Drawing on folklore, myth and legend, Moyra Caldecott tells the story of the struggle between good and evil, St. Collen and the mighty Gwyn ap Nudd, a confrontation involving the Earth Goddess and, ultimately, the highest powers in the universe.

From the Introduction:

I believe that myths and legends, while appearing to be pure fabrication hallowed by constant repetition, actually have their roots in a deep and abiding truth that can only be expressed through symbol and allegory. As a substratum of the main truth which is universal, there often lies a stratum of a more local and literal truth, an ancient event or belief that sparks off a chain of linked stories about a particular place. Many legends suggest that Glastonbury Tor in the sixth century was the scene of a confrontation between the old religion and the new. In an imaginative fusion of several crucial legends from. Glastonbury’s past I hope to give some insight into the living truth that they, together, illuminate. The setting — Glastonbury, Somerset — has been described by Anthony Roberts in his book "Glastonbury: Ancient Avalon, New Jerusalem" as ‘an enchanted area of land — that generates and guards a powerful magic … the symbol of a great and holy mystery’. Frances Howard-Gordon, after asking why so many myths and legends are associated with Glastonbury in her book "Glastonbury: Maker of Myths", concludes: ‘there is a certain quality about the place, in the weird and wonderful landscape, in the peculiar shade of light, in the air we breathe . . .’ It is not for nothing that Glastonbury has continued to be a place of pilgrimage for so many centuries — that generation after generation have sought the secret meaning of their lives there — that today a visit to it is a ‘must’ for anyone interested in the dawning of a New Age in this troubled and crippled world …

Quote from book:

"It did not seem strange to him that he, Lukas, existed on many levels of time and space simultaneously; that the mysteries of his past were even now present and working through him without his conscious knowledge. He realized that we do not cease to live in the Spirit Realms because we live on earth. We may forget and need reminding from time to time just how complex and magnificent being human is, but we never lose our true capacities no matter how far we drift away into carelessness and ignorance."

PUBLISHING HISTORY:

Publisher: Gothic Image, UK
Copyright Date: 1989
Format: Trade paperback
ISBN: 0906362113
Availability: Out of Print

Tutankhamun and the Daughter of Ra is part of the ‘Egyptian’ sequence, which also includes Akhenaten: Son of the Sun and Hatshepsut: Daughter of Amun. Chronologically, Hatshepsut: Daughter of Ra is the last book of the sequence.

From the blurb on the Arrow edition:

Ankhesenamun has never been safe in all her short life – not even with her beloved husband and half-brother, Tutankhamun.

Daughter of Pharaoh Akhenaten and the fabled Nefertiti, and married at one time to her father, she has seen too much intrigue, too many deaths … Forced to marry Tutankhamun by the powerful General Horemheb at a time of bitter political and religious division, Ankhesenamun is the delicate link between scheming factions.

Left vulnerable by the failure of her plans for the sacred egg of Ra and the death of her young husband, Ankhesenamun is forced into making one last extra- ordinary and desperate bid for life and happiness …

PRINTING HISTORY:

First published 1990 in paperback as Daughter of Ra by Arrow Books Limited (ISBN 0099598701).

Ancient Egypt 3500 years ago – a land ruled by the all-powerful female king, Hatshepsut. Ambitious, ruthless and worldly: a woman who established Amun as the chief god of Egypt, bestowing his Priesthood with unprecedented riches and power.

But how secure is Hatshepsut’s power against the claims of the man whose throne she has usurped? And will the feud between the new and ambitious Priesthood of Amun and the old establishment of Ra destroy all she had hoped to build?

This is a story of vision and obsession, of mighty projects and heartbreaking failures – the story of a woman possessed by the desire for power and the need to love.

“…it was unnatural, against the laws of Maat, that a woman should become a man. Surely they must see that?
“Ast looked around. The admiration and awe on every face was evident. She and her son seemed an absurd alternative to that magnificent golden being standing in the god’s light.
“Well, she and her son were alive. This was Hatshepsut’s moment. Theirs would come…”

Hatshepsut: Daughter of Amun is part of the acclaimed ‘Egyptian’ sequence, which also includes Akhenaten: Son of the Sun and Tutankhamun and the Daughter of Ra. Chronologically, Hatshepsut: Daughter of Amun is the first book of the sequence.

