Arthur the King: A Romance

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Orion, Dec 8, 2011 - Fiction - 304 pages
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A thrilling and highly original retelling of the Arthurian legend with a twist!

It is the aftermath of the Roman occupation of Britain. Kings are now jockeying for position, for title, for land and for power. A young boy confounds the most famous knights of the realm when he pulls a jewelled sword from a cleft in a stone and claims the throne left vacant by the death of Uther Pendragon.

In this new vision of the Arthurian story, Camelot is set on the River Tweed and Merlin who disapproves of his knights' yearning for battle and their quest for the Holy Grail. With great humour and energy, Massie has created a bold and original new tale from the stuff of legend.

From inside the book

 

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The boy smiled. 'Inthecastle kitchen whereIwork, they call me bymanynames, sometimes “Brat” or “Wat”or “Wart”,butI wasbaptised “Arthur”.' 'Thenlong live King Arthur,' cried the priest, 'Arthur, King by the Grace of God.
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But Arthur smiled anddid not move, looking calmlyon the enraged King of Orkney, who, furious at this defiance (as hethought it)himself stepped forward and struck Arthur with his mailed fist, so thatthe boy fellto the ground and lay ...
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... with some relish for hewas, men say, one of those who delight in the infliction of pain.If,however, he expectedthe boyto display terror at the thought of his imminent death, hewasdisappointed; Merlin smiled, grimlywe maysuppose, ...
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But Lycas suffered, thoughhe smiled inpublic. They crossed over into Gaul andfoughtmany battlesagainst barbarians, and were victorious in all. Yet with eachbattletheir strength was diminished, though their ardour grew.
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He heard the word and a weary smile like the sun breaking momentarily ina sky of thundery clouds acknowledged theirintention and spoke of its hopelessness. Then he spoke, with difficulty for he was short of breath andvery weak.

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ARTHUR THE KING

User Review  - Kirkus

Historical novelist Massie unrolls the familiar knightly yarns with some fresh, unusual twists.Offering a vaguely postmodern take not merely on Arthur himself but on the whole of British history, the ... Read full review

Other editions - View all

Arthur the King
Allan Massie
No preview available - 2003
Arthur the King: A Romance
Allan Massie
No preview available - 2011

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About the author (2011)

Allan Massie is the author of seventeen highly praised novels, as well as non-fiction works on Muriel Spark, a study of twelve emperors of ancient Rome, a history of crime in 19th-century Edinburgh and the acclaimed Glasgow: Portraits of a City. Born in Singapore in 1938, he was brought up in Aberdeenshire and educated at Glenalmond School and Trinity College, Cambridge, where he read history. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and has been a judge of the Booker Prize. He is also a journalist contributing to the Scottish and English press. He is married, has three children and lives in the Scottish Borders.

Bibliographic information

QR code for Arthur the King
TitleArthur the King: A Romance
Volume 2 of Dark Ages
AuthorAllan Massie
PublisherOrion, 2011
ISBN178022270X, 9781780222707
Length304 pages
Subjects ›  › 

Fiction / Fairy Tales, Folk Tales, Legends & Mythology
Fiction / General
Fiction / Historical / General
  
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