Arthurian Legend Books

Speaking as a complete novice regarding the history and geography of England, I have to admit that the theory presented in this book made as much, if not more, sense to me than the accepted theory of where things were in Arthur's England.

I could never understand how so much arthurian history could have actually taken place in the far Northeast of England as it was simply too far away. And with no reason for it to be that far away.

Of course maybe my ready acceptance of their theory could simply be the result of my not having any reason to adhere to the accepted versions of where things were supposedly located.

I have tried to find additional discussion on the authors' theory but there doesn't seem to be much available. I wish there was.

Most popular books in search of the historical Arthur (and there are many such books and just about as many theories regarding who the "real" Arthur was) use the same classic sources (Gildas, Nennius, Geoffrey of Monmouth, and a few others) and, increasingly, archaeological data. Welsh literary sources, such as the "Brut Y Brenhinedd," the Triads, and bardic poetry, are generally relegated to the background and are often wholly ignored, despite the rather obvious fact the Welsh people are the primary cultural heirs of whatever society in which the historical Arthur existed. Blake and Lloyd reverse this approach in "The Keys to Avalon," giving their main focus to such Welsh literary sources. Their approach certainly is not without controversy. They follow the lead of a few earlier writers who contend that at least some versions of the "Brut Y Brenhinedd" derive independently from the same source used by Geoffrey of Monmouth to write his great "Historia Regum Britanniae" and are not, as most scholars contend, simply Welsh translations of Geoffrey's work. The difference is crucial since the "Brut" uses Welsh names for locations which differ greatly from the English names in Geoffrey's book. Blake and Lloyd contend that Geoffrey altered the Welsh originals to make his book better suited for an English audience and for political purposes. This is an important point and, if true, could mean that the historical Arthur operated on a smaller stage (North Wales, for the most part) than most popular accounts which have him ranging over large portions of present-day England and Scotland. I certainly am not qualified to absolutely judge the validity of what Blake and Lloyd have to say on the matter, but I do hope their book inspires others to take a serious look at this possibility, either to confirm their analysis or to disprove it.

I have little doubt that Blake and Lloyd in their enthusiam for their Welsh-oriented reconstruction of Arthurian fact have at least in a couple areas gone well beyond what the evidence can support. Specifically, I find their claim that Offa's Dyke (a mammoth earthwork almost universally credited to the Eighth Century Mercian King Offa) was built by the Third Century Roman Emperor Severius to be entirely unconvincing. (There is now archaeological evidence that Wat's Dyke may date from the Fifth Century and thus might explain accounts of a wall in northern Wales prior to Offa.) And secondly, I consider their re-writing of the history of the Anglo-Saxon conquest of much of Britain (moving events from their traditional locations to an exclusively Welsh context) to be very unlikely, as it seems to ignore non-Welsh and archaeological sources that bear upon the question.

Nonetheless, I think that "The Keys to Avalon" is worth reading, even if with a sceptical eye, for its intriguing analysis of the North Wales sites associated with a possible historical Arthur.

I am not quite finished reading this book but so far I am impressed. I would have liked to see a consolidating map at the end of the book elucidating the narrative. As it stands the maps provided are piecemeal and difficult to put into the wider geographical context.

The author's premise is a very engaging (a note here: this is a book attempting to put Arthur, Avalon and the entire cast in a geographical and historical context, not a history of the little people) mix of culture, politics, religion (both pagan and Christian), proposed historical inaccuracy, and linguistic detective work somewhat reminiscent of The White Goddess. Certainly I would like to do some of my own research before subscribing to a rewrite of English history, but I must say elements of this book have the ring of truth, if not common sense. Anybody at all inclined, or if you need to be inspired to visit Wales: read it!

Suddenly, the Dark Ages make sense.

The Keys to Avalon explores fact, folklore, myths and legends and brings them together in a work which offers a stunningly simple,logical explanation for why so many 'academics' have struggled for so long to make sense of the Dark Ages.

Put simply, it is the survival of the ancient Welsh language and culture which provides the Key to this new understanding of the Dark Ages.

Until this book, Arthurian (and other) legends associated with the Dark Ages have been interpreted from the anglicised (as in Anglo Saxon) view, with errors having crept in through translations from Welsh to Latin and then to English.

The Keys to Avalon goes back to the original Welsh records of these times, and unlocks the door to a greater understanding of the period by considering the meaning of the original Ancient Welsh language, which differs from the current Welsh language in some critical ways.

In 'The Keys to Avalon' the authors seem to have compared the ancient Welsh accounts of the Dark Ages with the standard versions based on the Anglo-Saxon accounts. The authors give due regard to the fact that there is often a grain of truth in folklore, myths and legends passed down verbally through the generations. This seems particularly appropriate in Wales where even today, despite the celebration of the survival of the Welsh language in the various Eisteddfodau, the majority of fluent Welsh speakers have difficulty in reading and writing the Welsh language.

This book brings to life the Welsh countryside - looking at names and features on maps and showing how the Arthurian legends suddenly 'fit' into specific geographic areas of realistic extent.

Once in a while something comes along which is so blindingly obvious that you think 'why didn't anyone say this before?' I can imagine there are a lot of academics and authors out there who will be wishing now that they had made the same efforts that Steve Blake and Scott Lloydd have in their work, which literally does rewrite Dark Age history.

This is a superb book which will be enjoyed by anyone with an open, unprejudiced, mind.

As someone very interested in Arthurian legends I bought this book not really expecting to read anything really new - especially as a work has recently appeared on Arthur in Wales. I was wrong!

O.K., you can argue about place names and whose source material is better than whose until doomsday, but nothing helps more to give a book that 'something extra' than a good dose of common-sense.

