king arthur

Book Review: The Sword and the Circle

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The Sword and the Circle by Rosemary Sutcliff

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.)

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Book Review: One True King

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One True King by Soman Chainani

One True King (The School for Good and Evil: The Camelot Years, #3)
by Soman Chainani

3 out of 5 stars

In this final book of the series, Agatha, Tedros, and Sophie have to complete the quests of Excalibur to prove that Tedros is the true King of Camelot. Their friends all rally around them, but it might not be enough to defeat the evil Snake who has usurped the throne. First, they must discover the truth about the Snake’s parentage and how he was able to fool Excalibur into thinking he had the blood of Arthur.

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Book Review: The Fall of Arthur

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The Fall of Arthur by J.R.R. Tolkien

The Fall of Arthur
by J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (Editor)

4 out of 5 stars

In the 1930s, Tolkien began work on an epic alliterative poem about King Arthur’s downfall. It was never finished, but Christopher Tolkien provides notes and explanations about the lines that we do have.

The actual poem only takes up about 45 pages in this book. It is beautiful and haunting and wild. The patterns in the alliteration are woven together in this tapestry of words that powerfully tell the story of Arthur and his knights, of Mordred and Lancelot and Guinevere, and the last days of the Round Table. I read most of it out loud to myself, because the words drip like honey, rich and resonant. It is meant to be read out loud!

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Graphic Novel Review: The Orphan King

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The Orphan King by Tyler Chin-Tanner

The Orphan King (The Orphan King, #1)
by Tyler Chin-Tanner, James Boyle (Illustrator), Andrew Dalhouse (Color Artist), Pete Carlsson (Letterer)

4 out of 5 stars

This graphic novel follows Prince Kaidan, who travels to a faraway island for combat training with his aunt. When he returns, he finds the kingdom in ruins and his parents dead or missing. With a price on his head, Kaidan can trust no one, and he is being hunted wherever he goes.

I loved the legendary tropes in this book! Kaidan is like a young King Arthur, and there is also a Robin Hood type character, but the story isn’t really a retelling of either of those stories. There are elements from those legends, but this story stands on its own. I can’t wait to read the next volume in the series!

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Book Review: The Book of Merlyn

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The Book of Merlyn
The Book of Merlyn by T.H. White

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I remain unimpressed with the entire Once and Future King series. I love Arthurian legends, but I just can’t stomach all the stupid philosophy and the ramblings about nothing. If only White would just tell a story! But no, he has to go off on these rabbit trails of stupidity. Continue reading →