This book should be read as a work of literature and not as an actual history. Geoffrey of Monmouth did write the history of the kings, but he also invented a great deal of it. In some cases, it is hard to tell what is fact and what is fiction. That aside, The History of the Kings of Britain is absolutely wonderful! This is especially so in the chapters about King Arthur. Until now, I had only heard the typical Arthur pulls the sword from the stone and becomes king, marries Guinevere, and is betrayed by Guinevere and Lancelot. This is a whold different take on the traditional King Arthur. ( )

A really fascinating look at pre-historical, Roman, and Dark Age Britain. The stories are generally little-known, but contribute a great deal to modern literature. Recommended for lit geeks. ;) ( )

Interesting if hard to believe account of the founding kings of britain. I remarked to a friend that for such as small book there is a lot of blood. ( )

A version of the history of Britain that everybody needs to read at one point or another. At times it can be a bit boring, but for the most part it is very interesting and moves briskly. Trying to match events in account with current records can be challenging, and well that is part of the fun of the work to be honest. ( )

Surprisingly heavy going. It tells the legendary history of Britain from the coming of Trojans under Brutus to England's conquest by the Saxons. The earlier parts were quite fun, but it went on for rather too long and Geoffrey's account of Roman times was so bizarrely different from other accounts that I got quite lost trying to match them up, despite some familiar names. After that even the Arthurian section failed to rekindle my interest. ( )