My initial reaction was one of sceptcism, especially when Geoffrey of Monmouth appeared on the scene, but I took a jump of faith and waded in. Once you have read the entire book - and not tried to nit pick on every individual piece of evidence - the overall picture is extremely convincing.

I may not agree with everything held within this books cover, but there is certainly enough here to warrant further study and debate. I take my hat off to the authors for an extremely well researched piece of work.

Maybe it just wasn't my "cup of tea", but I found this book to be mind-numbingly boring as I read it to my 10-year old daughter as a bedtime book. She wasn't too impressed either, but once we start a book we generally finish. (I'm a 44 year old dad)

I didn't care about any character in the book or any of their meaningless spiritual adventures. The story, like the knights on the grail quest, just seemed to wander around lost for 130 pages until it was time to cross the "T"s and dot the "I"s on the anti-climactic finish.

Its shocking to me that this book has a 3-1/2 star rating on Amazon since it is one of the worst I've read (and I've read hundreds over the years to my kids)

Maybe if you are a Renaissance Fair Junkie-Type who is all into knights, the grail and Catholicism you might find this passable (if you can stand reading the word "hermitage" 200 times), but I think most rational people will find this book boring with a capital B and pointless with a capital P.

Sutcliff's Arthurian trilogy is definitely some of her better work. The
grail quest is the focus of this work, with several knights going their
separate ways to try and find it.

Many mystical and supernatural encounters are had along the way, as
the knights see if their religious qualifications are good enough for
them to succeed in their journey.

This story is about the many exciting adventures of a few of the main knights involved in the Grail Quest. It many follows Sir Lancelot, Bors, Percival, and Galahad. The stories tell of their journeys through unfamiliar lands, saving damsels in distress, and over all trying to find the Holy Grail the one thing all the knights' desire, but only one knight can recover it.

I really enjoyed reading this book. Although at times I was confused do to the ever-changing characters and story lines. Things I really liked about this book were the excitement in the adventures and the wonderful characters. I would most definitely recommend this book to all young adult readers who enjoy a great suspenseful tale.

The Quest for the Holy Grail
The Light Beyond the Forest by Rosemary Sutcliff had an extremely interesting plot. The reader follows the quest for the holy grail in four different characters. Sutcliffe jumps back and forth between the quests of Sir Percival, Sir Bors, Sir Galahad and Sir Lancelot.
The time of the setting is in the medevil age. It takes place in many locations throughout the story. There are a few suspenseful twists that will keep you waiting until the end. Throughout the quest many conflicts appear between the characters and the grail.
Finally, I would recommend this book for 13+. Although it is not very long it can be confusing and hard to understand at times. This book is great for adventurous readers because of its plot and conflicts

I read this book when I was in fifth grade and I was thoroughly entranced with the tale of King Arthur's knights and their adventures as they searched for the Holy Grail. There are some unfamiliar words in the book, but the story is not confusing or hard to follow. However, the writing is somewhat dense and may leave some people bored. Though I loved this book when I was in fifth grade, I had a hard time re-reading it when I was older because I felt the writing was too slow.

The book mainly follows three knights of the Round Table on their separate searches for the Holy Grail, so each chapter tells about a different episode in one of the knight's quests. There are plenty of haunting and mysterious scenes here to intrigue anyone. One of the most beautiful parts of the story is the description of Sir Lancelot meeting Sir Galahad.

This book is the second in a trilogy; the first one is THE SWORD AND THE CIRCLE, which tells of how King Arthur comes to his throne and also includes many other Arthurian legends, such as Sir Gawain and the Loathely Lady. It leads up to the Quest for the Holy Grail, which is the story of this book. The last book in the trilogy is THE ROAD TO CAMLAAN which tells about the end of Camelot. All three books are very good re-tellings of the King Arthur stories, though I think this one is the best of the trilogy.

D.D.R. Owen, late professor emeritus of French in the University of St. Andrews, states of his translation that he kept "the needs of students" in mind. For that reason, Owen tells us, his "renderings...incline towards the literal." In other words Owen's translation of Chrétien of Troyes's "Arthurian Romances" shuns poetic and literary licence. Decide what you want. This is a scholar's book, a dry literal translation from twelfth century French of original tales that were too long to start with. General readers may find it dull.

Near the end of his substantive Introduction (which itself makes a useful essay for students of Chrétien's times) Owen comments that "Chrétien has bequeathed to us a brilliant portrait of the society that gave him his livelihood." That's true, but these romances set up portraits that will seem "brilliant" only from a scholar's perspective.

Chrétien's productive years spanned 1170 to 1182, the very pinnacle of chivalry -- and of chivalry's unlikely twin, courtly love. Chrétien was an eye-witness, working in the halls of noble patrons, observing and recording the highest values of the culture of his time. He wrote "Lancelot" around 1177, dedicating it to Marie of Champagne (Eleanor of Aquitaine's eldest child), and bringing the world the first mention of Camelot. By 1182, Chrétien was introducing the Holy Grail in "Perceval: the Story of the Grail." Before he won fame under Marie's sponsorship, one wonders if Chrétien had made his observations about the conventions of courtly love and chivalry earlier, at Eleanor's Court of Ladies in Poitiers (1168-'73). Owen was too much the perfect scholar to speculate, but we can. "Arthurian Romances" contains much that Chrétien absorbed from an influential source, a royal hall replete with courtly traditions, poets and bards. This book is a struggle, but it can be rewarding.

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

There are several examples of the French chivalrous tradition here, and all that courtly love stuff. Or, how to wear shiny armor, look pretty, do what your religion tells you, be nice to ladies but don't knock them off their pedestals.

Try to get really, really good at killing people and beating people up, too.

Got it for school, but I'm not too big on romances so maybe I'm biased. I'm trying.

