The Keltiad

The Keltiad is a body of epic fantasy works written by Patricia Kennealy-Morrison. Currently (March 2015) there are eight novels in the series and one collection of short stories.

The books are set in a star system far from our own, where various Celtic peoples emigrated after the rise of Christianity and the purge of the Old Religion that followed. The novels and short stories are based upon traditional Celtic legends and mythology, woven into a technologically advanced universe, and updated for a futuristic culture.

Several other titles were planned, but when publisher HarperCollins decided to drop the series, despite much fan support and outcry, Kennealy-Morrison was forced to curtail it. The author has recently made known her plans to continue the series with at least two more titles, The Beltane Queen, and The Cloak of Gold, the conclusion of the series, to be published by her own Lizard Queen Press, and, depending on reader response, possibly several more.

The Copper Crown introduces us to the technologically advanced, interstellar kingdom of Keltia, founded in Earth year 452 by Celts from Earth. As the book opens, in Earth year 3512, Aeron Aoibhell is Ard-rian (High Queen) of Keltia, and finds herself in a particularly unenviable position. Earth has finally discovered its faraway and long-sundered kinfolk, but any possible alliance/treaty with the Terran Federacy could result in war with Keltia’s fiercest rivals, the Phalanx and the Cabiri Empire. Facing these ethical dilemmas proves challenging for the queen and her realm. (Published as Patricia Kennealy; hardcover 1984; paperback 1986)

The Throne of Scone continues directly on from the action of The Copper Crown. Aeron finds some unlikely friends and allies on her quest for the long-lost Thirteen Treasures of Keltia, and for the Once and Future King himself, Arthur of Arvon. As in The Copper Crown, Aeron is once again faced with the challenge of liberating her kingdom and her people without giving in to the call of unlawful magic. (Patricia Kennealy; hc 1986; pb 1987)

The Silver Branch, the prequel to The Copper Crown, begins with Aeron’s father, King Fionnbarr, whose accidental love-affair affects both Keltia and Fomor, and continues with Aeron as she grows up: her education as a Fian (warrior) and a Ban-draoi (female druid); the personal and political challenges she must face before the arrival of the Terrans in Keltia; how she came by her great skills as warrior and sorceress; her strong friendship with Morwen Douglas, along with her love affairs with both Roderick Douglas (Morwen's elder brother) and Gwydion, Prince of Gwynedd; and why a mostly one-sided love/hate relationship with Arianiera (Gwydion's twin sister) ultimately causes Keltia's downfall. It also reveals why she fears her own powers, and why Bres, King of Fomor follows an obsessive compulsion to revenge himself for an act committed over 30 years prior. (Patricia Kennealy; hc 1988; pb 1989)

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