Marion Zimmer Bradley's Ancestors of Avalon June 2005 ROC ISBN 0-451-46028-6 Reviews	Taking Up the Runes:  A Complete Guide to Using Runes in Spells, Rituals, Divination and Magic April 2005 Weiser Books ISBN 1-57-86332-5-7 Blurb/Review	Marion Zimmer Bradley's Sword and Sorceress XXI October 2004 DAW ISBN 0-756-40195-X Blurb
Celestial Wisdom for Every Year of Your Life: Discover the Hidden Meaning of Your Age April 2003 Weiser Books ISBN 1-57-86328-2-X Blurb	The Book of the Stone The Hallowed Isle Book 4 July 2002 Thorndyke Press ISBN 0-78-38955-7-7 Review	Marion Zimmer Bradley's Priestess of Avalon July 2002 Roc Trade ISBN 0-451-45862-1 Review
The Book of the Cauldron The Hallowed Isle Book 3 February 2001 Eos ISBN 0-380-81759-4 Blurb	The Lord of Horses Wodan's Children, Book 3 January 1997 Avon Books ISBN 0-380-76528-4 Blurb	Sword of Fire and Shadow: The Chronic of Fionn Mac Cumhal, Book 3 July 1996 Avon Books ISBN 0-380-75803-2 Review

Blurbs:

Taking Up the Runes

Although many of us first encountered runes in J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, this sacred alphabet is by no means a fabrication for books or movies. Similar to Hebrew letters in the sense that each symbol contains a meaning that transcends its original function as a letter, the runes are practical, flexible, and effective symbols with a variety of uses.

Today, the best known application of rune lore is divination: chips or stones marked with runes are drawn, cast, or laid out in patterns like tarot cards. In Taking Up the Runes, Paxson delves into the ancient historical meaning of each rune and explains their contemporary uses and meanings. We discover that the real power of runes comes from inside ourselves when we find the wisdom and power within each symbol and internalize them.

Sword and Sorceress XXI

The best-selling Sword & The Sorceress series continues with this thrilling 21st edition of all-original stories of action-packed adventure, ultimate magic, and fearsome, sword-wielding women by some of the best names in fantasy today.

Celestial Wisdom for Every Year of Your Life

Lighthearted and playful, yet chock-full of wisdom, CELESTIAL WISDOM FOR EVERY YEAR OF YOUR LIFE reveals surprising insights into the possibilities within each year. Here we find the issues, challenges, and joys specific to each birthday. Learn the dynamics at play to make the best choices and decisions to lead the fullest life possible at any and every age!

The Book of the Cauldron

In her sweeping and magnificent multi-volume work THE HALLOWED ISLE, acclaimed author Diana L. Paxson brilliantly reinvents the classic myth of Arthur from the unique perspectives of four distinct tribal cultures that shaped Britain in the violent days of the sixth century.Book Three: The Book of the Cauldron

In the wake of the departure of the Roman conquerors and the defeat of the invading Saxons -- during the rise of a strange new faith called Christianity -- the princes of Britannia dream of a return to bygone days...while others on the island invoke the magic of a time older still. Wounded in body and spirit, King Artor summons the Lady of the Lake, his mother Igierne, to use the power of the Cauldron to heal a troubled, wartorn land. But a darkness is emanating from high places and it threatens to devastate a realm.Book Four: The Book of the Stone

A new generation longs for the glory their fathers knew. And Medraut, the son conceived by deceit, lusts for Artor's crown...and his queen. With the king drawn again to battle in Gallia by dreams of Empire, the royal lady Guendivar holds the sovereignty of the isle and must stand fast against the rising tide of revolt. But if the rightful Defender of Britannia does not return in haste to reclaim his kingdom, the hallowed isle will be ripped asunder and no power will heal the land.

