The Sword and the Circle: King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table (King Arthur Trilogy #1)
by  Rosemary Sutcliff

This book chronicles King Arthur’s ascent to the throne by taking the Sword from the Stone and the creation of the Round Table of the Knights of Camelot. We hear the legends of famous sword fights and adventures and quests. Sir Lancelot arrives in Camelot, and Sir Gawain confronts the Green Knight. Beaumains serves in the kitchen before anyone knows his true royal lineage. Lancelot is tricked and seduced by Elaine, and Tristan tells his sad history with his uncle’s bride, Iseult. Sir Gawain marries the Loathely Lady, but breaks the magic spell that made her ugly. And this book finishes with the mysterious arrival of Percival, a knight who wanders in from the wild.
(To read more about Arthur, Lancelot, and Guinevere, and their tragic fate, you would have to read the rest of the series.)

I really love the writing style in this book! It is full of elegant high prose, but it still feels accessible and easy to read. Although it deals with some dark or sensitive content, it is never too graphic or explicit. I especially loved how it describes certain characters, and you can immediately imagine them right in front of you! Just a few words, and the character is a living breathing person with their heart laid open. Lancelot simply clenches a fist, and the reader knows what is going through his head. This author is a master of subtle but powerful prose.

I just love King Arthur stories! The adventures are all so wonderful and Arthur’s court is full of beautiful ideals of goodness and mercy. I also love how this author weaves together conflicting tales of Arthur and makes them all fit together. It’s really brilliant!

This book has been screened on the Screen It First website for some violence and mild dark content. https://screenitfirst.com/book/the-sword-and-the-circle-906716