Arthurian Legend Books

Manga version of Avalon High.

Ellie is a normal high school girl attending a normal high school where many of the students just may be reincarnations of the big players in the King Arthur legend.

The book has promise, but just as I was getting interested, it ended on a cliffhanger with nothing resolved. Kind of a waste of time unless you have the next book at hand!

Fans of Meg Cabot are treated to a change in style by the author. Paired with artist Jinky Coronado, Ms. Cabot retells AVALON HIGH in a comic/manga style. Readers do not have to have read AVALON HIGH to follow this new version of the story.

Elle Harrison has just moved to Annapolis with her history buff parents. Almost immediately weird things start to happen. Her history teacher, Mr. Morton, explains it as the return of King Arthur and the Age of Enlightenment. Apparently Elle is the Lady of the Lake and the football star, Will Wagner, is Arthur reincarnated. Elle's parents totally believe the story. Will thinks it's all a joke. And Elle, she doesn't know what to believe. The pieces all seem to fit together perfectly. Is it too much of a coincidence?

What takes 300 pages to be told in the original young adult story is told in just over 100 pages via the comic version. Of course, many of the details are left out. But the drawings reveal the story beautifully. Elle has to try to convince Will that he is King Arthur before the Homecoming dance. If he doesn't accept that he is the reincarnated King, the Age of Enlightenment can not happen, and the world will be thrust into darkness. No pressure, right? And to make matters worse, Will's brother, Marco, previously thought to be locked safely in a mental institution, is now out, and no one may be safe.

This is my first foray into this book style. Having read AVALON HIGH, I must admit I enjoyed THE MERLIN PROPHECY more than I expected to. I was instantly drawn to Elle and her adventures. The pictures were very vibrant, even in black and white. The details were amazing, and the story unfolded quickly and smoothly. Of course, Ms. Cabot leaves the reader wanting to learn what comes next. Not even the original story reveals how all the characters turn out. The reader will just have to wait for the continuation in AVALON HIGH CORONATION VOL. 2: HOMECOMING, due out in June 2008.

Reviewed by: Jaglvr

This was amazing! I loved the original Avalon High and it was awesome to see it continue on. The only things is that I hoped that it would have been written. I enjoyed the drawings, don't get my wrong, it's just that I missed being able to imagine what the story would be like in my head. Any-who... it was an amazing story.

i think that in the description of the book should say that it's a COMIC BOOK not just BOOK, but that's just my opinion.

Meg Cabot is a high profile author whose books have gone on to become movies and television shows. Her series include The Mediator, 1-800-Where-R-You (which became the television show, MISSING), The Princess Diaries (which became movies of the same name), and others as well as many stand-alone books of romance and humor.

AVALON HIGH was originally a stand-alone title but was picked by TokyoPop to become a 3-volume graphic novel series. The book is also in development with Disney to become a live-action film.

The story is very familiar, culled from the Arthurian mythos and brought into the high school arena. Arthur is now known as Will, and he quickly becomes the boyfriend of Elle, who is basically the character of the Lady of Shalott. All of the other Arthurian legends are represented as well: Merlin, Lancelot, Guinevere, Modred, and Morgan Le Fey.

Jinky Coronado's black and white drawings are a pleasure to view and up the frenzied pace of the book. Coronado blends the pure manga stylings with current, popular comic book art that creates an interesting hybrid on the pages. The sequential action draws the eye naturally. Several of the panels kept drawing my attention back to them because they were so well done.

Cabot's story is pretty straightforward and simple. King Arthur has been reborn once more, but that means his enemies have also been reborn. The main problem: according to Mr. Morton (Elle's history teacher and very probably Merlin the wizard), Will Wagner must recognize and accept himself as the rebirth of Arthur. That's not going to be an easy feat because Will is certain he knows who he is. And he has to do it within a few weeks or the world will be destroyed.

The impending destruction of the world is such an easy thing to lay on teenagers! But Elle is quickly off and running as she tries to deal with being the new girl in school, being Will's girlfriend, and dealing with the enemies they have separately as well as together. Morgan in particular doesn't care for Elle.

Unfortunately, the first third of the graphic novel is more or less a summary of things that have gone on before. This choice really impedes the story for a while, and it takes up so many pages that by the time the tale gets underway, it's practically over. Still, the cliffhanger ending should bring readers back around for a do-over.

I'm looking forward to reading the other two volumes in the series, as well as handing it off to friends of mine who are heavily into graphic novels. But now I have to go back and read the book as well, because I somehow missed that one. And I'm going to be interested in the upcoming movie as well.

