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mdpenguin's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This isn't something I'd normally have chosen to read, but it turned out to be good. The conceit of it being bast on a lost work of Mallory seems a bit silly to me, but the story itself is a pretty rich Arthurian tale. It does have a number of common misconceptions of the period (e.g. using torches indoors) and anachronisms (e.g. Norman architecture centuries before William the Conqueror invaded, Picts way too far south for the period), but it's pretty easy to ignore these. It does do a decent job of displaying the basics of the feudal system in which Arthur and his knights would have been operating and it doesn't really hide the fact that the laws and customs around medieval chivalry weren't exactly on the most morally sound footing, though it still manages to express the good intent behind it. Overall, it was a fun read and I'd probably read the sequels of someone gave them to me or they were included in a bundle.
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