Recent Reads {Arthur}

Arthur by Stephen R Lawhead - The third novel in the Pendgragon Cycle picks up the tale with a young Arthur pulling the legendary sword out of the stone and laying his claim to the High Kingship of Britain.  Many of the small kings refuse to accept his claim and he starts out as the war chief of Britain and the staunch support of a few powerful allies.  The story is told in three parts, with three different narrators.  Pelleas, the faithful steward to Merlin the magician, opens the story.  Pelleas and Merlin knew of Arthur's parentage and arranged to keep him safe until the time was right for him to come forward as the rightful heir to Aurelius.  Then Bedwyr, Arthur's loyal sword-brother and ally, takes up the story, telling of the wars against the barbarians trying to invade Britain and of the alliances forged and victories won that finally earn Arthur his title as High King.  The final part of the tale is told by Aneirin, who joins the retinue as an assistant to Merlin.  At this point, Arthur has had his kingmaking, and work has begun on the Round Table that is part of Gwenhwyvar's wedding gift.  During Aneirin's narration, the wicked Morgian finally meets her end, and we are introduced to the traitorous Medraut.  Throughout the story, Arthur keeps his focus on holding Britain in peace and as the Kingdom of Summer that the bard Taliesin had dreamed about.  Despite Arthur's great faith, the power of darkness and evil is great as well, and Arthur comes very near to losing his Queen and the Kingdom itself, and the book ends with Arthur's and Merlin's mysterious disappearance.

By the same author:  Patrick, The Skin Map.  Other books in the Pendragon Cycle are: Taliesin, Merlin, Pendragon, and Grail.   My comments from the previous time I read Arthur are here.

Recent Reads {Merlin}

Merlin by Stephen R Lawhead - This is the second in Lawhead's Pendragon Cycle, and is the story of the son of the great bard Taliesin and the Atlantean princess Charis.  Merlin tells his own story, of growing up with the "Fair Folk" of Atlantis, spending time with his Celtic grandparents and the Christian druid priests.  As a young man, he is kidnapped by the Hill Folk, and lives with them for several seasons.  The central part of the tale is quite dark, as Merlin withdraws into the forest by himself to mourn the loss of his wife and many of his friends and sword-brothers in a Saxon raid.   Many of the characters refer to him as being mad during this time, and he doesn't deny it.  However, he is able to return to those of his family still living and take up his place as Briton's prophet and kingmaker.  We are introduced to young Arthur before the story's end, and events are set in motion for Arthur to return as Briton's High King who ushers in the "Kingdom of Summer" foretold by Taliesin.  Throughout the story, there is an underlying theme of the One True God and Merlin is among the characters that find their purpose in serving God and doing His will.

By the same author:  Patrick, The Skin Map.  Other books in the Pendragon Cycle are: Taliesin, Arthur, Pendragon, and Grail.   My comments from the previous time I read Merlin are here.

Recent Reads {Taliesin}

Taliesin by Stephen R. Lawhead - This wasn't the first time I've read this book, and I'm sure it won't be the last.  I'm a confirmed Lawhead fan.  This book is the first in the Pendragon Cycle, a series of five novels based on the King Arthur legends.  The tale starts with parallel stories of a princess of the island kingdom of Atlantis, and the mysterious child Taliesin in Britain.  The Atlantean princess Charis foresees the destruction of Atlantis and coordinates the escape of many of their people on ships, which eventually wind up on the western shores of the Island of the Mighty.  Taliesin himself grows up as a greatly respected bard and prophet, and the histories of his people and the transplanted survivors from Atlantis intertwine.  Christian priests have also come to Britain and Taliesin is one who accepts their message.  As I've come to expect from Lawhead, the combination of history, legend, and fantasy makes for a page-turner, even the second time around.

By the same author:  Patrick, The Skin Map,  and the other books in the Pendragon Cycle: Merlin, Arthur, Pendragon.  My first comments on Taliesin can be found here.

Recent Reads {The Romance of Tristan}

The Romance of Tristan by Beroul, and The Tale of Tristan's Madness, translated together by Alan S. Fedrick - It seems to me that the Tristan and Isolde stories vary so widely that it's hard to believe any of them come from a common source.  I was looking for a version of the story that was suitable for kids and never did find it, but I did pick up this translation of a very old written source.  Beroul's epic poem - or, the portions that remain of it - is thought to be the oldest extant version of the Tristan and Isolde narrative, and it is translated into English prose by Alan S. Fedrick.  There are amusing and odd details throughout, and the story is quite a bit different from the Avalon novels I read recently, and different from almost any popular version I've ever heard.  The story-telling style is also a departure from what modern readers are used to, but Fedrick's introduction does a fair job of explaining how troubadour or jongleur stories were commonly told and how the tales may have developed before and after the time of Beroul.  Of Beroul himself, nothing is known, except that his poem dates from about the middle of the twelfth century.

The introduction is more detailed reading than the stories themselves, but I do recommend it for background.  The opening and closing sections of Beroul are lost, so this book offers a summary based on a reconstructed narrative from another scholar.  The translation of Beroul's work begins with The Tryst Under the Tree, and from that point it reads like a simple chapter book, although not all of it is suitable for children.  I found it a quick and interesting read - almost like a cheap romance from medieval times.

Recent Reads {Sunrise of Avalon}

Sunrise of Avalon by Anna Elliott - This novel of Trystan and Isolde completes the trilogy by Anna Elliott.  Elliott retells the legend with a few twists, combining the Arthurian legend with the historical setting of sixth-century Britain.  The story picks up where the second novel ended - Trystan and Isolde have married, a secret which very few people know, and she is pregnant - which only she knows.  Trystan has been called away in the ongoing tribal wars in the country.  The storyline is full of intrigue and danger - personal danger to the lovers, and an imminent threat to Britain as the Saxon invaders seem to gaining strength and the alliance of Briton kings is tenuous.  Elliott based her retelling of the legend on the earliest written version of the Arthurian tales and gives the whole a satisfying ending.

By the same author:  Twilight of Avalon, Dark Moon of Avalon

Recent Reads {Healer}

Healer by Linda Windsor - I found this novel, first in a planned trilogy, by chance, having seen the second of the series on the feature shelf at the library. I hunted up the first so I could read them in order, and enjoyed it very much. the story is set in Arthurian era Scotland, during a time when clans and tribes had to unite against common enemies even while feuding with each other. The action opens with a prologue describing the slaughter of one king and his people by a jealous neighboring king. Only the infant daughter escapes the keep, in the care of her nurse, but she grows up hunted and isolated because of the prophecy her mother spoke as she died. Twenty years later, Brenna finds herself face to face with the son and heir of the warlord king that killed her parents, and both have to decide who they can trust and how the prophecy will affect their futures. A very engagin story that I found hard to put down. Now I'm more than ready to read the second, and then await publication of the third!