It's a pretty good story...actually a set of stories written by this Troyes guy, all about everyone except noble King Arthur. Gotta buy a different book to get the sword in the stone story. Great for in depth details on the romance-period view of the barbarian Arthurian story, and even better for writing a detailed paper on it.

If you're into Arthurian stories (and already know the story lines of the main story but want more on the offshoots and the only-mentioned-once characters like Yvain) this is a great book for you! Not good for people who don't know the story. Watch the disney movie first for some background or read the Mists of Avalon (long but good).

Chretien de Troyes is an early French romantic writing, who wrote the first known story about the Holy Grail. De Troyes lived in the Champagne region of France during the latter twelfth century. Peripherally attached to courts including that of the famous Eleanor of Acquitaine, de Troyes stories of the Arthurian legends provides a foundation for almost all future Arthurian stories.

Chretien's major works include four poems included in this collection: Erec and Enide, Cliges, The Knight of the Cart (Lancelot), and The Knight of the Lion (Yvain). For Grail seekers, the story of most interest will be the unfinished Perceval: The Story of the Grail. Although the tale exists in finished form (in fact, several variations of finished forms), de Troyes in fact only wrote the first 9000 lines of the approximately 32,000 line text. (De Troyes also was embellished or supplemented by later additions to the tale of Lancelot, perhaps because de Troyes did not want to include an adulterous affair).

The story of Erec and Enide is a love story between one of Arthur's knights, Erec, who while out with Guinevere encounters a mean-spirited knight Yder; Erec's pursuit of Yder leads to his meeting Enide, and the two have a stormy relationship (by medieval romantic standards) but ultimately are able to reconcile their love and relationship with public duty.

The story of Cliges is one of tricky and forbidden relationships. Cliges, a native of Greece, falls in love with Fenice, his uncle's wife (Cliges' uncle happens to be the emperor). Their love is discovered, but with the aid of King Arthur, their relationship continues in Cliges' home country of Greece.

Lancelot's story is one of the oldest ideas from the Arthurian legends - the rescue of Guinevere when she is taken captive. This could be done in a chaste and honourable way, but the tale of Arthur has both virtuous and dark elements. Even though this story comes from much older antecedents, de Troyes telling (with the possible additions by a later writer) became the standard Lancelot-Guinevere tale, being the principal one incorporated into Mallory's Le Morte d'Arthur.

The story of Yvain is one of romantic questing - Yvain is gone so long on his knightly quests that his wife refuses him to return home. However, with the aid of mystical powers (the lion is an otherworldly creature that symbolises knightly virtue - C.S. Lewis will develop similar symbolic material much later) he returns to his wife after going mad with despair at being barred from her.

Perceval's story is that of the classic search for the Grail, which is also considered now a standard part of Arthurian legend - however, it is not clear that de Troyes was working from earlier stories here.

William Kibler provides notes, an introductory essay, and an essay tracing the history of revisions and continuations to the Grail story. This is fascinating reading, and a must for anyone interested in the Arthurian legends.

An awful yawner. It shows all the reasons chivalry made for tiresome tales, and why the world needed Don Quixote so badly.

The Chretien de Troyes version of Lancelot is repetitious, has many loose ends, and is full of plot holes. Lancelot jumps into a cart to shame himself in pursuit of Guenivere. Before Lancelot jumps into the cart, the narrator states that "reason is the enemy of love." In the scope of the book, and the code of chivalry, reason is the enemy of this genre.

Take with Nyquil.

Everyone knows Mordred is King Arhtur's illegitimate son, destined to destroy his father's kingdom and bring the golden age of Camelot to its knees. Or is he? Several modern authors have re-examined the life of Mordred in a more sympathetic light, and the latest of these is THE BOOK OF MORDRED by Vivian Vande Velde. In Velde's work we get to know Mordred primarily through his interraction with three women named Alayna, Nimue, and Kiera. Arthurian readers will already be familiar with Nimue, though Velde's interpretation of the character is an interesting variation on the traditional one. Alayna is a wizard's widow who shares an uncertain relationship with Mordred, and Kiera is her daughter. These women share several adventures with Mordred, in which the author introduces a particularly nasty evil wizard and his accomplices. It is these characters that Velde handles best--when working with other well-known personages from Camelot, Velde's prose seems uncertain and her otherwise sure and deft descriptions falter. It's as though she doesn't know the rest of the cast very well. Sadly, this applies to Mordred himself. Velde's Mordred never really emerges from the shadows, and the reader may not feel like they know the character any better after reading this book than they did before. The conclusion is, up to a point, very rich and atmospheric, but again it's as though the author doesn't really know what to do with Mordred and so the end is something of an anti-climax. Still, this is by no means a bad book, and if Velde writes more on the subject later on I will certainly want to read it. On a basic level, THE BOOK OF MORDRED is very well-written, but it's author's apparent uncertainty with Mordred himself is a major flaw. Nontheless, this is fun book that does go in some new directions with the familiar tale, and one I do recommend to Arhturian or fantasy fans who are looking for something a little different.

Vivian Vande Velde is a great children's writer and we here in Rochester, NY are honored that she comes from here. She writes well and has a good way of using words and detail. I liked the book because Vivian has given the reader a new perspective of Mordred and his story. She has brought in young female characters who experience the story and for the young people who are the intended readers of this book. I was moved by Kiera who witnesses the fight between Arthur and Mordred.

I read this book because I'm a huge fan of historical fiction in general, and Arthurian novels in particular. Wow--what a disappointment. Although the book is written for young adults, Vande Velde writes like an immature teen herself: her prose is overwhelmed by useless adverbs, her attempts to get into a character's mind through internal dialog are artificial, and her dialog is inappropriate for the historical period. Yes, I understand that language must be updated for modern-day readers, but that requirement does not necessitate the need for idioms used by present-day teens. The plot contains some interesting twists and turns (the only reason I'm being generous and giving this book two stars instead of one), but it's also riddled with gaping holes that leave the reader unsatisfied. Vande Velde dedicates the book to writers who have been tempted to give up. How true! If she managed to get this poor book published, aspiring writers have all the reason in the world to take hope that they'll get their works published, too. Let's just hope they learn from Vande Velde's mistakes.

I read this book for the seventh grade and did a project on it. i couldn't imagine any of the characters that weren't on the covers of the book. i tried to search for pictures of the people but no one had even heard of them. the plot line was okay, but it didn't really keep me hooked.

I read this book because I am a huge fan of anything King Arthur, and so I picked this up even though it was in the young adult section. I have to say I was very disappointed. It isn't really about Mordred at all. The book is narrated through three women's point of view and their feelings about Mordred. Which would be fine, except it gives very little insight to the character himself and his appearances are always brief.
Another thing I didn't like was that SO many characters died in the book. It was almost as though a character was destined to die if you liked him or her even a little bit. (And I don't mean just the ones you EXPECT to die, we all know who those are) Lancelot, Arthur, Guinivere barely made "cameos" appearances in this book. I was very disappointed in this book, if you want a good Arthurian novel, pick up "Queen of Camelot", there the characters will be explored in depth. You'll see MUCH more of Mordred in this book than in "Book of Mordred" where he is supposed to be the title character.

This was a fascinating document. I have read a number of history books which cite early documents such as this one, but have not read any of the primary documents from this period. Although I've had a smattering of Latin, I have never tried to tackle the self translation of works written in it as this one was. J. A. Jiles' translation is welcome.

The lengthy introduction by the original author with its elaborate profession of inadequacy carries one almost immediately into a past world where there was as much art to modesty as there was to anything. It gives a bird's eye view of a world very different from our own.

The beginning chapters deal primarily with early Church history in England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland. While much of this was based on tradition and legend, the author was much closer in time to those whose deeds he describes than we are, and despite errors and emendations by later writers and the undoubted PR potential for the Church, he had a greater possibility of knowing the subjects or their sources better than we do. It certainly makes for interesting reading. Later chapters are devoted to the Romans in England, and to later kings of the Picts, Scots, Britians, Angles and Saxons. The names of these individuals and their exploits will be familiar to anyone who has read anything about the history of the period, and include discussions of King Arthur, Ambrosius, the Saxon incursions into England, etc.

An interesting chance to read one of the sources for early English history.

There is considerable controversy about this work. Drawing on earlier sources (some of which are no longer available), it appears to have been compiled around the end of the Eighth Century by a Welsh monk named Nennius. The book contains (not in this order) a history of Britain, complete with genealogies back to Adam, a list of extant British cities, and a short history of Saint Patrick. Most significantly, the book contains numerous references to Vortigern, Ambrosius and Arthur.

This short book is (compared to modern books) poorly organized, and of dubious reliability. However, as a historical artifact it is quite fascinating. If you have ever read references to Nennius' work in another book, then it would be worth your wile to get ahold of the book, and read see the references in context. I enjoyed it, and think that you will too.

When J.Giles translated a number of ancient British and English historical texts in 1844, he was, I suppose, breaking new ground - although not so new as might be thought, since many of his texts were widely and long since known. But that any publisher should see fit to reprint his dated and by now thoroughly inadequate translation, is hard to believe; and that it should be the mighty Penguin, the largest British publisher of classic texts in paperback, is beyond condemnation. It is not as though newer translations were not available. These texts are absolutely fundamental to the understanding of the history of Britain, and to place this in the hands of the ordinary paperback reader, with Penguin's supposed authority behind it, in place of a new version with the insights of 160 years of scholarship behind it, is to do them a grave disservice. I really cannot understand why Penguin has been struck with such a sudden fit of cheapskatehood; or should we think of offloading any shares we have in the company?

History of the Britons, by Nennius is not a novel nor is it a history book in the traditional sense. The book provides a chronology of founders, kings and rulers of Britain stretching back from the 8th century, through the Roman and ancient Druidic times to Adam.

The book is also a geography of the British Isles explaining the etymology of the various Islands that make up the "British Isles".

Nennius identifies thirty three cities that are existent at the time of his writing including Cair londein (London), Cair ligion, (Chester) and the ancient city of Cair lion (Caerleon) to name but three.

An interesting reference is made in Chapter III (22) that "after the birth of Christ, one hundred and sixty-seven years, king Lucius, with all the chiefs of the British people, received baptism in consequence of a legation sent by the Roman emperors and pope Evaristus."

If correct; this leads one to ponder a couple of things,

1) that Britain was converted long before Rome sent out Augustine or Columban brought the faith to Northern Britain via Scotland as is the traditional (Roman) view and

2) that Britain was possibly the very first nation to be converted, Holus bolus, to Christianity.

The book is at its most useful when used alongside other narratives or books as an aid to contextualize events of the period of interest. History Of The Britons

This small paper reprint comes from a very old collection of translations that contained Gildas, Geoffrey, and Nennius with I believe a section of the Anglo Saxon Chronical. The Translation is rather poor and is from a manuscript inferior to that used for Nennius, History of the British, 1980. This manuscript unlike that used for Myres' edition does not contain the Annales Cambriae. The reason this version is the only one in circulation might be the lack of copywrite protection. Be warned this translation by Giles is not annotated in any way and is in an order not congruent with that cited in most Arthurian secondary literature--following up footnotes will be difficult. If you can get the 1980 translation from a university library or a very good public library, you can annotate this text and correct the the most glaring translation errors.

