The Valley: The Druid Chronicles, Book Two

(Paperback)

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Llwddawanden is a hidden sanctuary where remnants of a once-powerful pagan cult carry on their ancient ritual practices, supported by a small but faithful following of servants, craftsmen, and laborers.

Cut off from the outside world by both geography and conviction, the Druids of Llwddawanden continue to venerate the Great Mother Goddess and to view themselves as the first-born and favorite of Her mortal children. While the belief that the most important of all divine beings gave birth to their ancestors and that Her spirit inhabits the body of their highest priestess is a tenuous conclusion in view of their reduced lot in life, the Druids of Llwddawanden believe it and are, for the most part, committed to carrying on the traditions handed down to them by their forbears.

Herrwn, the shrines chief priest and master bard, has the responsibility of overseeing the education of Caelym, the orphaned son of the cults previous chief priestess, as well as keeping the peace within the upper ranks of their ordertwo tasks that grow more difficult as the rivalry over which of the three highest priests will claim Caelym as his disciple grows, and as mounting conflicts between the current chief priestess and her only living daughter threaten to rend the fabric of a society that has endured for more than a millennium.

Reviews

With the attention to detail, explanation of ancient rituals, and the mythology within the clans legends, this novel builds a community, exploring a people about which little is actually known. Its an extraordinary portrayal, breathing life into a long-dead civilization. . . . Highly recommended!
Chanticleer Reviews

A.M. Linden brings her imagined druid community to life with a skillful combination of research and informed guesswork. The Valleyprovides an intriguing glimpse into an 8thcentury Britain that might have been.
Juliet Marillier, author of the Sevenwaters and Warrior Bards series

Author Bio

Ann Margaret Linden was born in Seattle, Washington, but grew up on the East Coast before returning to the Pacific Northwest as a young adult. She has undergraduate degrees in anthropology and in nursing and a masters degree as a nurse practitioner. After working in a variety of acute care and community health settings, she took a position in a program for children with special healthcare needs, where she remained until she retired. The Valley is the second installment of The Druid Chronicles, a five-volume series that began as a somewhat whimsical decision to write something for fun and ended up becoming a lengthy journey that involved Linden taking adult education creative writing courses, researching early British history, and traveling to England, Scotland, and Wales. Linden lives with her husband and their cat and dog in the northwest corner of Washington State.