The Quarry: The Druid Chronicles, Book Four
The fourth book in Linden’s series is set in eighth-century Britain and opens as Caelym, a Celtic Druid priest, leads a small band of followers in search of a safe haven, far from persecution by Saxon Christians who now dominate the isles. At the same time, Stefan, an ambitious if rather low-born sheriff, is tricked by his wife and her lover into venturing through a remote mountainous kingdom, where they have arranged for him to be secretly ambushed and murdered. As it turns out, he runs into the Druids—just as the attack on him is launched. From this point on, the lines between hunter and hunted become increasingly blurred in a journey that entangles the lives of Stefan and his Druid captives, a powerful earl and his henchmen, a traveling troupe of players, an innkeeper with a mysterious past, a gang of bandits, a religious zealot, and of course, the murderous wife.
After beginning The Quarry with several slow-moving chapters, the author strikes an engaging balance between action-filled plot and character development. Although Stefan and Caelym are both portrayed as resourceful leaders, their wildly dissimilar backgrounds and disparate motivations heighten the dramatic tension of the story as they discover their own strengths and learn more about each other. Each of the five parts of the novel is introduced by an informative page or two that provides context for what follows. And while the author clearly states in opening remarks that there were no known practicing Druids during the eighth century, the strength of her storytelling will appeal to readers who are drawn toward the richly textured world of a distant and little-known past.
