Arthurian Legend Books

Once again, Whyte digs deeper into the mythos of king Arthur. This chapter focuses primarily on Merlyn as well as Uther, Varrus's son and Merlyn's Cousin.

Jack Whyte can get a little wordy when it comes to describing some things, especially battle scenes and military tactics so at times, the book seems like it may drag a little bit. That's pretty much my only complaint about this installment and his style in general.

It's still a great chapter in an extremely epic tale of the forging of a country and a legend.

This is one of my brother's favorite authors. He was thrilled that we got this for him. He gave the book a ten.

I like what this guy is trying to do: like Tolkien, he is trying to revive a world of epic meaning. Unlike Tolkien, he writes with constant dramatics, thinly disguised allegories as characters, and frequently rambles on for dozens of pages on completely irrelevant points. The author's asides contain plenty of great information, as does the character of Merlyn, but this is often painful to read from the sheer repetition of technique and emotion...

The third book in a series that puts the myth of Camelot in a real historical context. Plenty of action and a very clever interweaving of myth and reality. The violence of the times is graphically described with lots of blood and guts being spilled. This volume includes descriptions of violent sexual perversions that you may consider unsuitable for younger readers - a thought to keep in mind if you are thinking of buying this as a gift. For adults that want an all action historical novel this will probably not disappoint. Very similar to the Bernard Cornwell series of King Alfred novels but with rather more explicit sex.

Jack Whyte is a master at imparting historical data in gut-gripping fiction, even if you're not a fan of King Arthur. I loved this entire series, and have purchased it for several of my family members and friends. The whole series is an "I can't put it down" one. You'll be captivated!

This book takes place in the years 1199 and 1200. Arthur de Caldicott is a young boy living with his sister Sian, Brothe Serle. and parents. He really wants to be a squire and his father won't tell him whether he will or not. Little does he know what exciting adventures lie adhead. This book is a series and the other books are named below. I highly recommend this book to people who like adventure and history.

I think the book fails in getting people interested enough to buy the next
in the series. We aren't told if the main character is Norman or Saxon,
but he appears to be Norman. In this historical era there was still three
major cultural types not well blended in the region where the book takes place: Welsh/ Celtic, Saxon and Norman.
We get no idea of what language they are speaking except his aunt tells him to learn French
( at that period the Normans mostly did speak French).
The Arthurian legends are pretty much what is known or found in other sources,
but the "magic" of a volcanic glass looking glass is one of the central themes
and it just doesn't convince any more than the history does.

This book has an imaginative twist to the well-known, brow-beaten Arthur story. The typical Arthur-whiz might turn away in disgust from the novel, but that is not a result of poor writing. The story is magnificent, and while the imagination might turn some heads, chldren eagerly lap up the story of young Arther. This book is well researched, in its remarkable descriptions, and phenomenal attention to detail - without boring. The book works well for young teenagers; it isn't the usual junk book, but instead will captivate their young minds.

My son,8, received this book for Christmas. He loves knights, and I thought it would work as a read aloud with the age recommendation at 9-12. I strongly believe the age ranges suggested by the critics are much more accurate. I would say 12 is the minimum age to read this book- due to mature story lines like a man magically disguising himself as another man in order to be with that other man's wife, and they conceive a child... If it was a movie, it would be PG-13. This book also does not work well as a read aloud for any age, some books just aren't meant to be read aloud.

Hi. I am a 6th grader. I am writing a review on Amizon.com about the book Arthur: The Seeing Stone by Kevin Crossley-Holland, one of the major legends of the world. I think the book was a very interesting book. I would give the book a 9 out of 10 because of the books interesting vocabulary and the imagination contained in it. The book starts with King Arthur when he was 13 and the adventures of hunting and yard-skills and whatever Arthur becomes and faces. The story starts in the Manor of Caldicot where Arthur lives. The book is a good book for ages around 7 or higher because of a little violence. I hope people will read this book because this book will open the readers mind into a powerful joyful imagination and they will visualize a wonderful world of fantasy and adventure. That is my review on my book.

Book Three of The Pendragon Cycle, in which Lawhead tells the climactic story of Arthur's kingmaking and consolidation of British power, and ends with his anti-climactic death (or just "fading into the west"?).

