Gwen Rowley: Knights of the Round Table-Lancelot

From the back of the book
Lancelot du Lac is the greatest knight of a peerless age, blessed by the Lady of the Lake with extraordinary military prowess. His fight ability has earned him a place at King Arthur's side, but the powers the Lady has given him come at a terrible price.
Elaine of Corbenic is struggling to hold her impoverished family together. The keep is a wreck and the peasants, starving, are on the brink of rebellion. Elaine's father is obsessed with finding the Holy Grail, and her older brother, maimed by Lancelot in a joust, is a bitter drunkard. Without a dowry, she has little hope for the future.
Incognito, Lancelot rides into Corbenic on his way to the king's tournament. He finds the practical Elaine irresistible. Thoroughly dismayed when she reveals her contempt for "Lancelot", he must face his own arrogance to win her hand. For only with Elaine at his side will Lancelot have the strength to free himself from the enchantments that bind him...
This was an interesting reworking of an old tale, reversing common assumption and casting a traditional hero in a poor light and a traditional anti-hero(ine) is a positive role.
The medieval world building is good and I thought that there was just enough magic introduced to place the story firmly in the legend category (as opposed to fictionalized history) but without tipping it over into pure fantasy.
The romance was believable, due to the very well developed characters.
I enjoyed this spin on a familiar story and look forward to finding copies of further books in this series.-Lynn

Peter Ackroyd: The Death of King Arthur

A retelling of Thomas Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur. From the author's note on the text-

I have tried my best to convert Malory's sonorous and exhilarating prose into a more contemporary idiom...I have also chosen to abbreviate the narrative in pursuit of clarity and simplicity. I hope that by these means the essential story of Arthur and his knights emerges more clearly...I have also quietly amended Malory's inconsistencies. Despite these alterations, I hope that I have been able to convey the majesty and pathos of the great original.

Yes, Mr Ackroyd, you have succeeded admirably. Though the language is modern, the style is true to the medieval original. The writing voice is very much that of the early historian detailing events, with just a touch of the bard telling his tales. I have been a long time lover of Arthurian Romance, and while I enjoy the modern tales that make use of the traditional characters there is nothing quite like the original story. This translation might not be for everyone but it is essential reading for all Arthurian fans.-Lynn

The Medieval Murderers: King Arthur's Bones

From the back of the book-

Five compelling interlinked mysteries from Michael Jecks, Susanna Gregory, Bernard Knight, Ian Morson and Philip Gooden.
During excavation work, an ancient leaden cross is discovered buried several feet below ground. Inscribed upon it are the words: hic iacet sepultus inclitus rex arturius… Could this really be the legendary King Arthur and his queen, Guinevere? ... As the secret of the bones’ hiding place is passed from generation to generation, those entrusted to safeguard King Arthur’s remains must withstand treachery, theft, blackmail and murder in order to keep the legend intact.

This collection of five novellas follows King Arthur’s bones from their discovery at Glastonbury Abbey in 1191 to the rediscovery of them in London in 2004. As might be expected from the authors’ pseudonym these tales take the form of mini murder mysteries. And as might also be expected in any anthology some stories appealed to me more than others but unlike other works of its type I did enjoy all of these to some extent.
I particularly liked the seamless way in which each story interconnected with those that went before. I also found realistic the way the history of the bones was slowly forgotten by those into whose hands they fell until at the end their relevance is completely unknown.
I was a little disappointed that in a couple of the stories the bones themselves didn’t play a central role. While these instalments were good enough as a fan of all thing Arthurian I would like them to have stuck a little closer to the theme.
Overall an enjoyable collection and a great opportunity to try a few authors I hadn’t read before.-Lynn

