Arthurian Legend Books

My daughter is a princess crazy preschooler. I am a mom who is tired of the Disney princesses. This book was a great break. The pictures are lovely. There is both a male and female main character. The dragon is not overly cruel and there is limited violence. The story follows the typical fairy tale story pattern which makes it easy to talk about similarities and differences to other books. I highly recommend the book.

Take a traditional English fairy tale revolving around dragons, wicked stepmothers, a prince and evil enchantment, add gorgeous paintings by David Wiesner, and retell the package for young readers with rudimentary skills and you have all the elements of a favorite book in The Loathsome Dragon. The story has the same basic structure but is more accessible to the younger audiences, here.

The original 1987 release of this book is worth 5 stars, make no mistake. The artwork is still worth 5 stars.

And when I saw it was out again, in a new version, I didn't look past the pictures before I bought it and ran it home.

Then I started reading. And I knew in my bones it couldn't be the same book. I would never have treasured a book that read this badly. So I compared it to a library copy of the original.

Though the authors are the same for this new release and for the original release, most of the text has changed, and for the worse in every case.

Many readers, working only from old memories (If they've seen the book before at all) will only notice that Childe Wynde has been renamed Prince Richard. The new version is shorter, but clumsier. the writing that used to flow ends up awkward. It also talks down to the reader, explaining and repeating itself where the original didn't.

One illustration has also been replaced (The climax page, which is also used as the new cover art) with a similar but inferior version. The rest are not only left alone, the colours are redone, a bit fresher and crisper. I'll grant them that.

Look for the original release. Pay more if you have to. The original is worth it. This is a cheap imitation.

I'm a 7 year old kid who loves dragons, and this is my second favorite dragon book. (Ignis is my favorite. Ignis ) I like this one because the pictures are cool and the dragon looks great. This is one of my favorite books. I like it because the dragon is a good character and the prince looks better than in most books.

I was so pleased to see this book back in print!

I raised my children on a healthy diet of traditional fairytales and beautiful art. This book was one of their favorites. We started searching for it when the grandchildren began to arrive, but couldn't find it. Somewhere along the course of years our copy had disappeared and though everyone in the family knew the tale by heart, we couldn't remember the title. (In our house it was simply known as "The Dragon book"--as though it were the ONLY book about a dragon.)

I stumbled across the Amazon listing and had it on my wish list for a couple of months before it was actually released. When the Amazon copy arrived, I sat down to read the cherished story and was transported not only to "Once upon a time", but to a more recent time when my children and I would read the book together and closely examine the pictures for a wealth of details.

This is a lovely book. David Wiesner's art is wonderful and the tale is told in a straightforward manner that would do a medieval bard proud. If you love fairytales or dragons, you will not be disappointed by the Loathsome Dragon.

Pamela F. Service's TOMORROW'S MAGIC is set five hundred years since a nuclear holocaust decimated the Earth's population, in Britain where mutants seem to be taking over. Wellington and Heather are concerned about trying to keep up school when their classmate discovers he's Merlin the wizard - and thus begins another Arthurian fantasy, this set in a future struggling for humanity and survival.

I thought this book would be so much better, but it lacked passion to me. It did no grip me, and want to read it again and again. The beginning of the book seemed to move slow, and was just boring. At the end of the book I was waiting for something big to happen and it just never did. For the most part it seemed like everything that happened in the book you know would happen. This book is an okay read, but I would not suggest to go out an buy your own copy of it. This book I would not likely read again.

I don't know why these ("Winter of Magic's Return" and "Tomorrow's Magic", the review is for both) were recommended to me. There's nothing special about them; their bindings are old standard-library issue with a blurred picture and un-breakable binding (I must add something: "Tomorrow's Magic" has someone on the cover and I can't figure out whether it's Morgan or Merlin). Maybe it was because my friend knew I was digging through Arthurian legends and needed a respite from Malory and his Bible-sized work, maybe it was because we were in the area and she needed to lure me away from the brightly illustrated "The Vampire Goes to the Farm". *snicker* Whatever the reason, the heart or the shoes...