While all this should have been stirring and emotional, Lawhead's writing this time out seems flat, with a couple of long "bard stories" that are confusing and best skipped over, and battle scenes which are either seemingly interminable or laughably short ("We faced 50,000 barbarians with 500 horse, and slew them all, Jesu be praised").

Book four in the series: Pendragon: Book Four of the Pendragon Cycle (The Pendragon Cycle)

Stephen R. Lawhead is an internationally acclaimed author of mythic history and imaginative fiction. His works include Byzantium and the series The Pendragon Cycle, The Celtic Crusades, and The Song of Albion. Lawhead makes his home in Austria with his wife. Stephen Lawhead is one of my all time favourite authors and I am only sorry that he does not write more often.

Merlin thoughts travel along the same path as his father Taliesin. He has long dreamed of the Kingdom of Summer. A dream that draws together the fragmented tribes of England into one peaceful union. T achieve this dream, Merlin must find and train the boy whose birth has been foretold in the stars, Arthur.

This will be no easy task and there will be many trials and tribulations along the way, but Merlin is ready for all of this and more. Stephen Lawhead weaves a magical tale, bringing a new slant to the Arthurian legends.

A look at Arthur, and in a large part, his military life. The book opens with him leading a small war band, and continues with his military prowess increasing, particular when he has sage advice from the more experienced Merlin.

A different take on the Arthur story, but certainly interesting because of it.

I have just finished Arthur and so far I have truly enjoyed the series. I love his take on the legends. My favorite of the three first books was Taleisin but the others have been a pleasent read. Its not a nail biter but it is a good book. I really like how there isn't the usual magic. I really find this series refreshing so far!

...yawn. Besides, the novel isn't the conclusion- as claimed on the cover, since Mr. Lawhead went on to write a few more...

If you don't mind undeveloped characters, cardboard characters, stupid characters, and mostly stupid plot, you'll love this novel.
Actually, there's not much of a plot at all; just a series of battles where Arthur and his knights battle thousands upon thousands of 'savages' and win every time. I think one battle was against twenty or forty thousand- some silly number considering the time and place, let alone the odds.

So! You have Arthur being crowned- oops- not- just given the title of Duke ala a long dreary preachy Christian ceremony. Then there's a battle, and a battle, and a battle and.... Then another corination ala a long preachy Christian ceremony, then I fell asleep. Another corination where Arthur is made the Grand Mucky Muck of Britian ala Rome and another Christian lecture...I think... and then- wallah! After years of Peace, Arthur ignores Merlin's advice and chooses to march off to save Rome. Somewhere in there Arthur adapts the large red cross as his insignia to show he's a soldier for Christianity.........Anyway, while Arthur's off saving Rome, his Lady and castle, and most of the knights he left back home are attacked, killed, or taken hostage.

The entire story is filled with logic glitches, and Merlin seems so inept-he mostly wanders around moaning over Morgian and the evil Morgian has done. Seems anytime he tries to look into the flames to see the future there's a "fog" where Morgian and other bad guys are concerned. If I was Arthur I'd bump Merlin down the road and hire an advisor who isn't sneaking off to get himself blinded by the same Morgian, or whining because he doesn't know anything and One Must Trust In The Good God. Well, I say: Good God! What a tedious Merlin- and book.

Just one example of questionable story logic: Arthur allowing one of the Irish men to live because the poor fellow explains he's only invading Britian because he was forced to. His family is starving back home and so forth. Arthus feels the man is sincere and allos him to live. Turn a few pages and- hey look at that- the poor fellow is now a King- who sends his daughter along to become Arthur's wife, along with all kinds of treasures, knights, etc.

I have done my best to hang in there because I can usually tolerate the poorest writing if it has to do with Arthurian legend but I won't be reading any more of Mr. Lawhead's novels.