Elizabeth E. Wein: The Winter Prince

King Artos’s son Medraut cannot stand being commanded and contradicted by his sickly younger half-brother. He may be a bastard born of incest but he is still the first born son and feels he deserves some respect-even from the legitimate heir. Spurred on by his mother, in a moment of bitter jealousy, he agrees to kidnap the king’s favourite son. He plans to hold the boy to ransom, forcing his father to bestow upon him the honours he feels he deserves.
But throughout the ordeal his brother shows more courage and moral strength than was ever thought possible, earning not only his respect but forcing him to realise that despite everything he does love the boy.
The two return to court a new understanding between them and hope for a bright future.
This was a unique spin on the old Arthurian legends. Rather than an outright villain the Medraut character is simply a boy on the verge of manhood desperately trying to carve a place for himself in a world that sees him not for who he is but for how he came to be.
The decaying Roman world in which the story is set feels realistic but it is the brilliant characterisation that really makes the story jump off the page.
As a young adult novel it is the junior characters that carry the action and they do so in a believable manner, the intense emotions and flawed logic of their youth wonderfully portrayed.
While knowledge of the legend enriches the tale told here it is not necessary-this book gives the reader all the details they need and so stands alone well. Though knowing how the legends traditionally end gives this tale’s ending poignancy it is otherwise without.
A great read for lovers of Arthurian legend both young and old.-Lynn

M.K. Hume: King Arthur-Dragon's Child

Fostered by the noble Lord Ector, Arthur, a young boy of unknown parentage, lives in the no man’s land between servant and master until one day three strangers visit and change the course of his life. On their insistence the young Arthur is trained in the arts of the warrior, the scholar and the courtier. This suggests to both Arthur and his foster family that he comes from a noble background but neither guess at the truth of his pedigree.
Grown to manhood Arthur becomes Lord Ector’s steward, marries, fathers a daughter and settles contentedly into his life. But fate has greater plans for him and the strangers return. They are shocked to find him married with a young family and have a hard time convincing him to travel with them to the High King’s court.
But this he does, believing he owes them for his education, and so sets off a train of events that lead to the war with the Saxons and eventually his crowning as High King of Britain.
This was an interesting take on the old tales focussing on the little explored area of Arthur’s childhood. Hume deftly walks the tightrope between keeping within the confines of accepted mythology and creating that mythology anew, presenting a totally believable history for the young Arthur.
The setting is a plausible mish mash of decaying Roman society and rising Celtic tribes which avoids the magical elements of more traditional tales, replacing them with common superstitions and witchcraft of the time.
The main characters are all present in their traditional roles, and while their character traits are not strictly inline with those generally accepted, they are not so different as to be unrecognisable.
Arthurian legend is a particular interest of mine, and while I am open to new interpretations of old stories, I’m always wary of what’s on offer. It doesn’t take a large leap away from cannon for a book to become a wallbanger for me. Hume’s approach was fresh enough to maintain interest while traditional enough to satisfy.
A great book. I can’t wait to read the rest of the trilogy.-Lynn

Rosalind Mile: Isolde

The first book in a trilogy retelling the tale of Isolde and Tristan, this is the story of how they come to meet and fall in love.
When the champions of two courts fight to prevent a war, one kills the other but in the process is stabbed by a poisoned knife. The only known antidote is to be found in the homeland of the defeated knight so the wounded man is disguised by his comrades and sent there to be healed.
He is nursed back to health by the crown princess and by the time he is well again they have developed feelings for each other.
It is then they discover that in a bid for peace her mother has arrange for her marriage to his uncle the king and it is his duty to escort her to him.
Seeing her daughter’s distress at the news and mistaking its cause her mother brews a love potion that will bind the newly weds in an undying love. But the potion is accidentally drunk by the princess and the champion and the two become lovers.
They try to do their duty. She marries as she was promised and he travels from tournament to tournament seeking honour and glory but their love can not be denied and the book ends with the two of them running away together into the night.
This female-centric version of the legend of Tristan and Isolde is a refreshing take on an old tale. The conflict between duty and desire is sharply outlined. The characters are complex creatures of their times. The plot, though familiar, is presented with freshness and just a hint of magic.
The only quibble I had, and it is a very small one, was that I felt the slow pace detracted from the emotional intensity of the story. But that is, as I said, a very small quibble.
I look forward to reading the rest of the trilogy-Lynn

The Once and Future Con – Peter Guttridge

When Nick Madrid, yoga-practicing journalist and reluctant investigator, accompanies his friend Bridget Frost to a university reunion he comes across his first love. Faye inexplicably married the rather wet Rex, now Lord Wynn, and they claim to have found the skeleton of King Arthur. Somehow, inevitably, Nick and Bridget end up in the West Country, trying to uncover the truth while avoiding being killed and - at least in Nick's case - jousting.
This is the fourth Nick Madrid mystery and, like its predecessors, it combines a brisk and involving plot with strong one-liners and even stronger characters. I particularly liked the portrayal of Heritage theme parks, taking over the whole of Britain and to hell with the facts of history.
In the previous three books Nick is drawn with some deep seated issues (mostly centring around women, relationships and sex); in The Once and Future Con we discover where they come from, which is quite satisfying (if a shade over done) for loyal readers. A fun and funny excursion - Alex