Service's series tells the tale of a post-Apocalyptic world in which everyone but the British are dead (essentially). England (and Ireland, Scotland, and Wales) have been reduced to feudal states harried by "muties" (radiation-mutated humanoids). And, at some point or another, Merlin was nuked out of his cave. Yes, that's right boys and girls, now you can destroy magic with nukes-- maybe if we bomb Iraq we'll find the Holy Grail. Anyways... thanks to some arcane plothole, Merlin has gone amnesiac on us and is fourteen (he moans about not having a beard almost as often as he turns things purple). There's some stereotypical geeks who find their inner strength/beauty travelling with him and to find King Arthur-- though why getting Arthur from Avalon is a good thing isn't explained in "Winter of Magic's Return". Morgan is portrayed as the evil, petty, destructive witch, which grates on me since I subscribe to the Bradley-esque "Good Morgan" school of thought.

These books are absurd, badly written, and poorly contrived, but I would recommend them to any would-be-author-- they'll make you feel better about yourself.

I just want to know when Ms. Service is going to come out with a third book!

This is a magical follow-up to WINTER OF MAGIC'S RETURN, and it focuses on the trio of close friends, Welly, Heather, and the youthened Merlin, now known as Earl. Five centuries after nuclear devastation, magic finally returns to the world, and King Arthur as returned to Britain in time of her need. However, as evidenced in the title, there is a new kind of magic appearing in the world -- and there may not be any room for Earl's magic now! As fun a romp as the previous book!

A sequel to "Winter of Magic's Return" this book deals with King Arthur's return to England, with the aid of a very young Merlin and his companions. Set in a nuclear winter where technology barely exists and magic is staging a comeback this is a highly amusing book. Merlin (for reasons explained in the prior book) is in his late teens and his two companions are also teens of that era. The three of them, plus Arthur are attempting to reunite the various duchis, kingdoms and principalities that England has become, against Arthur's old enemy Morgan Le Fay. While not as fascinating as the book that preceded it, this is still a servicable sequel, although i wish there were one to this as well.

I love this book. Before finding it, I swam through websites and a few books. I was looking for historical/archeological information, as well as the sources for the Arthurian myths and legends. Most of what I found was, at best, mildly biased, and, at worst, based on wild conjecture (see Norma L. Goodrich's "Guinevere").

Snyder has done an incredible job pulling together resources, and laying them out in a honest factual (yet entertaining) way. The reader can draw her own conclusions. In addition, the reader is led to other resources to further study any of the fascinating strains of the Arthurian phenomenon.

The pictures are most interesting! This would make a fabulous text books for British literature or British history teachers.

This is a very thorough and unbiased study of the post Roman period in England and, ultimately, Europe. While Professor Snyder says neither "nay" nor "yea" to Arthur's objective reality, he does bring out the very real effect the legend has had on people world wide and through out time.

Instead of dwelling on the insolvable problem of Arthur's existence, a contention that has too little data to clarify it, Snyder covers the archaeological and written records of the period, subjecting both to a critical analysis. He does this, however, to create for the reader a sense of the time in which a person like King Arthur might have lived. The types of political, military and social events with which he would have had to contend, and the nature of power and of place in society are discussed using what material is available.

With respect to the written material, Snyder discuses a number of problems confronting historians. The contemporaneity of these sources with their subject--or lack thereof--is thoroughly described for the reader. As with Biblical studies or biographies of Alexander the Great and other early people, many of the sources are very much later, even centuries later, than their subject. The introduction of an author's opinions and cultural biases, let alone their own agendas, may well distort any real information that he had at his disposal. Snyder makes this very apparent by discussing these authors and the events of their own time with respect to their "take" on Arthur and his life. Hagiography, the use of biography as a source of moral teachings or for other purposes, is a legitimate writing technique but not good history. An early author might also read too uncritically the material of his predecessor, and thus passed on as fact--probably after further distortion--stories that had no basis in fact to begin with. The task of "getting at" any core material that may exist becomes almost impossible, and such documents are rightly used with great care.

