likes them will be swept away.) Cunningham shows us how Roman civilization collided with the long established culture of the Celts. The feminine side to our understanding of `deity' is clearly explained through parable, and I for one was in awe as the balance was struck in page after page.

Quotable quotes: Maeve, speaking of Esus: `To lay on him a geis of danger and destruction was an act of sheer redundancy.' (I cannot define this word, `geis' accurately without context)

If her earthy indulgences seem offensive - the pissing, the fornication, the bleeding, and all that, you must chalk up your discomfort to the fact that you are being whisked away into ancient history by a pro. The symbolism of earth goddess to earthly existence is intricately layered as only a writer with complete authority over her subject matter can do. While she is wooing you with mundane metaphors, you are actually being set up for the lighting strike.

As with all great works, Cunningham's humility is the fiber holding irony and discovery at one.

I'm sold.

-Moe Dickson (author of Atlantis Continued...)

I understand that Your Own World Books (Marshall Masters) holds the copyright to The Kolbrin Bible. However, I do not understand how the copyright works. For example, why does the Kolbrin Bible - a Sumerian manuscript plus an English/Celtic manuscript, both ancient - have so few translations in circulation? It seems that over the years many different translations would be in print. Is it not like the Bible or any other set of ancient transcripts that are either impossible to copyright or that the copyright has expired? Shouldn't it be available to all interested in publishing their interpretation/translation? Even if the motive is solely to make a profit - after all doomsday mongering is a profitable business. However, one would hope the motives would be altruistic. Is it simply apocrypha packaged to reel in cash by praying on people's most fundamental fears? - Is it just a money making hoax? . Given the marketing style, that is my conclusion. If my reasoning is wrong, please educate me, as I would like to know how copyrights like this work, as well as where these books came from and if their authenticity has ever been established.

In this confusing world it should be a against the law to knowingly disseminate false and misleading information as there are genuine seekers of truth who waste valuable time by sifting through false and misleading information. I have emailed Mr. Marshall and I waited for a response. I have not received a reply.

I JUST WANT TO KNOW THE TRUTH!

I initially purchased the Kolbrin Bible due to the interest I have in the returning of Planet X in 2012, and thought that this Bible would be a good source of information to previous passings of Planet X. But upon reading this Bible, I have found so much more.

History is always written by the winners, and with this Bible, you get the stories without the pride, and one sidedness of todays more standardly accepted Bibles.

This has been an enlightening read into previous civilizations, (written by the Egyptians, and the Celtic people following the great flood, and the Exodus), and in it you find many references to their contact with alien life forms, and learn many secrets of these civilizations that modern science poo poo's as "superstition", or "mythology". In all mythology lies a truth, and here you get to relive these tales, and gain a spiritual understanding that is not all wrapped up in any particular religion, or religious tunnel vision.

I greatly suggest that anyone interested in Egyptology, or the general study of past civilizations, and the coming of Nibiru, Planet X, look into this book, as it offers insight into all these topics, as well as countless others.

This is the other side of the story in a sense, to what we now call the Holy Bible. At the very least, contrast and compare.

This work is not only significant, but it's historic importance cannot be overstated. How it can receive less than 5 stars "after reading it" is way beyond my level of understanding. The publishers and all the previous keepers of this text have my heartfelt gratitude. The work and dedication that has gone into preserving it has to be appreciated. In my humble opinion, there is no other more important literature relevant to the current status of humanity.

Now, if I've got this right, this is a 3,600 yr.-old Sumerian manuscript plus a 1,900 yr.-old English/ Celtic manuscript that were subsequently transcribed onto bronze scrolls which survived, within a copper-clad box, a 12th-century fire that destroyed the Glastonbury Abbey and then found their way into the hands of the Culdian Trust in New Zealand where the collection was kept in hiding over the past 800 years or so, only to come to light in full-blown modern English now that the "2012 cataclysm" is in vogue. It warns of a red comet/Planet X/dwarf-brown twin star to our Sun that is on a 3,600 yr. orbit which will swing it by here within four years, and of the physical and spiiritual preparations (a la New Age) that we must take to prepare ourselves.

Hmmmm...

Is there something wrong with this picture?

The original Kolbrin was kept in hiding by the Culdian Trust in New Zealand. Since they released it, others have taken these important texts without copyright or other permission, and altered them.

For more information on the Kolbrin, listen to the radio lecture by physicist James M. McCanney of Dec 20 2007.

The Marriage Builder by Larry Crabb is the best marriage book out there. It bypasses all the normal "band-aids", and hones in on the real issue: that marriage is a ministry to another person. Marriage is meant to minister to your spouse's needs, not to selfishly minister to your needs (although that IS an added bonus when that happens!) I have read other marriage books, but this one, for the Christian, is the real deal. It is a must have for all couples, especially Christian ones, and should be reviewed regularly for a "marriage checkup".

