King of The Middle March (2002)

Meh. I feel very tricked by the lack of real connection between Manor Arthur and King Arthur. As I said of the first two books, the detail and research is good, and the voice of the narrator works well.

But it just feels so slight and all the more so for the truth about the connection between the two Arthurs. It's braver that way, in a way, I know: the story where someone starts to act out the life of a historical/mythological character in their own life and turns out to be a descendant/reincarnation of them has been done. But still. Gah. ( )

A really strong tale set during the beginning of the Fourth Crusade. It is strange to find so many knight who, like Lord Stephen, can barely see or who, like Sir William, are failing in all their faculties. I guess the young knights are supposed to do the athletic portion of the fighting.

The terrible things he has observed and been unable, mostly, to prevent and even the very real fighting he has had to do himself, mostly against his fellow crusaders has changed the protagonist greatly. The previous books were not very easy going, but this book, since it is set in the middle of a war is by far the most difficult and contains the most terrible and barbaric events.

The protagonist's metaphor of himself as the apple containing the knowledge of good and evil in the garden of Eden is really striking.

Michael Maloney's reading is excellent. ( )

The third in a trilogy telling of the life of a 12th Century boy who can "see" something of the life and heroism of King Arthur. The language tends to be a bit simplistic, even for a young person but the story is interesting and does a very nice job of packing information about the period and some moral lessons in with enough adventure to keep a child engaged. ( )

http://tamaranth.blogspot.com/2011/10/201156-8-arthur-trilogy-kevin-crossley.htm... ( )

The book after this in the series "Gatty's tale", I didn't enjoy quite as much, probably because I wasn't quite convinced that in the Middle Ages a peasant girl could become a fine lady so easily.