I could have sworn I'd already reviewed this.

Anyway, as others have said it's a series of interlinked stories set in post-Roman pre-Arthurian Britain. It deftly weaves mythology and history together, using it's protagonist's journey towards a career as a bard to structure the novel. Strongly recommend it! ( )

Enjoyable enough fiction about a summer a wandering youth spent learning how to be a bard. Well thought out story and has a lot of excellent historic references that were fun. I found it a little boring and was annoyed with the way each chapter ended. All in all this was not a bad way to spend an afternoon in the sun. ( )

I have been reading this on and off for some time now, after having received a copy through LibraryThing -- mostly because I tend to forget about books on the Kindle. But I have finally finished it -- and really enjoyed it.
It's the story of a 6th century Welsh storyteller, who hopes to become a bard; this is about one summer's travelling around what is now known as Wales. He has a less-than-perfect travelling partner, which causes all kinds of problems for both of them, but by then end of the book he has been apprenticed to a bard and is on the way to following in the footsteps of Taliesen, the legendary bard.
The story abounds with characters from British mythology and is a very enjoyable read; I was disappointed to find myself at the end of the book. But not with the story! ( )

I must admit that until I read this book I had never given much thought to what happened in Britain after the death of Arthur. I've always loved tales of Arthur and his knights and I found this book (the first of a series, I believe) to complement that love quite well. It's told from the point of view of young storyteller and would-be bard, Gwernin and recounts his early adventures. Each chapter is its own tale and each was the perfect length for bedtime reading, a time when I usually read short stories. Grove has really brought this dark time into sharp focus and has made me much more curious about Welsh myths. For some odd reason I simply could not get through the first chapter, but not wanting to give up on the book I simply skipped it and went on to the second chapter and I'm glad I did. Recommended.

ER Review.
Really enjoyed this story, after I realized it was not a stand alone book, but part of a series. I like how the author relayed the learning of the craft of the bard- the years of visual and verbal memorization, travel, apprenticeship. The author captures the difficulty of the road, and the good and bad people met. The author does an excellent job of portraying the traditional culture of Wales, the beauty and severity of it's lands.
It is amazing to realize, in relation to current society, to have a young boy travel virtually alone, getting passed off to others to further his education. At times Gwernin seemed far older than he actually is.
Current thought has the King Arthur legends centered on Wales. I liked the author's incorporation of the legends into the time frame of the story. I think the other books of the series will bring more of the legends into the main story.
Overall, and enjoyable read. The only problem I had was the darn Welsh pronunciation! Which I always have. The author kindly put a guide in the back of the book. Use it. A lot! ( )