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4.07 AVERAGE
4.07 AVERAGE
adventurous
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A very slow start, but once it picks up (sadly almost 1/3 of the way along), it is a joy to read... as in you will get mad at interruptions.
The story of told from the point of view of Derfel. We find out that he is a former sworn fighter for Arthur who has become a reluctant monk. It begins in Derfel's childhood and this first book ends with the the Battle of Lugg Vale (importance of this shown, not told thankfully, in the book).
Some details that make this different than other Arthurian legend stories:
1) Mordred is Arthur's nephew and Arthur 'merely' holding a kingdom for him
2) Platonic love only between Morgan and Arthur; who are still brother and sister
3) greater description of tactics and realities of battle/alliance in the period (it IS Cornwell afterall)
4) descriptions of Lancelot
Overall, well written legend and I am looking forward to the second book of the trilogy
The story of told from the point of view of Derfel. We find out that he is a former sworn fighter for Arthur who has become a reluctant monk. It begins in Derfel's childhood and this first book ends with the the Battle of Lugg Vale (importance of this shown, not told thankfully, in the book).
Some details that make this different than other Arthurian legend stories:
1) Mordred is Arthur's nephew and Arthur 'merely' holding a kingdom for him
2) Platonic love only between Morgan and Arthur; who are still brother and sister
3) greater description of tactics and realities of battle/alliance in the period (it IS Cornwell afterall)
4) descriptions of Lancelot
Overall, well written legend and I am looking forward to the second book of the trilogy
This Arthurian tale was a bit slow to get going. Cornwell is a master at building the time period, but this time it was almost too much.
Once it got going though, the fresh take on the story was very good and built as you were drawn into the story of Derfel (the narrator), Arthur, Lancelot, and the rest.
After the middle, the book is hard to put down because you feel like you will miss some of the action. The book is written in the first person as a recollection. Even the breaks in the narration where it moves to the 'present' in the story become more compelling as you go.
Once it got going though, the fresh take on the story was very good and built as you were drawn into the story of Derfel (the narrator), Arthur, Lancelot, and the rest.
After the middle, the book is hard to put down because you feel like you will miss some of the action. The book is written in the first person as a recollection. Even the breaks in the narration where it moves to the 'present' in the story become more compelling as you go.
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
relaxing
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Quite the interesting take on the King Arthur mythology. The story is from the point of view of one of Arthur's men, Derfel, who rises from being a Saxon slave to a warrior of Briton. Cornwall does an excellent job of trying to stay historically accurate - difficult to do as it was the Dark Ages...and as Cornwall said, (paraphrasing) "to keep it totally historically accurate, all the good bits like Camelot, Lancelot, and Guinevere would be cut out of the tale." Speaking of those two, Cornwall depicts them as supremely egotistical, self centered, brutish...totally nasty pieces of work. I had never seen that before, and I LOVED it! Looking forward to to the next two books in this trilogy.
adventurous
dark
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated