Thursday, March 15, 2012
The Mists of Avalon
by Marion Zimmer Bradley
This is a very well written retelling of the King Arthur legends, focusing on the women of Camelot, specifically Morgan le Fay. That said, I was a bit put off by the pagan, or rather anti-Christian, tone of the book. If Ms. Bradley's portrayal of the Christianity of the time is accurate, all I can say is that I'm sure glad Martin Luther came along and made it fun again. I also often felt like I was reading a Mary Sue story. Morgan le Fay, or Morgaine, as she's called in the book, learns the druidic lore of Avalon, lends her magic to the power of Excalibur, and attracts the affections of Arthur and Lancelot. (though not to the extent of that simpering ninny Guinevere.) Then again, who's to say that every retelling isn't a bit of a Mary Sue tale? The old, lasting stories are often retold and infused with the passions and beliefs of the raconteur, claiming the tale for another generation. All in all, like I said, the book is well written. I enjoyed the drama and the truly three-dimensional characters. I'll probably hang on to the book, keeping it close to my beloved copies of White's and Malory's Sir Mary Sue tales.
Check it out.
LibraryThing link
This is a very well written retelling of the King Arthur legends, focusing on the women of Camelot, specifically Morgan le Fay. That said, I was a bit put off by the pagan, or rather anti-Christian, tone of the book. If Ms. Bradley's portrayal of the Christianity of the time is accurate, all I can say is that I'm sure glad Martin Luther came along and made it fun again. I also often felt like I was reading a Mary Sue story. Morgan le Fay, or Morgaine, as she's called in the book, learns the druidic lore of Avalon, lends her magic to the power of Excalibur, and attracts the affections of Arthur and Lancelot. (though not to the extent of that simpering ninny Guinevere.) Then again, who's to say that every retelling isn't a bit of a Mary Sue tale? The old, lasting stories are often retold and infused with the passions and beliefs of the raconteur, claiming the tale for another generation. All in all, like I said, the book is well written. I enjoyed the drama and the truly three-dimensional characters. I'll probably hang on to the book, keeping it close to my beloved copies of White's and Malory's Sir Mary Sue tales.
Check it out.
LibraryThing link
Labels: ArthurianTales, CheckItOut
// posted by John @ 5:42 PM 
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