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kesnit's review
2.0
I really wanted to like this book. There were a lot of really good ideas in the short stories, but the writing was rather boring. I even took a break for a while, hoping I could go back with a new outlook, but that did not work. A few of the stories were good, but most were dry.
david_wiley's review
5.0
All bias aside, this is an excellent collection of stories that re-imagine King Arthur through various time periods and acting in various situations. Some of the tales take on a traditional feel, while others are extremely innovative in their approach. Arthur and Merlin are the constants in every tale, although not always with those exact names, and many other gems of Arthurian legend are scattered throughout the thirteen stories in this anthology. It was almost as much fun picking out those references as it was reading the stories themselves, but that is my own love of Arthurian legend talking.
I absolutely love the concept behind this anthology, as it poses the idea of Merlin travelling backwards through time, with the first story coming at the end of the universe and working its way back to ancient times. There are a solid set of futuristic tales to begin the anthology and, honestly, I wished there had been more historical fiction tales in this anthology. I loved the pirate tale and, of course, my own, but the possibility of Ancient Rome, late-Renaissance or even Victorian-era tales are a glaring omission. Of course the publisher can only accept the stories that get pitched so that is no fault toward this anthology. It just would have been nice to see more tales taking place more than a century removed from our own.
As with any set of tales, there are ones I enjoyed more than others. There are some absolutely fantastic stories on display here, and I will state that even the stories that didn’t really appeal to my tastes at least had excellent writing. The collection of authors who are pooled together in this book are truly amazing and talented and I am honored to have my own story stand alongside theirs.
If you love Sci-Fi, if you love Fantasy, or if you love all things King Arthur than do yourself a favor and get a copy of this book. By the end you will agree that it was well worth the time invested to explore this interesting and fresh approach on the Arthurian legend.
I absolutely love the concept behind this anthology, as it poses the idea of Merlin travelling backwards through time, with the first story coming at the end of the universe and working its way back to ancient times. There are a solid set of futuristic tales to begin the anthology and, honestly, I wished there had been more historical fiction tales in this anthology. I loved the pirate tale and, of course, my own, but the possibility of Ancient Rome, late-Renaissance or even Victorian-era tales are a glaring omission. Of course the publisher can only accept the stories that get pitched so that is no fault toward this anthology. It just would have been nice to see more tales taking place more than a century removed from our own.
As with any set of tales, there are ones I enjoyed more than others. There are some absolutely fantastic stories on display here, and I will state that even the stories that didn’t really appeal to my tastes at least had excellent writing. The collection of authors who are pooled together in this book are truly amazing and talented and I am honored to have my own story stand alongside theirs.
If you love Sci-Fi, if you love Fantasy, or if you love all things King Arthur than do yourself a favor and get a copy of this book. By the end you will agree that it was well worth the time invested to explore this interesting and fresh approach on the Arthurian legend.
jlsigman's review
2.0
None of the stories were awful. Some were very clever, some were too short.
The last one, from the viewpoint of Merlin, however, ruined it for me. Without giving anything away, the story doesn't fit the Arthur mythos because it utterly lacks hope. And that wasn't what I was looking for.
The last one, from the viewpoint of Merlin, however, ruined it for me. Without giving anything away, the story doesn't fit the Arthur mythos because it utterly lacks hope. And that wasn't what I was looking for.
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