There were things I really liked about this book, and they were at the heart and soul of the novel. Braided Dimensions is steeped in magic and Pagan spirituality. The protagonist meditates, chants spells and has a more than surface understanding of Norse runes and Tarot. She is also a visionary who is able to trance deeply. I was pleased with Judson's depictions of these magical and spiritual phenomena.
The character development of protagonist Kay Halefin was also a strong aspect of the novel. At the opening, Kay has lost her position at a university due to false rumors about her research into shamanism. She drifted into a non-academic job that ended up being routine and uninspiring. Her life was ripe for change, and major transformation was exactly what she got. We never learn why she was drawn to Kyna in 10th century Wales. She could have been a distant ancestor, but Kyna was definitely a catalyst for the change that Kay needed.
Almost all my problems with Braided Dimensions had to do with the choices that Marie Judson made for the historical aspect of her book. We are told that the historical characters spoke Middle Welsh. Actual Middle Welsh dialogue would have been incomprehensible to modern readers. I would have preferred an occasional flavoring of Middle Welsh or Gaelic words here and there. Instead Judson gave us characters speaking Scots. I listened to tapes of Welsh author Dylan Thomas reciting from Under Milkwood when I was involved in a production of that play, and I studied Scots for a theatre class. So I know that the Scots and the Welsh sound very different from one another.
In addition, these Welsh people seemed to be culturally influenced by the Vikings. Although I learned from the Viking Answer Lady that the village of Llanbadarn Fawr ,where most of the historical characters lived, was raided by Vikings late in the 10th century, there was no Viking settlement there. In fact, there was relatively little Viking colonization in Wales as compared to Scotland where Viking colonization was extensive. Many current day Scots are partly descended from Vikings. So you could expect that some 10th century Scots might know all about Norse runes and ancient Norse deities. Welsh Druids who speak Scots, and do a bind rune spell using Norse runes just didn't sit right with me. This cultural presence of Scotland in a Welsh village made me feel that Kay wasn't the only character who'd been displaced.
Late in the novel, a 10th century Welsh healer read Tarot cards for Kay. Since I am a student of Tarot history, this didn't seem at all possible to me. While the concepts symbolized through Tarot images are ancient ones, the idea of making them concrete through a deck of cards requires the existence of playing cards. According to a Wikipedia article on the history of playing cards, they were probably invented in 10th century China, but the Welsh of that century had no contact with China. Playing cards came to Europe in the 14th century via Egypt. So I find it too improbable that even handmade Tarot decks could have existed in early medieval Wales.
Many readers may not notice the irregularities that I've been discussing in this review. They could be considered quibbles, yet I also found the historical portion of the novel somewhat repetitive and predictable. Similar incidents occurred over and over. The narrative could have arrived at its climax sooner if some of this repetition had been eliminated.
I wanted to enjoy Braided Dimensions a great deal more than I did. I did like Kay, and the magical/spiritual elements were wonderful.
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