Snyder also discusses the effect of the cultural biases of modern day students of Arthur. Every culture has a Gestalt of its own, one of which the practitioners of the culture are not always aware, and what such a student perceives in written sources and artifactual evidence is filtered through this world view. Arthur therefore becomes something different for each culture and even for each culture at different times in its history. The author makes this point by discussing the changes in the Arthuriana that occurred in France and England and even throughout the world through time. He even discusses the variations in the Arthurian story that appear in modern cinematic presentations--the bards of our own time--in different countries and in different decades and how these interpretations are borrowed for various contemporary purposes. The Kennedy era "Camelot" is a case in point for modern US history.

With respect to the archaeological material Professor Snyder notes the effect of climate and geology on preservation, lack of research into key sites, misinterpretation of sites and data by earlier excavators, the biases of excavators, the effect of cultural orientation of excavators, recent improvement of excavation technology, etc. More than anything, the lack of any concrete data makes putting a definite "paid" to the task of identifying an individual Arthur a difficult one. The various stories surrounding sites associated with the legend through time, while lending the spice of intrigue and mystery to the Arthur legend, provide little material evidence of his having existed there at all. Even suggesting probabilities one way or the other are not really possible based on the data.

One thing the author does and does thoroughly for those who "really want to believe" is present an excellent overview of the individuals who might have served as a prototype for Arthur if not the man himself. He points out events in the lives of these historical individuals that might connect each with later legends and suggests that a composite of their personal characteristics and/or of their deeds may have gone into the creation of the legendary figure.

Whether Arthur or someone like him existed, the myths surrounding the character certainly have had far greater impact on the world's societies than any real person could have had. In short according to the author, it hardly makes a difference whether he existed or not so potent has his legend became. Snyder traces the impact of Arthur throughout history, surprising the reader with the vastness of his contribution to the world's people. Even the modern concept of romantic love is ascribed to the evolution of his legends in Mediaeval Europe.

This is a very enjoyable book.

There was actually little that was new to any one who is really interested in Arthur. The book just repeats what any serious student of Arthur has already read in a number of other books. How about a look at the royal women? This continued focus on the men tells only half the story. And this continued avoidance of the oldest CYMRIC sources smacks of racial bias. Another disappointment.

An excellent survey of Arthur and his legacy from ancient Rome to modern Hollywood. Anyone interested in seriously looking at Arthur should begin with this very readable book. Also - lots of great pictures!

I am new to the Arthurian Legend, and I found this book to be an AMAZING resource. It tell the history brilliantly. It is really thorough in following through history the different authors that have contributed to Arthuriana.

More importantly to me, it has given me a roadmap of books to read so that I can learn more about King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table.

The pictures that he has chosen are amazing. I would have like to see some clarification on some of the pictures of the maps that are included. But some of the pictures from some of the older versions of Tennyson's Idylls of the King, and some of the originals that Claxton used in the original Le Morte D'Arthur area really amazing.

Overall, a GREAT resource if you want to learn about some of the historical aspects of Arthuriana.

Several months after reading this collection, the final story, "My Swan Sister," continues to pop up in my mind in strange ways. "Greenkid" as well. I enjoyed the entire collection and would recommend it to fairytale-loving kids and adults.

... and the fesh take each author brought to familiar tales. Definite appeal for the right age group--perhaps eleven and up--and probably more for girls than boys, though boys would enjoy it if they would give it a chance! (Hate to be stereotypical, but my experience is that it is the rare male child who will pick up fairy tales, more's the pity.)

This collection of tales includes:
Greenkid by Jane Yolen
When the main character meets his beautiful female next door neighbor he wants her to like him. He thinks his chances at school will be slim so he tries to see her as much as he can during the summer. When a Greenkid stumbles upon them the girl flees but the boy ignores her warnings much to his later chagrine.

Golden Fur by Midori Snyder
A facinating tale I have never heard before about a young hero seeking his fortune. He stumbles upon a castle with an oasis in the back and meets a little hamster like creature (modeled off of a hamster or two the author had). Although the hero has little food he shares it with the hamster and in turn the hamster helps him surmount the obstacles the guardians of the castle have placed in order to marry the beautiful princess.

