In Which Story Contemplates the Possibility of King Arthur Star Wars Style

So, I'm reading Maurice Broaddus' King Maker, which is a modern day, reincarnation retelling.  And there is this fantastic line that I cannot stop thinking about (pg 39).

Merle waved his fingers in front of him as if with a sudden display of jazz hands.  "These are not the droids you are looking for."

Warning for small spoilers and Story's insanity under the cut

Lionors: King Arthur's Uncrowned Queen Review

Title: Lionors: King Arthur's Uncrowned Queen Author: Barbara Ferry Johnson Publisher: Avon Pages: 291 Synopsis: (from the publisher) When she was thirteen, Lionors first saw Arthur.  Little did she know the consequences of that meeting.  The handsome young knight would be declared King of Britain, marry the beautiful Guinevere, and fall to the treachery of his court while Lionors, secretly married to him, would bear his child and wait for him to leave his palace to be at her side in fulfillment of the old prophecy: "You will be a queen, but you will die uncrowned and unknown."

I was super psyched when I recently found this book.  As I have stated before, I love books about side characters.  And unlike Viviane or Galahad, who usually appear in retellings but only in small roles, Lisanor is pretty much all but forgotten.  And here’s this book all about her!  I couldn’t wait to finish Merlin’s Harp so I could start reading this book. 

My feelings for Lionors went thus: In the beginning I was happy, in the middle I was bored and at the end I was really angry.

Warning for Spoilers and another 2000 word review

Merlin's Harp Review

Title: Merlin's Harp Author: Anne Eliot Crompton Publisher: Roc Pages: 298 Synopsis: (from the book) Among the towering trees of magical Avalon, where humans dare not tread, lives Niviene, daughter of the Lady of the Lake and apprentice to Merlin the mage.  Her people, the Fey, are folk of the wood and avoid the violence and avarice of man.  But when the strife of King Arthur's realm threatens even Avalon's peace, and Merlin needs his apprentice to thwart the chaos devouring Camelot.  And so Niviene will use her special talents to help save a kingdom and discover the treachery of men and the beauty of love.  This is a wondrous story of danger, enchantment, and charm... and of the greatest mystery of all, the power of the human heart.  Presented in a flowing musical prose, Merlin's Harp is a joy for followers of the legend-- and for anyone who appreciates a magical tale.

Merlin's Harp was recently republished by Sourcebooks Fire.  Cue standard YA cover. 

Oh look!  The promise of the too stupid to live heroine, a plotless tale and a sexy bady boy monster.  This book includes none of these.  The original cover is truer to the story Crompton tells. 

Warning for Spoilers under the cut

Not there yet...

I find myself not liking the way the first two reviews came out.  I reviewed them like books when I said I was going to review how the legend turned out.  It's going to take me a few more days than I anticipated to get the review of Merlin's Harp up while I try to figure out how I actually want to review these stories.  I'm still trying to find my voice in all of this (I know my voice when talking about things I hate and am good with the voices of characters my books-- my own voice when talking something I love?  Not so much).  Please bear with me as I try to figure this own.  It may be a few reviews before you see any sort of pattern in the formatting.

~Storyteller Knight

Grail Prince Review

Title: Grail Prince   Author: Nancy McKenzie   Publisher: Ballantine Books Pages: 510 Synopsis: (from the publisher) "The wheel is turning and the world will change... And a son of Lancelot, with a bloody sword and a righteous heart, shall renew the Light in Britain before the descent of save dark." So spoke the Lady of the Lake.  Now her grim prophecy is coming true.  King Arthur lies dead, struck down along with Mordred, his son and heir, and the greatest knights of Camelot.  Of that peerless company, only Lancelot survives, a broken man who has turned his back on Britain and on his forbidden love of Guinevere.  Yet one knight, scarcely more tha a boy, fights amid the ruins to keep Arthur's dream alive: Galahad, the son of Lancelot. Before his death, Arthur swore the young knight to undertake a quest: a search for the scattered treasures of an ancient king.  On the recovery of these powerful relics-- a grail, a spear and a sword-- hinges the future of Britain.  But it is the past that torments Galahad.  He cannot forget or forgive his father's betrayal of his king.  Nor can he banish thoughts of the intoxicating Dandrane, sister of his friend Percival, from his mind.  Yet only a man pure in heart can fulfill the prophecy of the Lady of the Lake. Not since The Mists of Avalon has an author so brilliantly reimagined and brought to life the enduring Arthurian legends.  Weaving back and forth through time, from Arthur's mightly reign and commanding influence to Galahad's ultimate quest to preserve the destiny of a nation, Grail Prince is an unforgettable epic of adventure and romance, of clashing swords and hearts set in a magical world as deadly as it is beautiful.

I didn't realize that Nancy McKenzie's books had been compared to Mists of Avalon until I typed up the summary.  They're not anything alike.  These characters are actually likeable. 

Warnings for Spoilers of both Grail Prince and Queen of Camelot under the cut

Mists of Avalon Review

Title: Mists of Avalon   Author: Marion Zimmer Bradley   Publisher: Del Rey (originally Ballantine) Pages: 876 Synopsis: (From GoodReads) Even readers who don't normally enjoy Arthurian legends will love this version, a retelling from the point of view of the women behind the throne. Morgaine (more commonly known as Morgan Le Fay) and Gwenhwyfar (a Welsh spelling of Guinevere) struggle for power, using Arthur as a way to score points and promote their respective worldviews. The Mists of Avalon's Camelot politics and intrigue take place at a time when Christianity is taking over the island-nation of Britain; Christianity vs. Faery, and God vs. Goddess are dominant themes. Young and old alike will enjoy this magical Arthurian reinvention by science fiction and fantasy veteran Marion Zimmer Bradley.

I’m not big on classics.  I’m trying to get over this as I read through my Arthurian collection.  I probably can’t call myself a true King Arthur enthusiast if I never read (at least what I consider to be) the Big Three: Mists of Avalon, The Once and Future King, and Le Morte D’Arthur.  And while I had heard things about Mists of Avalon, things that made me very wary about reading it, it seemed like a good place to start- being the youngest of the three books.  I’m sure my perception of this book was colored by my dislike of books that are hailed as classics, things I had read about the book before ever picking it up and the movie.  I tried to go into this book with an open mind.  I can’t speak to my success or failure on that.  All I know is that I did not like this book.

Warning for Spoilers and Language and over 2,000 words under the cut

Almost Ready

After finishing Mists of Avalon, I find myself holding what is sure to be an unpolular opinion.

I liked the movie better. Like, way better.

First review will go up tomorrow. It's going to be a long one. I have a lot to say about this book. A lot to say (That's why I created this blog- to talk about this book).

Master Book List

At last count (3/2/11 3/13/11 3/18/11 4/1/11 5/1/11 6/4/11 9/4/11 10/11/11 11/13/11 12/30/11 1/26/12 3/5/12 12/30/12), I owned 115 124 127 131 138 142 152 166 169 177 184 205 221 Arthurian retellings and reference books (Not all 219 are listed here because I own multiple editions of some books because something is wrong with me).