Reviews

The Bright Sword by Lev Grossman

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scarletranger's review against another edition

My DNF has very little to do with the actual writing of the book. Grossman does a fantastic job of building characters through scenes, and he has a beautifully Arthurian writing style that adds to this epic's tone.

However, this is a very slow read. At well over 600 pages, this tome eventually became a story I slogged through. Scenes would drag on for too long, or would be included with no clear reason why. I tried to continue reading, but there were several points throughout the first 400 pages that felt like a strong ending; as the adventure continued, it felt like the story began to wander. Not to mention, with so many pages, the female characters got very little character development beyond adulteress or pretty object with power.

I do believe fans of the original Arthurian lore will enjoy this, and people who enjoy highly detailed play-by-play fight scenes. I personally just prefer a crisp story where every scene has obvious importance, whether that be for the plot or for the characters.

thatweirdbookgirlie's review

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adventurous funny slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

To start, this genre is not always my cup of tea. I tend to shift away from historical fiction because it tends to be boring. This was not. While I do believe it was too long (at least for my taste) it read well and had so many exciting bits. The fact that King Arthur and the story surrounding him is made up to begin with gave Grossman the opportunity to put a unique and fresh spin on the tale.
But it does drag on. I wish it was at least 100 pages less, and I feel as if that could have been done. Again, fully aware this may be a personal preference so take my review with a grain of salt.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin for the galley in exchange for my honest feedback.

firststreetbethreads's review against another edition

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adventurous slow-paced

4.0

megbodz's review against another edition

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adventurous tense slow-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

4.0

erins_next_chapter's review against another edition

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adventurous funny reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Great Arthurian legend. A bit slow in parts, but worth the minor occasional pause to get back into the fun bits.

meganpbell's review against another edition

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adventurous hopeful mysterious reflective slow-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

4.5

This epic, ambitious, yet tenderly human Arthurian retelling begins with an aspiring knight who arrives at Camelot only to find the legendary King dead, Merlin buried alive by his protégée, and a mere handful of Round Table heroes hanging on—and they need to save a Britain torn between fated past and changing future, old gods and new. I loved the rich and inclusive exploration of religion, self-acceptance, and found family across the diverse cast of characters.

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