I don't know much about Arthurian myth and legend, so I don't know how much of this is Lawhead's invention and how much he draws on existing myth. But it's interesting enough; it probably helped that I didn't have any preconceptions about any of the characters in the story as it allowed me to immerse myself in a new tale. It flows reasonably well, but I'm not really sure if it's my kind of thing. ( )

This book was so much more than I expected. It really pulled me into the lands and times which it described, especially ancient Britain. I became very fond of the characters and cared deeply about what happened to them. What more could you ask from a tale? The author's treatment of Christianity and belief was pleasantly surprising to me, he did not preach with it, but told it gently and genuinely as it is. Belief and faith are a large part of the Arthurian tale, but rarely treated so well in the stories. I really don't want to read the next books, I know the Arthurian tragedy and there is no getting away from it being sad. As it is, I wept through the last several chapters of this book. However, I enjoyed the writing so much, I may not be able to resist. ( )

Although well written, this book didn't work for me for several reasons. Firstly, the characters all talk in a very self-conscious manner with rather formalised language and no contractions. Secondly, there are some very long blocks of descriptive text that would have been better worked into the action of the story. Thirdly, I can't cope with a fantasy novel where the Christian god speaks directly to a character. ( )

The first book in the Pendragon Cycle, this introduces Charis, a princess of Atlantis and Taliesin, a foundling raised to be a bard and king. The story follows their parallel lives, until their meeting on Mount Tor. This is an excellent version of familiar Arthurian characters and legends. ( )

This book captivated me from the first page. Lawhead is a great storyteller and this book is a prime example. This is book one in an eventaul 6 book series. I found this one and book 2 to be the best. This story takes us back to Atlantis and the people that came to Britain when Atlantis was destroyed. They eventually meet those who have been living in Britain, and the line of King Arthur is born. I strongly recommend this book (and series) to anyone, but especially King Arthur fans. They have a strong Christian influence, quite different from other Arthurian books such as the Mists of Avalon. ( )