Circles of Stone

Pamela Rushby (author)

HarperCollins, Australia: 2003; 191pp

ISBN: 0207199086

Genres: adventure, historical fiction, mystery

Issues: cultural differences, identity

Three Australian university students, Lea, Tina and Sam, are on a walking tour across Scotland. As they near one of the great stone circles they have come so far to see, they are caught in a heavy shower of rain and seek refuge with a small group of archaeology students who are looking for evidence of Iron Age Celtic settlements.

Just before the Australians leave the site, the body of a young girl is found in the peat bog nearby. She's been preserved in the cold water for over two thousand years.

How is it, then, that one of the Australians seems to know so much about her, including her name? It appears that Lea, the daughter of a hippy from northern New South Wales, and Ana, the daughter of a Celtic chieftain, have met before - and share a remarkable and rather frightening gift.

This is a wonderful mystery that delves into Celtic history and culture. Lea finds herself trapped in the past with a girl who is both alien and familiar. Together they must find a way to keep Lea safe from the machinations of Arawn, the Druid of Ana's Circle-dweller's tribe, and from the rival Sea-dwellers. Above all, they must find a way for Lea to get back to her own time and people.

Very interesting.