perhaps some of you already know it, but for all those who don't:
read The Mists of Avalon, by Marion Zimmer Bradley
it's by far the best book about King Arthur ever written.
tho it's told from the perspective of the women related to King Arthur.
it's also one of the only works who doesn't put good & evil in such a
simple black & white perspective. there's a movie version out with that chick from ER, but the book is a lot better, and longer.
i have the movie and love the movie! it's one of my favs, i didn't know there was a book, i'm gonna go find the book now!
shareI think the three Arthur books by Bernard Cornwell, The Warlord Chronicles (The Winter King, Enemy of God and Excalibur) are the best books of fiction based on the Arthurian Legends. Anyone interested in Arthurian Legend should check them out.
shareNothing wrong with Marion Zimmer Bradley – but the BEST book ever written about Arthur and Merlin and the Round Table is the Once and Furutre King trilogy by T.H. White. The first part – The Sword in the Stone– was the basis of a Disney movie, but don't let that detain you. The second and third part – The Ill-made Knight and The Candle in the Wind – sum up the Arthurian tragedy and the unfullfilled dream of the Round Table and are definitely requested reading for anyone interested in the subject.
Bo Lundin, Sweden
No, sorry, the best books about this legend is written by Stephen R. Lawhead and the titles are:
1 - Taliesin
2 - Merlin
3 - Arthur
4 - Pendragon
5 - Grail
Well, thats my opinion anyway =)
I haven't read any of those, but the Mists of Avalon, which I think was brilliant, and i was so glad Arthur wasn't portrayed as an old man!
share[deleted]
Sorry, Malory's La Morte Darthur will always be my favorite. I've worn through two real copies, and bought the audio version. Has to be my most re-read volume ever.
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Nobody seems to be mentioning the Mary Stewart "Merlin" books. I read these a long time ago, but I remember them being rather good. They are (if I remember):
The Crystal Cave
The Hollow Hills
The Last Enchantment
The Wicked Day
I read The Mists Of Avalon, but didn't enjoy it as much - I found the characters hard to sympathize with, and if I didn't care about them, how could I care about their story?
I'm with you! I enjoyed the Cornwell books, but Mary Stewart's are by the best in my view.
Festina lente!
Mary Stewart's "Merlin" books was my introduction to "serious" Arthuriana (as opposed to badly-researched/badly-written comic books and cartoons) so it always holds a special place in my heart. Any writer who can make Mordred not only likeable but heroic without rewriting the legend is a literary genius.
That said, TH White's Once and Future King, though, is my favorite and closest to what I feel is the heart of the myth and legend of Arthur and Camelot.
Bernard Cornwell's books are also worth mentioning.
I'm reading "The Singing Sword" from the pen of Jack Whyte. It's book 2 of "The Camulod Chronicles." It tells the Arthurian story from the perspective of an old Roman soldier turned blacksmith who forges Excalibur from the unknown metal of an ancient meteorite. So far this series is better than Mists, Merlin, Morte, or Once and Future King. IMHO :)
sharePersonally, I prefer Joan Wolf's The Road to Avalon.
shareUmm actually, the best book written on the Arthurian ledgends are "Le Morte D'Arthur" Followed by "The once and future king" by T.H White.
Worthy mentions also include the "Warlord Chonicles" by Bernard Cornwell.
But thanks for your opinion, even if it was terrible.
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