Here Lies Arthur by Philip Reeve

Here Lies Arthur tells the story of Gwyna, a young girl cast out of her home when King Arthur's raiding party destroys her village. When she swims to safety, she's noticed by Myrddin, who enlists her to deliver the sword Caliburn to Arthur as the Lady of the Lake. Then Myrddin takes her in, but disguises her as a boy to allay suspicion.

The narrative follows the bare bones of Arthurian Legend, stripped of magic but with trickery and storytelling aplenty. Gwyna/Gwyn (her male self) is thick in the midst of the story, giving a new perspective to the characters and shedding light on the fact that the Arthur of Myrddin's stories is a far cry from the actual Arthur.

I had trouble getting into this, although it's a fairly quick read, aimed at middle schoolers. It was hard to find a sympathetic character; nobody fell into a particularly flattering light in this version of the story. However, that's also part of what made it interesting. The best thing about this book is the way it explores the birth and growth of myths and legends, and how sometimes you just can't let the truth get in the way of a good story.

Overall I enjoyed this, but it was far from my favorite reimagining of the Arthurian mythos. I'm not sure how I feel about it as an introductory story for this legend; it's rather depressing although the ending is not a total downer. It's worth checking out if you want a unique perspective on the stories.

Philip Reeve's website is here.

Merlin's Harp by Ann Eliot Crompton

I read Merlin's Harp a few months ago and set it aside with a vague sense of disappointment, but find that now it's sticking with me in unexpected ways. I think the main flaw in this is that Crompton didn't develop the characters very much, she simply plucked up the characters we know so well and presented them once more, although from a different viewpoint.

The language is beautifully poetic and it is a startlingly different viewpoint, although, as I said, it's the same story. She had a few nice twists, although more twists to THE story than to her story, as I didn't have any trouble seeing where they would lead.

I'd really only recommend this if you've already read a lot of other stories and versions of Arthurian Legend. It's a good addition, but not so in depth or well told that it stands on its own, without all the works that have come before.

The Lost Years of Merlin by T. A. Barron

I thought I'd mention T.A. Barron's Merlin book series, which explores what might have happened to Merlin during his youthful years, before he appears fully grown and fairly wise in our more traditional Arthurian legend. The first book, The Lost Years of Merlin, is my favorite, although I hesitate to say it's the best in the series -- it holds the most nostalgia for me, as I read it when I was young and before the rest of the series was published, then went back years later to read them all.

The rest in the series:

The Seven Songs of Merlin (The Lost Years of Merlin)

The Fires of Merlin (The Lost Years of Merlin)

The Mirror of Merlin (Lost Years of Merlin)

The Wings of Merlin (The Lost Years of Merlin)

The series is pretty fun, although clearly aimed at grade school audiences. (Which is good for grade schoolers but less in-depth for people my age.) Barron does a pretty good job of filling in a mythological blank without treading on the established legends (for what they're worth, as they tend to change pretty easily). And it looks like since I read the series, Barron has returned to the world with another character in an in-between type adventure: Merlin's Dragon.

Gwenhwyfar: The White Spirit by Mercedes Lackey

Mercedes Lackey's newest book is called Gwenhwyfar: The White Spirit, and is, as you can probably guess from the title, an Arthurian Legend retelling.

Lackey tells the story in her typical easy-to-read, accessible manner, bringing characters and events to life with aplomb. Although Lackey will probably never be recognized for brilliant prose or as divine literature, I love her work and this newest book did not disappoint.

She starts with the historical evidence that there were possibly not one, but THREE queens of Arthur named Gwenhwyfar, and although the story focuses on the third wife, Lackey works in the exploits of the other two, accounting for a lot of the contradictions and busy-ness that Gwenhwyfar would have had to have lived through if it had all been one woman. Lackey does an admirable job of using the wealth of Arthurian legend that is already available, and still spinning her own particular story about Gwen and her life.

Rich in detail, but with an unhampered pace, I recommend this for any of you who have enjoyed Mercedes Lackey's other works, or who love new takes on the Arthurian Legend.