Excellent and realistic guide to create a biblical marriage that would be pleasing to God

Crabb appeals to our sense of self with statements like this one: "In Christ, I am significant and secure; therefore I can live responsibly before God no matter what happens." It could be argued that, according to Biblical principles, we are to live responsibly before God regardless of our feelings.
There are some neat analogies in this book, but I would caution readers to be aware of Crabb's humanistic view of people and marriage. There is no Biblical basis for the claims that we all have needs for security and significance, or that these needs must be met before we can live obediently before God.
I HIGHLY recommend any of Jay Adams's books for a strong, Biblical perspective on the human condition. The link here is my personal favorite.

The Biblical View of Self-Esteem, Self-Love, and Self-Image

This is the Best book on Marriage you'll ever read! I am a Pastor and I use this book in all of my Pre-Marital Counseling. Dr. Crabb is so piercingly accurate in his assessment of the Insecurities and Insignificance that each couple wrestles with! His solutions are NOT FORMULAS, they are insights and journey's with questions to discover and opportunities to serve one another regardless of their response toward us. This is also so thoroughly developed it not only prepares you for marriage it can help identify in the midst of a troubled marriage, where the breakdown in ONENESS is Occurring! This is the Definitive book on Marriage, especially from a Christian Faith perspective!

"The Marriage Builder" by Dr. Larry Crabb has become something of a classic in the genre of Christian books on husband-wife relationships. In it, Crabb highlights three relational areas: the couple's spiritual relationship to God, their social/soul relationship to one another, and their physical relationship to each other. When dealt with properly, and in priority order, Crabb asserts that relationships will be healthy (not necessarily happy, since that is not God's goal nor guarantee for life this side of heaven).

Discussing the spiritual relationship, Crabb explains that when God cleanses sin through salvation, His grace simultaneous quenches the deepest thirsts in the human soul. Rather than beings some new-age mantra as some claim when they critique Crabb, the concept of longings, desires, thirsts, and hunger is both biblical and historical (church history). The Trinitarian God of the Bible created humanity in His relational image. Since human beings are finite, they will always long for the infinite--for God's infinite holy love.

Once a husband and wife have come to understand that all they need is God and what He chooses to provide, Crabb notes that then they can quit the old "tic on a dog" relationship of mutual manipulation. Instead, they can begin a relationship of mutual ministry.

In this area, Crabb explores God's essential design for the masculine and feminine soul. He posits that males have a deep social longing for respect, which coincides with Paul's teaching in Ephesians 5. Crabb also explains that females have a deep social longing for intimacy, also correlating with Paul's teaching in Ephesians 5.

As couples learn to drink fully from the God of the universe and to serve one another "heapin' helpins'" of respect and intimacy, then they are prepared to experience body oneness (not simply fun sex). One in their walk with God, one in their relationship with each other, now they move toward physical oneness.

"The Marriage Builder" is a classic because it remains true to God's classic teaching on relationships. We are spiritual beings designed to worship God; we are social beings designed to mutually minister to and intimately connect with one another; and we are physical beings, designed in the state of marital matrimony, to experience body oneness.

Reviewer: Bob Kellemen, Ph.D., is the author of "Soul Physicians," "Spiritual Friends," and the forthcoming, "Beyond the Suffering: The Story of African American Soul Care and Spiritual Direction."

With "The Mystic Rose", Stephen Lawhead's Celtic Crusades trilogy ends as it began: good but not great. But perhaps that's because I have been spoiled by his superb ability in some of his other books. This is still a decent historical adventure. On this occasion the protagonist is Cait, daughter of Duncan and granddaughter of Murdo. After the murder of her father Duncan, Cait uncovers a secret letter with details about the mystic rose, the famed Holy Grail from Christ's Last Supper. After stealing the letter and armed with a small band of knights, Cait undertakes her own quest to grab the cup for herself. But the ruthless Templar knight Renaud de Bracineaux is close on her heels, and has his own plans for the sacred relic. The holy treasure becomes the object of a race between the two, both with ambitions of selfish greed. The closing stages of the novel feature an unexpected and yet not unsatisfying resolution. The loose ends are finally tied together, including the long awaited connection with the story of Gordon Murray which frames the novel.

Having a heroic feminine protagonist with such determination seemed anachronistic, and it is debatable whether Lawhead was really able to create a female heroine with any degree of real success or conviction. Yet what I appreciated about Lawhead's characterization is that Cait is a well-rounded character who develops, and that she needs to learn to overcome her lust for revenge, as well as her uncritical passion for a Moorish prince dubious in character. The repentant Cait is eventually overwhelmed by the enormity of her crimes, and confesses: "I prayed to be God's instrument of justice. I thought to use the Mystic Rose to lure my father's killer to his doom. For that, I needed the Holy Chalice, and I came here to take it. You must think me a most brazen and contemptible sinner. The audacity of my deeds amazes even me." (p414). Lawhead's main character in this respect is a flawed and very real - just like ourselves - which makes his story all the more convincing and credible. The Holy Grail plays an important role in Cait's change. As was the case in the other books of the trilogy, coming into contact with the sacred relic leads to visions and experiences of spiritual renewal, sipping from the cup resulting on this occasion in a vision of the Passover Feast.

