The Shareg - Isle Fincara Trilogy (3): Visionary fiction set in a simpler world

Disgrifiad Cymraeg / Welsh Description

Teithiwr amser ar ynys Geltaidd. Byd canoloesol gydag offeiriad benywaidd. Wrth i densiynau rhwng traddodiad Celtaidd ac eglwys awdurdodaidd ddod i ben, mae'r Ynyswyr yn ymdrechu i ddod o hyd i'w hymateb dilys. Ac, yn ôl ym Mhrydain yr 21ain ganrif, mae teulu John Finlay yn wynebu pos.

Disgrifiad Saesneg / English Description

A time-traveller lost on a Celtic island: a medieval world with a valiant woman priest. As tensions between Celtic tradition and an authoritarian church come to a head, the Islanders rise to protect their way of life. A story that draws on history to raise questions about how we want to live today.

Dosbarthu

Byddwn yn dosbarthu eitemau sydd mewn stoc o fewn 3 diwrnod gwaith, fel arfer drwy Royal Mail Tracked 48. Ar gyfer archebion o flaen llaw, byddwn yn dosbarthu’r eitem o fewn 3 diwrnod gwaith ar ôl ei derbyn gan ein cyflenwr.

Dispatch

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Bywgraffiad yr Awdur / Author Biography

Ceredigion author A G Rivett (www.agrivett.com) claims to have lived several lives in the course of his one life. Born in London, raised in the Home Counties, he has been a doctor, a priest, and a crofter in the Scottish Highlands. He has lived in rural Northern Nigeria and knows what a simpler life looks like, less dependent on technology. He now lives in Ceredigion with his wife, Gillian Paschkes-Bell, who works with him as his creative and collaborative editor. He has three daughters and two grandsons.

