published 1997; hardback 1997, HarperPrism

Blackmantle is the seventh of Kennealy-Morrison's justly acclaimed Keltiad books, but it's different from the others in that it's the most autobiographical. The dominating theme of Blackmantle, and perhaps of Kennealy-Morrison's entire life, is her relationship with the late Jim Morrison, lead singer of the rock group The Doors.

Kennealy-Morrison and Morrison pledged their love to each other in a private religious ceremony about a year before Morrison's death in 1971. Kennealy-Morrison (she added "Morrison" to her last name a few years ago) chronicled their relationship in her excellent nonfiction book Strange Days: My Life With and Without Jim Morrison. Blackmantle reads like a fiction version of Strange Days, only idealized and with all the real-life people dressed up in Keltic clothes.

In Blackmantle, young Athyn Cahanagh (Kennealy-Morrison) wages war to free the Kelts from the influence of the Fir Bolgs, an alien race that has brought the Keltic people under its sway through a combination of conquest, trade, and the introduction of foreign customs. The war plot is insubstantial, however, next to what is obviously the main plot: the romance between Athyn and the bard Morric Douglas (Jim Morrison, whose middle name, not coincidentally, is Douglas).

Athyn and Morric believe that their love is fated to last not just a lifetime, but beyond. So when Morric is killed by a jealous ex-lover (a representation of Morrison's real-life lover Pamela Courson, who supplied Morrison with the heroin that killed him), Athyn, who in addition to being a skilled warrior is also a powerful but untrained sorceress, challenges death itself to get him back. Athyn's harrowing of the Keltic underworld Annwn is the best part of Blackmantle, not only because it is the most imaginative, but because it diverges from the real-life story and thus is unpredictable.

I found some parts of Blackmantle rather disturbing, such as when Athyn and her friends wreak deadly revenge on a host of people Athyn considers her enemies. It's not made very clear in the story what it is they've done that's so bad, so I was sickened rather than exultant when these characters, who are obviously meant to represent people who have offended Kennealy-Morrison in real life, are killed in gruesome ways such as being crushed in wine presses or being forced to swallow live bees. Aeron Aoibhell, the heroine of Kennealy-Morrison's earlier books The Silver Branch, The Copper Crown, and The Throne of Scone, also was into vengeance, melting an entire inhabited planetoid down to bedrock after an unprovoked attack that killed Aeron's parents and husband. I found Aeron's violence a lot less shocking, however, perhaps because the wrong was obvious and Aeron's remorse tremendous. Athyn doesn't have any problems with her conscience, killing gleefully and seemingly without much provocation.

Another problem is that with Blackmantle, the Keltiad is becoming rather overpopulated with romances between red-haired women and dark-haired men, all shades of Kennealy-Morrison and Morrison. Besides Athyn and Morric, Blackmantle also introduces the legendary lovers Seomaighas Douglas O Morrighsaun and Lassarina Aoibhell ac Douglas; these couples are added to an already burgeoning roster that includes Aeron Aoibhell and Gwydion ap Don, Taliesin and Morgan (who don't fit the red-haired/dark-haired pattern but who are a bard and a sorceress), and the triangle of dark-haired Arthur and the two redheads Guenevere and Gwynhuyvar (meant to represent Kennealy-Morrison and Courson?).

It seems that each of Kennealy-Morrison's fiction books have come closer and closer to telling the full story of her and Jim Morrison; Blackmantle has unequivocally addressed it. Unfortunately, Blackmantle doesn't really stand on its own as either a completely satisfying fantasy novel or an account of their relationship. For those who are interested in knowing the complete details of Kennealy-Morrison and Morrison's relationship, I recommend Strange Days. For those who are looking for a good fantasy read, I recommend Kennealy-Morrison's other two trilogies, the Tales of Aeron and the Tales of Arthur.

Review by Sara Lipowitz
Reviewed May 25, 1998

ISBN 0-06-105231-0

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