But while the characterization is quite sound, the plot lacks the suspense and imagination of some of Lawhead's other efforts, and the series as a whole lacks their intense passion and emotion. Like the rest of the series, "The Mystic Rose" is good, but not great. Here's hoping that Lawhead will return to crafting the novels in the genre that gained him such great success: the brilliant, imaginative and passionate historical fantasy of "The Song of Albion" trilogy and "Pendragon" cycle. If not for the brilliance of these other works, perhaps I would be speaking in much more glowing terms of "The Celtic Crusades". But while this series doesn't shine so bright when compared with Lawhead's own work, perhaps it can hold its own against a great deal of other historical fiction today. If you're a Lawhead fan, you'll probably enjoy his other work better. But if you're a historical adventure fan, you might well find "The Celtic Crusades" a rewarding read. -GODLY GADFLY

In the first two novels of this trilogy Lawhead narrates the tales of Murdo and then Duncan, Orkney Lords on pilgrimages to the Holy Land.

The final novel opens with the death of Duncan, and it is left to his plain headstrong daughter Cait and her flighty and beautiful sibling Thea to avenge him.

The now familiar Brother Andrew guides Cait in the theft of a letter which promises a prize beyond value, which can only be the Holy Grail (lets face it, the family already have the holy lance and the cross - what's left?).

Cait borrows from her fathers experience and travels to Damascus, where she randsoms a band of Norse knights who have been captured by the turks. Then they travel from one end of the Islamic world to the other, to Moorish Spain. Racing all the way to defeat the evil schemes of the corrupt Master of the Knights Templars, the book races to a thrilling conclusion. Will the Evil Renaud De Bracineaux get his filthy hands on the Grail, which he wants for himself, or will Cait save it.......for herself.....? I'm sure she deserves it. Something to do with keeping it safe until it is needed. Never did understand that twist in the plot.

The use of a female protagonist sets this novel out from the previous two, and makes for a good conclusion to the series. It is not the Da Vinci Code, so everyone lives happily ever after except for the bad guys. But it is a fun read, and the research is good, so you get a good feel for the world of the Crusades.

Usually when reading a trilogy, the first book is the best, and the series begins to lose steam as one goes on. Not in this case. This is by far the best book of this trilogy.
Caitriona, daughter of Lord Duncan of Caithness, visits Byzantium with her father and sister, on her way to trace her father's footsteps during his sojourn (if you can call it that) in the Holy Land of many years ago. Here their trip goes awry, and chaos begins. Duncan is assassinated inside Agha Sophia, in the heart of Byzantium, by the evil Grand Master of the Knight Templars.
What follows is a witty and entertaining tale of adventure in exotic places, lead by a woman both vulnerable and strong, whose destiny has been traced long before her journey has begun.
I recommend this book to anyone who loves historical fiction. I fully enjoyed it.

After reading some of the other reviews here I had to voice my opinion. I am just grateful that I read the book before these reviews!!! Maybe the action is a bit slower in this final book of the series but what it lacks in action it makes up for in plot... Only Lawhead could give us a story of this depth set in this era!!! Maybe it's not the Pendragon Cycle (of which I am a huge fan) but it is still Lawhead and I was not disappointed!!!
I really identified with Cait (the heroine). She struggled with herself and her world and was won over in the end by the God that had been chasing her throughout the story. The reemergence of de Bracineaux was utterly brilliant and true to his character from Rood only much more developed. And the ever present Cele De story was... well, let's not give that away, just know that our veiw of Murdo, Duncan, and Caitriona from within the Cele De was reconciled at last and beautifully. I felt he crowned the Celtic Crusades with gem!!!
No one, and I mean NO ONE does historical fiction/fantasy the way Lawhead can... who else can wrap those 2 genres up together and make you like it?

Here is my review of "The Mystic Rose," the concluding volume in "The Celtic Crusades" by Stephen Lawhead. It's a good conclusion to a good series.

This is the third volume in the Celtic Crusades series and I would rate this one as "not as good as the first, but better than the second." All of the books in this series are very good. The characters are well-developed, the plots are good and there are many interesting sub-plots. My only gripe is that the first two get started a little slowly, but if you hang in there for the first 50-75 pages then the action gets going well.

The Mystic Rose does the best job of the three in grabbing your attention at the beginning and holding it. Within the first few pages an event happens that sets the tone for the rest of the book. The heroine, Caitriona sets off on a quest to avenge her father's murder and capture Christendom's most sacred relic. In fact, capturing Christendom's most sacred relic is integral to her plan for revenge. This sets up a dicey moral dilemma that is resolved nicely at the end.

I find things like this moral dilemma to be one of Lawhead's strengths. In so much Christian fiction the heroes are cookie cutter Christians who seem to rise above all of the sins and temptations of the common man. Lawhead's heroes, and Caitriona in particular are very earthy, and very sinful people. The upshot of this is that he tells a story that leads one to believe that God, in his mercy, is the real hero of the story, not the protagonist of the book.

At the end of this story, Caitriona is less conquerer and more conquered by the love and mercy of God. This is a very gospel based story line.

All in all, the entire series is a worthwhile read.