Aside from the lack of a real plot, no major scope to the novel, poor characterization, and poor logic, the prose alone can grate on your nerves; all Mr. Lawhead's characters sound alike but the real kicker is his descriptors with a never ending "and" tossed in- most are redundant -and you'll find them on most every page:

*The sound was wretched and pathetic.
*The day was bright and the wind fresh.
*The barbarians fled howling in despair and anguish.
*The smoke curled black and thick.
*Awed and abashed we gazed upon the wealth we had won.
*It remained sunny and warm, and the long northern day stretched soft and golden before us.
*The winter proved dark and cold.
*Their welcome was genuine and heartfelt.
*She turned on me, livid and spitting.
*The stronghold remained solid and secure.
*The barbarians left a curious reminder of their cruelty and hate.
*The next day dawned fresh and fair.
*That he should appear now upset and angered me.

Geesh, Mr. Lawhead- have you never studied up on showing rather than telling? And having the characters interact with their surroundings? Or filters?

My suggestion is to skip these novels and read Mary Stewart's marvelous Hollow Hills, The Crystal Cave, etc--- just don't purchase the *last* book in her series as it's very disappointing. But the remaining novels are incredible, with a powerful but very human Merlin, fully-fleshed characters, an Arthur and many other characters you will love, marvelous scope and plot, etc. And no preaching!

I have read many king arthur books and enjoyed most of them, this is the worst. My complaints are basically the same as the other 1 star review. That Merlin's make is thwarted by using butter to pull the sword from the stone. And that the main character who was supposed to be a 13 year old boy turns out to be a 21 year old beautiful girl. I found that a little confusing. On top of that (minor spoiler ahead, doesnt reveal main plotline) as soon as the king finds out his friend is a girl he proposes to her. This is riciculous. Imagine that your best friend suddenly tell you that they are of the opposite gender, don't you think it would be a little weird if you proposed to them after only knowing them as your gender? Also I was expecting something more exciting and action filled from the back of the cover. It says that somebody pulls out the sword before king arthur does, yes that does happen and is an extremely minor event and really boring. There is little action in this book and isn't really suspenseful at all, you already know that king arthur is going to live because this is supposed to be a twist on the original legend.

I began reading this book because I enjoy reading about King Arthur. I was not real impressed with the story line or the plot. I think Yolen could have been a little more inventive with this book. The end was good but for the most part the book was kind of boring.

I read this book like a year ago so I'm a little dusty on the finer details but this book was interesting if you wanted a different take on the typical King Arthur story I normally like King Arthur stories but this one I just thought was a little boring maybe it was a little too different for my tastes and I have to say the Gawen and Gawaine kind of confused me at times I tended to mix them up a bit probably my biggest issue with this book is that one of the characters is suppose to be a boy and then you suddenly find out that he is a she and then she gets married and its kind of weird cause through the entire story you're used to thinking of her as a boy so it was really awkward to me when she gets married it wasn't a bad book just not one of my favorites and I'll probably never read it again

Arthur is the high king of all England, but his people are skeptical and his lords trechorous. The chief of those is Morguase, queen of the Orkney islands, the north witch. Four of her children are sent to Cadbury(Yolen's verison of Camelot) and a messenger deems one of them an assasin. All the while, a strange boy comes to Cadbury with a secret and a dangerous ambition. Merlinnus(who we all know as Merlin) plots of gaining the trust of the people of England through a mysterious sword and stone. Full of treachery, death, romance,humor,and the constant battle of good and evil, the Sword of the Rightful King makes a fantastic read for all Arthurian fans. Yolen does an outstanding job pertraying life in the dark ages and the problems a king must face. An advancement in Arthurian stories.

This book was very entertaining, and surprising. I love books about King Arthur, I mean the legend is just so cool! Or is it history? HA-HA! Jane Yolen's book had a different twist to the King Arthur story. She had all the main parts of the legend--the sword in the stone, Merlin, Arthur as the Bear, the Round Table--but she had little details that made her story...more original in a way. There wasn't a whole lot of action, but it was still an interesting story. Gawen travels to King Arthur's court at the time Merlin is devising a plan to get Arthur's popluarity up and going. So us readers are kind of in the backstage of "Escalibur".

