I quite enjoy Lev Grossman's work. I discovered him through The Magicians show which I thought was solid, and while the books do have significant differences I liked the books as well.
So, I was pleasantly surprised when I read an interview with him last week and found out he was writing a King Arthur novel.
https://www.vulture.com/article/lev-grossman-magicians-bright-sword-interview.html
He mentioned The Once and Future King as inspiration which I absolutely adored growing up, so I knew I needed to pick this one up.
I've had a difficult year and am trying to get back into reading. I picked up a copy of The Bright Sword last night and could not put it down (about 1/2 of the way through this very, very long story). It is the perfect book for the dog days of summer, where the heat never seems to end and you just want to get lost in a book.
Our protagonist is a young aspiring knight who arrives in Camelot two weeks after Camelann. What remains of the Round Table is the rejects, the dregs. Most of these are knights I was not familiar with. If you're familiar with the Arthurian tales you will likely know Bedivere but that's really it, and Bedivere is reimagined a tad.
The book is split between a post-apocalyptic present, where the protagonist Collum and what remains of the Table struggle to hold the realm together, and flashbacks to the memories of these knights where we see the glory of Camelot. All of the familiar elements are there. We have the Sword in the Stone, Excalibur, Arthur's sisters Morgan and Morgause, the fairy realm, the Grail, and other various quests and adventures. We even see Tristram and Isolde through a perspective I had never considered. Grossman set out to stay true to the spirit of these stories while revisiting them with 21st century dramatic flair, and unless he absolutely botches the landing I think it's safe to say he succeeded.
Cannot recommend enough, please give this one a shot.
by ryseing