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Cover of The Forest House

The Forest House

expanded novel 1994 The Mists of Avalon

Record

First published1994
Original language EN
Work typenovel
Canon statusexpanded
First-edition ISBN9780670844548
Internal chronology1

Synopsis

Set in first-century Roman Britain, this prequel to The Mists of Avalon follows Eilan, granddaughter of the Arch-Druid, who is called to serve as a priestess at Vernemeton, the Forest House, a Druidic sanctuary standing uneasily under Roman occupation. During the Beltaine rites she falls into a forbidden bond with Gaius Macellius, a Roman officer whose own mother carries Celtic royal blood, and bears a son who unites Celtic, Roman, and Druidic bloodlines. As her grandfather's death nears and her father, the new Arch-Druid, pushes toward open conflict with Rome rather than uneasy coexistence, Eilan works to protect her child's future, sending her friend Caillean to found a new sanctuary on the isle that will become Avalon. The novel closes the gap between Roman Britain and the later Arthurian age depicted in Bradley's other novels.

Where it sits

Notes

  • From the series record (The Avalon Series): Bradley 'expanded the book into the Avalon series' with Diana L. Paxson. The Forest House and Lady of Avalon were co-written with Bradley (Paxson uncredited on the original cover for marketing reasons, per Bradley's own account); Priestess of Avalon was begun by Bradley and completed by Paxson following Bradley's September 1999 death (Paxson's own site frames it as her solo work; Wikipedia frames it as a Bradley/Paxson collaboration completed posthumously -- both sources agree on the underlying facts, only on how to characterize the split; left stated rather than resolved). Registered Expanded Canon per the credited-authorship-as-bright-line precedent -- all 3 are published under Bradley's name/brand. Books 4-6 (Ancestors of Avalon, Ravens of Avalon, Sword of Avalon) are Paxson's solo continuations after Bradley's 1999 death, published under the 'Marion Zimmer Bradley's [title]' brand. Ancestors of Avalon bridges Bradley's own The Fall of Atlantis to the founding of Avalon; Ravens of Avalon is a direct prequel to The Forest House (young Boudica); Sword of Avalon is set at the end of the Bronze Age.

Neighbouring works

Publication order and internal chronology are tracked as two separate orderings, but they resolve to the exact same sequence for this book, so one combined line is shown instead of two identical ones.

  • Reading order, within the series The Avalon Series: position 1 of 6: next Lady of Avalon (1997)

Sources

← The Mists of Avalon dossier · All universes

Part of the Library. Fields without an identified source are omitted, never guessed.