Magdalen Rising: The Beginning

“Smart and earthy . . . richly imaginative . . . the epitome of the storyteller’s art.”—St. Louis Post-Dispatch (chosen as one of “The Year’s Best Books”)

“This amazing book could well become a classic of women’s literature.”—Booklist (chosen as one of the “Year’s Ten Best Fantasy Books”)

Young Magdalen and Jesus, brimming with youthful charm and arrogance, find each other and fall in love, forging a bond that is stronger than death. Their pleasure is overshadowed by a brilliant but unbalanced druid who knows a perilous secret about Maeve’s past. The prequel to The Passion of Mary Magdalen.

Elizabeth Cunningham is the direct descendant of nine generations of Episcopal priests. When she was not in church or school, she read fairytales and fantasy novels or wandered in the enchanted wood of an overgrown, abandoned estate next door to the rectory. Her religious background, the magic of fairytales, and the numinous experience of nature continue to inform her work.