Best-selling fantasy author Anne McCaffrey has done it again and has written another fantastic book, Black Horses For The King. Black Horses For The King is a historical fiction book set in the time of the legendary King Arthur, who at this time was called Lord Artos. It is about Galwyn Varinus, a young man apprenticed to his cruel uncle, a sailor named Gralior, after his father dies. Galwyn runs away from his uncles ship to join with Lord Artos, who at that time was passing through the area trying to find Libyan mounts for his men to ride into battle on against the Saxons. Galwyn on his journey makes a blood enemy, a young Cornovian who treats Galwyn with minimal respect and more than once makes Galwyn's life awful. During his stay with the Companions of Lord Artos, Canyd, a horse doctor, and a smith finally invent horseshoes. Although the topic of the horseshoes was interesting, I think the author dragged it on a bit too long. Galwyn finally grows trustworthy enough in Lord Artos's mind to be allowed into Camelot (Artos's headquarters) where he becomes honorable, loyal, and grows into a man. While this book was easy to read and comprehend it might be unsuitable for little kids, as it has some sad and violent topics. There were a lot of characters but the author didn't introduce them all at once, which made the book more comprehensible. Overall this was an excellent story, which painted in your mind a clear picture of life in the time of King Arthur.

Anne McCaffrey writes Black Horses For The King as her first historical fiction story, branching off from her popular fantasy Dragonriders of Pern series. The story goes as follows: A young Celtic boy, Galwyn Varianus, is forced to work on his no-good uncle's ship after Galwyn's father dies. Fortunately Galwyn becomes a favored one of Lord Artos, later to become King Arthur, for Galwyn is blessed with being able to speak many different tongues. Galwyn seizes his chance and runs away to join Lord Artos. To Galwyn's surprise, Artos is on his way to the famed horse fair in Septimania in hopes of buying pure black Libyan stallions and mares to ride into battle against the savage Saxons. Galwyn learns to overcome his weaknesses and fears to become one of the best hose masters that Briton has to offer. McCaffrey's love for horses and the art of farriery--horseshoeing--is much too evident in the story. She makes farriery seem very boring because she writes about it too much too often. Nevertheless, she makes up for it by adding beautifully developed characters and painting visions of the lush, breathtaking view of Briton and the jet-black stallions. This is a great book for horse-lovers and those who like historical fiction stories.

Though this book is aimed at young adults, I quite enjoyed it. It was a fast read, and I am interested in anything that has to do with King Arthur. This story focuses mostly around the boy Galwyn and his love for horses. He eventually is able to help King Arthur, or Artos, with his knowledge of both horses and languages. I think all young adults will enjoy this story, and it is good for adults looking for a quick read. If you like horses, or stories related to King Arthur, check this one out.

Anne McCafery is back but instead of a fantasy novel she's come out with a great historical fiction book, set in the time of the Briton and Saxon War, Black Horses for the King. Keeping Away from the stereotyped King Arthur and his knights in shining armor, she tries to make it as true and historically correct as possible and yet still make it her own and as fascinatingly unique as possible. This intriguing book is about Young Galwyn who escaped his slave-like life as a seaman under the whip of his cruel uncle. He joined up with the courageous and heroic Lord Artos (King Arthur) who is trying to eliminate the Saxons. Galwyn figured out his calling in life is being a blacksmith, courier and a horse handler. But his most important trade is horseshoeing Lord Artos's great Libyan Horses for the Great War of the Britons and the Saxons; but when someone has a tremendously important job---along comes envy. Like In most books, when there is a hero along comes the "bad guy." In this case it's another horse handler (Iswy) who was (literally) kicked out for trying to attack a horse; Iswy who despises and envies Galwyn tries to ruin and end Galwyn's life. At the end Galwyn and Lord Atoes are both victorious in defeating their own enemy.

Throughout reading this book I had mixed feelings about it. At parts it seems to just be like reading a text book, at other parts it felt like I was reading more of a Lord of the Rings type adventure.

From my point of veiw the author was very careful to make all of his data historical. Lots of the events in this story are closely related to, or completly the same as many historical happenings. In some parts of the book this can be great, but in other parts it seemed like the author was trying a little to hard to get tons of facts in the book.

I give it 3 stars, mostly because it is a good read, but there are a few flaws in the book.

Simply horrible!
I can't imagine this entertaining any one.
That said, I suppose it has a small niche out there, some where.

It's The Mabinogian, you have to love it. It's really great for anyone, but especially good for anyone in Celtic Studies. Every Druid I have ever known had a copy too.

