A Land Beyond Ravens By Kathleen Cunningham Guler

This is a book about the time of Arthur, the future king of England, and Merlin the Enchanter. It is the fourth and final book of the Macsen's Treasure Series .Marcus ap Iorwerth is a spy for the High King, Uther Pendragon, the father of Arthur. Marcus is the lord of a small stronghold in the kingdom of Gwtnedd called Dinas Beris. Claerwen is the wife of Marcus. Lady Claerwen is clairvoyant and has "fire in her head" with visions of the future and not is very strong because of her health. Arthur is hidden by the druid, Myrddin Emrys, the nephew of Uther until he comes of age to become the King. He is known as Merlin the Enchanter.This tale takes place in the Dark Age of Britain in the 5th century. It is a battle between Britons and the Saxons and also involves the Christian Church. The book is historical and mysterious; a good read and a book that can be read more than one time. There is loyalty, betrayal, love, hate, anxiety, sadness, loss, softness and hope for the future. I appreciated the fact that the language is not vulgar and the love scenes between Marcus and Claerwen are personal and caring. As a reader you did not intrude into their time together, but you can feel their love for each other.The author, Kathleen Cunningham Guler, gives enough history and background, so her books do not have to be read in order. I always prefer to read a series in order and will now read the rest of the books. She reminds me of Mary Stewart, an author of a trilogy of novels of Merlin.The book is fiction but leaves the reader wanting to do more research of this time period. The pronunciation guide/glossary is very helpful as well as the map at the front of the book. The chapters have the names of the locations in the chapter and the date.I would like to add, I emailed Kathleen Cunningham Guler and she responded right away.I look forward to reading her other books.Leona Olson ( )