This work from Dr. Goodrich was the first of her
books I've read. If you're looking for a piece
of historical fiction, this isn't it.
On the other hand, the author using her command
of Medieval languages has opened up some volumes
of historical fiction/prose which were
once accounted "romances" by the European
courtesans. Cooincidentally, much of what we
consider "Arthurian" literature falls into this
category.

The genius of Dr. Goodrich in recounting some of
the geographical details and old world customs
of social-enumeration/entitlement, gives the
reader of this biography a lively sense of the
role of the character in life.
The people of the past were not bound, according
to her telling to simply a "name" + "surname"
sort of scheme as we know our families in
today's world.
Rather, the people of history who became
legendary took to themselves multiple titles in
their routines and associations which asserted
their experiences or higher social associations
much like we confer the titles of rank and
courtship and educational status today.
(ie. Dr, Esquire, Senator, Professor, etc.)

The character of Merlin seems to have carried a
variety of titles bequeathed by the Celtic/Britons
and Roman/Christians of the 5th century A.D.
This author explores some of the meanings of
these titles and associations.
She also recounts the details of her visits in
search of historically mentioned sites
in this book and also her work on "Arthur."

A review of the book isn't the place to expound
all the implications of the characters and
characteristics associated with Merlin.
But for my part, I appreciate the
references included in this book wherein I've
even found the earliest known Arthurian tale.
I bought that book from Amazon but they've
lost the note of it. If you buy "Merlin," by
Dr. Goodrich, then you'll find
(if you don't already know) what story that is.

Two characters associated with Merlin and Morganna
and Arthur are known in the the names of my
family for one and a half thousand years.
These being Wyn/Winne and Meredydd/Marilyn with
assorted variations. And I'm particularly
intrigued with the Celtic Christian church
abberrations the author has mentioned in her book.
(Stripped of it's mythological trappings, the
grail is of interest as a peculiar heirloom
of migrants to the Roman colonial territory
of Brittain.)

But, to you dear reader I leave the mystery
to uncover. And be undaunted by the "florrid"
prose of the author as some have described her
work. it isn't nearly so confounding as the
(included)scraps of Merlin's prophecy which
have survived. (Now that's something that would
stymie Nostradamus.)

This review is the opinion of
"Elwyn"

Unfortunately, someone may read this book and believe the author to be well-informed and knowledgeable. A person may also receive the impression that Norma L. Goodrich know of what she writes.

This is quite untrue. There are many instances, not just in "Merlin", but in all of her Arthurian books, where she grossly misleads the reader due to her pitiable research. This writer is a disgrace to her profession and all historians and researchers. One of the reviewers states "The subject matter is so esoteric and sparse, and so far into the distant past of the dark ages that details must often be teased out of legands [sic] and peripheral contemporary resources." This is a true statement. Dr. Goodrich is so ignorant of the peripheral contemporary resources that she doesn't even know what the actual "peripheral contemporary resources" are. An instance of this is when she tries to use the poet Ossian as a source (in one of her other books). That is so utterly pathetic it's laughable. An uninformed reader may not realize the debate surrounding Ossian. Regrettably, Dr. Goodrich doesn't seem to realize it either. A true historian/researcher who would wish to use such a source would at the very least discuss the credibility of the source before citing it as gospel and basing his or her entire premise on the source.

.
This is not an easy read because it is not in narritave form, but it is loaded with the information you need to draw your own conclusions.

I had the distinct privilege of helping Dr. Goodrich prepare two of her books and she gratiously gave me mention in them, Guinevere and Priestesses. I have also counted her as a close personal friend for over 25 years and am familiar with her writing style and research methods, sometimes spanning many years on site in England, Scotland, Wales, France, and Ireland. Norma is fluent in ancient French, Latin, and the Celtic languages. She has free rein in the archives of the University of Paris and the research centers of Aachen, Germany, as well as the major universities in the United Kingdom. In short, she is more than qualified to do her research from the original manuscripts rather than rehashing the works of more recent writers, as so many other "experts" have done.

Other revierwer are quite right in saying that Norma's writing is difficult to read. To many it appears disjointed, but her style is that of a researcher, not a novelest or story teller. More than once I have suggested to her that it would be helpful to the lay reader to put a final chapter in each of her books summarizing in narritive form her beliefs and conclusions based on her foregoing research chapters. She agreed that it might be helpful but she never followed through, preferring to leave it up to the readers to form their own conclusions based on her research.

The subject matter is so esoteric and sparse, and so far into the distant past of the dark ages that details must often be teased out of legands and peripheral contemporary resources. Like her other works Merlin must be read then re-read for true understanding of the man and the world he lived in.

Norma's books have been used in law classes to illustrate the way cogent arguments should be made for or against a premise. Her readers are the jury and are obliged to form their own conclusions based on the evidence and arguments she presents.

Many readers don't like this approach, preferring to be led by the hand, but I find it refreshing.

Goodrich claims that Merlin was a Celtic Christian scientist, political advisor and religious leader. She may well be right. Indeed, I would like to think that she is right. But if I disagreed with her conclusions, her arguments would not convince me. As other reviews of her writing have said, it is full of non sequiters. I have a Ph.D. in religious studies, and teach religion and philosophy. But I could not explain to a third party her arguments for her conclusions. If you want some exposure to ancient/medieval texts that bear on the identity of Merlin, this book might be useful. But don't expect to come to any clear conclusion (for or against her views) with the help of her writing. She mixes textual exposition and argument without stating where one leaves off and another begins. The reader is constantly wondering: is this what her sourse says? Is it what Goodrich THINKS it says? Is it evidence for her point of view? If so, how? A tangle of confused writing.

Ms. Goodrich undoubtedly knows what she is talking about, and has done her research. However, her writing style and grammar are so horrific that I was completely unable to finish even the first quarter of the book.

