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mokey81's review
3.0
So, this was my second time reading this book and the series. I originally read them in high school and felt they handled the Arthurian legend really well. But this second time, I find myself struggling to remember why I thought these were so great.
I was frustrated that we never see the summer realm happen. I mean, it didn't even get out of war. And in most legends, Arthur struggles with the wound for awhile, whereas this was a couple days.
I don't know. I was just disappointed. I don't remember why I liked these books so much in my youth. They were dissatisfying this time.
I was frustrated that we never see the summer realm happen. I mean, it didn't even get out of war. And in most legends, Arthur struggles with the wound for awhile, whereas this was a couple days.
I don't know. I was just disappointed. I don't remember why I liked these books so much in my youth. They were dissatisfying this time.
_elisebeth's review against another edition
4.0
Then, upon waking one morning, it came into my mind that Morgian, Queen of Air and Darkness, was fear driven. It is so simple! Why did she act now after all these years? Because something drove her to act – and the something was fear. Morgian was afraid.
I'm so glad I got around to re-reading this book! It's such a brilliant book about the Arthurian legend! It shows Arthur becoming a great and strong king to rule over Britain but also focus' on the other people that helped get him there, with a huge focus on the Merlin/Arthur friendship.
I think my favourite parts will always be the parts between Merlin and Morgian the way you can feel their old friendship still lingering just below the surface but it can never be the same way ever again because too much has happened.
The one thing I don't really enjoy about Lawhead's writing is the way he drags on the battles and camping scenes, I understand their relevance but a lot of the time the small battles that mean nothing go on for pages and then aren't at all related to the task at hand and that bothers me a fair bit about his writing and seems to be a common element.
I do love how descriptive he is with scenery and characters and how extremely evolved his characters are, they feel so real and are very relatedable which is sometimes hard to find with Arthurian literature.
I'm so glad I got around to re-reading this book! It's such a brilliant book about the Arthurian legend! It shows Arthur becoming a great and strong king to rule over Britain but also focus' on the other people that helped get him there, with a huge focus on the Merlin/Arthur friendship.
I think my favourite parts will always be the parts between Merlin and Morgian the way you can feel their old friendship still lingering just below the surface but it can never be the same way ever again because too much has happened.
The one thing I don't really enjoy about Lawhead's writing is the way he drags on the battles and camping scenes, I understand their relevance but a lot of the time the small battles that mean nothing go on for pages and then aren't at all related to the task at hand and that bothers me a fair bit about his writing and seems to be a common element.
I do love how descriptive he is with scenery and characters and how extremely evolved his characters are, they feel so real and are very relatedable which is sometimes hard to find with Arthurian literature.
matgala's review
3.0
Després dels dos primers llibres, que em van semblar molt bons, aquest m'ha decebut una mica.
M'ha agradat com l'Artur aconseguia guanyar batalles que semblaven impossibles gràcies a l'enginy. I com aconseguia que tothom fes el que ell volia... però se m'ha fet pesat. M'ha costat molt acabar-lo, perquè no em tenia enganxada com altres vegades.
I llavors, el final. De veritat? Un cop llegit el final, m'he quedat amb la sensació de: molt bé, i ara de què coi parlaran els altres llibres? Per mi, aquest final ja seria un bon final per la sèrie. La seguiré llegint, però... tindré la sensació que la resta de llibres estan posats per omplir, per vendre més llibres. Tant de bo que m'equivoqui...
M'ha agradat com l'Artur aconseguia guanyar batalles que semblaven impossibles gràcies a l'enginy. I com aconseguia que tothom fes el que ell volia... però se m'ha fet pesat. M'ha costat molt acabar-lo, perquè no em tenia enganxada com altres vegades.
I llavors, el final. De veritat? Un cop llegit el final, m'he quedat amb la sensació de: molt bé, i ara de què coi parlaran els altres llibres? Per mi, aquest final ja seria un bon final per la sèrie. La seguiré llegint, però... tindré la sensació que la resta de llibres estan posats per omplir, per vendre més llibres. Tant de bo que m'equivoqui...
becksri29's review
2.0
I'm giving this 2 stars because the first section was OK. I really wanted to like this book, since the series was recommended by a friend (although she did warn me it got slow in the middle). I really liked Taliesin, and Merlin was interesting, too, but this one just got so boring! Most of the book was battle scenes, which I guess makes sense because it's the part of the Pendragon Cycle when Arthur earns his right to the high kingship by ridding Britain of its enemies. However, it could have been cut waaaaay back with some liberal editing of repetitious and redundant sections, and beefed up a bit with some strategy and dramatic conflict. In all of the battles, the Good Guys rode into the Bad Guys and then won, with very few hardships. Even with all the battling, it seemed like nothing ever happened. I'm going to continue on with the series anyway, because the friend who recommended it told me the best is at the end. Even so, I may need a couple months' break before attempting Pendragon, especially knowing the "best" is still a few books away.
sednadragon35's review
4.0
Very well written and I cannot believe that it has not a popular adaptation! My favourite character is still Merlin.
etienne02's review against another edition
5.0
Très bon livres, meilleur que le tome deux, qui avait un rythme un peu lent. Pour celui-ci, un rythme un peu plus rapides, beaucoup d'actions et l'histoire d'Arthur et de la table ronde commence à prendre forme à mesure où l'on avance dans l'histoire. Les personnages des livres précédents poursuivent lors évolutions et de nouveaux personnages bien créés font leur apparition. L.histoire est solide et j'aime bien que le livre soit séparé en trois parties, chacune racontée par un personnage différent. Cela brise un peu la monotonie, apporte une touche et un point de vue différent. Bref, même s'il en demeure un livre au rythme relativement lent, j'a bien aimé lire cette version d'une si grande et merveilleuse légende.
krisfj's review against another edition
4.0
Part of the long long Pendragon cycle, but if you want an Arthurian legend that'll keep you interested on every page, you've found it.
expendablemudge's review against another edition
2.0
Rating: 2* of five
The Publisher Says: In a forgotten age of darkness a magnificent king arose to light the world.
They called him unfit to rule—a lowborn, callow boy, Uther's bastard. But his coming had been foretold in the songs of the bard Taliesin. He had learned the uses of power from his guide and protector, Merlin. He was Arthur, Pendragon of the Island of the Mighty—who would rise to legendary greatness in a Britain torn by violence, greed and war; the Lord of Summer who would usher in a glorious reign of peace and prosperity . . . and whose noble, trusting heart would be broken by treachery.
My Review: Battle, battle, battle; foreshadowed Religious Event; battle, battle; Merlin and Morgian (variant spelling in the source document, even though I hated it I'm using it) sparring; oh hell, nothing much new.
BORING!
B...O...R...I...N...G!!!
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
The Publisher Says: In a forgotten age of darkness a magnificent king arose to light the world.
They called him unfit to rule—a lowborn, callow boy, Uther's bastard. But his coming had been foretold in the songs of the bard Taliesin. He had learned the uses of power from his guide and protector, Merlin. He was Arthur, Pendragon of the Island of the Mighty—who would rise to legendary greatness in a Britain torn by violence, greed and war; the Lord of Summer who would usher in a glorious reign of peace and prosperity . . . and whose noble, trusting heart would be broken by treachery.
My Review: Battle, battle, battle; foreshadowed Religious Event; battle, battle; Merlin and Morgian (variant spelling in the source document, even though I hated it I'm using it) sparring; oh hell, nothing much new.
BORING!
B...O...R...I...N...G!!!
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
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