Avalon (Bradley/Paxson)

She was Eilan, the daughter of a Druidic warleader and gifted with visions. In a land struggling to survive both Roman conquerors and her own people's enemies, surely fate had marked her to become a priestess of the Forest House.But first Eilan had chosen a different, forbidden path-to love Gaius, a soldier of mixed blood among the legions sent to subdue her country. So she must hide a terrible secret when she is anointed as the new High Priestess. With mighty enemies poised to usurp the wealth of magic the Forest House sheltered, Eilan could only trust in the power of the great Goddess to find her destiny amidst the treacherous labyrinth in which fate had placed her.

A new age is coming...The King will come...and he will rule forever in Avalon.Through the generations the women of Avalon prepare for the coming of the Defender, the sacred king who will guard the old ways of the Britons and save their land from destruction. On the holy isle of Avalon, hidden in the mists between the world of Faerie and the world of men, they wait.For High Priestess Caillean, facing the Roman foe, salvation comes not through victory, but bitter sacrifice. Two hundred years later her successor, Dierna, faces a new enemy: the Saxon hordes who assail her people like savages. By the time of Viviane, Britain seems wholly lost. But a Merlin is made amongst the Druids once more, and the day of the Defender, who will come to be known as Arthur, draws close.A spellbinding historical fantasy, Lady of Avalon links the bestselling novels in the Avalon series-The Forests of Avalon and The Mists of Avalon.

Best-selling author Marion Zimmer Bradley skillfully blends enchanting romance, supernatural ritual, and daring exploits in this eagerly-awaited prelude to the blockbuster fantasy series, The Mists of Avalon. Foreshadowing the mystical birth of King Arthur, Lady of Avalon paints a lush portrait of the turbulence and grandeur of ancient Britain while Rome ruled the Isles. Throughout Britannia, Roman soldiers are destroying those who follow the Druid's time-honored religion. Hoping to save a remnant of the faith, High Priestess Lady Caillean retreats with her band of holy followers to the mist-enshrouded island of Avalon. There she forges a bond with the Sacred King to serve the Great Goddess and to steer Britannia's political forces. As the decades turn into centuries, the High Priestess and her inspired successors work their magic to shape the fortunes of humankind-but even their powerful sorcery cannot control the human heart. Each earthy priestess of Avalon steps colorfully from the pages with Marion Zimmer Bradley's dynamic plotting and Davina Porter's dramatic narration.

When a British princess falls in love with a Roman officer destined for imperial greatness, their forbidden desire exacts an unexpected price: banishment from Avalon. Journeying outside the enchanted isle, Helena grows from maiden to mother to wisewoman, experiencing both joy-with the birth of her child-and loss, when politics forces her lover to choose between the Empire and her.Then Helena's son, Constantine, becomes Emperor, and her position as Empress-Mother propels her to prominence at a crucial turning point in Western history. Seeking a way to bridge the pagan world of the Goddess and the new Christian Empire, Helena embarks on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land to find the truth that transcends both the old religion and the new.

Tiriki is a Guardian of the Light, but she has grown up in the shadow of the curse of Atlantis. Graceful and gifted, she is the beloved wife and partner of Micail, a spiritual leader and prince. But when disaster divides them, she must find her own path in a new land, and the world she discovers could change her innermost desires forever. Will she find Micail? And if they are reunited, can they find love once again?Damisa has inherited royal blood and royal pride. In Atlantis she was only an acolyte, but in the new land she could become a queen. She is fierce and ambitious despite her tender years, but her heart remains torn. Will she choose the path of the priestess or the path of power?Hints of this mysterious past have haunted all the novels of Avalon, but until now the full sweep of this rich history has not been revealed. Peopled with the remarkable women who have always inhabited Avalon and set in a world of wondrous enchantment, Marion Zimmer Bradley's Ancestors of Avalon is another spectacular epic that is sure to please Bradley's many ardent fans and anyone who loves spellbinding stories of romance and myth.

Diana L. Paxson expands Marion Zimmer Bradley's beloved and bestselling Avalon series in a dramatic new installment. Marion Zimmer Bradley's Ravens of Avalon, the prequel to The Forest House, tells the story of the Roman conquest of Britain and the origin of the Forest House that preceded the return to Avalon.Marion Zimmer Bradley's Ravens of Avalon follows the journey of Boudica, a Celtic princess, and Lhiannon, a priestess who is Boudica's mentor on the Druid isle. When the Romans conquer Britain, Lhiannon fights them while Boudica marries a king who has surrendered. Theirs is a great love story, but when he dies, the Romans brutalize her and her daughters. Enraged, Boudica raises the British tribes and nearly succeeds in driving the Romans from Britain, claiming a place in history. Lhiannon survives and becomes the guardian of the Druid traditions in the new Roman Britannia as high priestess of the Forest House.Epic in its sweep and peopled by the remarkable women who have always inhabited Avalon, Marion Zimmer Bradley's Ravens of Avalon expands the legendary saga that has enchanted millions of readers over the years and is sure to please Bradley's loyal readership as well as anyone who loves wonderfully told stories of history, myth, and fantasy.

Epic in its sweep and peopled by the remarkable women who have always inhabited Avalon, Marion Zimmer Bradley's Sword of Avalon expands the legendary saga that has enchanted millions of readers over the years and is sure to please Bradley's loyal readership and anyone who loves wonderfully told stories of history, myth, and fantasy.A boy raised in secret after traitors kill his parents will return to Avalon-and when he does, he'll be faced with a formidable task: to prove his worth as a son of the kings and priestesses of his land and lead his followers to victory, wielding the newly forged sword Excalibur.