Nici Posted February 16, 2007 Share Posted February 16, 2007 Anyone who is interested in the legend of King Arthur and the knights of the round table will love this book!-It is called Queen of Camelot by Nancy McKenzie, its a real page turner! In the past i havn't really liked old history fiction but this is brilliant! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kell Posted February 16, 2007 Share Posted February 16, 2007 I love different versions of the Arthurian legends. I really enjoyed reading The Winter King by Bernard Cornwell last month - I think I'll be getting hold of the 2nd book in that series at some point. I read a very unusual interpretation from Morgana's point of view after her imprisonment on Avalon a few years back - The Queen's Captive by Haydn Middleton. It's actually the 2nd in the series (I've never read the rest of the series), has very heavy sexual overtones and is incredibly visceral, but absolutely compelling. I really must try reading the rest of the series (it's a familiar cry from me, but I really do mean it when I say it!). There's just something about the whole chivalry, lords & ladies, myth & magic legend that I adore... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nici Posted February 16, 2007 Author Share Posted February 16, 2007 There's just something about the whole chivalry, lords & ladies, myth & magic legend that I adore... I agree! Its all just so magical and compelling! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wrathofkublakhan Posted February 17, 2007 Share Posted February 17, 2007 Jack Whyte has a good series: a sort of "how could Camelot be true?", in which Camelot is founded by ex-Roman military men, Excalibur is made from a sky stone, Merlin is so mysterious because he's actually is a leper ... I won't give away the rest but a very good series that has some fascinating ideas about the time era. The Once and Future King by TH White was pretty good, though it will probably seem dated now. I love it too, my sixth grade class (now you know how old I am) went to see Camelot with Richard Harris when it first came to the theaters. "Each evening from December to December; before you go to sleep upon your cot. Think back on all the tales that you remember ... of Camelot!' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppy Posted February 17, 2007 Share Posted February 17, 2007 I read a book at school, a long time ago, about King Arthur and Merlin, that I'd like to find again. It doesn't appear to be T.H.Whites 'The Sword in the Stone'. It was humorous and had things out of time and place, anachronisms .... anyone got any ideas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Purple Poppy Posted February 18, 2007 Share Posted February 18, 2007 I have a wonderful book about King Arthur which I bought in my teens. I loved it then and when I found it the other day, I decided to read it again (goodness only knows when), but its a really enjoyable book. Would this be the one you were thinking of,Poppy? Pp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontalba Posted February 18, 2007 Share Posted February 18, 2007 Jack Whyte has a good series: a sort of "how could Camelot be true?", in which Camelot is founded by ex-Roman military men, Excalibur is made from a sky stone, Merlin is so mysterious because he's actually is a leper ... I won't give away the rest but a very good series that has some fascinating ideas about the time era. ' I've read that series and enjoyed it. But Merlin a leper? Maybe Jack Whyte wrote more after I stopped reading but I don't remember that in the first 4 or 5 of the books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wrathofkublakhan Posted February 18, 2007 Share Posted February 18, 2007 In The Sorceror, we found Merlin, now a mid- stage leper, wreaking havoc amongst Carthac and Peter Ironhair's troops. Dubbed the Ghost, he is isolated from friends and family because of the leprosy, injuries and a demented grief over all he has lost. I found this by googling...I'd forgotten which book it was in tho, the fifth of the series so maybe you didn't get to that yet. Sorry for the spoiler! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontalba Posted February 19, 2007 Share Posted February 19, 2007 Wow! Oh don't worry about spoilers for me, I love 'em! Thanks for looking that up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
finrod Posted December 5, 2007 Share Posted December 5, 2007 Sword at Sunset (Rosemary Sutcliffe) is decent, if the characters are a bit too dimensional (and black and white) - I guess it's a bit dated. The Great Captains (Henry Treece) is a more timeless (and my favourite) rendition of the legends. Treece's protagonists tend to stumble through their (mis)adventures, rather than to master their own destinies. The author attempts to put warts and all human flesh upon the bare bones of old stories which is one of the reasons why I like him so much. These are adult books by writers who are perhaps better known for children's fiction. Both of the above shy away from the middle ages interpretation, and return to the transitional period after the Romans had departed and the Celts mounted a resistance movement against Saxon incursions. So if you particularly enjoy the chivalry and court atmosphere, they may not be your cup of tea, however I would agree with the back cover blurb: Henry Treece sets his story against