This edition is from 1982 - in good shape - somewhat yellowed - but the legend of King Arthur never changes - just gets better. And this is one of the best sagas ever written about him and the characters around him. You decide if this is fiction or non-fiction. Three months on the New York Times best seller list
Fantasy based on King Arthur's sister. If you enjoyed the movie (think it was TNT) a few yrs ago, you'll really enjoy this as it explains more (as books always do)
Not one of her best books but worth the read if you enjoy the king arthur myths. No real enjoyable characters that you get attached to. This book reads more like a sopa opera than anything else.
This is one of the handful of books I have read that I can honestly say "changed my life". The way Bradley wrote from each different perspective had a lot to do with it. She was so completely inside of each character and understood each perspective so well that she awakened my own understanding to each in turn. So thoroughly unbiased from both the christian "side" and the pagans (within each character). When I finally set the book down after reading it for the first time, I had gone through all the stages of awakening toward true religious freedom and non-judgment. Beginning with confusion, and then anger, followed by more confusion (and admittedly more anger), then a flicker of understanding, (somewhere in there was a night of nightmares bringing up all my fears from childhood of church tainted with lies, bigotry, and criticism) then finally... true understanding. I grew and wizened right along with Morgaine as she grew and lived and loved and learned, and by the end I saw the truth of it. The unity of each person loving the same god, but under a different name and with a different perspective (steeped in vastly different cultural teachings). I could finally see not just the reasoning but the justification that each side was holding for their (sometimes violent) actions. The right and wrongness melted away as I began to feel an understanding (lined with sorrow and empathy for their adolescent choices) for both sides, and realize they all just wanted the same thing: To worship their god/goddess that they held true and dear in the way they honestly feel is the best for them. When we can all do this along side each other, with no judgment, and no projecting of expectation, then we will all be getting somewhere. Somewhere Marion Zimmer Bradley already is.
Plus it was a rockin' Authurian telling I had never heard from the female perspective. Incredibly detailed period read that felt alive. Filled with raw emotion and empowered women. Read this book.
I love this book. The entire Avalon series has a prized position on my bookshelf.
The Mists of Avalon is a fantastic book that makes you think. In most books on the legends of King Arthur, only the men get credit for anything. The women are only background, and they never seem to do anything worthy. Guinevere is portrayed in most books as being the cause of the downfall of Camelot. Morgan le Fay, is shown as an evil sorceress. It was nice to read a book on Camelot with the women playing important, good roles
Amazing. Absolutely amazing.
This is one of the handful of books I have read that I can honestly say "changed my life". The way Bradley wrote from each different perspective had a lot to do with it. She was so completely inside of each character and understood each perspective so well that she awakened my own understanding to each in turn. So thoroughly unbiased from both the christian "side" and the pagans (within each character). When I finally set the book down after reading it for the first time, I had gone through all the stages of awakening toward true religious freedom and non-judgment. Beginning with confusion, and then anger, followed by more confusion (and admittedly more anger), then a flicker of understanding, (somewhere in there was a night of nightmares bringing up all my fears from childhood of church tainted with lies, bigotry, and criticism) then finally... true understanding. I grew and wizened right along with Morgaine as she grew and lived and loved and learned, and by the end I saw the truth of it. The unity of each person loving the same god, but under a different name and with a different perspective (steeped in vastly different cultural teachings). I could finally see not just the reasoning but the justification that each side was holding for their (sometimes violent) actions. The right and wrongness melted away as I began to feel an understanding (lined with sorrow and empathy for their adolescent choices) for both sides, and realize they all just wanted the same thing: To worship their god/goddess that they held true and dear in the way they honestly feel is the best for them. When we can all do this along side each other, with no judgement, and no projecting of expectation, then we will all be getting somewhere. Somewhere Marion Zimmer Bradley already is.
Plus it was a rockin' Authurian telling I had never heard from the female perspective. Incredibly detailed period read that felt alive. Read this book.
This story was so well-written that it is timeless. At no time when I was reading it did I feel like I was reading a book that was written 30-years ago. I was completely enthralled with the well-developed characters and storyline. It was one of those books, that when I wasn't reading it, I was thinking about events that had happened up to the point I had read and when a book does that, I know it's good.
