Customer Reviews

Arthur: Book Three of the Pendragon Cycle

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a powerful story on several levels, and has earned its place on my shelf. Personally I've enjoyed Lawhead's ability to write from several points of view, though I guess that's basically a matter of taste. Also, he presents an Arthur we can both admire and empathize with. And it's easy to cherish this glimpse of a world where love and integrity are such active forces.

I'd just like to point out that Arthur could not have incestuous sex with his sister: he had no sister! Morgian was the step-sister of Charis, she was the youngest child of the King of Atlantis! I also agree with the reviewer who pointed out that this is set, not in the middle ages, but in the 6th century. At this point, Arthur had no established capital. No Camelot, no established court, no court intrigue, and Gwenhwyvar's protector may or may not have been Lancelot Du Lac, who was a knight of France, not Ireland. Lawhead brings in a great historical perspective with the true setting and the Gaelic names. I love how he, in the series, connects legends from all over the classical world. He perfectly fuses the Mediterranean stories of Atlantis with the Gaelic and Celtic myths about Taliesin, the Greatest bard who ever lived... the characterization is wonderful. Merlin really comes alive, because he's not just an old wizard in a pointy hat, he's a man who was born from a union of two great cultures. You see him live and love, you see him suffer. He's a real person, as are all the characters. Morgian is evil, but she is beautiful, and seductive. She's a mother. Arthur isn't the perfect king. He's not the perfect man. He struggles. He loses. This story is anything but flat!

This is a tremendous, well-written, well researched book. It is however following a different path than was presented in the classic Morte de Arthur and The Once and Future King (a storyline visually portrayed in Excalibur). There is no incest, no tale of forbidden love between a queen and the best knight. Rather, in avoiding the tales of court intrigue which were so prevalent in the middle ages, Lawhead seeks to tell a story which reveals a more accurate look at life in the 6th century. We see characters as they were in that era, rather than the height of the feudal period. These are Celts, not Normans. This is the story of the later Celts attempting to fight off the invasions of the Saxons and others who sought to topple the peace that Arthur was able to bring by uniting warrring tribes. There is certainly the mystical events and a well crafted spirituality which certainly would have reflected 6th century Wales and England. This book seeks to tell the story of Arthur in his historical context, while still maintaining the fantasy aspects which have made the story so popular. A very nice book, and a welcome relief to the social intrigue that characterizes other tales of Arthur.

I, personally, liked this story. It was more of a battle book than the other two, but the battles are so exciting and fresh the reader cannot help but wonder how Arthur will defeat the new adversary. Lawhead presents some ingenious battle tactics; perhaps the marines should read this. *j/k* I gave it four stars because of the loose ends that are left unresolved. Pelleas remains unfound, and we never find out what happens to Lile. She was very intriguing. The reader is left always wondering where she dissapeared to. The end is unsettling, and the reader is left reeling. That can be good or bad, depending upon different tastes. I liked it.

Amidst all the turmoil, there is one especially touching scene. That is when Cai and Arthur climb the mountain, and Cai comes back down and reveals that Arthur carried him to the top. Superb!

With "Arthur", the third title in his acclaimed "Pendragon Cycle", Lawhead finally progress beyond the stage-setting scenes of the first two titles. Not surprisingly, the spotlight in this novel is Arthur, as Lawhead chronicles his progression from a fatherless and unknown teenager, to the Duke of Britain, to the High King of Britain, and finally to the Emperor of the West.

Unlike the preceding titles, "Arthur" features countless battles, and plunges the reader from glorious victories to devastating defeats. But the primary note is one of victory, as Arthur overcomes the hostile forces both from within and outside of Britain to establish a magnificent Summer Kingdom. "Arthur" is especially characterized by exciting medieval warfare, complete with clever and ingenious military strategy (sieges, ambushes), military tactics of infantry and cavalry, naval jousting, and plain man-to-man combat. The sheer intensity of the action layered with political intrigue and suspense alone makes this a gripping read.

But this is so much more than a novel about military conquests. Arthur's leadership and kingdom have definite overtones of the remarkable Israelite victories under Moses, Joshua and Gideon. With the battle cry "For God and Britain", Arthur and his brave warriors fight valiantly, but constantly ascribe victory to God alone. "If the High King of Heaven fights for us, who can prevail against us?" (p.294)

But not only is the conflict helped by God, it is also for God. Lawhead identifies Arthur's kingdom with the cause of Christ, and portrays his battles against the barbarians as a conflict between Arthur and the True God and "the barbarians and their loathly idols." (p.265) His battles are God's battles, and battles for God's kingdom. Arthur's glorious kingdom strongly resembles the legendary kingdom of justice and peace of king Solomon. It is clearly a symbol of the kingdom of Christ, the glorious Kingdom of Summer, described by prophecy as follows: "...a land where kings extend their hands in justice rather than reach for the sword; where mercy, kindness, and compassion flow like deep water over the land, and men revere virtue, revere truth, revere beauty, above comfort, pleasure, or selfish gain. A land where peace reigns in the hearts of men; where faith blazes like a beacon from every hill and love like a fire from every hearth; where the True God is worshiped and his ways acclaimed by all." (p.136) As High King of Britain, Arthur serves as steward of the justice of the High King of Heaven (p.383). Just like the days of Solomon, men flock from far and wide to learn from Arthur's justice, and marvel at his prosperity and peace.

Because Arthur's kingdom is a symbol of the Christ's great Kingdom of Light, it is set over against the Kingdom of Darkness. Arthur's true foes are not just physical warriors armed with spears and battle axes. He must wage war especially against a spiritual foe armed with the powers of darkness: the evil sorcery of Morgian.