If you want light, easy entertainment with some extended value (or at least something you can share with other and talk about quickly), Cabot's new manga series is a good choice. It's not as far out there as some of the Japanese manga, and it's a great size to throw in a backpack or back pocket for on-the-road reading.

When I finished reading the Eagle, the last of the Camulod series by Jack Whyte, I was disappointed. After reading the previous books in the series I expected to get up close with King Arthur. Instead I got a look at the world through the eyes and experiences of Lance. It was interesting but not at all what I expected.
In every book in the series Whyte seems to delight in minute detail on mundane aspects of the story and only in the last chapter does he get to the meat of the tale. Then he wraps everything up nice a tidy but without the flavor that I would expect.

I enjoyed the Knights of Black and White and am currently reading the follow up Standard of Honor. Perhaps Whyte is a better story teller now.

I deeply love and respect the scholarship and writing of the Camulod Chronicles. I am a high school English teacher and have reached the stage that I cannot read some writer"s works, especially if they have poor style. However, the style of Whyte's latest work is the same and the writing is wonderful as is the research. However, he seems to have run out of steam. The book does answer all unanswered questions and has a much more plausible ending than many of the "Arthur" books and short stories I have read. I also think that anyone who can write 9 books in a series deserves many, many kudoes. Bless you, Jack Whyte. I recommend your series to all my sophomore students who are also interested in King Arthur.

I have always been a huge fan of the Merlyn - King Arthur mythology. I have read many series and books. I purchased the Whyte 9 volume set and spent the last month reading them. By far the Camulod series is my all time favorite. I never get choked up over fiction, but the final 3 words in "The Eagle" brought tears to my eyes. I have to admit that I will be Camulod withdrawal for awhile.

I have to respectfully disagree with the other reviews posted. I gave this book a five star rating and I am so glad that I ignored the negative reviews. In the 9 series books we have 8 written in the 1st person, and 1 (Uther) in the 3rd. That translates to the fact that 1st person books are more than just a narrative, they are the PERSONAL narrative of the author and is therefore naturally more about the author and their experiences than any other. In the final two books of the Camulod series the author is Clothar, returning to Britain after an absence of many years, and he lets you know he is the sole survivor of the Knights Companion of Arthur in the opening pages of his memoirs. The Knights Companion receive little attention in the previous books as well, as Merlyn writes about Arthur and the politics of the time and not about the personal adventures of the Knights. So it puzzles me that the other reviewers would be disappointed in the final book. This is Clothar's story of his service and personal friendships as a Knight Companion to the High King of Britain. It is not a story about the other Knights Companions and was never intended to serve in that capacity. Before and particularly after Arthur is wounded, the High King faces his mortality, his responsibility to his kingdom, and that he ensure that it survive him. What better way to ensure the survival of a kingdom but to make peace with your neighbors, to establish trade, to make alliances far and wide: with Anglians, the Scots, the Franks in Gaul etc.. Indeed, Arthur is pleased that his British troops are marrying and having families in Gaul. When Arthur is requested to send an emissary to Gaul, he is eager to do so. He returns Clothar to Gaul, because he is the only logical candidate among his Knights to send. Indeed with the collapse of Camulod after Arthur's death, his service in Gaul ensures that the legend of Arthur and the Knights Companion would survive. Where else would the mythology of King Arthur and His Knights and his beloved Queen survive? I particularly appreciated the treatment that the author gave to the so-called love triangle of the High King, his queen, and Clothar. I never could understand how a Knight sworn to fealty to his High King could so ultimately betray him, and yet be forgiven and rewarded with Queen's hand in marriage. That part of the Hollywood and other author's Camelot stories always troubled me greatly. So I thank Jack Whyte for his version of how the story could have been. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Jack Whyte makes the point many times throughout the series that stories are embellished with each retelling of a story. Remember Clothar's extreme frustration when he finally meets Merlyn and tells him all the variant and wild stories he heard of the High King's first battle against the mass invasion and his efforts to sift the truth from the fanciful narratives. At the end, Clothar doesn't have Merlyn to tell him what happened in Britain, so he repeats the tales and knows that there are seeds of truth in each tale that he repeats. It would be illogical for the narrative to end in any other way. This is a repeating theme throughout the series, separating the truth from the fiction and it prepares the reader for the way the series ends. Examples of this abound throughout the series: Ambrosius pretending to Merlyn, Merlyn the sorcerer appearing two places at once is just one, Clothar trying to understand the divine gift of Excalibur etc. Jack Whyte grounds his series in reality and history of the times, in the superstitious awe of a population of humanity struggling to create a civilization out of anarchy.