Her sentences are disjointed, she makes frequent reference to events and myths without sufficient background information for the reader, and cannot seem to hold a cohesive thought in her head for more than the length of a sentence. Her writing skips off on tangents and rabbit trails, and generally fails to lead to any logical conclusions or coherent presentation.

The research is there, but she's unable to express it to her audience in either a narrative format or a reference format. A huge, huge disappointment.

As a student of mysticism and the occult myself I am consistantly astounded by the western mind's inability to integrate the use of the creative, mythic and dynamic imagination with the intellectual capacity to reason.

Those who have given this book a poor review, in my opinion, haven't one whit of experience in magick or pathworking. Pathworking requires trust in subjective expeirence while at the same time taking cues from history and "myth". It isn't one or the other. To make it only imaginal is akin to a daydream while to make one's journeys purely historic is to lose the symbolism and meaning of the "essense" of the material.

The Arthurian Quest by Amber Wolfe is quite good and is a pathworking and magickal system, NOT A HISTORICAL, ACADEMIC WORK! It contains valuable and insightful uses for the myth cycle in a shamanic and magickal manner and merely provides tools, doorways in a manner or speaking, to contacting the currents or powers behind the symbols and stories.

The power of the Arthurian tales (pre-christian celtic) is in the messages and power between the words and what is gained from the pathworking or ritual experience. Without the validation of experience and commitment to the work, the tales are just tales and useful for nothing more than a good story on a cold evening.

There are plenty of speculative "historical" works on the Legends of Arthur and Camelot, but the fact is that they are all speculative. Keep this in mind. Enjoy the tales, do the pathworkings, rituals and visualizations with the mind of a mage or even an Archmage and they won't only make sense, they will get profound results.

In Light and Love.

This is a very useful book. Where Campbell and others have described the factual details and mythical implications of the Celtic Arthurian traditions, "Arthurian Quest" is an organized and descriptive war chest of related tactical tools. The uses for these tools for enhancing one's traditions and psyche, as well as their derivation and historical background, are included and well written.

The book makes no pretence that it contains ancient, secret, mystical information. The historical and mythological data within is well established. The ideas put forth are based on common sense folk wisdom crafted with modern psychology and sociology. It is clearly up to the readers to apply these tools strategically and intelligently to achieve their personal or group goals.

Fiction and Fantasy Another book about so-called non-fiction researched by one of the worst writers to appear on Amazon. Don't waste your money. Nothing but fabrications, innaccuracy, fantasy, and bogus claims. If you want to know the facts, visit your library and find a book written by someone who knows what they are talking about.

As a student of mysticism and the occult myself I am consistantly astounded by the western mind's inability to integrate the use of the creative, mythic and dynamic imagination with the intellectual capacity to reason.

Those who have given this book a poor review, in my opinion, haven't one whit of experience in magick or pathworking. Pathworking requires trust in subjective experience while at the same time taking cues from history and "myth". It isn't one or the other. To make it only imaginal is akin to a daydream while to make one's journeys purely historic is to lose the symbolism and meaning of the "essense" of the material.

The Arthurian Quest by Amber Wolfe is quite good and is a pathworking and magickal system, NOT A HISTORICAL, ACADEMIC WORK! It contains valuable and insightful uses for the myth cycle in a shamanic and magickal manner and merely provides tools, doorways in a manner or speaking, to contacting the currents or powers behind the symbols and stories.

The power of the Arthurian tales (pre-christian celtic) is in the messages and power between the words and what is gained from the pathworking or ritual experience. Without the validation of experience and commitment to the work, the tales are just tales and useful for nothing more than a good story on a cold evening.

There are plenty of speculative "historical" works on the Legends of Arthur and Camelot, but the fact is that they are all speculative. Keep this in mind. Enjoy the tales, do the pathworkings, rituals and visualizations with the mind of a mage or even an Archmage and they won't only make sense, they will get profound results.

In Light and Love.

Amber Wolfe is ignorant of medieval history. As an historian whose focus is the middle ages, I can state unequivocally that Amber Wolfe is completely ignorant of medieval history. She is so obsessed with discrediting the medieval church that one wonders whether her historical blunders are intentional or not. The book is a complete waste of money.

Be warned right now: This book is not for the "lazy" reader. You will be fully transported into this other world of knights, quests and all-consuming love affairs. This is by far one of the most detailed, rich and historically accurate tales of this time period I have ever read -- and as a history major I've read a lot. The story draws on some of the most rare of the stories involving Lance, Gwen and the King. It is a must-read for anyone who loves this myth. HOWEVER, don't be caught off guard: This is a retelling for GLBT readers and other open-minded folks. If you don't know what I mean then here's another hint: There's a "Crying Game" type of secret about that handsome young Lance... and a heck of a lot more to "his" relationship with the Queen than most might think. A GREAT read. Well worth it.

I opened this book expecting a retelling of the King Arthur story from Lancelot's point of view. I got a story that had almost nothing to do with the King Arthur legends except in the names of the characters.

I got a story where Arthur and Lancelot were not, nor were they ever friends, and Guinivere and Arthur were not in love. I have read a great many of the King Arthur legends and was shocked to read this one. One of the items that makes the story of Arthur, Guinevere, and Lancelot so intriguing is that it is a love triangle. All involved are supposed to love each other thereby making it a tragedy. In this book, instead of the legendary tragedy, it was portrayed as someone who loves a woman who is married to a heartless man.

I found neither the depth nor the content that I expected. I wanted to know what Lancelot thought about Morgan and Mordred, about his comradarie for his king, his quest for the Holy Grail, his son Galahad. Morgan and Mordred were mentioned once or twice, King Arthur and Lancelot barely spoke, Lancelot never sired a child, and the Holy Grail was never mentioned.

