Avalon: The Return of King Arthur

The Pendragon cycle is a wonderful set of books, full of fresh ideas and good research to make an epic blend of myth, history and religion that is a powerful antidote to the pessimistic offerings of some other writers.

But this book is not the best of the series. Set a generation in the future, it posits a kind of modern Britain that acts in a way that is frankly unthinkable. Lawhead has worked hard to research British politics for this novel, but there are some big gaps all the same.

A problem with speculative fiction set in the near future is that the future will invariably be nothing like what is envisaged.

Nevertheless Lawhead should be congratulated on even attempting a novel that delves so deeply into the British political situation, show more and as usual he writes it well and the story is often gripping. For all its faults, it is still a good read. show less

The is a classic tale of the struggle between good and evil. Cast as the power hungry antagonist is Prime Minister Thomas Waring. When the last King of England committed suicide Waring was under the impression he would lead England from his seat in government. Out of nowhere along comes James Stuart, an apparent nobody with all the credentials to prove it is he who is actually next in line for the throne. All of the characters you expect from King Arthur's time are represented in modern day Britain. Ancient enemies are present with a modern day twist.
My favorite parts were when James experiences fiosachd, a kind of mental time travel where he can see his surroundings in a medieval light. Sights and sounds shimmer into his mind like a show more memory but appear before him as real as his own skin. Modern day dissolves to reveal a time before time.
My least favorite part was the relationship with Jenny. She rebuffs James and seems to fancy another until she does a surprising 180. show less

Stephen R Lawhead is one of my top five favorite authors of all time. I fell in love with his books as a teen and never looked back. Avalon is an interesting entry in the Pendragon cycle. I love Taliesin and Merlin, this entry in the series fast-forwards to modern Scotland. The monarchy is in trouble, and about to be disbanded all the royal family either dead or having signed abdications, when a man from Scotland makes a startling claim to the throne. Captain James Arthur Stuart will become the king of England. But there forces of evil out to see that he doesn’t stay king for long. This book blends sword and sorcery tales with Tom Clancy like political intrigue, an interesting mix to be sure.

For some reason my brain never let's this book connect with the rest of the Pendragon Cycle. I liked them but wouldn't necessarily reread them. This book I adore, have read it eight times already and its the first thing I reach for when I want something breathtakingly hopeful. The speeches he gives while campaigning to be king make me want to jump and cheer every time.

I would give Avalon a solid 3.5 stars. The writing was good, the plot was solid enough with an interesting premise of King Arthur being being reincarnated in modern day Scotland. And while I really enjoyed the book, I couldn't help but think the end was an after thought. I don't think Lawhead knew what to do after a certain point, so he just threw in a random ending.

Modern England is in chaos. The parlimentary government of PM's and other officials are moving to rid England of the last of the monarchy structure that has been in place for centuries. And back in the very rurla parts of Scotland, a young man is fighting to hold onto the land left to him to care for by his after and his father's landowner. Except, it turns out, he is the landowners real son, and he is one of Scotland's last living Dukes. Who also happened to have enough blood lineage tiebacks to claim the throne of England now that its King just died. And his bloodline goes back to Arthur himself.
Lawhead brings the reader into this tale of politics, honor, and intrigue, creating a wonderful realistic mix of the modern world, and the show more England arthur helped to unite, with the same kind of values, and determination imbedded in all the tales of Arthur. show less

Profanity that I wasn't expecting from Lawhead and Morgian Le Fey was way more explicitly described than I thought necessary.