I Am Morgan le Fay

Morgan has always been considered otherworldly or fay by those who surrounded her because of her different-colored eyes, and when she discovers a druid stone her powers are beyond doubt. For these milprieves come only to very special individuals.

This story takes place as the wars for the throne of England rage and Morgan grows up and slowly begins to learn to control her powers. This novel explores her need to be loved and her struggle against fate and how that made her the character she later becomes in the Arthurian legend.

I very much enjoyed this novel. Rather than apologizing for who Morgan is to become, Springer crafts a tale that explains the sometimes praise-worthy, sometimes not but always very human and very relatable choices show more that eventually lead Morgan to become the sorceress from the legend.

Beautifully told. I loved the exploration of Avalon and how very real Morgan's quest to find and hold onto love is - as is the downfall that results. I liked 'I Am Mordred' better, but this is definitely a must-read for those who think that Morgan gets short shrift in most Arthurian tales. show less

In the end, I have to say that I enjoyed Springer's writing and the details offered to this piece of the legends, and it was a fast and well-paced YA read, beautifully written for the most part. On the other hand, the focal points Springer chose sometimes made it feel less like a YA novel than like a bare-bones writing of an adult work, and I feel pretty sure that I'd be more likely to give the more adult versions of Arthurian works to interested teens, as opposed to this work. I also have to say that it ended incredibly quickly--for the first three quarters of the book, Springer's pacing felt perfect and controlled, but all of that felt lost in the end. On the whole, there were moments when I really enjoyed this read, but I'm just not show more sure that it's something I'd feel the need to pass on or recommend above others. show less

A very nice addition to the body of works featuring a female-centric, pagan-influenced take on the Arthurian mythos.
It's not as complex as 'The Mists of Avalon' (which it is clearly influenced by), but it shares some of the same themes.

Here, we see events from Morgan's point of view, as she grows up in tune with old magics, and discovers a stone that enhances her powers. Hurt by the traumatic events that shake her family, she is often blind to her own faults - but she is also not unsympathetic.

The events told here largely deal with Morgan le Fay's youth, her growing up, her first love, and the forces that formed her character and led her to, later, do the things her legend tells of.

The flavor of the story reminded me a bit of 'King show more Arthur's Daughter,' by Vera Chapman. show less

"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 show more 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. show less

Morgan is a willful, mischievous girl with mismatched eyes of emerald and violet. A girl of magic, whose childhood ends when King Uther Pendragon murders her father and steals away her mother. Then Pendragon dies and, in a warring country with no one to claim the throne, there are many who want Morgan dead. But Morgan has power, and magic. She is able to change the course of history, to become other, to determine her own fate-and, thus the fate of Britain. She will become Morgan le Fay.

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 show more 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. show less

This is a different look at Morgan, how she became Fay and what the means. It was alright as far as books goes, I didn't see her as a strong character as she has been in other books but I did like the way it looked at all aspects of her character.