Let me agree with a previous reviewer who commented on the change in translation style between the "Celtic" and "Arthurian" stories. It's quite pronounced and not commented on in the book. Still, this is a great collection of tales, perhaps a little unpolished.

I'm a fan of tradtional Germanic epics such as Beowulf and hte Saga of Burnt Njal, as well as a fan of other medieval literature, including Wolfram von Eschenbach's "Parzifal," which tells the same story as some of the "branches" (stories) of the Mabinogion. So I had high expectations for the Mabinogion.

Unfortunately, the book failed to live up to them. Out of the eleven mostly unrelated stories included in this volume, only a few really held my interest. In a work like this you expect an episodic, somewhat repetitive story, but the Mabinogion takes this to the extreme. A few of the stories are practically parodies of Arthurian romance; for example, "How Culhwch Won Olwen." In this story, the hero meets the heroine and is told that he must complete thirty-nine tasks to win her. The rest of the story consists of an account of the completion of these tasks, most of which don't rate more than about a sentence; plus a five-page list of all the knights of Arthur's court who helped him. Expanded to full length, this might be interesting, but as it stands it's about as exciting as reading Cliff's Notes. In addition, the Mabinogion's humor often falls flat, especially when compared with the Icelandic epics.

The Penguin Classics edition seems to be well-translated and well-annotated, but the book itself didn't hold my interest. Unless you're an Arthurian completist or a Welsh history buff, I'd give this one a miss.

An excellent collection of Welsh tales from the high Middle Ages. Like the contemporary Gaelic mythology it leaves one pondering the meanings of so many of the storys' details long after they finish reading it; I think the significance of so much of their content is lost on us modern readers, and probably even on the men who initially wrote them down in the 12-14th Centuries. Overall, this version of the Mabinogion is a worthwhile look into the Medieval Welsh imagination, and a good book for anyone interested in Arthurian mythology.

A worthy addition to the Avalon series written in Bradley's style. I didn't notice a change in authors.
This particular title takes us back to the time when Druids where still on Mona and through most of Boudicca's life. It visualizes the events leading up to the Mona masacre, as well as Boudicca rebellion. Particularly dear to me is a story behind Lhiannon. Lhiannon, a young priestess, is very different from Lhiannon, the High Priestess in later novels. The novel gave me a very welcome glimpse into why and how of Lhiannon's later dettachment, while High Priestess.

I think it is ridiculous to keep attributing books written by others to Marion Zimmer Bradley. They must think that the reading public are a bunch of simpering idiots. Or- could it be? She is communicating with Diana Paxton via spirit medium or ouija board! Pls, give me a break! Authors, create your own darn worlds. Stop trying to co-opt MZB's - you do not measure up.

This is a wonderful addition to the Avalon series. My mother said it was one of the best she had read so far...and that says loads!

This book gives a deeper meaning to The Forest House and a further understanding of the Ravens.

I was a little disappointed to discover Marion Zimmer Bradley did not write this book, but Diana L. Paxson continued the Avalon Saga very well. As a former Latin and Roman History Instructor, I enjoyed reading the story of a great leader of Britain with the factual information enriched by fantasy fiction set in the Roman occupation of what came to be called Britain.

Book Four of The Pendragon Cycle, in which Lawhead doubles back and retells more of the story of Arthur that wasn't told in Book Three.

The stories are told through Merlin's voice this time, and are more interesting than those in Book Three, but the whole thing smacks of stretching out the series to enhance the royalties.

Book five in the series: Grail (The Pendragon Cycle, Book 5) (just a warning, it doesn't live up to the best of the series, the first three books starting with Taliesin: Book One of the Pendragon Cycle).

Stephen R. Lawhead is an internationally acclaimed author of mythic history and imaginative fiction. His works include Byzantium and the series The Pendragon Cycle, The Celtic Crusades, and The Song of Albion. Lawhead makes his home in Austria with his wife. Stephen Lawhead is one of my all time favourite authors and I am only sorry that he does not write more often.

All of the books so far in the Pendragon series have been good reading, particular for those interested in the Arthurian legends, but also for those who just like a good historical novel. Set against the background of Roman Britain with a little Celtic legend thrown in the books tell a wonderful and sometimes moving story of Taliesin Merlin and Arthur.

