Overview

The pageantry and passionate intrigues of King Arthur’s court are expertly re-created in this historical novel—the only Arthurian novel in which all of the central characters are portrayed as intrinsically good people. This realistic retelling of the legend shows Arthur severing the bonds of bastardy, vanquishing the Saxons, and loving one woman. As the daring teenage warrior prepares for the throne, he discovers true love with Morgan of Avalon, the youngest of Merlin’s daughters, but fate cruelly thwarts their hopes for a future together. Never before has a telling of the Arthur story made the breathtaking drama of this charismatic king more real or moving.

From Publishers Weekly

Making old material new marks a master storyteller and with this fresh look at the legend of King Arthur, romance writer Wolf reaffirms her preeminence in those ranks. Although the Romans have already left Britain, Uther Pendragon is a Roman king, married to the Celtic princess Igraine, daughter of Merlin. Their son Arthur, conceived before Igraine's divorce from her first husband, has been raised in secret with Merlin's younger daughter Morgan, wherein lies the emotional heart of this tale. Arthur and Morgan, his half-aunt, share a love that cannot be acknowledged. When, as king, he must marry, Arthur weds the Celtic princess Gwenhwyfar, but he and Morgan remain lovers, while Gwenhwyfar, with Arthur's blessing, finds love with Bedwyr, the king's closest friend and ally. With the strength of his leadership and personality, Arthur unifies the British tribes, repells the Saxon threat and, adapting Roman ideas of government, establishes peace in the kingdom. But when Mordred, a young Celtic prince with an uncanny likeness to Arthur, comes to Camelot, jealousy and ambition threaten Arthur's dream. Portraying characters with crisp and memorable originality, Wolf capturesand enrichesthe tragic sweep of romance and idealism inherent in the Arthurian tale. Imaginative and moving, this narrative by the author of The Rebel and the Rose is historical fiction at its finest.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

As books by Marion Zimmer Bradley, Mary Stewart, Parke Godwin, and others attest, the legend of King Arthur continues to fascinate. Wolfe, setting her version in a post-Roman Britain battling the encroaching Saxons, has created a pleasing romance. When the young Arthur is suddenly revealed as King Uther's heir, he discovers that Morgan, the beautiful girl he has grown up with and loves passionately, is his aunt and is forbidden to marry him. He is forced to marry Gwenhyfar for dynastic reasons, but his enduring love for Morgan sows the seeds of disaster. A strongly original viewpoint is missing, as is the highly developed detail found in other works, but this novel uses the elements of the legend effectively. Recommended for popular fiction collections. Beth Ann Mills, New Rochelle P.L., N.Y.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.