The politics of the time, and the creation of a High King, endorsed by the Christian Church, paved the way for future Kings and Queens of Britain, to where the Church held great power in Britain. To the extent that King James in an effort to supersede the Church in Rome had the Bible rewritten and named "King James Bible" which is still in use today. King James wanted more power from the Church in Rome. Jack Whyte laid a foundation in history for such a relationship between political leaders and religion, to develop in the tug-of-war for power that continued for the succeeding generations of future monarchs of Britain.

The reviewers want more stories of the Knights Companion. I do too.
How about it Jack? "Uther" stands alone from the series, it didn't have to be written, but it answered many questions that Merlyn did not have answers to, and added greatly to the Camulod series. Perhaps if all the fans beg nicely, Jack Whyte will consider giving us a series of Camulod books based on the personal stories of the Knights Companions. Please Jack??!!?!?!?!!!!!

Thoroughly enjoyed this one as I have the previous 8 volumes. The only disappointment is in knowing this is the end. Whyte writes so well and the details are so fascinating, I could read this series for as long as he'd continue writing it. Would have liked more stories from other viewpoints - Guenivere's, the other knights, Mordred, etc and Arthur himself and if he should *happen* to see fit to write them, I'm sure he'd have plenty of readers.

While the background and environment Jack Whyte has so meticulously unfolded over the Camulod Chronicles remains as intact and believable as before, the characterization and ultimate humanity of the story itself left much to be desired.

It is clear, even from the author's notes and prologue, that any Arthurian story was going to be around the central relationship triangle. However, the "Shining Light of Camelot (Camulod)" was never really realized in the Eagle. I felt that Jack Whyte had created and lived with such a wonderful character in the form of Caius Merlyn Britannicus that any Arthur character would be anticlimactic at best. One gets the impression walking away from The Eagle that Whyte left his true story at the end of The Sorcerer: Metamorphosis with the iconic moment of Arthur being crowned Riothamus.

Perhaps it's too painful to write the dissolution of the ideal of Camulod, but the pathos and purposeful philosophy of the characters is simply lost in The Eagle.

For what it's worth, taking the Eagle as a purely stand-alone novel outside of the Chronicles themselves would ease the expectation.

My seven year old daughter and I loved this book. It had humor, valor, and a good moral throughout.There is a theme throughout about not being mislead by appearances. At this point in my childs education I am endeavoring to build a good moral foundation so I appreciate a good story that reinforces values!

This book was one of three Bullseye Classics we bought for my son's second grade English class. He picked this one up as soon as the box arrived and had it read within an hour. He loved the stories and was able to re-tell them to his little sister. I hadn't heard the stories about "Big Hands" or "What do women want?" This collection really got his imagination going and he wants to read more about King Arthur.

To tell you the truth, I didn't notice the problems with sentence structure, etc...I was enjoying the stories too much.

I agree that this is not the finest book written on King Arthur, but it is one that can be read aloud, and easily enhanced by a grandmother anxious to read these legends to a second grader---- finding something appropriate for a young listener has not been easy!

It is hard to believe a book this poorly written could make past the editors! There were so many run-on and incomplete sentences I had trouble reading it to my daughter. I can only imagine what my second grade daughter went through reading on her own. We will keep this book if only to serve as an example of how NOT to construct sentences. There is a year's worth of grammar exercises in this book.

In addition to the ham-handed telling of the story, the writing in these Bullseye books is just terrible. Half-sentences. Written like this. Or this. Part of the value of such books is that young readers will learn to read "chapter books." But the English and grammar in these books is so abysmal as to render them useless for this task. I was very disappointed.

This translation of Elspeth Kennedy's groundbreaking edition of the original, short-form romance of Lancelot Do Lac is extremely helpful to readers interested both in Old French medieval romance and Thomas Malory and his sources. The Prose Lancelot went on to become the centerpiece to the massive Vulgate or Lancelot-Grail cycle of romances which spanned the tale from the arrival of the Grail in Britain all the way to King Arthur's passing.

This version, however, is centered solely on the youthful adventures of Lancelot - how he was raised in the magical Lake, came to Camelot to be knighted, fell in love with the Queen, and made a name for himself while in her service. It covers the discovery of his name and his intense friendship with Galehaut, a man who literally gives up everything to secure the friendship of the title character. This early version of the story ends with Galehaut's death, and is not linked to the begetting of Galahad, the quest for the Grail, or the eventual fall of the Round Table.

The other drawback is that, in order to keep the edition inexpensive enough to meet the needs of the student, those segments of the romance not directly concerned with Lancelot (including a large number of adventures of Gawain, Hector, and Bors) are dealt with in short summaries rather than full translation.

