Scan barcode
tessajohnson's review against another edition
5.0
The legend of Merlin and Arthur gets a new life in this futuristic sci-fi fantasy that finds the two protagonists in a spiral repeating through time. The story begins when Merlin awakens, looking younger than before, and feeling the call of Excalibur. The sword has been pulled from the metaphorical stone by Ari, a teen traveling the galaxy with her brother, Kay. Merlin now has to find Ari (the 42nd? iteration of Arthur), nudge him onto the throne, save the world, and unite humanity.
We learn, as the story unfolds, that Merlin has been cursed to repeat this cycle until he successfully completes it. Each time Arthur dies, Merlin returns to a deep sleep, only to be woken again when a new generation of Arthur pulls Excalibur from the stone (on this case, an old tree stump). Each time Merlin awakens, he is younger than the previous time, so the old man with the long beard that we all know from the legends, is now a young man, worried about how many times he has left to repeat this cycle before awakening as an infant, or even earlier!
Capetta spins a fantastical story full of adventure, space travel, and love, all wrapped in a blanket of inclusivity. There are gay, lesbian, ace, and straight characters; trans, cis, and nonbinary characters; and everyone is accepting. In fact, in this universe, differences in gender and sexuality are the norm, and the characters are well written to show that.
There are a few plot points I could pick at, but I'm not going to. Overall this is a fun adventure, lots of action, lots of jokes, and an all around good read.
We learn, as the story unfolds, that Merlin has been cursed to repeat this cycle until he successfully completes it. Each time Arthur dies, Merlin returns to a deep sleep, only to be woken again when a new generation of Arthur pulls Excalibur from the stone (on this case, an old tree stump). Each time Merlin awakens, he is younger than the previous time, so the old man with the long beard that we all know from the legends, is now a young man, worried about how many times he has left to repeat this cycle before awakening as an infant, or even earlier!
Capetta spins a fantastical story full of adventure, space travel, and love, all wrapped in a blanket of inclusivity. There are gay, lesbian, ace, and straight characters; trans, cis, and nonbinary characters; and everyone is accepting. In fact, in this universe, differences in gender and sexuality are the norm, and the characters are well written to show that.
There are a few plot points I could pick at, but I'm not going to. Overall this is a fun adventure, lots of action, lots of jokes, and an all around good read.
lastcomment314's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
It was almost so good. I love me a good gay Arthurian fantasy, and this one had a cool twist with being set in space, and some nice found family vibes, but the overall delivery on this one held it back. Stylistically, it wasn't quite my cuppa tea. There were also certain scenes that seemed forced, and the focus on sex and bodily functions was a bit much for my tastes. To summarize discussion with group I read this with, we don't care about Merlin relieving himself in the crystal cave, we care about the quest to overthrow the unjust, tyrannical king company.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Genocide, Excrement, Colonisation, Violence, Cursing, Death, War, Classism, Blood, Grief, and Murder
Minor: Alcohol, Excrement, Fire/Fire injury, Death, Torture, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Grief, Death of parent, Racism, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, and Pregnancy
jane_kelsey's review against another edition
3.0
It was a fun ride, the characters sassy and sarcastic, the idea was interesting, but I didn't that emotional connection with the characters, that thing that makes me care.
joeyslibrary's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
whatsmacksaid's review
3.0
Two and a half stars. Partly because I just didn't enjoy the story very much, and partly because there were some very weird narrative decisions made by the authors. The first half or so felt like straight King Arthur fan fiction, and because I have only the vaguest knowledge of the King Arthur stories, I felt like I was missing out on a lot of what was happening below the surface. Secondly, the while the dual POV (Merlin and Ari) was generally well utilized, there were some parts where we, as the reader, missed out on some scenes and actions because the story kept us with one narrator over the other. Thirdly, the last act begins with a "One Year Later" gesture, which I absolutely hate reading about. It's lazy storytelling.
However: the diversity rep was great, and parts that I found wacky are very likely to be straight up fun for other readers. I also enjoyed how many genres were mashed together; that part was lots of fun.
However: the diversity rep was great, and parts that I found wacky are very likely to be straight up fun for other readers. I also enjoyed how many genres were mashed together; that part was lots of fun.
hellolasse's review against another edition
3.0
3,5 ✨✨✨✨
Men den fortjener en re-read en gang I fremtiden!
Jeg er sikker på den bliver bedre anden gang 😍💜
Men den fortjener en re-read en gang I fremtiden!
Jeg er sikker på den bliver bedre anden gang 😍💜
fell4's review against another edition
This is supposed to be good. But it's not. Makes less and less sense as you listen.
sunshine169's review against another edition
2.0
The premise drew me in. A retelling of King Arthur as a female? Absolutely sign me up!
The execution was a huge let down. There was no world-building or character development. There was plenty of representation which was fantastic but I got tired of reading about their urges and all the sex they wanted to have. Parts of the story felt rushed or came out of left field. I am still unsure of what the heck happened at the end it all blew past so fast.
It was truly anticlimactic.
The execution was a huge let down. There was no world-building or character development. There was plenty of representation which was fantastic but I got tired of reading about their urges and all the sex they wanted to have. Parts of the story felt rushed or came out of left field. I am still unsure of what the heck happened at the end it all blew past so fast.
It was truly anticlimactic.
amym84's review against another edition
3.0
3.5
Originally posted at Vampire Book Club
I’d bet on saying that the legend of King Arthur is pretty widely known. So then what happens when you make the legend a reincarnation story where Arthur is tasked with uniting all of mankind under one banner, but somehow failing each time.
