I never thought King Arthur lore was boring until I read this book. I skimmed and skipped through this book and it still took me weeks to plow through it. Thank goodness the fifth book, "Grail," was better written and more exciting!
Arthur is King-but treachery runs ramant throughout the beleaguered Isle of the Mighty. Darkest evil descends upon Britain's shores in many guises. Fragile alliancesfray and tear, threatening all the noble liege has won with his wisdom and his blood. His most trusted counselor-the warrior, bard and kingmaker whom legend will name Merlin -is himself to be tested on a mystical journey back through his own extroadinary past. So in a black time of plague and pestilence, it is Arthur who must stand alone against a great and terrible adversary. For only this way can he truly win immortality-and the name to treasure above all others:
PENDRAGON
PENDRAGON
absolutely LOVE this version of Arthur!!!!
This 5 book series is a must read for anyone interested in the Arthurian stories. Lawhead weaves a story that is plausible and quite detailed. He brings the story to life with all the characters of the original tale
This is a good read that focuses on one aspect of Arthur's reign, namely his conflicts against the barbarian Vandals and against a pestilent plague. Arthur and his men assist the Irish in driving the Vandals from their island only to encounter them in even greater numbers when they return to the English shores. The story begins with Arthur taking his Irish bride and continues through battle after battle and conflict after confict with men who doubt Arthur's abilities and decisions. Told through Merlin's eyes, one sees visions with the great bard which help guide Arthur through these trials to hopefully, establish the Summer Kingdom.
A great read for those who like King Arthur stories.
This is book four of The Pendragon Cycle.
This book was interesting because 'Arthur' ends with the end of all things within the Summer Kingdom, and 'Pendragon' begins, once again, with Arthur as a young and newly-crowned King.
This book is told from Merlin's perspective. It begins with Arthur's crown taking as High King (something described in the previous book) but is told with fresh detail and Merlin's insights. In 'Arthur' a brief sentence or two was written to say that Arthur took a trip to Gwenhwyvar's home country after the crown taking. In 'Pendragon' the majority of the book is dedicated to describing exactly what happened on that trip and the events that followed immediately after. It is a small, detailed snapshot of events within this specific portion of Arthur's reign.
This is another book of bloody battles, stubborn lesser kings, and problems within the Island of the Mighty that reach far beyond the issues of war. This book describes how Arthur fully (and finally) becomes the Pendragon of Britain, and how events at the end of this book directly affect the structuring of events in the book to come.
This book was interesting because 'Arthur' ends with the end of all things within the Summer Kingdom, and 'Pendragon' begins, once again, with Arthur as a young and newly-crowned King.
This book is told from Merlin's perspective. It begins with Arthur's crown taking as High King (something described in the previous book) but is told with fresh detail and Merlin's insights. In 'Arthur' a brief sentence or two was written to say that Arthur took a trip to Gwenhwyvar's home country after the crown taking. In 'Pendragon' the majority of the book is dedicated to describing exactly what happened on that trip and the events that followed immediately after. It is a small, detailed snapshot of events within this specific portion of Arthur's reign.
This is another book of bloody battles, stubborn lesser kings, and problems within the Island of the Mighty that reach far beyond the issues of war. This book describes how Arthur fully (and finally) becomes the Pendragon of Britain, and how events at the end of this book directly affect the structuring of events in the book to come.
Stephen Lawhead continues weaving a spell binding version of Arthurian legend in Pendragon, 4th book in The Pendragon Cycle. The story is Merlin's first person account of the Great King of Britain's trials in unifying the country while waging a strategic war against an invading enemy. Consistent with the other books in the series, character development is moderately deep, and the mix of well known names, tales, places is combined with new, unique edges. Also consistent for the series is Lawhead's substitution of Christian motivation and faith for the more common, science fantasy-esque magic of the Druid's. I happily found this book to be more balanced than the prior in the series. It was nice to read something light again. (4 of 5)
This is the 4th in the series. The book I am posting has the older cover with Arthur Pendragon's face on the cover.
