The King Arthur Trilogy

I first read Sutcliff's trilogy in the early 1990s. I had read several versions of the Arthur legend, the best of which are the original Thomas Malory Le Morte d'Arthur, and T. H. White's Once and Future King, which is based on Malory, much more than is at first apparent to the casual reader.Sutcliff borrows from Tennyson's Idylls of the King in a trilogy of poetic prose narratives spanning Arthur's life. She also tells the stories of several of his knights. I used to read the story of Tristan and Isolde aloud to seniors after the class had read White. Even though the book is written for 'young adults' (translate 13 year olds) high school seniors love it for its excellent narrative and lovely portraiture of the characters. Sutcliff tells the story of Camlann, for example, as well as anyone could.The book is readable and engaging for any age. I have given it as a gift to many young people, both before and after they have read White. It is hard to find now, but well worth the search.

I first read this series when I was in the 5th grade. To date, this is still my favorite version of the Arthurian legend. Sutcliff does an amazing job with her description of fight and battle scenes and gives the reader a very intimate and candid look into the lives of not only King Arthur but his round table knights. A highly recommended read for any reader of all ages with stories that will inspire anyone to become a knight. This book laid the foundation for the man I wanted to be and the man that I've become. I am far from nobility by blood but I am noble by heart because of the code of ethics carried out by the loyalty and character of the men who served King Arthur and fought for him to the very end. Give this book a chance and I promise that you will NOT be disappointed.

A large part of the book is a straight retelling of Arthur's legend based on medieval texts. I can understand the writer's dilemma, should I stick to the original or create a work of fiction?A large section of the book respectfully follows the medieval source with all its anachronisms. I.e. the "dark ages" Arthur and his knights appear to spend their lives in full armour, and joust literally at the turn of every wood. In other words, most strories project idealised 14th century knights into 9th century Britain, which apparently was full of "Damozelles" ordering the knights to perform dangerous and improbable feats, often involving wizzardry, enchantment and the odd dragon.At long last, the final part of the book departs from this, the author no longer bows to the illustrious elders and produces a moving story, somewhat freed from the straightjacket of endless jousting and "breaking lances", "wheeling horses" etc. Arthur gets more fleshed out, and so does Lancelot, with more than a hint to the Janus myth.The story of Tristan has also clearly been reworked for the best.All in all, this is an interesting book that will bring you both the probably complete set of original Arthurian stories in a more accessible format, and two brilliant stories.

for my own personal reading pleasure

Sutcliff's trilogy is the earliest version of King Arthur that I can remember reading myself. I'm not sure which versions my dad would read to me when I was a toddler, but it wasn't these. Both, though, are the more romanticized version of Arthur; more in keeping with Le Morte de Arthur. I have grown to love the more historical Arthur tales, but these are still well written and wonderful. I'm not sure which age group Sutcliff was aiming for when she wrote these, but I read them in elementary school, but was just as enchanted reading them now to a surprise baby in my mid-40s.

This is my second book by Rosemary Sutcliff. I found this book to be informative and easy to understand unlike other King Arthur sagas I've read.

Read this and loved it as a child, now purchased for my grandson. He was delighted. Beautiful classic re telling of the story of King Arthur. When he's older, I'll buy him Sword at Sunset, which still remains one of my all-time favorite books.

Good, but a tough read. There have to be more knights in this book than in all of England. Like Abbott and Costello, "Who's on First, What's on Second and I Dunno's on Third."

I would hazard a guess that most people coming to a book of this nature are looking for a read that gives them a sense of the Arthurian legends that they ‘know’ but have never really delved into. It’s arguable that almost everybody’s personal imagery of the legends are also those of the medieval writers, Thomas Malory in particular. Knights in Shining armour, damosels in distress, fairy folk and magic. That is exactly what you get here. Almost all of the major characters and happenings are included; Gawain, Guinevere, Merlin, Morgan, Lancelot and Ladies from the Lake. There’s a sword in the stone, a round table and a quest for the Grail. Magic and Christianity sit incongruously but happily side by side.Sutcliffe, like the children’s author Roger Lancelyn Green before her, follows Malory for the most part, and like Green, adds parts of the legend that Malory does not retell, such as Merlin’s beginnings and most notably Gawain’s adventure with the Green Knight. Unlike Green though I don’t get a sense, however the book is marketed, that this is particularly aimed at the younger reader. There are occasions where the younger reader may be in mind but the prose is good enough for any adult to enjoy and she does not shy away from more adult details.The book is a collection of tales and like all tales they are fairly succinct and to the point. This is not a novel but to Sutcliffe’s huge credit she does add colour to the stories and flesh them out, giving them a tangibility and atmosphere. Also to her credit she doesn’t try to make these sometimes strange stories (especially the Grail Quest) more sensible to the modern reader. She forces you to give in to the mystical strangeness of it all.There are many versions of the Arthurian legends out there today and authors in recent years have tried to reclaim Arthur’s Celtic beginnings or offer a version of the ‘real’ Arthur. These are novels that provide a more personal vision. Novels that, as good as they may be, are not always recognisably Arthurian in the traditional sense. Also, many people who are curious to read the legends of Arthur and his knights do not want to go back to the medieval sources and wade through Middle-English prose, practically learning a new language as they go. Hence, why this book couldn’t be more highly recommended: it gives us the exploits but in a language we can understand or at least don’t have to learn to appreciate. If you want to get lost amongst the mists and forests of Britain’s greatest legend I honestly don’t think there’s a better choice out there.p.s. Another recommendation would be Lindsay Clarke’s ‘The Stone From Heaven’. A modern trimming and retelling of the great German Arthurian legend ‘Parzival’.

Good book worth reading

Love it

論文のために購入いたしました。サトクリフのアーサー王物語が1冊にまとまっているので大変役立っております。

Die Autorin erzählt hier die Artus-Sage in drei ursprünglich separat erschienen Teilen nach. Die Sprache ist recht einfach und somit sowohl für Jugendliche wie auch Erwachsene leicht verständlich. Bei der Handlung bzw. den nur lose verbundenen Abenteuern der Tafelritter stützt sie sich auf unterschiedliche Quellen und Interpretationen, die sie neu aufbereitet und zu einem spannenden Ganzen zusammenfügt.Interessant für alle, die sich für die Artus-Sage interessieren, aber es nicht zu wissenschaftlich angehen wollen.