In the
introduction to King Arthur and His Knights, Green states that although he used Sir Thomas Malory’s “Le Morte D’Arthur”
as the basis for his retellings, he also includes stories from half a dozen
other sources. I was disappointed that Green told the stories quite simply without
any beautiful language, but discovered that the legends themselves are so
compelling that they don’t need much embellishment. I thoroughly enjoyed the
book once I adjusted my expectations in that regard. As I read, I was reminded
of other favorite stories. The lion that meets Sir Percivale had Aslan-like
characteristics and the Enchanted Ship and the Quest reminded me of Lord of the
Rings. At times I felt I was immersed in a sad and beautiful fairy tale. The Christian
symbolism throughout was also fascinating.
Green does
his best to weave the separate stories into a single timeline, but don't expect the same cohesiveness as a novel. The first group of stories introduce
Arthur and the evil Morgana le Fay. Book Two is about the noble
knights of the Round Table. Book Three focuses on the quest for the Holy Grail,
and Book Four is about the final days of King Arthur’s reign.
My nephew named
his new daughter Columba (after a woman in the Arthurian legends) and I wanted
to know more about her. Sadly, she appears in only one sentence in this book,
but I am delighted that my curiosity led me to take the plunge into these fabulous
tales. It is easy to see why they have captured the imagination of fans for centuries.
P.S. When I finished this, I immediately devoured Sir James Knowles' version which was a bit longer and in King James English (which seemed more fitting). I loved both versions.
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