From Publishers Weekly
Lewis Gillies is pursuing graduate work in Celtic studies at Oxford when his rich roommate, Simon Rawnson, slips through a hole in a cairn to the land of the Tuatha de Danann. With the help of an eccentric professor, Lewis pursues Simon and finds himself playing a major role in some important Celtic myths. In retelling these myths, Lawhead ( Arthur ) allows his characters to become unspecific archetypes who therefore fail to hold the reader's interest. As he is herded from event to event, Lewis, supposedly a Celtic scholar, fails to recognize the import of these occurences. Throughout, Lawhead tells his readers what to feel rather than letting his story move them. Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Library Journal
Two Oxford graduate students stumble upon a stone cairn in Scotland and enter a magical "Otherworld" at once removed from and intimately connected to their own reality, becoming embroiled in an ancient battle against an evil that threatens both worlds. Lawhead, whose Pendragon Cycle ( Taliesin , LJ 8/87; Merlin , Crossway Bks., 1988; Arthur , Crossway Bks., 1989) established him as a frontrunner among contemporary Christian fantastists, demonstrates a genuine love for and understanding of Anglo-Celtic mythology in this first volume of a projected series. A worthwhile purchase for most fantasy collections.Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From AudioFile
Two very different graduate students at Oxford become embroiled in events they never could have predicted when, first, one disappears and then the other seeks to find him, entering a doorway between worlds. Through that door, they enter a long-ago time of the Celts and their warriors. Their reunion isn't as cordial as they would expect, but it sets the stage for intrigue and treachery. Stuart Langston maintains a steady pace throughout. He is particularly adept at handling dialogue, skillfully moving between characters at a lively pace. J.E.M. © AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine


From Kirkus Reviews
Celtic fantasy and first of a series from the author of the recent Pendragon Cycle Trilogy, In the Hall of the Dragon King, etc. The aristocratic Simon Rawnson and his American friend, narrator Lewis Gillies, are postgraduate students at Oxford, free to go chasing impetuously off to the far north of Scotland in pursuit of an extinct beast supposedly sighted by a farmer. Simon clambers inside a cairn and vanishes. Helped by a Celtic expert, the mad professor Nettles, Lewis follows--and finds himself in Albion, a Celtic paradise (our world and Albion are apparently coming unravelled, however). In Albion, the two friends both become warriors, only to take opposing sides in a power struggle, with Lewis as warrior Llew siding with the good Phantarch, while Simon joins evil Nudd, King of the Underworld. Only by bringing Simon back to our world, Lewis reasons, can the evil be abated. Lawhead treats his Celtic lore with respect; the upshot is well handled and pleasingly restrained, a solid and readable opener for the series. -- Copyright ©1991, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.


BOOKSTORE JOURNAL
“In a style reminiscent of Tolkien, Lawhead presents a world of vivid imagery. This book is a delight.”


Book Description
Drawn from the dreaming spires of Oxford University to the misty moors and glens of Scotland, Lewis Gillies expects little more than a pleasant weekend away. But the road north leads to a mystical crossroads, and Lewis finds himself in a place where two worlds meet—in the time–between times. The ancient Celts admitted no separation between the world and the Otherworld: the two were delicately interwoven, each dependent on the other. In this first book, a breach has opened between these two worlds—and cosmic catastrophe threatens.


From the Publisher
Combining skillful storytelling with a strong spiritual vision, Stephen Lawhead has established his name among the front ranks of contemporary historical fantasy writers. An American, Lawhead moved to Britain, where he now lives, in order to research the Celtic legend and history that are at the heart of his stories. He is the author of more than a dozen works of fantasy and science fiction, including the best–selling Pendragon Cycle.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Combining skillful storytelling with a strong spiritual vision, Stephen Lawhead has established his name among the front ranks of contemporary historical fantasy writers. An American, Lawhead moved to Britain, where he now lives, in order to research the Celtic legend and history that are at the heart of his stories. He is the author of more than a dozen works of fantasy and science fiction, including the best-selling Pendragon Cycle.

SYNOPSIS

Drawn from the dreaming spires of Oxford University to the misty moors and glens of Scotland, Lewis Gillies expects little more than a pleasant weekend away. But the road north leads to a mystical crossroads, and Lewis finds himself in a place where two worlds meet—in the time-between times. The ancient Celts admitted no separation between the world and the Otherworld: the two were delicately interwoven, each dependent on the other. In this first book, a breach has opened between these two worlds—and cosmic catastrophe threatens.

FROM THE CRITICS

Books Magazine

To set foot in Albion is to enter a rich world of fantasy,rooted in Celtic mythology. An astonishingly imaginative story sequence.

Bookstore Journal