The Keltiad is a body of epic fantasy works written by Patricia Kennealy-Morrison. There are eight novels in the series and one collection of short stories.
The books are set in a star system far from our own, where various Celtic peoples emigrated after the rise of Christianity and the purge of the Old Religion that followed. The novels and short stories are based upon traditional Celtic legends and mythology, woven into a technologically advanced universe, and updated for a futuristic culture.
Several other titles were planned, but when in 2007 publisher HarperCollins decided to drop the series, Kennealy-Morrison was forced to curtail it. The author then made known her plans to continue the series with at least two more titles – The Beltane Queen and The Cloak of Gold, the conclusion of the series – to be published by her own Lizard Queen Press, plus, depending on reader response, possibly several more. At the time of her death in 2021 neither of these had been published.
The Tales of Aeron
The Copper Crown
The Copper Crown introduces us to the technologically advanced, interstellar kingdom of Keltia, founded in Earth year 452 by Celts from Earth. As the book opens, in Earth year 3512, Aeron Aoibhell is Ard-rian (High Queen) of Keltia, and finds herself in a particularly unenviable position. Earth has finally discovered its faraway and long-sundered kinfolk, but any possible alliance/treaty with the Terran Federacy could result in war with Keltia’s fiercest rivals, the Phalanx and the Cabiri Empire.
The Throne of Scone
The Throne of Scone continues directly on from the action of The Copper Crown. Aeron finds some unlikely friends and allies on her quest for the long-lost Thirteen Treasures of Keltia, and for the Once and Future King himself, Arthur of Arvon. As in The Copper Crown, Aeron is once again faced with the challenge of liberating her kingdom and her people without giving in to the call of unlawful magic. (Patricia Kennealy; hc 1986; pb 1987)
The Silver Branch
The Silver Branch, the prequel to The Copper Crown, begins with Aeron’s father, King Fionnbarr, whose accidental love-affair affects both Keltia and Fomor, and continues with Aeron as she grows up: her education as a Fian (warrior) and a Ban-draoi (female druid); the personal and political challenges she must face before the arrival of the Terrans in Keltia; how she came by her great skills as warrior and sorceress; her strong friendship with Morwen Douglas, along with her love affairs with both Roderick Douglas (Morwen's elder brother) and Gwydion, Prince of Gwynedd; and why a mostly one-sided love/hate relationship with Arianiera (Gwydion's twin sister) ultimately causes Keltia's downfall. It also reveals why she fears her own powers, and why Bres, King of Fomor follows an obsessive compulsion to revenge himself for an act committed over 30 years prior. (Patricia Kennealy; hc 1988; pb 1989)
The Tales of Arthur
This trilogy is told in the first person. "The greatest bard of all time," Taliesin Glyndour, narrates.
The Hawk's Gray Feather
In The Hawk’s Gray Feather Taliesin recounts his youth on the planet Gwynedd, and the beginnings of his lifelong friendship with Arthur of Arvon, destined to be the greatest king in both Keltic (and later Earth) history (at least until his descendant Aeron comes along 1500 years later). At this time, right around the present-day in Earthtime, the throne of Keltia has been usurped by the evil wizard known as the Marbh-draoi, and all Kelts suffer under his rule. All hope is not lost, however, as the rebellion known as the Counterinsurgency fights to put the true monarch back on the Throne of Scone. (Patricia Kennealy; (hc 1990; pb 1991) Arthur and Talyn somehow manage to be kept safe from the Marbh-Draoi Ederyn by the legendary Merlyn Llywd. They barely escape the destruction of both their home cities in attempts to destroy them before they can grow to adulthood and challenge the Marbh-draoi's hold on Keltia.
The Oak Above the Kings
The Oak above the Kings continues from the previous book, telling how the rightful ruler is restored, but now other threats rear their heads, including a few enemies of the most dangerous sort - those reared out of heart’s blood. Taliesin and Arthur have both married by now, and their choices of mate are fateful for Keltia as well for them personally. (Published as Patricia Kennealy-Morrison; hc 1994; pb 1995)