Magdalen Rising

Readers new to
THE MAEVE, CHRONICLES
You are holding
MAGDALEN RISING
in your hands.
Why not begin at
THE BEGINNING ...

 

Readers of
THE PASSION OF MARY MAGDALEN
who wondered:
Where did Maeve get her nerve,
her verve, her verbal prowess
her just plain panache?
The answer is here in
THE BEGINNING...

 

In this Celtic wonder tale, prequel to Elizabeth Cunningham's acclaimed novel, The Passion of Mary Magdalen, Maeve and Jesus, brimming with youthful charm and arrogance, find each other and fall in love, forging a bond that is stronger than death. Born to eight warrior-witches on one of the Shining Isles of the Celtic Otherworld, Maeve is trained in her mothers' heroic arts and raised on colorful tales of her conception that agree on one point only: her father is a god, Manannan Mac Lir, no less, the god of the sea. When the Cailleach, an ancient wise woman, foresees a great, if perilous, destiny for Maeve in the wider world, Maeve's mothers reluctantly agree to send her to be trained as a bard at the famous Druid College on the Isle of Mona (Anglesey).

Maeve departs eagerly, longing to find thy Mysterious Other she has glimpsed only in vision and dream.

Driven by his own dreams and prophecies, a young Jew from Galilee, known to the Celts as Esus, also gains admission to the college.

From the start, the two are sparring partners, by turns delighting and outraging each other with their opposing views on just about everything.

The pleasure of their early exploration is soon overshadowed. Maeve draws the attention of Lovernios, a brilliant but unbalanced druid with a secret he's kept by the name of a sacrificial Celtic god, who becomes the ultimate object of the druid's dangerous obsession. Tensions mount between Lovernios and the lovers, even as hostilities escalate between the free Celtic tribes of Britain and the Romans across the channel in occupied Gaul. Disaster looms on all fronts. But our Maeve was not raised as a hero for nothing.

New readers and Maeve mavens alike will be moved by the tale of this young woman's courage, her bold determination to save the life of the one she loves, at whatever cost to herself. Outrageous, funny, full of heart, in Magdalen Rising Maeve grows into the woman who will become Mary Magdalen, whose passion will take her all the way to the Cross and beyond.

Writing in the visionary tradition of C.S. Lewis, Cunningham brings fresh meaning to the concept of incarnation and opens our eyes to life on this earth, a place alive with magic and rich with divine and human mystery.

Descended from nine generations of Episcopal priests, Elizabeth lives in the Hudson Valley. She is the author of four previous novels and two volumes of poetry. Maeve has now taken over her life; she doesn't really mind. For more, visit the author's website:

www.passionofmarymagdalen.com
.

 

www.monkfishpublishing.com
Jacket picture:
St Mary Magdalene
by Simon Vouet 1623-27
Oil on canvas, 241 4 × 171 cm
Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Antica, Rome
Jacket design and author photograph:
Georgia Dent

ADVANCE PRAISE FOR MAGDALEN RISING

“With keen psychological insight and disarming humor, Elizabeth Cunningham re-imagines the beginnings of Christianity from a Celtic point-of-view. Her Celtic Magdalen invites us to wonder how a woman trained in the mysteries of Druidism and ancient Celtic spirituality might have fallen under the spell of the young Jesus of Nazareth and cast her own magic over him. The evolving tale of love, challenge and triumph will captivate readers.”

-TOM COWAN, author of
Fire in the Head; Shamanism and the Celtic Spirit

 

“Cunningham wears her reverence at such a rakish angle that it's easy to overlook the deeply religious sensibility that informs her work. She insists on humanity as one one who sees in its every awkward aspect the image and likeness of God. Beneath her sense of the ridiculous and the ribald, is the subtext that sings “Alleluia!”

-CATHERINE MACCOUN, author of
The Age of Miracles

 

“Smart and earthy...richly imaginative... the epitome of the storyteller's art..”

-ST. Louis POST-DISPATCH, chosen as one of “The Year's Best Books”

 

“From the beginning we are caught up in a cocky irreverence that is captivating. Wrestling with destiny as all true heroines must, Maeve searches for the land of Mona and its famous Druid university. Once she is there, prophecies begin to fulfill themselves and we are swept into an adventure that tugs at our hearts and minds. This amazing book could well become a classic of women's literature.”

-BOOKLIST, chosen as one of the Year's Ten Best Fantasy Novels

 

“High adventure magic, a detailed look at the world of the ancient Druids, and the most engaging heroine of recent goddess fiction come together to make
Magdalen Rising
a must-have for any lover of historical or goddess-oriented fantasy.”