In this particular book Merlin tells the story which Arthur's own book left untold. The story of the winning of the title Pendragon and all that it entails, both for Arthur and the people who surround him, both friend and foe.

Pendragon is one of the better books of the series. It has a flowing plot, which at times is thick and hard to read, but lawhead makes up for it in the poetry of his language. It is a unique addition to all the Arthurian books out there, and to me, the best researched and thought up.

I have read too many accounts of Arthurian fiction, and I very much liked the Pendragon cycle. Lawhead writes like a poet. His writing can get pretentious at times, and a bit thick and hard to read, but it is well worth it. It definitly enriched my mind and made me want to write epic poetry. It's not the kind of book that you can't put down, the narrative doesn't flow like a best-selling novel, but if you like the subject matter, it is not hard to get though.

Many people critisize this series of books because it deviates from legend. This bothers me. The reason it is "legend" and not fact is because it is largely unknown. I love how lawhead makes everything seem authentically celtic, ("Bedwyr" instead of "Bedivere" and so on)and he puts his own version of the legend, which every author has the right to do. If you're anything like me, your sick of hearing about Lancelot and Guenivere and you want a new and refreshing version of the saga. Lawhead has done his research and knows what he is writing.

Strongly recommended. Read in order.

Pendragon is the fourth of Stephen Lawhead's Pendragon Cycle, an excellent reimagining of the King Arthur legend. Set right after Arthur's coronation, with Merlin as the narrator, Pendragon tells the story of Arthur as a new king facing adversity both in England and abroad in Ireland. A huge armada arrives in Ireland while Arthur is visiting his ally Fergus, an armada looking for a new home, a home taken by force and led by the ruthless Boar. After a viscious fight in Ireland, the Boar leaves only to land in the very heart of Arthur's new kingdom which has just been struck by a terrible plague that may wipe out the kingdom. Arthur must go beyond himself and find a way to defeat both a cunning and deadly enemy as well as a way to stop a unseen plague.

I have long admired Stephen Lawhead's writing. He has the uncanny ability to create worlds and characters that spring to life through his poetic images. He has definitely breathed new life into the Arthurian legends with his Pendragon Cycle. But "Pendragon", the fourth book in the series, is perhaps the weakest link.

"Pendragon" is not a continuation of the story that was started through "Taliesin", "Merlin", and "Arthur". Rather what Lawhead does in this fourth installment is revisit some stories about Arthur's life that either weren't in the previous books or that weren't expounded upon. This makes the beginning of the story read like left-overs that Lawhead cut from the original work. There are even times when the story is word-for-word the same as the previous novel. That being said, "Pendragon" does begin to build about halfway through the book and the story of Arthur's struggle to save Britain from a barbarian invasion comes to life.

While perhaps not the strongest link in the cycle, "Pendragon" is a continuation of Lawhead's magnificent rendering of Arthur's life. He has crafted Arthur as a king who is both strong and intelligent, fearless and faithful, seemingly invincible but also somehow mortal (even though he is the forever king). If readers can stick out the ramshackle beginning, they will not be disappointed in the end. Especially when the legend of the grail comes into question. But, as Merlin says, "that is a different story" and one this reader is looking forward to.

I liked seeing a heroic well-meaning Mordred who is gay. I liked the psychic phenomena called vesseling and raveling. I was glad to see that this Arthurian tale was myth centered rather than making another dubious attempt to cram the myth into real world history. On the other hand, I didn't like the fact that the only strong sympathetic female character was the Lady of the Lake, and I thought the book ended on an uninspiring note.

I found this to be a beautifully written, very poetically styled novel and I was hooked from the very start. The employment of the third person narrative for prologue and epilogue worked extremely well as brackets to the meat of the novel in the first person. Mordred is a highly sympathetic and likeable character and the twists on Arthurian legend and the idea that Arthur was not the shining king of wonder and sparkly rainbows that historians/mythologians tend to portray him as was very refreshing.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and had a moment near the end of 'uhoh' when Mordred ruminated on why Merlin did not want Lancelot to go with Mordred to save Guinevere. I sense dark times and sadness ahead for our anti-hero. For that is what Mordred is in this novel, and I cannot wait for the second part of this wonderful trilogy.

