Isolde, Queen of the Western Isle (Tristan and Isolde Novels, Book 1) - Softcover

Rosalind Miles

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0684860848 ISBN 13: 9780684860848

Publisher: Simon & Schuster, 2002

Synopsis

The first in a magnificent new Arthurian trilogy from Rosalind Miles, author of the bestselling GUENEVERE Only daughter of Ireland's ruling queen, Isolde has always known that she will take over the rule of the sacred Island of the West when her time comes. Until then she practises her skills as a healer and struggles to hold back her mother, a passionate, headstrong woman under the sway of her champion, Sir Marhaus, who is determined to make war. Attacking Cornwall, Sir Marhaus wounds the king's nephew, Sir Tristan of Lyonesse, so badly that he can only be saved by Isolde, the most noted healer of the isles. And when the King of Cornwall decides to marry Isolde, unaware of the young couple's growing love, the stage is set for the mythic tale of star-crossed lovers that the world knows so well. Like Arthur's queen Guenevere, her friend from their girlhood days on Avalon, Isolde is fated to a lifelong struggle between duty and desire before finding peace. Tristan too relies on his dearest friend at the Round Table, Sir Lancelot of the Lake, as he strives to balance his loyalty to his king against the dictates of his heart. Set in Ireland, Cornwall and Camelot, ISOLDE offers a compelling new version of the familiar legend rich in Celtic magic and mythology, yet firmly grounded in the well-loved Arthurian world. Merlin, Arthur, Guenevere, and all their knights appear once again to delight those who enjoyed Rosalind Miles's previous forays into this enchanted terrain.

About this title

From the Inside Flap:

In the golden time of Arthur and Guenevere, the Island of the West shines like an emerald in the sea--one of the last strongholds of Goddess-worship and Mother-right. Isolde is the only daughter and heiress of Ireland's great ruling queen, a lady as passionate in battle as she is in love. La Belle Isolde, like her mother, is famed for her beauty, but she is a healer instead of a warrior, "of all surgeons, the best among the isles." A natural peacemaker, Isolde is struggling to save Ireland from a war waged by her dangerously reckless mother. The Queen is influenced by her lover, Sir Marhaus, who urges her to invade neighboring Cornwall and claim it for her own, a foolhardy move Isolde is determined to prevent. But she is unable to stop them. King Mark of Cornwall sends forth his own champion to do battle with the Irish--Sir Tristan of Lyonesse--a young, untested knight with a mysterious past. A member of the Round Table, Tristan has returned to the land of his birth after many years in exile, only to face Ireland's fiercest champion in combat. When he lies victorious but near death on the field of battle, Tristan knows that his only hope of survival lies to the West. He must be taken to Ireland to be healed, but he must go in disguise--for if the Queen finds out who killed her beloved, he will follow Marhaus into the spirit world. His men smuggle him into the Queen's fort at Dubh Lein, and beg the princess to save him.
From this first meeting of star-crossed lovers, an epic story unfolds. Isolde's skill and beauty impress Tristan's uncle, King Mark of Cornwall, and--knowing nothing of her love for Tristan--he decides to make her his queen, a match her mother encourages as a way tobind their lands under one rule. Tristan and Isolde find themselves caught in the crosscurrents of fate, as Isolde is forced to marry a man she does not love. Taking pity on her daughter, the Queen gives her an elixir that will create in her a passion for King Mark and ensure that their love will last until death. But on the voyage to Ireland, Tristan and Isolde drink the love potion by accident, sealing their already perilous love forever.
So begins the first book of the Tristan and Isolde trilogy, another stunning example of the storyteller's craft from Rosalind Miles, author of the beloved and bestselling Guenevere trilogy.

"From the Hardcover edition.

About the Author:

Rosalind Miles is the prize-winning author of eighteen works of fiction and non-fiction. As a journalist, Rosalind was a founder contributor to both the LITERARY REVIEW and WORKING WOMEN IN BRITAIN, and has been published in all the major British newspapers as well as many publications overseas. She has been shortlisted for the James Tait Black and the Whitbread Awards and in 1990 she won the Network Award for outstanding achievement in the field of writing. She lives in Faversham, Kent.

About this edition

• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 0684860848
• ISBN 13: 9780684860848
• Binding: Paperback