-SAGE WOMAN MAGAZINE

 

“If you're interested in Celtic or Christian lore, here are both, seamlessly interwoven, told in such a delightful narrative that it was difficult to put the book down.”

-THE BELTANE PAPERS

“Unforgettably original...

Matthew, Mark, Luke and John: move over.”

-SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS

 

“This year's must-have summer reading.”

-KINK RADIO

 

“Lavish and lusty...Cunningham's Celtic Magdalene is as hot in the mouth as Irish whiskey.”

-BELIEFNET, chosen as one of this year's “heretical beach-books”.

 

“Cunningham's rich imaginings of Magdalen's life as a Roman sex slave and as Christ's lover are as compelling as they are controversial.”

-CHRONOGRAM

 

“Magdalene fans are in for more surprises in Cunningham's classy, sexy novel...this will be—besides snapped up by Magdalene fans, Celtophiles, feminists and lovers of a good yarn—controversial. Those unready for lesbianism and sex with the Redeemer between the same covers may blanch as well as flush.”

-BOOKLIST, starred review

 

“Cunningham weaves Hebrew scripture, Celtic and Egyptian mythology, and early Christian legend into a nearly seamless whole, creating an unforgettable fifth gospel story in which the women most involved in Jesus's ministry are given far more representation...”

-LIBRARY JOURNAL

 

“Elizabeth Cunningham beckons us ... in her raucous, inspired, and thought-provoking novel.”

-SPIRITUALITY AND HEALTH MAGAZINE

 

“This epic, stunningly original work... a roaring good read.”

-FOREWORD MAGAZINE
“Ironically, though many will condemn Elizabeth Cunningham's work as blasphemy and irreverent, the well written and entertaining
The Passion of Mary Magdalen
is actually virtuous, spiritual and relevant as God's tenets inclusive with room for everyone.”

-AMAZON'S #1 reviewer, Harriet Klausner's ***** review

 

“The Passion of Mary Magdalen
offers a digestive to Mel Gibson's film, ‘The Passion of the Christ', and a fascination way beyond Dan Brown's exploitation of this Mary's story in
The DaVinci Code.”

-PAGES MAGAZINE

 

“If your interest in Mary M was whetted by
The Da Vinci Code,
you'll love the freshness of this Mary Magdalen's feisty wisdom...

This book is more than a gulp-it-down, page-turning great read: it is a transformative experience.”

-CARE2.COM “over 5 million members who Care2 make a difference.”

 

“This Mary is capable of forgiving the most outrageous brutality but incapable of surrendering to a passive existence as some else's possession, including that of the Master. Amazing story!”

-HISTORICAL NOVELS REVIEW

 

“If you're a
Mists of Avalon
type, you'll be thrilled with this sexy, woman-centric take on the life ...”

-Hot picks: THE ADVOCATE

 

“As you might imagine, Cunningham's tale is hardly traditional—and is all the better for it. Sassy, salty, sexy—all three words aptly describe Cunningham's prose, her heroin, and
The Passion of Mary Magdalen
as a whole. Those without an irreverent sense of humor will likely balk, but that just leaves more copies for the rest of us to pass around.”

-LESBIANNATION.COM

 

“I was a little surprised when a publicist suggested I review this book. Mary Magdalen is sort of out of my area of expertise, if you know what I mean. But I see now why this is truly a Pagan book. It's a wonderful story that surprised me at more than one point, and I am now sitting on the edge of my seat waiting for the sequel.”

-PAGAN NEWS AND LINKS
“Sure to offend those with a conventional view of Mary Magdalen and Jesus, sure to enrage those who want the gospel to be entirely heterosexual, and sure to please those who want another view of the very human people involved in that most familiar drama, this powerful, wonderful, being-told-just-to-you story is really an unsanitized fifth gospel. Don't miss this one!”

-OUT SMART; Houston's Gay and Lesbian Media Choice

 

“The Passion of Mary Magdalen
gives readers what (The DaVinci Code) does not—freedom from a false claim that all the historical elements in the book are factual. So the story can be taken as, well, a story, featuring a strong-willed woman.”

-The Kansas City Star

 

“...Maeve is not your ordinary Magdalen...”

-ABOUTTOWN

 

“This book is certain to appeal to fans of historical fiction, to Celtophiles, to those who love fantasy, to feminists, and to anyone who loves a great story. Unconventional? Controversial? You bet.

It kept me up all night, and I loved it!”

-MYSHELF.COM

OTHER NOVELS BY ELIZABETH CUNNINGHAM

 

 

 

 

THE MAEVE CHRONICLES

 

 

 

Bright Dark Madonna
(
forthcoming
)

 

 

POETRY