In addition to what the book was about, I found the sentences and phrases mundane and hard to follow. I thought it was a book by a teenager because of some of the phrases and the many descriptions and references to sex, none of which were exciting in any capacity.

In short, I would not recommend this book to anyone. If you are looking for a telling of the King Arthur legends from different perspectives, I would read at Bradley's book, "The Mists of Avalon." I have never found another book about Arthur which comes close to the depth and amazing cadence of The Mists of Avalon.

I love stories of King Arthur, Guinevere, and Lancelet. It's the most beautiful, romantic love triangle ever told. I am so disappointed in this book. This author just butchered all the historical characters I have come to love. What's left is a mean, grumpy King Arthur, a very dull queen, and a sappy knight. And the ending??? I am very open minded, and love a good twist on a story, but frankly, this book just left me with a bad taste in my mouth, no pun intended. If you're looking for a new perspective of this classic tale, read Bradley's The Mists of Avalon.

Okay, first of all, the original "legend of King Arthur" is more like this book than the one everyone is accustomed to hearing.
In the eleventh century Eleanor d'Aquitaine, an English queen, had the story of King Arthur (who was actually, historically speaking, probably not even a king), "remade" into something that sounded better and that introduced chivalry, courage, etc: the traditional knight's story. But that oh so beautiful story that everyone loves oh so much is a nonexistent fairy tale. Whoever is saying that this book ruins their beautiful story obviously doesn't know much in the way of history. This story is one of the first that has enough courage to gainsay the "traditional" Arthurian legend and portray the characters as actually human. If you're looking for a realistic, honestly good, and not hopelessly sappy book, I recommend this one.

All my life I've dreamed of living in the *real* Arthur's court and wondered what it was like. Not the medieval version so many writers fall back on, but the post-Roman Britain when the Warlord Arthur and his clan really lived. This book made me feel like I was there. The detail is amazing; the story so moving and real I even dreamed about the book at night! If you think you've read all there is to read about Arthur and Guinevere and Lancelot, you haven't. READ THIS!

I picked this book up from the library based on an award it received from the Mythopoeic Society ([...]). It is a well written retelling (apparently) of the Grail/Graal story. (remembering so little of the Grail story, I'm no judge of whether it's faithful to the tradition, but it has an authentic feel to it...and it's inspired me to pick up my copy of Howard Pyle's Grail story again after many years).

The reviewer who gave this story one star confuses a shallow character, on the one hand, with the shallowness that we all carry and are tested to grow out of. Cal is an unappealing character (he is supposed to be) who is severely tested, and he does grow through his callous turning away from the Fisher King, his mother, the character Shadow, and others. He finds that his selfishness is a betrayal of friendship, sonship, and finds a way through despair to hope and victory, with much help.

The reviewer who said this was probably too intense for younger children is correct. There are lengthy passages in which Cal is losing touch with reality, entering into a dark, scary world with no bearings. Yes for teens, no for those younger, would be my assessment.

There is some beautiful use of language in this story. Well worth a read.

It's hard to know what exactly to make of this book. I polished it off quickly in one night, though I'm not sure if it was so much that I enjoyed it as much as I just wanted to get it over with. The story is incredibly surreal and disjointed, it's almost difficult to follow. The plot is simple enough, but there are certain parts that feel pointless and certain essential things that felt entirely skimmed over. Cal as a character definately undergoes some major transformations, but sometimes it's a little bit difficult to understand why or how he changed so much.

However, the surreal-ness of the story gives it a certain je ne sais quoi. It's a little bit unclear about whether the story is totally supernatural or whether half of this is in Cal's mind.

This book will definately be enjoyed of fan's who like Green Angel or Indigo by Hoffman or the Weezie Bat books. It's written in that odd style. And of course King Arthur fans.

Overall though, I enjoyed it. When my high school history teacher told us we'd need to know the King Arthur stories to have a full appriciation for British literature, she was right. This story does an excellent job of twisting the ancient leagends of King Arthur into modern day context. It's a lot of fun to recognize characters and know their stories.

After a childhood spent taking care of his alchoholic mother, Cal finally gets a chance to leave home. He's going to live with his uncle, a successful accountant who has offered Cal a job and a place to live. But Cal gets off the train at the wrong stop, and finds himself in the middle of nowhere, in a place called Corbenic. In Corbenic, Cal stays at a mysterious hotel called the Castle, and dines with the proprietor, a handicapped man named Bron who appears to be the Wounded King or Fisher King of the Grail legend. At the dinner, Cal sees a vision, but denies having seen it, a denial which dooms him to a path of suffering. Before Cal can find peace, he must learn to confront the pain in his life, to forgive and to seek forgiveness, and to make choices about the life he wants to lead.

Corbenic is an intense, dark, and deeply emotional book. Catherine Fisher does a remarkable job of juxtaposing the ancient with the modern in unusual ways, such as the bohemian reenactors who may or may not be the knights of King Arthur's court. Cal is not a very likeable character, at least not at first; he seems shallow and selfish and even cruel to his mother. But as the book progresses and the layers are peeled back, you see the deep emotional scars that Cal tries to hide, and the pain that he copes with by trying to control everything in his life.

As with Fisher's other books, the writing is highly poetic and full of symbolism. For example, in some ways, Cal is the wounded king, although his wounds are internal rather than external. In fact, the whole internal/external dichotomy is never resolved, leaving open the question of whether Corbenic is real or an internal symbol of Cal's pain and healing. But in the long run, it doesn't matter, and Corbenic makes the Grail legend real and relevant, and not just some dusty story about ancient knights.