the wild and forbidding landscape of ancient Britain, and tells it with both a bitter realism and a dark understanding of the link between power, magic and blood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nellie Posted December 14, 2008 Share Posted December 14, 2008 (edited) I was watching Merlin last night and realised I have never read the legends of King Arthur and his knights. A quick look on amazon showed me a whole heap of books, but I couldn't work out what was a history of the legend and what was a book of actual stories. Can someone recommend a book which has the legends in it? Edited December 14, 2008 by Michelle added to exisiting thread :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kay_loves_purple Posted December 14, 2008 Share Posted December 14, 2008 I really enjoyed reading The Winter King by Bernard Cornwell last month I've been planning to read this book for ages. So that's what it's about. Yum. (I have only picked it up because of the title, never read the blurb). I'm glad it's enjoyable too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ceinwenn Posted December 14, 2008 Share Posted December 14, 2008 I love different versions of the Arthurian legends. I really enjoyed reading The Winter King by Bernard Cornwell last month - I think I'll be getting hold of the 2nd book in that series at some point. I've been planning to read this book for ages. So that's what it's about. Yum. (I have only picked it up because of the title, never read the blurb). I'm glad it's enjoyable too I've read all three - normally I don't read historical fiction, but my boyfriend wanted me to read them, so I did & loved them! (Must have - that's where my user name on here came from ) I would heartily reccommend them all to anyone! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
landevale Posted December 15, 2008 Share Posted December 15, 2008 I was watching Merlin last night and realised I have never read the legends of King Arthur and his knights. A quick look on amazon showed me a whole heap of books, but I couldn't work out what was a history of the legend and what was a book of actual stories. Can someone recommend a book which has the legends in it? The thing about these legends is that you are basically only going to find adaptations, since the "authentic" legend is buried so deep in history. If you are looking for a very complete and mainstream version, I would recommend Sir Thomas Malory's Morte D'Arthur. Unless you are very adept at reading Middle English, though, I would find it in a modernized version. In its entirety, it is very, very long, however, and I have never been able to finish it (despite being assigned it for class on two separate occasions!). Eugene Vinaver edited a book called King Arthur and His Knights: Selected Tales by Sir Thomas Malory, which only contains the most well-known and influential tales. I highly recommend that. (And don't worry; it's in modern English!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Echo Posted December 15, 2008 Share Posted December 15, 2008 I have Morte d'Arthur on my to-read list, and I'm really excited about it! I also recommend the Avalon series by Marion Zimmer Bradley. The main book, The Mists of Avalon is a sort of feminist re-telling of the King Arthur tales, from the point of view of Arthur's sister, Morgana of Avalon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
landevale Posted December 15, 2008 Share Posted December 15, 2008 I have Morte d'Arthur on my to-read list, and I'm really excited about it! I also recommend the Avalon series by Marion Zimmer Bradley. The main book, The Mists of Avalon is a sort of feminist re-telling of the King Arthur tales, from the point of view of Arthur's sister, Morgana of Avalon. Yes, I've been meaning to read The Mists of Avalon for years now! I'll add it to my To Be Read list. I also adore The Once and Future King by T.H. White and would highly recommend it. White does a fantastic job of including bits and pieces of so many of the legends; although he bases the story mostly on Malory, he includes references to even some very lesser known texts. It truly is amazing. And I think he does a great job of showing how even this very old legend still has resonance today. The book reverberates with the concerns of the late 1930s through the 1950s, when the book was finally published in its entirety. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orchi Dolittle Posted December 25, 2008 Share Posted December 25, 2008 I went throught a Merling and King Aruther obsession. I have read The Lost Years of Merlin by T.A BArron. I loved it. I have also read *digs throught mind8 The Sword and the Stone, and King Aurther and the Knights of the Round Table by Rosemary Sutcliff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nellie Posted December 26, 2008 Share Posted December 26, 2008 I would recommend Sir Thomas Malory's Morte D'Arthur. The Penn State University Library has this as a free e-book! Fantastic! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
librarylady Posted March 3, 2010 Share Posted March 3, 2010 For those who enjoy Arthurian tales look no further than Rosalind Miles trilogy - Isolde Queen of the Western Isle, The Maid of the White Hands, The Lady of the Sea. Fabulous (in my opinion)... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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