The Lord of Horses

Like its predecessor, The Dragons of the Rhine, this soundly researched conclusion to Paxon's Wodan's Children trilogy humanizes figures from Germanic myth. To survive against fifth-century European barbarians, Rome had to play its old Germanic enemies and sometime allies against the far more fearsome Turko-Mongol Huns, who swept west of the Volga around A.D. 350. King Gundohar of the Rhine-dwelling Burgundians and his half-brother, Hagano, coerce their sister Gudrun, still mourning her husband, Sigfrid whom they have killed into a political marriage with Attila, khan of the Western Huns. Ironically, Atilla's ambition will catalyze the horrifying vengeance that Gudrun wreaks upon her kinsmen. To vivify the power of emotion, Paxson gives Gundohar the gift of bardhood, Hagano the berserker's battle-ecstasy and Gudrun the seeress's sight all attributes of the Germanic trickster god Wodan, embodiment of the irrational. Paxson brings her people and ideas to convincing life in this moving sword-song, which speaks the wisdom of the ancient North: "The mind knows only/ What lies near the heart."

Reviews:

Taking Up the Runes

"Finally the long awaited Runic treasure trove written by Diana Paxson,
well worth the wait! Solid runelore and practical applications of
Runes in Rituals and spells for all everyday and not so everyday purposes. A unique feature of this book is that it provides useful and consistent guidelines for working in group format. This book doesn't only teach you the Runes it also teaches you to co-teach the Runes with likeminded fellowship. It will be mandatory reading for my students." --Freya Aswynn
 

Ancestors of Avalon

"Ancestors of Avalon may be the best of the Avalon tales." -- Midwest Book Review

"An elegant stylist, Paxson captures the awe, tragedy and resounding mystery of ancient Britain and mist-enshrouded Atlantis." -- Publishers Weekly

The Book of the Stone

YA-This volume concludes Paxson's series on the "Matter of Britain." The previous volumes focused on Merlin's life and his origins in prehistory; the Roman influences underlying Arthur's values; the role played by the Saxons; and the variety of spiritual traditions seeking to prevail in determining the fate of Britain. Book Four begins in A.D. 502 when peace has been established and Camalot rules, but Arthur soon leaves on a seemingly hopeless quest to bring peace to Gallia. In the years of his absence, Guendivar grows in stature and becomes a true queen; Morgause finally finds peace as a priestess of Avalon; Medraut, Arthur's troubled son, attempts to usurp the throne; and the kingdom is once again torn by strife. Ultimately the land itself ("the stone") asserts its power to guide the key figures through these cataclysmic events. Though it is the end of one age, spiritual and cultural traditions have been set in motion that will continue to guide Britain's destiny in the years to come. Paxson's vivid retellings of the familiar story bring out the depth of its mythical and magical qualities and should please fans of Gillian Bradshaw, Marion Zimmer Bradley, and other writers who mix historical fiction with fantasy. --Christine C. Menefee, Fairfax County Public Library, VA

Priestess of Avalon

"Though destined to achieve distinction as the pious mother of Constantine, the young woman once called Eilen or Helena first served as a priestess of the old deities on her native island of Briton. Returning to the alternate version of Arthurian legend created in her best-selling Mists of Avalon, Bradley creates a powerful tale of magic and faith that enlarges upon pagan and Christian traditions to express a deeper truth. Though Bradley died before she finished the novel, veteran fantasy author Paxson brings to completion this last work of a master of the genre. For most fantasy collections." -- Library Journal

"The Mists of Avalon (1982), a feminist goddess-oriented retelling of the legend of Arthur, won acclaim and a crowd of lifelong fans for Bradley, also author of the Darkover series. Now, after Bradley's death in 1999, this prequel coauthored by skilled fantasy writer and friend Diana L. Paxson (Hallowed Isle) completes her story of the women of mystical Avalon and their attempts to influence a world caught in the grip of unavoidable change. In A.D. 296, young British princess Helena goes to the Isle of Avalon to learn the path of the goddess. Helena grows in spirit and wisdom, awaiting the day when her initiation prophecy will become real and she'll meet the man of her dreams. He turns out to be Flavius Constantius Chlorus, fated to become the Roman emperor. Her aunt, High Priestess Ganeda, aims to wed a more biddable girl to the Roman power structure, but when Constantius chooses Helena, Ganeda exiles her from Avalon. Helena gives birth to Constantius's son, Constantine, and counsels her lover through the intrigues of a vast and dangerously unbalanced empire. Separated by civil demands from her family, Helena seeks the answers her troubled soul demands during a pilgrimage through the Holy Lands. The message that all religions call on the same higher power should go over well with fans of Mists. Paxson's own skill at bringing historical characters and places to vivid life enriches Helena's story. This final book in the Bradley canon is sure to please her devotees and win her more." -- Publisher's Weekly