About the Author

Juliet Marillier was born in New Zealand and brought up in Dunedin, the ‘Edinburgh of the South’. She has a passionate interest in Celtic music and Irish folklore. A mother of two daughters and two sons, she lives in a rural area outside Perth in Western Australia.

Reviews

'A tale of subtle depth and sweetness' SFX 'Marillier is a virtuoso of emotional pain, and Fainne lives closer to the edge than any of her heroines. These are books in which life lived close to nature is central to the scheme of things, and Marillier writes of it with attractive delicacy; this is a powerful and suspenseful completion of a popular trilogy.' Roz Kaveney, Amazon 'A magical Celtic tale of conflict and loyalty ... Marillier again shows her immense skill in weaving a tapestry that will entrance the reader ... she is a storyteller of rare gifts, and this is an immensely enjoyable piece.' Starlog 'An engrossing read' Starburst Praise for the Sevenwaters Trilogy: 'I enjoyed it enormously. It is a fantasy, full of the magic of the Celtic night, but it has that wonderful all-important feel of reality ... a wonderful, riveting story' Barbara Erskine 'This hugely enjoyable, romantic Celtic fantasy is a terrific book, well written and unputdownable' Bookwatch 'Filled with the powers of earth and sky, lake and forest... sweet and strong as the note of a harp, and painful as a sword thrust deep ... a strong sense of realism ... a nicely wrought and well-detailed historical fantasy' Locus 'Marillier is a fine folklorist and a gifted narrator who has created a wholly appealing and powerful character'Publishers Weekly

In the final book in her Sevenwaters Trilogy, Australian Marillier gathers the threads from the first two (Daughter of the Forest and Son of the Shadows) and weaves them together into a rich tapestry of love and loss, family loyalty and personal sacrifice. The saga of the guardians of the forest at Sevenwaters takes up the story of Fainne, daughter of the former Druid Ciaran and the lost Niamh. Raised in the ways of magic, Fainne plans to become a solitary sorcerer like her father, but fate intervenes in the form of her grandmother, Oonagh, a sorceress with a penchant for cruelty and a desire to put an end to everything the Sevenwaters folks stand for. A prophecy tells of a way to preserve the old magic, and Lady Oonagh is willing to trick her granddaughter and torture her own son to break it. Though Fainne is forced to bow to her grandmother's will, the love of her family and her own strong ethics help her remember her true nature, as she learns about herself, her powers of sorcery and the part she plays in a prophecy that has tested three generations of women. Though the romance elements that dominated The Son of the Shadows occasionally appear, this book centers on personal growth and filial duty; it can be enjoyed as a read-alone book, but is better understood with the preceding titles. Marillier's strong voice and rolling, lucid prose seem appropriate for a 10th-century Irish tale, and her command of a fantasy story's elements make this an excellent conclusion to a fine trilogy. (Mar. 27) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.