Adolygiad y Cyhoeddwr / Publisher Review

On the Island, where seals play in the shallows, eagles soar and crofters and craftsmen follow a pattern of life inherited from their ancestors, a missionary push is underway to change a culture. WHAT THE CRITICS ARE SAYING: ******************** AN IMMERSIVE HISTORICAL NOVEL... "Where the strongest warriors are not those who wield a sword, but are willing to take great risks for justice and truth." Political and religious upheavals disrupt island life in A. G. Rivett's The Shareg. Eleven years after being plucked from the contemporary world and deposited on the mythical island of Fincara, Dhion is called upon to take the village chieftain's place during a tumultuous time. Facing threats from within the community and beyond it, Dhion, his family, and his allies fight to protect their lives and ways of living. THE NARRATIVE: The villagers lead simple lives blending Christianity and paganism, but a distant Archpriest is determined to enforce strict beliefs. Meanwhile, a jealous rival for the chieftain's position results in a rush of danger, leading to a quick escape, a daring rescue, and a fateful battle. COMPELLING CHARACTERS: The story shifts between the perspectives of several varied characters. This includes Dhion as he transitions from village smith to community leader; his steadfast wife Shinane; and his adoptive mother Morag, whose position as an unauthorized village priestess prompts tense conversations about mindless obedience versus true faith. A GROUNDED, MEANINGFUL PACE: The book’s fantasy elements are quite understated and the story remains grounded. Much more attention is devoted to the villagers’ spiritual, moral, and emotional decisions, feeding into a fitting, bittersweet conclusion overlaid with a sense of fatedness. SUMMARY: The Shareg is a contemplative historical novel about a man elevated to leadership who seeks to balance tradition, tolerance, and progress in his adopted community. — Eileen Gonzalez, Foreword Clarion Reviews ******************** THE TRILOGY'S FINALE... "A gripping confrontation... drawing full circle to the beginning of the first volume and setting the seal on the trilogy as a whole." In the final book of the Isle Fincara Trilogy, Dhion (formerly John Finlay) returns to centre stage with a strong supporting cast. THE CLASH OF CULTURES: The plot centres on the clash of cultures which began in the previous volume when the Island’s Archpriest attempted, but failed, to convert the community of Caerpadraig from their Celtic style ‘God and Ghea’ cult of Christianity to something more orthodox. As Rivett explains in his Author’s Note, this echoes the historical transition between Celtic and Roman Christianity that took place in Britain over 1000 years ago. And Fincara’s troubles are far from over when the Archpriest proceeds to resolve the hiatus left over from the previous volume with all the tact and humanity of the KGB. THEMATIC DEPTH: Christianity is not flagged up in any formal way, but the redeeming self-sacrifice of ‘the Chrisht' informs the actions and lives of the leading characters and thus the whole tone of the work. The book explores how uniting civil and religious power inevitably leads to forms of tyranny, something we have seen too much of in our own world. This leads to a gripping confrontation involving not only Dhion, but Caerpadraig’s ‘false’ priest Morag, the trainee Guardian Sorcha, the Guardians themselves—and the island’s chiefs, the sharegs. A TRILOGY WITH A SENSE OF PEACE: We follow the different characters in a number of intertwining sub-plots which resolve in a surprise ending that also seems inevitable. Notwithstanding the drama, a sense of peace inhabits this trilogy; a hope that providence will make things good in the long term, even for those who suffer and die. A fundamentally Christian view of things which we may preserve in some measure after we put the book down. — Daniel Morphy OSB, Pluscarden Benedictines ******************** A SOUL-MOVINGLY RELEVANT JOURNEY... "Deep down, it offers a richly textured testimony of spiritual journeying that will encourage many readers in their own struggles and perplexities." The Isle Fincara Trilogy is not only a moving adventure tale; deep down, it offers a richly textured testimony of spiritual journeying that will encourage many readers in their own struggles and perplexities. The fact that ‘Chrisht’ (as the islanders call him) is present throughout adds resonant depth to the narrative. RESONANT SPIRITUAL TEACHING: I would commend these books not just because they are ‘a good read’, but because they articulate spiritual teaching that today is widely needed, within as well as beyond the Church. SPECULATIVE FICTION WITH DEEP RELEVANCE: Written by an Anglican priest, and dedicated to his daughters and grandchildren, the books are simultaneously of the genres ‘speculative historical fiction’ and ‘portal fantasy’. They are not, however, in the least escapist; readers of all ages and experience will find them soul-movingly relevant. — Doug Constable, Anglican priest, poet and hymn-writer ******************** THE ATMOSPHERE OF FINCARA... "A world to which we as readers have been given rare and thoroughly enjoyable access... where the boundaries between nature and spirit, past and present, brute force and a hidden elemental power converge." The third and final novel in A. G. Rivett’s Isle Fincara Trilogy continues to delight with its vividly depicted landscape, so evocative of the Scottish isles, yet retaining the mystery of a world that exists beyond the boundaries of our own modern time and space. The rugged beauty of the setting is reflected in the simple lives of the island community, whose traditions and way of life are governed by the changing seasons. CONVERGING STRANDS: The Shareg skilfully brings together the threads of the story developed through the earlier two novels. The narrative continues to centre on Dhion, an engineer from our own time who found himself washed up on the mysterious island; his wife Shinane; and Morag, whose position as the village Priest provokes outrage among the leaders of the new religion. Rivett handles these converging strands with a steady and skilful pace, allowing the story to build without losing sight of the rhythms of island life. TRUE SPIRITUAL POWER: One of the themes I found particularly engaging is the novel’s exploration of where true spiritual power resides. It is not necessarily found in religious institutions that use physical force to implement their authority, but in those who remain connected to the natural order of things. The simple, faithful life of the islanders increasingly comes into conflict with the religion of the empire, which seeks to bring their minds under its control but, in doing so, outrages their hearts. THE WOMEN OF FINCARA: This theme is particularly evident in the portrayal of the women of Fincara. Although the society is essentially feudal and men appear to hold the positions of authority, its women possess a strength that is easily overlooked because it is expressed through the ordinary roles of wives and mothers. As the story unfolds, however, these women increasingly come into their own with surprising results. When fate calls upon them, they prove more than equal to the task. A TRADITION OF EXCELLENT STORYTELLING: The Shareg is a story in the best tradition of storytelling. It has pace, tension and a satisfying denouement, while never abandoning the steady heartbeat of the small community at its centre. Most importantly, the final novel succeeds in drawing together the strands of the trilogy while remaining faithful to the distinctive atmosphere that has made the world of Fincara so compelling. — Krystyna Kryewska, Reader Review ******************** A RICH AND BEAUTIFUL MEDIEVAL TAPESTRY... "An epic tale for modern times... A tale of love and betrayal, faith and doubt, cowardice and courage, battle and ultimate sacrifice. I simply love this book!" The Shareg, the eagerly anticipated third book in the Isle Fincara Trilogy, returns the reader to the remote island communities of Caerpadraig and Fisherhame and the medieval, mystical world of its particular form of Celtic Christianity. A WORLD IN PERIL: The opening chapter finds ‘the Seaborne’ of the first book a man of standing with a growing family—an Islander by adoption of some ten years. Originally fleeing a chaotic situation in modern-day London, he has come to value the simpler rhythms of the Island. When the ‘shareg,’ the community’s headman, stands down, he is invited to put himself forward. All is going well when betrayal by a community member and the unexpected arrival of the Archpriest’s soldiers finds him on the run again, his life in danger of collapsing around him once more. THE THEME OF POWER: A central theme is that of power. There are many cloaks of power in The Shareg, either collaborating with, or standing against each other. The Archpriest’s mission to bring the Island to ‘the Perfection of Faith’ is little more than a clumsily disguised attempt to seize control. Through coercion and the imposition of a poisoned orthodoxy, his campaign endangers the soul of the island and is ‘deaf and blind to the value of anything beyond its narrow view.’ CLOAKS OF RESISTANCE: Against this stands the power of the shareg’s cloak, exercised in the serving and protection of the Island and its people. And with the sharegs, the spiritual power of the Guardians, a hidden circle of mystics and adepts. Finally, there is the power to know oneself more deeply, the power of Becoming, which takes centre stage at the climax of the story. AN EPIC CONCLUSION: In The Shareg Rivett has skilfully crafted an epic tale for modern times. A multi-layered book that may be likened to a rich and beautiful medieval tapestry. The conclusion draws together all threads into a seamless and heart-warming whole. — Benedict Thwaite, Reader Review ********************