Corbenic is probably too intense for most children. There's nothing overly frightening, but there is tragedy, and the emotions, particularly in Cal's relationship with his mother, will be disturbing to those not developmentally ready to deal with them. But the dark, emotional nature of the book will probably appeal to many teens.

Wow. I didn't know there could be a book this horrible. Maybe it is because I am not familiar with many Arthurian myths. If you are, you may like this book. Me, however, I hate it. The character Cal, the main character, is unlikeable, dodgy, and rather cruel, in my eyes. I cannot imagine connecting with him on any stupid level. I can't believe how unbelieveably bad a character he is. I threw this book down after 90 pages. I hate it when people say they forced theirselves to finish a book, even if they hate it, but I did. Don't know why. I guess I supposed the ending would be better.

My main problem with this book is the characterization. It is shallow and makes the characters seem shallow, which, in fact, they ARE. Cal is ambitious, yes, a respectable trait, but I don't undrstand what he's ambitious FOR. He wants to own a bunch of businesses, have a nice house, and loads of money. Yeah, we all want that, but who wants to read about it? Bo-ring. It is not a good story make. :-(

I had high hopes for this book, because I like Catherine Fisher, though now I am rather disappointed. Ugh, I can't get over the character Cal. How boring a kid is he? Uh, EXTREMELY.

But hey, maybe if you understand Arthurian myths you'll buy this book. But otherwise, and if you despise shallow characters, don't read this.

*Can you put zero stars? I wish you could.*

This nice collection of tales of King Arthur and his knights of the table round is a wonderful reading for anyone concerned with the history of western civilization and the thought that helped shape it. The book begins with Merlin, and really King Uther Pendragon and the wife of the Duke of Cornwall, Igraine, and the conception of one King Arthur. Following are tales of knight errantry, profiles of brave souls such as Guinevere, Arthur, Merlin, and perhaps most notably, Sir Lancelot and his erstwhile beloved Elaine, and their child, Sir Galahad. The tales are highlighted by prophecies, magical kingdoms, chaste maidens and not so chaste queens. These are, of course the christianized versions of these stories, but it is a strange christianity indeed. The eucharist holds no sway here, where instead, the sankgreall, or holy blood, just appears, sometimes from a cenosr a dove bears in it's mouth, other times leeching from a long sword bore by Christ Himself (to Sir Galahad). Angels bear away noble souls to heaven, while sorcery and magic are promulgated side by side with christian feasts and observances. The thin line between paganism and christianity is blurred to the point the stories bear an uncontested occultic thread from beginning to end which is to good effect here.

This is a book when once bought, will be treasured. Hopefully still for many years to come!

I've used this text to teach upper-division college classes on the Arthurian legend, and I'd say that this is the best text for that purpose.

First, although there are some useful and interesting tales missing (such as the tale of Sir Lancelot, and the tale of Sir Gareth), most the the truly vital ones are there -- and the death of Arthur is presented in its entirety.

Second, Vinaver DOES modernize the spelling. But you can't modernize the spelling of an archaic word and, since he is NOT writing a translation but providing a modern-spelling edition, he simply standardizes the spelling of the archaic words and provides a gloss on each one. This is much more useful than the banal translations by Keith Barnes and Richard Barber (Legends of Arthur, from Boydell and Brewer).

This edition is the best way to get used to Malory's beautiful style without having to figure out Middle English spellings (which isn't really very difficult in Malory's case). It's a well organized book, and makes Malory appealing without compromising on the language -- which is one of Malory's greatest facets.

The only problem I have with this text is Vinaver's insistence on re-ordering the tales according to Malory's French originals. "The Knight of the Cart" should be presented AFTER "The Poisoned Apple," and certainly not before the Quest of the Holy Grail. It makes much better sense where Malory put it, where it shows Lanbcelot's deteriorating morals as his relationship with Guenever intensifies. Also, I'd like to see either more from the Quest for the Holy Grail, or nothing at all. The tiny fragment of the story presented here is almost incomprehensible to first-time readers.

Eugene Vinaver is the editor of the standard version of Mallory, "Works." Here he has selected a few of the author's tales, largely the stories leading up to Arthur's death. However, this remains essentially a skimming of Mallory's work, somewhat akin to a condensed version, collected I suspect for academics wishing to teach the Arthurian romances without having to delve too long or deeply into Mallory's entire narrative. As such it provides a glimpse into Mallory's version of the legend, yet remains in part fragmentary---especially the story of Pellas and Ettard---thus limiting its impact.

Also, Vinaver continues his practice from "Works" of footnoting certain words he has chosen not to translate. I found this annoying as I could perceive no apparent reason in his choice not to complete the translation, and though in most cases I was able to interpret their meaning within their context, their footnoting continued to drag my eye to the translation provided at the bottom of the page, interrupting the flow of the narrative. If a credible reason for this practice can be provided, I would love to hear it.

Those who wish to read only what the editor has chosen to highlight in Mallory's tale may be satisfied. For all others, I would direct you to Vinaver's complete edition, "Works."

There must be hundreds of translations, retellings, and reinventions of Thomas Mallory's works available. Unfortunately, this one is not high on my list of recommendations. Only nine stories are presented here, and many essential tales, such as the "Death of Merlin" and "Tristram and Isode", are omitted completely.

Vinaver's translation is cumbersome because, although he claims to modernize spellings and standardize names, there are still many words and phrases he chooses not to translate, so the reader has to constantly refer to footnotes at the bottom of the page. If I wanted to do all this work, I would have read the original version with no modernization at all!

The only redeeming addition to this book is the preface which discusses the difference between Mallory's version of the Arthurian romance and the French Vulgate Cycle upon which he drew his material. Instead of this edition, I would refer readers to Keith Baines' modern prose edition (ISBN: 0451625676). It contains all the stories and is much easier to read.