The Forest House (The Mists of Avalon: Prequel)
by Marrion Zimmer Bradley

This is the prequel to The Mists of Avalon and chronicles the life of a young Celtic priestess who meets and falls in love with a Roman soldier. It takes place approximately 400 years before The Mists of Avalonand includes a lot of foreshadowing of what is to come. It is strongly geared towards the Roman occupation of Britain just after Queen Boudicca’s failed revolution to drive out the Romans.

The story is true to the Avalon mythos with romance, magic and intrigue. It starts a bit slow and and is very heavy on the Roman occupation, but it picks up midway. It becomes a compelling story that leads us from the sacred grove of priestesses in The Forest House to the founding of what will become known as Avalon.