But Arthur's desire to bring peace to the ends of the earth ultimately proves to be his downfall. The book ends with an ambiguity that leaves your heart burning for the kingdom of light and sorrowing over the waves of darkness that assault it. Is the conclusion intended to be an indictment of modern Britain for abandoning the principles of the Kingdom of Summer? At any rate, it will not leave you unmoved.

Does the book have weaknesses? Although it is clearly symbolic, one might question the wisdom of marrying church and state too closely, not unlike the excesses of emperor Constantine. And Lawhead's understanding of the extent to which God controls evil is questionable (p.369). Further, this book (along with others in the series) would benefit immensely from a more detailed map, as well as a extensive glossary of terms, people and places. Readers should also be forewarned that even though "Arthur" is only volume 3 in a series of 5, the last part of "Arthur" concludes the life-story of Arthur. If you want to get the most enjoyment out of the two following volumes (Vol. 4 "Pendragon" & Vol. 5 "Grail"), you would be well-advised to read them in their correct chronological place, namely before the third part of "Arthur". The ending of "Arthur" is best read at the very end of the series. The ending is somewhat sudden and surprising, but on the other hand the dash of tragedy injected in the concluding pages makes the novel all the more convincing and makes our passion for the Kingdom of Summer burn all the brighter. A more fitting ending to the life of Arthur is hardly conceivable.

But such weaknesses will be quickly buried under the novel's countless strengths. There is so much to say about this novel - the gripping plot, the marvellous descriptive language, the evocative mood where even the landscape contributes to the atmosphere in a manner strongly reminiscent of Tolkien (a high compliment indeed!), the religious imagery. Typical of Lawhead, you will find yourself partaking in genuine glory and in genuine grief. Lawhead has an uncanny ability to stir emotions and passions. The passion that Lawhead ignites for a king and a kingdom ultimately proves itself to be a passion for God and His kingdom. And that is a significant achievement indeed.

This book takes a different approach to the legend of King Arthur. Most notable is the absence of Lancelot. Saying this however, the book is still an interesting and enjoyable read. Lawhead weaves some of the legend into his tale of Arthur, with the sword in the stone as well as the Round Table. I particularly enjoyed the way he divided the book into three parts, each narrated by a different individual. In this way, the different stages of Arthur's life are better portrayed. The main reason that I didn't give this book 5 stars is the fact that this is more a work of fantasy than an attempt to place the Arthurian legend in British history. This is just my opinion, however and should not prevent anyone interested in Arthur from picking up this book. Most enjoyable!

The third book of the Pendragon Cycle is almost as good as the first two, which is saying alot. I felt that parts of the plot were a little weaker than in the first two books, but it was still far better than many other accounts of the Arthur legends that I have read. If there was a 4 and a half star rating, I would have used it for this book. Good conclusion to the cycle, while everything doesn't fall neatly in place, it ends realistically and believably, and doesn't cheapen or disgrace the first two books, as many third books in trilogies do.

I was somewhat disappointed in this book. It presents a very watered-down version of the King Arthur legend. I am no medieval scholar, and it is possible that it is historically accurate and well-researched; this is not my gripe. It's just that so many of the elements of the story are missing, like the love between Guinevere (Gwenhwyvar in this book) and Lancelot (Llenlleawg). The prophecy about Arthur meeting his death at the hands of his son is mentioned once, but he never has a son - Lawhead does not incorporate Arthur's inadvertent incest with his sister into his story, hence there is no product of the union. It seemed to me that the search for the Grail was added almost as an afterthought, with a few foreshadowed lines thrown in here and there in Merlin, the book before this one.

Mostly, this book was about a seemingly endless series of battles, where all sorts of miracles happen like Arthur's army of 900 men defeating a barbarian army of 10,000 without a single casualty. Aside from the major players Arthur, Merlin, Charis, and the evil Morgian, none of the characters were very well-developed. They spoke the same, reacted the same, and had very few distinguishing characteristics. The women were all impossibly beautiful but (aside from Charis) never had much to say. The device of having the three sections of the book told from three different viewpoints didn't do much for me; I think I would have enjoyed the book more if it had just been written in the third person.

One redeeming quality of Lawhead's writing is his descriptive ability. Every once in a while he describes a landscape so clearly that I could see it in my mind's eye.

If you are looking for a quasi-historical account of the battles that King Arthur fought, the politics of the Roman empire at the time, and the rise of Christianity in Britain, then this book may be for you. If you are looking for a retelling of the legend in all of its magic and with all of its darkness, go read Marion Zimmer Bradley's "The Mists of Avalon" instead.

Stephen Lawhead returns again with mystical storytelling, historical references and. . . preaching (d'oh). It is a good book, and his prose is very well developed. I would say it is one of my favorite books, except for it's religious preachiness (is that a real word?).

This book is an amazing end to a wonderfully woven tale. Lawhead takes the debates of current Arthurian scholarship, does his own digging, has produced a masterful story that creates a hint of realism in an otherwise fantastic late medieval tale.

The heavy Christian influence is indeed important, as Christianity not only was the excepted religion of Roman Britain at the time, but also the state religion of Rome (the great bishop Germanus was sent to Britain around 400 AD to battle the Pelagian heresy). This is refreshing compared to Malory and those who have attempted to re-tell the story in a 'magical' way.

Lawhead's Arthur seems to be more of the heroic Christian Warrior-King that Geoffrey of Monmouth describes than the tragic king of Malory and Chretien de Troyes.

The end is just that: the end. Pendragon is a mixture of tales that piece together Lawhead's story in Arthur. Its that simple.