The White Mare is a work of historical fiction, with dabs of fantasy and a strong dash of romance. The setting: first-century Scotland, as the Romans move to conquer lands traditionally held by the peoples we know as the Picts. Irish exile Eremon arrives just in time to be appointed war leader by a local tribe; their princess and priestess, Rhiann, is pressured into marriage with him despite her wishes (and from there, the story goes exactly where you think it does). It should be noted that this is an odd sort of trilogy: the first two books are meant to be read together (this one ends on a bit of a cliffhanger) and then there's a 300-years-later sequel. I'll admit that when I first started this book, I was not impressed. The writing style is merely passable, with a tendency toward melodrama. The characters are nothing original, and some tired tropes are dragged once again into the light: the family wiped out by raiders in the backstory; the character who always behaves "honorably," even against their own interests, without any compelling reason to do so. And yet, as I read on, the book began to have a certain charm for me. From the beginning, the author does an excellent job in her depiction of everyday life in ancient Scotland. The backdrop here is vivid, with lots of visual imagery, and the author brought her tale to life by showing how people spent their time. The plot is fast-paced, with lots of short scenes--too short at times, but rest assured that the story does not bog down in description. I became so eager to know what happened next that I read the entire second half of the book in one day. And--this is probably why I finally warmed up to it--the romance was unexpectedly romantic and touching. My only issue was with its resolution--forced rather than arising naturally from the characters; it just felt wrong on so many levels. On the historical accuracy: very little is known about the Picts, so Watson invents as she pleases. The Roman invasion really happened, but many elements--like the Goddess religion and its priestesses--have no basis in fact, which may bother historical purists. As is common in prehistoric fiction, the religion is "real" within the context of the story, with some supernatural occurrences blurring the line between historical fiction and historical fantasy. Comparison with Juliet Marillier's Bridei Chronicles is inevitable, since both are historical fantasy-romance focusing on the Picts. Watson's books are faster-paced, with more of an emphasis on war and more vivid descriptions of daily life. Marillier's books are slower, more character-driven, and being set a few hundred years later, have perhaps a more medieval, rather than prehistoric, feel. Readers will have to decide for themselves which trilogy they prefer, but if you're looking for a light read with war and romance in a historical setting, you could do worse than The White Mare.
This is a book set in Scotland at the time Agricola and the Romans had been charged with making Scotland part of the Roman empire.Rhian is a priestess and Eremon is an Irish prince in exile since his uncle took up arms against him and chased him out of Ireland. Reaching Scotland, Eremon's goal is to gain renown and make allies and return to Ireland to claim his kingdom.There is no mention of a seannad ever having elected Eremon, which makes this plot point problematic. In Ireland, sons did not automatically inherit kingship from their fathers. A seannad, consisting of members of branches of the royal family, had to agree on who would rule next. A king could not rule without their consent. In Eremon's case, only his uncle turned on him, so what happened to all the other members of the seannad who had elected Eremon? There is no mention of them whatsoever.However, the main problem I had with this story is that the plot was set up on a very flimsy conflict. Any conflict that can be resolved by two people sitting down and talking (but who won't do so) isn't a true conflict. It struck me that Jules Watson wanted the consummation of Eremon's and Rhian's marriage to take place during a Beltaine festival towards the end of the book and so needed to keep them apart until that time. Whenever an opportunity for them to reconcile their differences arose, Rhian backed out and Eremon didn't attempt to speak plainly.Before that Beltaine festival, Eremon comes to realise that he loves Rhian, but how this development occurred, I'm not sure, unless it's simply that they live in close proximity to one another and he can't bear the fact that they haven't consummated their marriage yet!Rhian also scorns Eremon at one point by stating his people do not have priestesses in Ireland any longer. As Rhian and her Sisterhood are set up according to the Wiccan belief system (which is not the ancient Celtic spiritual belief system), this irritated me. In Celtic Ireland (and elsewhere in the Celtic world) druids were both male and female. In The White Mare, only males are druids. Having said this, Watson has created the world of this book very, very well, bringing it to life with small telltale details that cause the people to come alive on the page.I enjoyed reading the acknowledgements at the beginning of the book, too. Watson thanks her husband for being her sounding block and helping her work out the plot "over many a pint in many a pub". Having the support of those nearest and dearest you when you set out to write is value beyond measure, and it was heartwarming to read about the people who supported her in her work.
What do You think about The White Mare (2006)?
It took me a while and about 70odd pages to get into this, but once I was I really enjoyed it. The story of what is now Scotland, Priestesses and Druids set amongst the ever growing threat of Roman invasion, I think Watson has created a hero in Eremon (a man from across the sea - Ireland)that people will love (I know one reader who certainly does!). I've recently been reading (and watching) a fair bit centered around the Roman Empire and it was so nice to read about the same period of time but have it set somewhere other than Rome = Watson managed to make the threat of the Romans very real without needing to devote much time to them.This is the first in a trilogy and I will certainly be looking out for the next 2.
—Sarah
Immersive, Evocative and Gripping.This was a book that made me homesick, not for a place, but for a state of being, and my faith. Though fictional, Watson's attention to detail in re-imagining ancient Celtic traditions and culture, the yearly rituals and passage of time create an excellent emotional pull to something deep and primal within the reader that really gets you attached to the characters and events in the story.On the other side of that coin, it is very easy to become frustrated with Rhiann, who seems headstrong, spoiled and inflexible, and perhaps yes, she has a reason to hate men, but of all the characters in this well told, gripping tale, she was the one I most wanted to slap. Since she is one of the main protagonists, it seems to me to be a testament to the quality of the writing that I kept reading, because I became invested in finding out what will happen to the people of the north, and as such, I will probably come back to read the rest of the books in the series.The descriptions are well rounded and engage all the senses, and move the reader through the plot effortlessly and without pretension, immersing the reader in the events as they unfold for a truly enjoyable read.
—Eirian Houpe
I'm not quite sure if this book deserves a four or a three. So I'll settle for 3.5. The plot is a bit hard to explain but I'll try my best. Set in 79 ad, Scotland, the book tells the story of native tribes that are trying to evade invasion from Rome. Having lost a king, the tribe must marry their royal priestess, Rhiann — who carries the blood of the king — to a foreign prince named Eremon. From there on, we embark on a journey filled with political strategies, war, love, traitors, druids, priestesses, and seductresses. For a book filled with spiritual magic and constant references to deities and goddesses, it manages to portray the would-be hero and heroine as grounded and flawed. In fact, there were many moments where I found myself greatly disappointed by their heedless actions. I love, love fat books full of ancient lore and old languages so I was looking forward to this since it gets compared to Mists of Avalon (one of my favorites) and Juliet Marilier's style of writing. It's in the same genre where warriors and priestesses are found but it isn't as lyrical as I expected. Not to say that I didn't enjoy it, just that there were some parts that I couldn't help but think were a bit too melodramatic. I can't pinpoint exactly what I found wrong with the book since I never got bored with it. Maybe because I found some passages a bit unnecessary that I'm hesitant to give it four stars. This is a historical fantasy for adult readers so don't be surprised when you find yourself reading quite a lot of scenes with sex involved.
—Sheena