Chambers of the Heart by Nina Kiriki Hoffman
An eerie retelling of Bluebeard told by his next door neighbor and later his wife.

Little Red and the Big Bad by Will Shetterly
A hilarious retelling of Little Red Riding Hood retold with modern language. It includes phrases such as "So Red puts on her hoodie, leaves a note for the Moms, and BMXes away." Pg. 49

The Fish's Story by Pat York
A delightful retelling of that story where the fisherman catches the magic fish and his wife makes him get bigger and bigger houses for her. In this story a little girl also catches the same fish although, as she later finds out, the fish is already familiar to her.

The Children of Tilford Fortune by Christopher Rowe
I have never heard this tale before. Three children must go out to sell their only belongings to make it in the world: a rooster, a scythe, and a cat. It's a very, very good story, especially for the world today.

The Girl in the Attic by Lois Metzger
After her father dies, Ava refuses to talk to her stepmother and speaks little in class. One night she wishes for someone to talk to and finds this person soon after.

The Harp that Sang by Gregory Frost
There really isn't any other way to retell this story except a creepy way. The story is creepy to begin with. Jealous of her sister, Karla pushes her into the river where the sister drowns. Later a man stumbles upon the sister's bones and hair making them into a harp. When he happens to play at the wedding of Karla she is overwrought with guilt.

A Life in Miniature by Bruce Coville
An interesting retelling of Tom Thumb that takes place in the future. Tom lives inside a laboratory for a while under the suspicious care of Dr. Lyon.

Lupe by Kathe Koja
An interesting twist on the Red Riding Hood tale, Lupe is actually a name of a girl in the retelling. She goes into the woods to find a "witch" for her mother because her mother is grief stricken by the lose of her baby.

Awake by Tanith Lee
This retelling of Sleeping Beauty answers the question, "What exactly did Sleeping Beauty do those hundred years besides sleep? Did she dream?" The story supposes that Sleeping Beauty actually awoke during the night and had magical companions that showed her the world.

Inventing Aladdin by Neil Gaiman
A poem about how poor Scheharazade has to make up stories every night to save her life.

My Swan Sister by Katherine Vaz
A great story that takes place in the modern world, My Swan Sister is especially good for those mourning the loss of a tiny baby. Baby Rachel doesn't have long to live but while she is living she causes miraculous changes in the people she comes into contact with.

This book is a gorgeous collection of stories, each at once familiar
and strange.  From the slick prose and grungy setting of Shetterly's
"Little Red and the Big Bad" to the opulence of Snyder's "Golden Fur,"
to Hoffman's haunting "Chambers of the Heart," these reinvented fairy
tales are crafted to whisper on even after you've closed the book.

Grail Quest book one is a really generic series book like the Magic Tree House. It has nothing special about it. It is a better book for 8 year olds. It is fun-filled if you are 8 or 9. Though the book could be rated PG-13.
I'll give you a quick overview of the plot. You first meet a squire in Camelot named Gerard. There is a huge feast to kick off the quest for the holy grail. At midnight the whole kingdom falls asleep. Only twelve year olds and under are awake. Gerard, a stable boy named Newt, and a girl named Ailis go off to find Merlin who mysteriously left the day before the feast. Merlin tells them to find three talismans, unite them and head back to Camelot. At this time Merlin is imprisoned in an Ice house made by his arch-nemesis Nimue. On the quest for the talismans they battle a bridge troll and a dragon. The troll scene was gory, and what made the book PG-13.
There are very few pieces of historical accuracy in this book. If you are looking for some kind of biography by someone in the middle ages, and were not turned away when you read the back, turn away now! The whole book is based off of magical superstition and old wives tales from the Middle Ages. From dragons and bridge trolls to magic and portals to the land of the dead, this book has barely any historical fiction. The writer did get the talking down though. An example is that Newt calls Ailis something like little MISTRESS nosey. He also kept to the hierarchy of middle ages times, the book frequently mentions how there are four levels in the hierarchy:
Servants, the lowest form or class who aren't assigned to anything specific in the castle but help out wherever they can. Pages, who deliver messages.
Squires, who travel with their knight to aid them and carry things for them.
And finally knights, the people who either have a seat at the round table or train squires and the like.
All around, I would give this book a three star ranking for having meager real references to the middle ages, and being way to generic.

