Pagan fall holidays are rooted in ancient traditions that have been celebrated for centuries. These holidays are based on the cycles of nature, honoring the changing seasons and the harvest. One of the most well-known pagan fall holidays is Samhain, which is celebrated on October 31st. Samhain marks the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter. It is believed to be a time when the veil between the physical world and the spiritual world is at its thinnest, allowing spirits and ancestors to cross over. During Samhain, pagans often engage in rituals to honor and communicate with their ancestors, such as setting up altars and leaving offerings.
Kai’s having a long day in Martha Wells’ WITCH KING….
I really enjoyed the journey of getting to understand the world that Kai inhabits when he has a human body and also the Underneath, where he is from. Things kick off with the main, and titular, character who is not, by the way either a king or a witch discovering he, and a good friend, have been done very, very wrong by someone.
During Samhain, pagans often engage in rituals to honor and communicate with their ancestors, such as setting up altars and leaving offerings. Another important fall holiday is Mabon, also known as the Autumn Equinox, which typically falls around September 21st. Mabon is a time to celebrate the second harvest and give thanks for the abundance of the season.
REVIEW: Witch King (x 2) by Martha Wells
“I didn’t know you were a… demon.”
“You idiot. I’m the demon.”
Kai’s having a long day in Martha Wells’ WITCH KING….
After being murdered, his consciousness dormant and unaware of the passing of time while confined in an elaborate water trap, Kai-Enna wakes to find a lesser mage attempting to harness Kai’s magic to his own advantage. That was never going to go well.
But why was Kai imprisoned in the first place? What has changed in the world since his assassination? And why does the Rising World Coalition appear to be growing in influence?
Kai will need to pull his allies close and draw on all his pain magic if he is to answer even the least of these questions.
He’s not going to like the answers.
Well, I think a lot of people are going to jump on this book after having arrived at Martha Wells’s writing through Murderbot. I have tried one or two of Wells’s fantasy books and should have remembered why I never got far in them. A good friend of mine adores Martha Wells and has been reading her fantasy books for decades. She doesn’t, however, like the Murderbot series as much. I wonder if Wells is someone who, for most people, you either like one type of her books or the other. SciFi or fantasy but not both.
Readers are dropped into the action with no information beyond the info-dump of dramatis personae before chapter one begins. Should readers have to constantly flip back to this list in order to try and remember who the heck these (many, many) people are? My answer is a resounding ‘no.’ But the first chapter is action packed and I hoped that this would finally be the Wells fantasy that worked for me.
Things kick off with the main, and titular, character (who is not, by the way either a king or a witch) discovering he, and a good friend, have been done very, very wrong by someone. But who? They don’t know and that (I think) is the driver for the plot. Who betrayed him? To find out, we’re going to be taken on a long and circuitous journey.
This book is packed with world building and yet I still often found myself completely baffled as to what was going on, who was who, and why did I need to be told in such detail what the characters were wearing. The littlest details of the settings were described but often I wondered, why do I need to know this? What difference to the plot does it make? I want to feel something for the characters and thus be invested in why it matters to discover who did them wrong. But I found that I just didn’t care. The action switches back and forth between past events and the present which served to yank me out of any reading rhythm I had built up. And since we know the outcome of the major event of the past, that negates any suspense about it in the current day sections.
So many characters read as flat to me. They mostly had long, elaborate “fantasy” names and titles and relationships and were listed as being from yet another kingdom or city-state as if this is supposed to mean something to me. Who are these people and why should I care about them?? Oh, that’s right. I don’t know who they are and I’m not being made to care. If this was the second, or even the third, book in a series, I would expect all this detail and all these characters and would, I hope, give a flip about them but that’s not the case. Yes, I suppose I could go back to the listing of characters but they all blurred into a mass without much to distinguish them. Too many times I huffed in annoyance about being told what this one or that one was wearing or what they just changed into (seriously, there is a lot of this). Actions are painstakingly told in the minutest detail but all I could mentally do was scream “Cast the spell and get on with it!”
I was about a third of the way through and it was making my head hurt. After reading for an hour or so, I would have to take a break. There is a difference between complicated and confusing and I realized I was slogging along and getting less and less interested. This book is just so bloated with description and characters that I felt as if I was frantically doggie-paddling just to keep my head above water. This is not why I read books. For many readers I can see this being their catnip but for me it was just wasn’t doing it. DNF
It is a time of balance, as day and night are of equal length. Pagans often perform rituals to honor the changing seasons and reflect on the balance in their own lives. Additionally, there is the holiday of Lammas, also known as Lughnasadh, which takes place on August 1st. Lammas is a celebration of the first harvest and the beginning of the corn harvest. It is a time to give thanks for the fruits of the earth and to recognize the cycle of life and death. Many pagans participate in rituals that involve baking and sharing bread, symbolizing the abundance of the harvest. Pagan fall holidays are often celebrated with feasts, bonfires, and rituals that honor nature and the changing seasons. They provide an opportunity for pagans to connect with their spiritual beliefs and celebrate their connection to the natural world. These holidays are a reminder of the importance of gratitude, balance, and the cycles of life. Overall, pagan fall holidays are rich in symbolism and tradition. They offer pagans a chance to honor their ancestors, celebrate the harvest, and connect with the natural world around them. These holidays continue to be observed by modern pagans, allowing them to maintain a deep connection to their spiritual beliefs and the cycles of nature..
Reviews for "The Role of Harvest in Pagan Fall Traditions"
1. Sarah - 2 stars - I was really disappointed with "Pagan fall holidays". The book lacked any meaningful content and was filled with random stories and anecdotes that were not helpful or informative. It seemed like the author was just trying to fill up the pages without providing any real substance. I was hoping for a comprehensive guide to Pagan fall holidays, but this book fell short of my expectations.
2. Mark - 1 star - I found "Pagan fall holidays" to be extremely misleading. The title led me to believe that this book would explore the Pagan traditions and rituals associated with fall holidays in a meaningful way. However, it felt more like a personal diary scattered with unrelated information. There was no clear structure or organization, making it difficult to follow any particular topic. Overall, I was highly dissatisfied with this book and would not recommend it to anyone interested in learning about Pagan fall holidays.
3. Emily - 2 stars - "Pagan fall holidays" was a complete waste of my time. The information provided was shallow and lacked depth. I was hoping for a deeper understanding of the significance of Pagan traditions during fall, but I was left with vague descriptions and surface-level explanations. The author failed to provide any real insight into the subject matter, and I felt like I could gather more meaningful information from a simple internet search. I would not recommend this book to anyone seeking a comprehensive understanding of Pagan fall holidays.
4. Jason - 1 star - "Pagan fall holidays" was a disappointment. The book seemed more interested in promoting the author's personal experiences rather than providing valuable insights into Pagan fall traditions. The writing style was disjointed and confusing, making it difficult to follow along with the information being presented. I was looking for a comprehensive guide to Pagan fall holidays, but this book fell far short of my expectations. I would advise readers to look for other resources if they are truly interested in learning about Pagan fall traditions.