Reviews:

“This is a rousing tale, well-told, and highly recommended.” The Augustan, Issue 101.

Printing History:

First published 1989 in paperback by Arrow Books Limited as Daughter of Amun (ISBN 0099598507).

Republished with new notes and corrections to the text in various eBook formats by Mushroom eBooks as Hatshepsut: Daughter of Amun in April 2000.

Paperback edition published April 2004 by Bladud Books.

Set in a legendary Britain of long ago, The Tower and the Emerald is an epic fantasy of good and evil, magic and mystery.

Viviane is a beautiful Celtic princess who stands at the heart of the novel’s conflict between the powers of Light and Darkness. And she unwittingly unravels the spell that binds the spirit of the evil Idoc within a circle of tall stones. Once released from his age-long bondage, the sorcerer-priest is able to use his powers to seek vengeance against those responsible for his original enslavement – including the Princess Viviane and her lover.

With Idoc in possession of the body of Prince Caradawc, her betrothed, Viviane can no longer judge safely between friend and foe, between this life and previous incarnations. Yet to rescue Caradawc from his nightmare, she must risk everything to reach the dreaded dark tower where Idoc awaits. And, success will only be hers if she is able to find the all-powerful emerald which belonged to the archangel Lucifer in ancient and other days.

There follows a search for spiritual grace which is beautifully depicted and which includes all the timeless ingredients of legend.

Inspiration for this Dark Ages novel sprang from three sources. Firstly, an extraordinary psychic experience in an ancient Stone Circle in England; secondly, Moyra Caldecott’s curiosity about the mysterious Black Knight who frequently challenged the Knights of King Arthur’s Court; and thirdly, the powerful legend that an emerald had been lost from the crown of the Archangel Lucifer when he fell from heaven.

Reviews of The Tower and the Emerald:

“A spell-binding mixture.” Sunderland Echo.

AVAILABILITY:

PRINTING HISTORY:

First published in Great Britain in 1985 by Hamlyn Paperbacks. A hardcover edition was subsequently published in 1986 by Century Hutchinson Ltd.

A gripping story of one man’s fight to free his mind from the conditioning of a restrictive and powerful system.

A science fantasy novel set on an alien planet where the astrologers have created an oppressive caste system, and mysterious hidden rulers act through a malevolent crystal skull.

“There was a planet once called Earth. Its people, scattered like seeds before the wind, came to rest on Agaron… ”

“Had this moment of destruction come then from such a small beginning? Could even an Astrologer have foretold that a girl gathering crops in a field, filled with the love of her unborn child, would lead to the scene now before him…

Or is there ever a beginning?

Hope, like a small leaf unfurling from a dark and wrinkled seed, pushed out from his aching heart… If there is never a beginning will there ever be an end?”

TESTIMONIALS:

“I read Child of the Dark Star from cover to cover. It flows from chapter to chapter and at no time could I have put it aside. I think it’s a winner.” D Barrett

“…a good and original theme with deep meaning. I feel all astrologers should read it – one comes across so much superstition and misunderstanding about free will.” R Fitzpatrick (an astrologer)

“I have been reading Child of the Dark Star since its arrival and can’t put it down. I would definitely say it is one of your best. I was riveted.” N Pearson

“Your books are so marvellous, they have been one of the renewing experiences in my life.” J Ciner Levine

“They go so unerringly to the pure sources of life that it lifts the spirit to read them.” K Herbert

Availability: Electronic and print editions
Publisher: Mushroom eBooks and Bladud Books
ISBN: 1899142509 (Gemstar)
Publication Date: February 2001
Copyright date: 1984, 2001
Price: $4.99 (ebook)

Publishing History:

July 1984: Bran’s Head Books, UK, ISBN: 0-905220-45-5 / 978-0-905220-45-1 (UK edition), 162pp. paperback. Out of Print.

February 2001: Mushroom eBooks, Bath, England, ISBN 1899142509, Gemstar eBook

July 2001: Mushroom eBooks, Bath, England. Microsoft Reader format and Adobe pdf format.

2005: Bladud Books, an imprint of Mushroom Publishing, Bath, UK. ISBN: 1-899142-23-1/978-1899142-23-1. Paperback, 196pp.