Fourteen-year-old squire, Gerard, is utterly disappointed that he has not been chosen to accompany the knights on the Quest for the Holy Grail. After all, it is his wish to prove himself as a great hero who is brave, and ready for anything that life has to throw at him. However, he never realized that he would have the chance to prove his bravery this soon. For, on the eve of the Quest for the Holy Grail, at a large feast celebrating the momentous occasion, every adult in King Arthur's castle, in the midst of their filling meals, falls into a deep sleep - an enchanted sleep - and nothing will wake them. Now it is up to Gerard, who has spent every waking hour of his life dreaming of becoming one of the prestigious Knights of the Round Table; along with the help of Ailis, a maidservant who has been his friend through thick and thin over the years; and Newt, a rough and tumble stable boy, to make their way through various obstacles - including an ugly bridge troll, a dark and powerful witch who wants nothing than to take down King Arthur and the realm of Camelot, and a scheming dragon - in an attempt to save their home from the evil that will stop at nothing to have its way. And, in the meantime, make a name for themselves, and prove that, even though they are children, they have the strength to save the kingdom that has given them shelter all these years.

Over the past couple of years, I have become very interested in Arthurian history, which is why I was ecstatic to learn that Laura Anne Gilman's GRAIL QUEST was being released. THE CAMELOT SPELL is an enchanting series debut that mixes the history of Arthurian legend, with fantastical elements to create the ultimate thrill ride through adventure and magic. The characters all bring about their own perspectives on the situation they have been throw into - from Ailis' quick-thinking, and wit; to Gerard's trained hand with the sword; and Newt's ofttimes cynical thoughts. THE CAMELOT SPELL offers a bit of something for everyone, male or female, history buff, or fantasy fan; and will leave everyone craving the sequel MORGAIN'S REVENGE. An enchanting, keeps-you-on-the-edge-of-your-seat read that will be devoured in one sitting.

Erika Sorocco
Book Review Columnist for The Community Bugle Newspaper

King Arthur declares that he and 9*3 knights will seek the Holy Grail. In Camelot, a gala occurs to celebrate the upcoming quest. However, something strange occurs when all the adults abruptly fall asleep while all the children remain awake; adding to the discomfit of those not asleep is the fact Merlin is missing. Gerard squire to Sir Rhaymond d'Abmont realizes an enchantment has occurred, but that the children must pretend all is normal or their enemies will take advantage of the vulnerability.

Gerard, Queen Guinevere's handmaiden Ailis, and Newt the horse boy know only Merlin can reverse the spell. They begin a trek to find the missing wizard unaware that a malevolent force will kill anyone who tries to prevent the destruction of Camelot.

GRAIL QUEST is a fun young adult Arthurian fantasy that looks at Camelot from an entirely different perspective as children must save the day. Though his appearances are limited, Merlin steals the show as everyone knows not to mess with someone who can turn you into a rat; in some ways he seems like the Merlin in the Disney cartoon The Sword in the Stone. The three heroes are terrific with differing personalities as the squire and the horse boy squabble all the time while the handmaiden tries to keep the peace. Targeting the Potter crowd, Laura Anne Gilman enchants her audience with her version of the Knights of the Round Table.

Harriet Klausner

The books were received in a timely manner. I was expecting a different size book than the one I received. The one I thought I was ordering was also a paperback, but was not novel size. The book does have the exact same stories so I was able to use it in my classroom. It does not have the fabulous pictures that the other book had.

I use this book as the last thing I do with my 7th graders. They study the Middle Ages in social studies and this is a great cross-curricular activity. My students are restless and ready to be out of school for the summer at this time of year, but they LOVE this book. Many, many of my reluctant readers tell me every year how much they enjoy this book - even if they have always hated reading.