Allan Massie: Arthur the King

This book offers a retelling of the legend of King Arthur. Surely I don’t have to outline the basics of the Arthurian legends do I? Do I?
As to this version it is best summarised by the author’s Prefatory Note:
This version purports to be a translation of a narrative written by the medieval scholar and astrologer Michael Scott for his pupil, the Hohenstaufen Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II.
I saw this and thought I was in for an interesting new twist on a favourite tale; certainly this is an approach I had not come across before. I was to be disappointed.
So disappointed in fact that I stopped reading half way through and I only made it as far as I did because of my love of the subject and a, misplaced, hope that things would improve once the story settled in to itself. When I suddenly remembered part way through a chapter that I needed to clean out my linen press and put the book down to do it I knew there was no point picking it up again.
The twist offered is indeed a new one but interesting is a matter of opinion. The story, to the point I read, was barely recognisable as an interpretation of the Arthurian legend.
While I am sure that there was just as much brotherly love of the Greek variety during the dark ages as there is now, it took such a prominent place I felt the author was pushing an agenda. This wouldn’t have been too bad on its own but the only hint of such manly attraction in the canon of legend is between Arthur and Lancelot, not between every man and boy present (okay I may be exaggerating there but only a little) and it got in the way of what little was happening.
Which brings me nicely to what I see as one of the greater failings of this work: the pace was beyond slow, it was glacial. It wasn’t helped by the extensive author intrusion which, to be fair, one would expect from a narrative. Again, on its own this wouldn’t be a problem but if the author chooses to tell a story in this style they should at least attempt to do so in an entertaining manner. If it was the author’s hope to capture the true feeling of a rambling storyteller then he has succeeded admirably but entertaining it wasn’t.
I find it hard to believe that anyone could take the elements of such a fascinating subject and render such a dull piece of work from them but Arthur the King is proof positive that it can be done-Lynn

Stephan Lawhead: Merlin

The second instalment in the five book Pendragon Cycle, Merlin, is a kind of autobiography of the famous wizard told in retrospect.
He tells of his childhood in the halls of Avalon, his kidnapping by the hill folk and eventual escape, his coronation, his marriage, the murder of his wife and unborn child and the madness that follows through to his political machinations that result in the hiding of the future king Arthur and eventually this book ends with him plunging the famous sword into its stone.
Demystifying the traditional picture of a powerful wizard, this book describes Merlin as a prodigy whose thirst for knowledge is fed by a wide variety of sources and whose abilities are consolidated by years of practice. Merlin’s supposed powers here are a result of his ability to apply his uniquely broad education and insight. Though Lawhead keeps some of the magical elements of the story these play a minor part and are the exception rather than the rule. There is a heavy focus on Merlin as a Christian. We also see him as a son, friend, husband, king and madman before his final appearance as the magical advisor we recognise from legend.
While this story didn’t have the same world building that was so well done in Taliesin, Lawhead nevertheless, manages to bring Dark Age Britain to life.
I was a little put off by the emphasis on the Christian nature of Merlin’s spirituality, mainly because in the bulk of my reading it is Arthur who adopts the Christian faith. Merlin has always been presented as an adherent of the Druidic Path and I feel it suits his "historic" character better than this alternate representation.
I quite liked the mundane explanations for some of the more fantastic elements of the Arthurian legend. Particularly well done was the way Merlin occasionally refers to the absurdity of the stories that have grown up around certain events.
The one thing that I found incredibly frustrating was having no concept of Merlin’s age or more specifically the time line of events. Merlin is said to be old and appears to have outlived many of his contemporaries. Still at the end of this book his Atlantean mother, grandfather, servant and aunt are still all alive and well (it is said that they have longer life expectancies due to their heritage). It made it very difficult to get a picture of how much time was passing and approximately how old the other characters were during the major events. Detail that was perhaps not strictly necessary for the story but that would have cast it in a clearer light.
Overall I liked this book. It presents a reasonably believable story with well-developed main characters. I shall certainly be continuing on with this series. - Lynn