They were enjoyable, I felt, but not the greatest such novels I'd ever read (I enjoyed the first one the most)
I also, relatively recently, read the first in his 'Rise of Sigurd' prequel novels and felt that one, at times, to be a bit of a chore to get through.
As such, I'd never really gone out of my way to look for any other book by Giles Kristian
However, being the optimist that I (sometimes) am, with loads of adverts extolling its virtue on a popular social-media networking site and with a intriguing premise, I thought I would give this one a go.
And I'm glad I did: it's in (I felt) a completely different league that any of his previous.
This is, effectively, a semi-historical re-telling of the Arthurian myth unique, however, in that it is told from the point of view of Lancelot himself: one third of, perhaps, the most well known love-triangle in the English language but of whom has always been given short shrift, dropping in and out of the Arthurian myth.
This, however, turns that on it's head, with Arthur only appearing roughly about half-way through this book, and with Lancelot having previous history with Guinevere before she is even Arthur's wife. This work follows him right from his boyhood, through his rescue and upbringing by Lady Nimue (Arthurian myth name drop? Check), his first meetings with Merlin (another check) and with Arthur (major check), the reimagined Excalibur (check) and the Lady of the Lake ("listen, just 'cos some watery tart threw a sword at you …"), Mordred (yet another check), his love affair with Guinevere, his exile and even Mordred's betrayal of Arthur.
I have to say, I really enjoyed this: a strong contender for the best book I've read so far this year.
Enemy of God
7.5
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. . Uniting the restive British kingdoms behind him, Arthur believes he can now hold back the...
David McK (3425 KP) rated Hellboy (2019) in Movies
Jan 18, 2020
Yes, that Nimue, from Arthurian folklore.
Which should tell you pretty much all you need to know: a mish-mash hodge-podge of sorts, with some leaden dialogue and a migraine-inducing thumping soundtrack, that borrows more liberally from the source comic than I remember the previous films doing, while also being a fair bit bloodier!
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight: An Authoritative Translation; Contexts; Criticism
Geoffrey Chaucer, Marie Borroff and Laura L. Howes
Book
The text is accompanied by a detailed introduction, an essay on the metrical form, the translator's...
The Death of King Arthur
Simon Armitage and Sue Roberts
Book
"The Alliterative Morte Arthure" - the title given to a four-thousand line poem written sometime...
Awix (3310 KP) rated Hellboy (2019) in Movies
Apr 11, 2019 (Updated Apr 11, 2019)
Directed by Neil Marshall, so taste and restraint are not much in evidence, while the script is extremely variable and most of the performances not much cop either. Were-beasts fight fairies, demons fight vampires, none of it makes a great deal of sense, and there's little sign of the wit and style of Guillermo del Toro's films about these characters. In the end the film has plenty of energy and a sense of humour about itself which keep it just about watchable, but it's still a bit of a disappointment.
David McK (3425 KP) rated Excalibur (1981) in Movies
Aug 4, 2020
Arthurs parentage via Uther and Ygraine
The whole 'Sword in the Stone' business
Merlin
Guinevere
Arthur's marriage
Lancelot
The Lady of the Lake (Listen, just 'cos some watery tart chucked a sword at you ...)
Guinevere And Lancelot's, ummm, dalliance
Morgana
The Search for the Holy Grail ("there's some lovely mud over here ...")
Mordred
Arthurs death
Avalon
(I'm not sure I've got all those in the right order)
Also starring some then up-and-coming but now well-known faces in Patrick Stewart and Liam Neeson, this is also surprisingly brutal, with some full-on nudity scenes, with the entire film acting as a counterpart (of sorts) to the Monty Python version - parts of which I've quoted above.
The Winter King
7.5
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From bestselling author Bernard Cornwell, comes a brilliant retelling of the Arthurian legend,...