However, until the full cycle is available in an expensive paperback series (the full Lancelot-Grail cycle was recently translated by a team of scholars, headed by Norris J. Lacy, as Lancelot-Grail: The Old French Arthurian Vulgate and Post-Vulgate Cycles in Translation, but only in hardcover at an outrageously scholarly edition price) this will fill the need for at least a taste of the original Lancelot story.

it started slow but after the 1st 3 chapters it picked up. this book introdused a new charictor names lily maid. not really a new person but this book was the first time i heard of her. the adventures are fast and fun. which show off lancelots sheald of conduct and the great ways he stoped foes.

This book actually contains two books in one: Merlin: The Prophetic Vision is one complete book with index and bibliography, and then The Mystic Life is the second book. If you look in the index you will only find into applying to the second book, you need to look in the middle of the book to find the index to the first book which is the first half of this book.

The author analyzes the prophecies of Merlin from various points of view, such as mystical, astrological, historical, etc. It is not much for practical interpretation, but has detailed new age, mystical-type interpretation. As well as the mystic view of the life of Merlin.

Unlike the Disney Mouseworks storybooks, this one was assembled using frames from the movie. The images therefore tend to be a little blurry. The text has some inconsistencies with the storyline as well. Its shortcomings would be glossed over by its young audience, of course.

This is a very funny book because it tells you much about the way people live and think long ago. You may find that the people in that era view things in a very different way.

Although this book is quite well written, with a satisfactory craftmanship of words, I must say that I was not particularly excited about this novel. It held my interest fairly well, but I didn't feel the flood of emotions truly good books always bring me. I liked the way both Alexander and Alice have, in their way, their own seperate sections, like how it explained their youth, but I didn't really enjoy how they didn't meet until close to the end of the book. It seemed short and fake when Alexander proclaimed his love to Alice, and lacked the ability to set my heart thumping and my eyes watering as a passionate romance novel may have. Since it was obvious how the book would end, I didn't feel the suspense or intrigue I expected. Although it may have its faults, it was not a completely bad book, and in the end, I would dub it "okay".

i have to disagree with those who have said this book is poor, unadventurous, etc. this book is wonderful!!! Mary stewart has done a phenomenal job in writing this book. the two main characters are alexander and alice. one is a prince with a lost kingdom, the other a pilgrim waiting for marriage. this book tells the adventures that both go on, whether to the dark tower of morgan le fay or to Jerusalum, the Holy Land. this book is excellent, i can't wait to read it again!!

Although not quite as interesting as the Merlin series, Prince and the Pilgram was entertaining and a worthwhile read.

I would have given this book only 2 stars except for the fact that I enjoy Arthurian type stories and this was one I found previously untold (shy of Malory's book). Stewart tells the story of Alexander the Fatherless and the Pretty Pilgrim Alice. However, the interesting story the book cover promised of Morgan Le Fey persuading Alexander to try and steal the Holy Grail just never developed. Oh, Morgan is in the story, but the author seems to give up on that plot very quickly and then wraps the story up quickly and neatly with little drama or suspense. The Grail itself barely gets mentioned until the end of the book and then the author invokes a philosophy of the Grail that she later notes came from a personal friend and not from legend or lore. Stewart also introduces the Merovingian kings of Gaul into the story but again - the drama and excitement of the four brothers battling for control of the entire kingdom is sorely lacking. Instead, she wraps it all up in a puts the storyline to bed without really taking advantage of the twists and turns that it could have provided. So, why three stars for a story I obviously found sugar-coated, far from any historical possibiity and not even exciting enough to rouse Arthur from his throne in the story??? It's a new tale of the Arthurian time period that I had not discovered before outside of Malory. The book makes somewhat entertaining reading -especially if you like romance and lack of thought provoking substance. It's sweet and simple and an easy read. I found her historical notes at the end of the book to be the best part of the entire work.

Stories involving King Arthur and sundry acts of chivalrous derring 'do have always entertained me, so I was heartily disappointed in Stewart's novel, a return to the world of her Merlyn trilogy. Honestly, it seems like she simply ran out of gas or out of time. The novel sets up nicely, with two different plot threads that promise an epic resolution. Instead, the two main characters miraculously meet, fall in love and save the day, all in the space of about 90 pages. You know you are in trouble when you are reading a novel about the holy grail and one of the characters scoffs that it isn't the real holy grail, all the other characters agree, and everyone moves on. Yikes! I think Merlyn is rolling over in his crystal cave.