The Forest House (1993) by Marion Zimmer Bradley is a prequel to The Mists of Avalon, reimagining the decline of Celtic Britain under Roman rule. The novel follows Eilan, a priestess of the Druidic Forest House, as she navigates forbidden love with a Roman officer, Gaius, and her fraught role in preserving pagan traditions against rising Christianity.
Bradley’s feminist lens and lush prose bring the conflict between matriarchal Druids and imperial patriarchy to life, though the book’s historical liberties and the author’s controversial legacy complicate its reception.
A must-read for Avalon fans, but with caveats.
