I’m delighted to share my thoughts about The Bright Sword by Lev Grossman.
- Category : Fantasy
- Publisher : Del Rey (16 July 2024)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 688 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1529939127
- ISBN-13 : 978-1529939125
When gifted young knight Collum arrives at Camelot to compete for a place on the Round Table, he quickly discovers that he’s too late: The king died two weeks ago at the Battle of Camlann, and only a handful of the knights of the Round Table are left.
And the survivors aren’t the heroes of legend either, like Lancelot or Gawain. They’re the oddballs of the Round Table, like Sir Palomides, the Saracen Knight, and Sir Dagonet, Arthur’s fool, who was knighted as a joke. They’re joined by Nimue, who was Merlin’s apprentice until she turned on him and buried him under a hill.
But it’s up to them to rebuild Camelot in a world that has lost its balance, even as God abandons Britain and the fairies and old gods are returning, led by Morgan le Fay. They must reclaim Excalibur and make this ruined world whole again.
But first they’ll have to solve the mystery of why the lonely, brilliant King Arthur fell.
The Bright Sword Review
This story comes after the fall of King Arthur. Collum believes his lineage gives him the right to challenge for a place at the Round Table and when he gets to Camelot and finds King Arthur has died, he suggests praying for a quest.
Collum and his experiences are then threaded through with getting to know the Knights, their connections and quests with King Arthur.
The Green Knight quest leads Collum on a quest of his own to the Otherworld. Loved this quest! I loved the spear quest too. They’re so Neptunian I felt like I was in a fever dream – perfect! Collum is much more than he thinks he is …
Loved the fight between Nimue and Merlin and the battle with Lancelot/Galahad on the beach. These are such visual scenes with the characters actions being true to what we’ve learned about them.
As you would expect, there are pagan and Christian conflicts. And very topical for today, refugees.
I loved the humour – before the story even begins there is a quote from Monty Python 🙂 If a story leads with that, you know you’re in for an entertaining read.
In The Bright Sword I’ve experienced the Knights of the Round Table as I never have before! This isn’t just another re-telling, it’s brilliant.
Lev Grossman’s storytelling is a gift.
About the Author
Lev Grossman is the author of the No. 1 bestselling Magicians trilogy, which has been published in thirty countries and adapted as a TV show that ran for five seasons. He is also a screenwriter and the author of two children’s books, The Golden Swift and The Silver Arrow, and his journalism has appeared in Time, Vanity Fair, the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times, among many other places. He lives with his wife and children in New York City. X @leverus