A sequel to the hugely successful “Guardians of the Tall Stones” series.

From beyond time and space they come to walk the earth once more – the guardians of the tall stones, the Lords of the Sun…

Deva is the beautiful and headstrong daughter of the High Priest of the greatest of the mighty stone circles. She seeks to master the arts of sorcery in order to reclaim her lover from a previous incarnation. Now, trapped by a desire she cannot control, she risks more than herself, and puts the whole community in danger…

In a drama that takes place in Bronze Age Britain and 18th dynasty Egypt, ancient jealousies, hatreds and passions emerge to confront each other on the great journey to the higher realms. (104,000 words)

AVAILABILITY:

Microsoft Reader	1843193116	$5.99	Fictionwise
PDF	1843193124	$5.99	Fictionwise
MobiPocket	1843193132	$5.99	Fictionwise
eReader	1843193159	$5.99	Fictionwise
iSilo	1843193167	$5.99	Fictionwise
Sony Reader	1843194740	$5.99	Sony eBook Store
Hiebook	1843193140	$5.99	Fictionwise
eBookwise/Gemstar/Rocket devices (.rb)	1843193108	$5.99	Fictionwise
Paperback (USA)	1843193183	$17.95	Amazon.com
Paperback (UK)	1843193183	$8.99	Amazon.co.uk

PRINTING HISTORY

Publisher: Arrow, London
Copyright Date: 1987
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 0099438402
Price: Unknown
Availability: Out of Print

The Lily And the Bull is a compelling re-creation of life in Minoan Crete – a world of magic and mystery, ritual and superstition, where past and present intersect, the forces of good and evil clash, and everyday life is charged with the supernatural…

Ierii, the daughter of the chief gardener at the palace, is in love with Thyloss, the son of the keeper of the Queen’s bulls. Thyloss, who is looking forward to a future as a bull acrobat – a position of great importance – finds his feelings for Ierii gradually changing.

But their hopes are shaken by events beyond their control.

The Minoan civilization, one of the greatest the world has known, suddenly and mysteriously came to an end sometime during the period 1600-1450BC, baffling present day historians and archaeologists alike. One of the most persistent theories is that it was fatally damaged by the immense volcanic eruption on the nearby island of Thera (Santorini).

This story charts the dramatic events during the last days of Ma-ii, a city on the north coast of Crete.

AVAILABILITY

Paperback edition available

from Bladud Books:

Buy it from Amazon.com
or Amazon.co.uk

The eBook edition is available

in various formats:

Publisher: Mushroom
eBooks

ISBN: 1899142541

Publication Date: April 2000

Copyright date: 1979, 2000

Price: $4.99

Publishing History:

1979: Rex Collings, London, ISBN 0860360679, hardback

1979: Hill & Wang, USA, ISBN 080906572X

1980: Corgi, London, ISBN 0552115568, paperback,
under the pseudonym ‘Olivia Brown’.

2000: Mushroom eBooks, Bath, England, ISBN 1899142541,
RocketEdition

Guardians of the Tall Stones was originally published as three separate novels:  The Tall Stones, The Temple of the Sun and Shadow on the Stones.

The Tall Stones
(first published in Great Britain by Rex Collings Ltd, 1977)

This book has been called “one of the great esoteric novels of the 20th century”, and has been continuously in print for 23 years.

The first of three novels set in Bronze Age Britain, a society focused around the great circles of Sacred Stones scattered across the landscape. It tells the story of a community threatened by the evil designs of Wardyke, a corrupt and ambitious priest, and its only defence, the courageous young psychic, Kyra. But to defend her community, Kyra must enter the forbidden circle of stones and call upon its unseen, mystical powers…

The Temple of the Sun
(first published in Great Britain by Rex Collings Ltd, 1977)

The second book of The Sacred Stones Trilogy, continuing the story of Kyra’s hazardous journey undertaken with Karne and Fern to the Sacred Temple where Kyra is to receive her training as a priestess, and renew her love for the Lord Khu-ren. But a malevolent spirit still opposes them. Wardyke has returned, and his influence has already permeated the sanctity of the Temple. Kyra is forced once again to face the evil Magician-Priest, whose thirst for revenge and power threatens the balance between good and evil…

Moyra Caldecott sees the “Temple of the Sun” as Avebury in Wiltshire, and the “College of Star Studies” as Stonehenge.