Except this time, Arthur has been reincarnated into the body of Ari, a young woman in the future, who pulls Excalibur out of an aged oak tree on what is now called Old Earth, and needs to defeat the tyrannical Mercer Company who has a monopoly on pretty much the entire galaxy and forces people to follow their laws and their rules lest they will cut you planet off from the rest of civilization with a barrier. And helping each Arthur on each quest is Merlin who has been progressively aging backwards with this cycle (#42) finding himself a teenager with a penchant of singing a pop song before conjuring his magic?
(Takes imaginary breath).
Well, you’d have Amy Rose Capetta and Cori McCarthy’s Once & Future.
If you can’t tell, the premise is attention grabbing. With all the retellings out there, I don’t think I’ve ever come across a gender-swapped retelling of the Arthurian legend in space. So right away it piqued my interest.
Once & Future has a lot going for it. First and foremost, the diversity and representation is fantastic. Capetta and McCarthy take all the stigmas that are still prevalent today, in regards to gender and identity, and make them a thing of the past. It doesn’t feel like something being forced or check-marked into the story either. It feels honest and refreshing and what we can only hope the world will embrace more in the present.
I also enjoyed how the ties formed between the original Arthurian Legend is utilized as a stepping stone for Ari’s story, but how she continues to subvert everything that Merlin has come to expect in each cycle. Most obvious being that this time Arthur is female. It’s these places that make the story the strongest and works the best. And if I’m being honest I feel like that’s the way it should be because, clearly, this cycle is different, this cycle has the potential to see all the steps through to the very end—to the uniting of humankind—it needed to be different from what’s already been.
However, when the story follows too closely the path set forth in the original Legend—calling out the Arthur, Guinevere, and Lancelot love triangle—is when it fell into too much melodrama for me. Granted no one has ever said that Arthurian Legend isn’t made of drama, but the problem is that everything felt rushed. I didn’t get to feel the heartbreak because in the blink of an eye we go from an intense attraction, complete with promising backstory, between Gwen and Ari to marriage to heartbreak. Merlin and one of Ari’s knights, Val, find themselves in a similar state of attraction, but I found their relationship a much better slow burn.
This is true for the friendships as well. I loved the interactions between a thoroughly futuristically modern Ari and a centuries old, sometimes stodgy Merlin. Set in his ways and secure in his tasks, Ari throws him for a loop and brings him out of his shell a bit. Ari starts the story off as a fugitive refugee and with Merlin’s influence becomes the face of a revolution. I wanted to see more of the build up from tentative associates to genuine friends.
Overall, Once & Future is an ambitious retelling, auspicious in scope and execution. The adventure clearly isn’t over for Ari and her knights, and I’m interested to see what they bring to the table next.
Originally posted at Vampire Book Club
I’d bet on saying that the legend of King Arthur is pretty widely known. So then what happens when you make the legend a reincarnation story where Arthur is tasked with uniting all of mankind under one banner, but somehow failing each time.
Except this time, Arthur has been reincarnated into the body of Ari, a young woman in the future, who pulls Excalibur out of an aged oak tree on what is now called Old Earth, and needs to defeat the tyrannical Mercer Company who has a monopoly on pretty much the entire galaxy and forces people to follow their laws and their rules lest they will cut you planet off from the rest of civilization with a barrier. And helping each Arthur on each quest is Merlin who has been progressively aging backwards with this cycle (#42) finding himself a teenager with a penchant of singing a pop song before conjuring his magic?
(Takes imaginary breath).
Well, you’d have Amy Rose Capetta and Cori McCarthy’s Once & Future.
If you can’t tell, the premise is attention grabbing. With all the retellings out there, I don’t think I’ve ever come across a gender-swapped retelling of the Arthurian legend in space. So right away it piqued my interest.
Once & Future has a lot going for it. First and foremost, the diversity and representation is fantastic. Capetta and McCarthy take all the stigmas that are still prevalent today, in regards to gender and identity, and make them a thing of the past. It doesn’t feel like something being forced or check-marked into the story either. It feels honest and refreshing and what we can only hope the world will embrace more in the present.
I also enjoyed how the ties formed between the original Arthurian Legend is utilized as a stepping stone for Ari’s story, but how she continues to subvert everything that Merlin has come to expect in each cycle. Most obvious being that this time Arthur is female. It’s these places that make the story the strongest and works the best. And if I’m being honest I feel like that’s the way it should be because, clearly, this cycle is different, this cycle has the potential to see all the steps through to the very end—to the uniting of humankind—it needed to be different from what’s already been.
However, when the story follows too closely the path set forth in the original Legend—calling out the Arthur, Guinevere, and Lancelot love triangle—is when it fell into too much melodrama for me. Granted no one has ever said that Arthurian Legend isn’t made of drama, but the problem is that everything felt rushed. I didn’t get to feel the heartbreak because in the blink of an eye we go from an intense attraction, complete with promising backstory, between Gwen and Ari to marriage to heartbreak. Merlin and one of Ari’s knights, Val, find themselves in a similar state of attraction, but I found their relationship a much better slow burn.
This is true for the friendships as well. I loved the interactions between a thoroughly futuristically modern Ari and a centuries old, sometimes stodgy Merlin. Set in his ways and secure in his tasks, Ari throws him for a loop and brings him out of his shell a bit. Ari starts the story off as a fugitive refugee and with Merlin’s influence becomes the face of a revolution. I wanted to see more of the build up from tentative associates to genuine friends.
Overall, Once & Future is an ambitious retelling, auspicious in scope and execution. The adventure clearly isn’t over for Ari and her knights, and I’m interested to see what they bring to the table next.
glassworld's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5