The Welsh version of Arthur, as opposed to the later French contamination! This is an interesting collection of scholarly articles by various authors, and is well worth reading for anyone interested in the development of the Arthurian legends.

A beautifully and classically illustrated book that interlaces the fragments of the Arthurian saga. Entertaining to both the avid Arthur reader and the literary newcomer, the story is simply but elegantly put, and it positively emanates romanticism. It is perfect for perusing over and over again, not only because of the textual material itself but also the vivid pictures that accompany it on every other page. Friends stopping by for a visit have picked it up and paused our conversation to flip through it. A very worthwhile buy.

The 1995 edition states on its copyright page that "Arthurian Legends of the Middle Ages" was first published in 1871 as "Popular Romances of the Middle Ages." That matters, if you would rather not read a book written in exquisite high-Victorian academic English with an Introduction that runs to page 80. Co-author George William Cox, M.A. (New York), a prolific writer on historical and biblical themes, received several fine book reviews in Harper's Magazine in the 1870s and 1880s.

Arthurian legends from the Dark Ages returned to favor in the Middle Ages, during the twelfth century reign of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine, to serve the first Plantagenets' need for dynastic propaganda. The best bards, poets and troubadours of the age expended their talents to create, build on and transform the old tales. Fast forward to the nineteenth century: Cox, with Eustace H. Jones (one review in Harper's, 1880) have actually crafted a wonderful compendium of Arthurian tales for modern researchers who need their legends expressed and written with historical sources served in fine classical detail. This book may not be for general readers but might be excellent for thesis-related or scholarly work. (That was how I used it.) The excellent Contents page breaks even the 80-page Introduction into easily-found subject areas, while the Index is generous in its Victorian precision and extent.

Robert Fripp, author,
"Power of a Woman. Memoirs of a turbulent life: Eleanor of Aquitaine"

After "From Ritual To Romance" caused a sensation (positive and otherwise) among grail scholars in the early part of the 20th century, much scholarship relating to Arthurian myth relates to the discourse over its origins. In "The Grail: From Celtic Myth to Christian Symbol," Roger Loomis convincingly argues (as the title might suggest) that the idea of the Holy Grail has its roots not in apocryphal Christian eschatology but in the Celtic myths of the British Isles. From the knights of the round table to Indiana Jones to Heinrich Himmler and everyone in between, the Grail has been a much sought-after artifact. The only question is "what is it?"

According to Loomis, the Holy Grail is not the cup from which Jesus drank at the Last Supper, but rather a mistranslation of the archaic compound word "sankgreal," meaning "royal blood" rather than "holy grail." This will sound familiar to anyone familiar with the novel "the Da Vinci Code," but this is more or less where the similarities end. Loomis does not view the Grail as an essentially literal object and says that it refers to a mythical bloodline. He further objects to the characterization of the grail as a cup, showing that before it was identified as a chalice, it had previously been portrayed as a flat dish and even a rock (!). He says that myth of the Fisher King lay in Celtic mythology and that Christian symbolism was later attached to it when the Grail myth hit continental Europe from a French monk and scholar living in Wales. The concept of the grail as an ever-replenishing source of sustenance is based on another linguistic misinterpretation that has an archaic Welsh word for "cup" being mistranslated into French as "body," as in the body of Christ (i.e. a communion wafer). Loomis illuminates a consistent series of parallels between the circumstances of Arthurian legend and Celtic myth and shows how overlapping stories in the former are based on archetypal forms from the latter.

Why 4/5? While Loomis presents a compelling theory, it is complex and at times difficult to follow despite Loomis' effort to make his book as accessible as possible to the average reader. Likewise, there is a fair amount of redundancy in this book that might turn some people off. Finally, the theory is so complex and each part is so dependent on the assumption before it that if one aspect is successfully refuted, the whole theory would be in jeopardy. Still, it's a fine book that advances an intriguing hypothesis about one of Western Civilization's most enduring symbols and deserves a thorough examination.