chesilbeach Posted June 20, 2011 Posted June 20, 2011 I've been really enjoying the new Channel 4 series Camelot, and I realised I know very little of the Arthur/Merlin/Camelot story. Can anyone recommend any good books about them? Quote
Raven Posted June 20, 2011 Posted June 20, 2011 Le Morte d'Arthur by Sir Thomas Malory, is the traditional starting point, I believe. Quote
SueK Posted June 21, 2011 Posted June 21, 2011 Hi Chesilbeach, one of the best books I read on the Arthur story is The Mists of Avalon. It is a beautiful tale that will stay with you for a long time. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mists-Avalon-Marion-Zimmer-Bradley/dp/0722119577/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1308643818&sr=1-2 Quote
Karsa Orlong Posted June 21, 2011 Posted June 21, 2011 There's a decent freebie on Kindle if you have one: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Legends-King-Arthur-Knights-ebook/dp/B000JMLBT8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1308644659&sr=8-1 Quote
chesilbeach Posted June 21, 2011 Author Posted June 21, 2011 Thanks all - I'll be checking these out. Quote
I'mRose Posted June 23, 2011 Posted June 23, 2011 Also not a book, but if you haven't seen the British TV-series Merlin it's great and has a lot of different Arthurian legend mixed with some really funny scenes. Quote
chesilbeach Posted June 23, 2011 Author Posted June 23, 2011 I have tried to watch Merlin, but haven't really got on with it, which is why I was surprised to like Camelot so much. Quote
Raven Posted June 23, 2011 Posted June 23, 2011 Merlin is generally very good, but it does have it's clunkers as well (usually the more light-hearted episodes). Very much looking forward to seeing this return in the autumn! Quote
chesilbeach Posted June 25, 2011 Author Posted June 25, 2011 Le Morte d'Arthur by Sir Thomas Malory, is the traditional starting point, I believe. I had a look at this online, but I need to go into a bookshop and investigate some of the different versions, as I want to make sure I can find one that's actually readable to me. I'm not a scholar or a purist when it comes to old English (not sure what the correct term is for the style of language used in the 15th century) and I can see that each of the usual "classics" publishing houses have abridged and modernised the original text, so I want to make sure I get a copy that I find readable. I've also come across The Death of King Arthur by Peter Ackroyd which has peaked my interest, as I love his writing, but from reading some mixed reviews, I can see he has cut the story down quite a bit, although some reviewers think he's done it a favour by doing so. If I don't like the look of any of the classic versions of it, then I'll go for this one. Sue, I'm going to wait to read the original tale, and then give The Mists of Avalon a go afterwards, as I like the idea of a retelling from a different perspective, but want to know the story first. Quote
chesilbeach Posted July 10, 2011 Author Posted July 10, 2011 Have more or less decided to go for the Ackroyd book now. Couldn't find any of the various editions from the usual classics publishers in the bookshop yesterday, and I've read enough of Ackroyd's other work to know I love his writing, so it's a win win situation for me - get to read the Arthur story in a fairly faithful retelling, and get to read more by Peter Ackroyd. Thanks for all your suggestions though, they were very useful for researching which book to try! Quote
Karsa Orlong Posted July 10, 2011 Posted July 10, 2011 I don't know if you're aware - and I hate to be the bearer of bad news - but it seems that Camelot has been cancelled. http://www.iftn.ie/news/?act1=record&only=1&aid=73&rid=4284041&tpl=archnews&force=1 Quote
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