Healer

This book by Linda Windsor strides the boundary between fantasy and historical fiction. It takes place during the time of King Arthur (yes that King Arthur) where two clans Glenarden and Gowrys are at war with one another. We soon meet Brenna and Ronan, two children of these two clans. What emerges is a sort of Romeo and Juliet tale where Brenna and Ronan fall in love and marry. Unlike Shakespeare's tragedy though, these two live to unite their clans as one under the banner of the Pendragon.

The fantasy comes in through the "witchcraft" of two of the main characters. Brenna is a prophetess and a healer, using her God given knowledge of herbs and herb lore to help those around her. Windsor calls it pre science in her introduction.

The other witches are Rhianon and Keena. Rhianon is the wife of Ronan's younger brother and uses what knowledge she posses for dark and evil purposes. One of the most chilling passages I have ever read is when Keena summons a demon to posses Caden at Rhianon's request.  One wonders what she could possibly have been thinking.

This is a Christian fantasy, but in it the only ones using real "magic" are the evil ones, yet it was still close enough that I decided that it belonged in this blog. :)

I know that in a previous post I said that witches and demons were strikes against a book, but I want it known that I'm not contradicting myself. In the book Hounded, these things were presented as really okay, just another way of life. In Healer they are clearly labeled evil.