The legend of King Arthur is retold from the point of view of Mordred, who is abstaining from sex until he masters sorcery.

Clegg, Douglas. "Mordred, Bastard Son", Alyson, 2006.

The Retelling of a Legend

Amos Lassen and Literary Pride

I have always found the legend of King Arthur to be fascinating stuff and I try to read everything about it that I can. Douglas Clegg presents some new ideas in "Mordred, [..]". The book is not only very interesting but looks at the legend in a new way and the Arthurian stories have always been a pleasure to read. The idea of looking at Mordred as something more than a villain and as gay shows a whole new way of looking AT Arthurian England and Clegg really does the story justice.
The plot is filled with running narratives which ramble for pages and then suddenly stop and many pages are spent on Mordred's chastity. Nevertheless, the book is interesting. Clegg's revival of Mordred by beginning with the story of his mother, Morgan le Fay who is fleeing Arthur who wants to kill her before the baby is born. It had been foretold that Morgan's baby would bring the downfall of Arthur's kingdom. Yet Mordred is born and spends his life struggling against his homoerotic desires. He loves his friend Lukat who cannot return that love. Merlin the Magician is Mordred's teacher and he demands that Mordred not have sex until he has mastered the art of sorcery. The core of the story is Mordred's agony in postponing sex so that he can learn. We do get to the point when Mordred finally does have gay sex and it is a very good and sexy passage.
Throughout the book we renew acquaintances with characters that we have met in other books about Camelot and we meet some new characters as well. And finally the book begins to pick up speed.
As Mordred learned of the elements, the forest and magic, he becomes attracted to his best friend and tells him that they are men who love other men. As a teenager, Mordred was consumed with adolescent primal sexual urges but he realizes that knowledge is more important and represses his desires. What he did not know, once he gave in to his carnal desire, was that the man he lusted after was to become his betrayer. He is deceived into believing that he can live as a gay man and remain unaffected by the outside world. He is constantly betrayed and as he reaches manhood, he must deal with his own crimes of passion and his yearning to be at peace in the world.
Clegg gives us a compelling story which is to be part of a trilogy. His reinvention of the sexuality of Mordred is a novel twist. He is now not a betrayer but a seductive and passionate hero living in a world that has no law and is violent and superstitious. Mordred remains bound to the ancient rites of midsummer but he must do what he has been predestined to do.
We read as Mordred changes from a young prince who realizes that he must pay a debt to live to an adult who tries to find a place in the world. As gay we are often enchanted with classical myths and we enjoy reading about gay heroes finding their place in the course of history. Clegg has managed to center Mordred as a hero who enjoys same-sex love and it is hard now to imagine the Arthurian legend being told any other way. We can find similarities in our own lives in the Mordred story as Clegg brings to vibrant life the legend--he did not rewrite the story, he just told it from a different point of view and it is exciting. "Mordred" does not let us forget that life as we know it is a mystery that we are not always able to understand. Love and the loss of love is part of all of our lives whether we are gayer straight just as we all wonder why we are here. Clegg uses these themes powerfully with both sorrow and humor. The only problem with the book is that two more are to follow and I have to wait to read them. Clegg wrapped me in his story from the first sentence and now I am all wrapped up waiting for the next two volumes.

As a fan of Arthurian stories and a gay man I was looking forward to this retelling of the legend of Mordred, Arthur, etc. While Clegg gives us some interesting ideas, I was never really captured by the story. At the end I was left feeling rather ho hum about the story, and not at all interested in seeing where book 2 and 3 would take the story.

This book is a classic. While it didn't meet all of my expectations, it was still a very good book. It was researched excellently, down to every detail. Crossley-Holland carried on the series in a way that kept me hooked throughout the entire book.

I really enjoyed this book. It was very interesting and it also had a lot of facts in it. The main character, Arthur is a gallant person, he always tries to do his best and work his hardest. As he becomes a squire, he goes through many twists an turns in his life and in his life in his seeing stone. This book is one of the best I've read. It construes a young boys life back in that time period.