Shadow on the Stones
(first published in Great Britain by Rex Collings Ltd, 1978)

This book continues the story of Kyra, priest of the Temple of the Sun, who, with her husband the Lord Khu-ren, has guided their civilization to a time of spiritual strength, psychic energy, and communal peace. But there is a shadow on the Stones –the spreading influence of the terrible god Groth, dark god of chaos and barbarity. Only the priests of the Temple have the means to resist the tides of destruction…

The Silver Vortex is the sequel to Guardians of the Tall Stones.

Availability:

Tricycle Press, USA, recently republished (2008-2009) Guardians of the Tall Stones as three seperate novels aimed at young adults. Confusingly, they have re-titled The Tall Stones to The Guardians of the Tall Stones and have renamed the series as “Sacred Stones series”.

The Tricycle Press covers for the Sacred Stones series

Mushroom eBooks published the series in 2006 as three seperate ebooks with their original titles, plus The Silver Vortex (originally in 2004, and re-released in 2006). The entire series of four books is published under the series title “Guardians of the Tall Stones”.

The Mushroom eBooks covers for the Guardians of the Tall Stones series

To this day, throughout the ancient city of Bath, there exist statues and images of the man who was the legendary founder of the city, and the father of King Lear. A leper and a swineherd… a necromancer and a wise king… his memory lives on.

Restless at the royal court, the young Prince Bladud sets off to consult an oracle in the west country – a wild wooded place near a mysterious hot spring that gushes from a cave. There the priestess tells him that he will be a great king, and that one day he will fly like an eagle.

When he returns to his father’s hill-fort at Trinovantum, ancient London, Bladud’s head is full of magnificent dreams… until trickery entraps him in a loveless marriage. His unquenchable thirst for knowledge, sharpened by a mysterious experience at the burial mound of his forefathers, takes him away from his home and wife on a dangerous journey to faraway Greece. There he meets and falls in love with a woman who has appeared to him many times already in dreams and visions.

On returning to his own country, he finds his father dying and his wife conspiring with his brother to disinherit him. Then, found to be suffering from a disease believed to be leprosy, he is driven from the court and shunned by his people. In this dark time he becomes a swineherd. One day, he notices his pigs are free of sores after wallowing in hot mud. He tries the healing waters of Sul himself, is cured, and returns to claim his throne…

His was a golden age of wisdom and magic, where Otherworld beings mingle freely with the people of this world, and where swans and ravens and owls take on their own special mysterious significance.

Full of brilliant imagination, this colourful fantasy draws its strength and inspiration from the strange and beautiful realms of Celtic and Greek myth and legend.

AVAILABILITY

Microsoft Reader	1899142495	$5.99	Fictionwise
PDF	1899142800	$5.99	Fictionwise
MobiPocket	1843190311	$5.99	Fictionwise
eReader	1843193094	$5.99	Fictionwise
iSilo	1843193280	$5.99	Fictionwise
Sony Reader	1843194562	$5.99	Sony Connect
Hiebook	1843193272	$5.99	Fictionwise
eBookwise/Gemstar/Rocket devices (.rb)	1899142630	$5.99	Fictionwise
Paperback (USA)	1843193302	$16.95	Amazon.com
Paperback (UK)	1843193302	£8.99	Amazon.co.uk

PRINTING HISTORY

• First published in Jun 1993 in paperback in UK by Headline Book Publishing plc.  Reprinted in same edition 1993 by Headline. ISBN 0747239304, 384 pages. Out of print.
• Hardback edition published in Jul 1993 in UK by Headline Book Publishing plc. Reprinted in same edition 1993 by Headline. ISBN 0747206120, 384 pages. Out of print.
• Published in paperback in USA by Trafalgar Square, 1994.
• First eBook edition published 2001 by Mushroom eBooks, with further eBook formats in 2006. ISBNs as under “Availability” above.

REVIEWS:

The author weaves into her story many elements from Greek and Celtic myth and legend, as is explained in helpful notes.The storyline is exciting, and the period is brought vividly to life. (Casca, on Amazon.com)