Ich, Morgan le Fay: Ein Camelot-Roman (edition 2003)

"I am Morgan le Fay, and I will never die. I hover on the wind, and fate falls out of each slow beat of my wings. That is what my name means: Morgan the fate, Morgan the magical, fey Morgan of the otherworld, Morgan who must be feared. But I was not always Morgan le Fay. When they killed my father, I was only little Morgan. "

Quite faithful to the famous legend in places, all the familar faces are present, Morgause, Merlin, Uther, Igraine and Arthur himself. But this story is most certainly Morgan's, eschewing many events of the traditional tale in favour of following Morgan from childhood to her eventual rise as a woman of great power. This is the second of Springer's Arthurian tales, following but not necessarily linked to her first novel, I am Mordred.

Morgan herself is a feisty young girl, her father's "firebrand", and it understandably confused when her mother is bedded by a man resembling her father, at the same time of his death. Morgan's whole world is uprooted, and she and her sister Morgause are cared for by their nurse, while their mother Igraine is taken away and married to the High King, Uther Pendragon. Morgan's hatred for the King, (and his magical advisor Merlin) and his treatment of her mother, and the creation of their offspring, the boy who would be king, Arthur. All the while, her power, and the power of Avalon grows, and ultimately leads to the choice Morgan must make.

I am Morgan le Fay is a short book, with simple but effective storytelling that was surprisingly satisfying. Morgan is a great protagonist, with the reader deeply involved in her life from the start, although she is inevitably a bitter and confused young woman. It is Morgan's character flaws that make the story so readable, there is no black and white, good and evil. Springer acknowledges that human nature is far too complicated for that and her characters are very much shaped by their experiences and emotions. An interesting addition to this tale was the integration of True Thomas, Thomas the Rhymer, as Morgan's companion. This allowed us to see another side of Morgan, one that ultimately leads to its own destruction and takes Morgan down a far darker path.

A tale of love and loss, of war and grief, of power and betrayal. And a very pleasant read.

A tale of Morgan Le Fey as a young child growing in to maturity. It tells the Arthurian myths from a different perspective and how she becomes the nemesis of King Arthur. As a young girl she has always been different with her mis-matched fey eyes and she sees Uther the night he visits her mother to concieve Arthur in disguise. Igraine and Uther marry soon after and when he dies Morgan, her sister Morgause and their nurse flee Tintagel before they are killed by those looking to get rid of the heirs.

On the journey they discover their nurse is more than she seems. They also have help and company from a young man named Thomas whose story contains references to True Thomas from fairy tale. After Morgan recieves a sending (a type of dream/vision) she knows she must journey to Avalon to further her magical training. She meets more of the fey, goddesses and the Master of the Hunt. She has fallen in love with Thomas, but he is fated to die in battle which Morgan hopres to prevent.

I enjoyed this short tale and liked the addition of Thomas, their nurse and the Master of the Hunt. The addition of more fey and fairy tale elements fit in really well and made it a little different from other re-tellings. It's a very easy read as the writing style is very lyrical and I hope to read more by Springer in the future. ( )

Even taking into consideration that this story was intended for young adults, I was left somehow unsatisfied overall by the story. The premise was interesting and could have been a must-have book to keep on the shelf if it was done well. I don't think it lived up to its potential.

I was able to read this story in one day while at work, albeit on a slow day. From cover to cover, there were only a couple of moments that could have been truly exhilarating, and those fell short with lack of descriptive prowess.

The story was alright. I can't blast it and say it was horrible because at no time did I want to throw the book out a window or at least put it down and never get to the end. On the other hand, it is also not a great story. I might give it to a pre-teen for a little light reading, but this YA book fails to have a more broad interest for older readers. ( )

My sister recommended this book to me, and I read it for a book project when I was in fifth grade. I loved it! It kept me interested the whole way through.
A great story of love and magic, it's a very interesting book.

(My sister can recite the saddest part) ( )

http://www.refracted-light.net/iammorgan.html ( )