I think this was a very good piece of liturature. As I am 10, I found the facts really interesting (being that I am 10 so I don't know much) facts about midieval times. Good book about King Arthur, (well, before he becomes King) and his life on the manor. He runs into various adventures, and it is basicly about him becoming from page to a squire. I loved it.

After reading The Seeing Stone, which I thoroughly enjoyed, I quickly bought this book. I must first say the faults about this book. I admit that in the first book I found myself thinking that Arthur's life was a bit more boring than teh Arthur-in-the-stone's life and I was always waiting for the Arthur-in-the-stone stories to come. It was quite the oppisate for this book. This one was filled with Arthuran lengends and Kevin Crossley=Holland (the athor) poorly made the legends reflect the book.

I found myself waiting for more of Arthur (the real one) 's life. His new life got much more exciting when since he is now a squire for Lord Stephan. He learns about who his new father is and he goes on a desprete quest to find his mother. He also meets a new girl named Winnie who he complely swoons over. Winni has red hair and most people can tell that she is the Gueniver in the stone. The only prob. is that Winnie nad Arthur have no chemistry! There is a lotta chemistry between Gatty and Arthur and the reader is always hoping for Gatty and Arthur to get togther...but we all know that King Arthur ended up with Gwen...

Also. There was no Merlin. That was a bit of a dissapointment. But Ive been sayign all the bad stuff. There are much more good things in this inspiring novel. There is a whole bunch of new characters and mysteries. If you liked the first book in the trilogy I highly recomend this book. And although the third book (THE KING OF MIDDLE MARCH) has not been released in the US (4 reasons I know not) it has been realeased in the UK and you can order it on Amazon.co.uk (the British amazon so to speak). So if you have enough cash go out and buy it or rent it from teh library or borrow it from a friend, because it is good. I congradulate Kevin Crossely=Holland on his Arthur trilogy. :)

I usually do not read the reviews of others until I have written mine so I won't be influenced. I very much enjoyed the first book in the series, The Seeing Stone. I was surprised at how many "kid reviews" were run and have to repeat something I did in my first review. I consider these works by Kevin Crossley Holland outstanding and gave it five stars just as I give this one. However, I am concerned about the emphasis that the books are for children. It is true there is no profanity to the extreme, I refer to the implications of sexual activities that children under their teens may have problems with. If young children are to read these then their parents should screen them to discuss certain elements. There are also very good philosophical concepts that may be beyond the understanding of young children. This comes from a retired teacher and principal now turned author and magazine publisher.

Now on to the very excellent At The Crossing Places. This is a continuation of the story of Arthur formerly of Caldicot now of Holt, in the early twelve hundreds. Now aged 15, Arthur is a squire and has learned that his parentage is not as he long believed. He has a real father who is a murderer and a real mother he wants to find. Arthur's desire is to be a knight and to build a life for himself, almost his own little kingdom. He is realistic about things around him and has a sense of justice beyond any of the other characters in the book. What Holland does so well is depict the times with more information than you'll find anywhere else about the way people lived in England at this point of history. It covers their life styles, beliefs, and their environment better than any such I have read before. Holland has done his research. His characterizations are excellent and far ahead of the society in the "seeing stone". Like the first book, this is a double story as in the "seeing stone", given Arthur by Merlin, he sees scenes from the life of the legendary King Arthur. There are definite parallels in the lives of both Arthurs which is the justification for combining the two tales. The only real justification in my opinion as the books would stand alone without the Arthurian legends which are in many ways flawed.

My only quarrel with Holland is that the Kind Arthur whose story he follows is too much Thomas Mallory and T. H. White. I was glad that some of the young readers were newly introduced to King Arthur, but would want them to read much better books like the series of books by Stephen Lawhead and Mary Stewart. Both have researched King Arthur to the point that you have no doubt that such a king once lived. I have had the pleasure of twice visiting some of the locations connected with Arthur in England and this too has added to my own understanding. There are many other authors beyond the two I recommended and many have written for children. Certainly Holland's books are much healthier reading than the Harry Potter series and those few who hailed Potter in their reviews would do well to read the Narnian series by C.S. Lewis.

I look very forward to the third book in this series. I love the books, but must be realistic about them.