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Summary: An Unusual but Uninspired Look at Arthurian Myth
Review: As a fourteen-year old girl, this book came to me with a load of high praise from everyone, and I was really looking forward to reading it. Unfortunately, it did not live up to my expectations by a long shot. Certainly, MZB offers some unusual perceptions of the myth; implications of sexual relationships between Arthur and Lancelet, between Morigaine and every other character are welcome new looks. However, none of the characters captured my interest, or more importantly, my imagination, at all.The greatest crime surely must be Gwenhwyfar's simpering character. Her devoutness to her religion and her lust for Lancelet did not strike me as compelling in any way, and her hysterical fear of everything pagan made her one of the most annoying characters ever. She was more compelling in the book this novel is based on, Le Morte D'Arthur, despite her lack of screen time (as it were). Also annoying was the character of Igraine, who I liked for the first fifty pages or so, but her hate for her husband and hypocritically attitude made her fall out of my favor very quickly. The main character, Morigaine was simply uninteresting. Her mentor, Viviane, was too manipulative and cunning for me to have any kind of feelings towards her. I'm no scholar of Arthurian studies; I can't remember more than five or six names from this novel, which has been savaged by people who do study the legends. But also as a novel, it fails to stand on its own two feet. While reading these reviews, I notice that most of the favorable reviews I see here are from teenage girls or women who read the book as a teen. Reread it, and ask yourself, a) are these women really good role models? are their motivations realistic? b) could two hundred pages have been cut from this book? In my opinion, no and yes, respectively. As for me, I'll read something by Stephen King if I want eight hundred pages of tired characters and meandering plot. (This is excepting 'The Stand', one of my favorite novels).
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Summary: soo cool!
Review: This book made me laugh and cry, I felt like I was a character in the book! I thought it had great foreshadowing and plot twists. The characters are so lifelike, and it was like real life instead of fake stuff you know wouldn't happen. I thought it was so good that I went out the next day and got The Lady of Avalon. It isn't as good as this one, but I still loved it. This book is my all time favorite, and will always be.
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Summary: a great great book
Review: in the mists of avalon the author gives us an interesting view of king arthur`s history. She tells the story on feminist way and i liked it. Morgana is a great character and has another way of dealing with arthur and she is not bad as other authors have described her
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Summary: Fantastic!!
Review: I'm just 13, but I LOVED this book. It's totally great. I don't think it's really about plot, more about character development. This is the first book I've really read on the legend of King Arthur, but now when I hear people talking about Nimue the "evil sorceress" or how Morgan Le Fay was a witch who enchanted Arthur with her potions, I can't help but protest. It seems like MZB's version of the story is true, it's so well written. I can't wait to read the prequel!
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Summary: A terrific story
Review: MZB is one of the great women in the world of writing. Her books are amazing, specially «the mists os avalon». In this book, she tells us the story of Morgaine, King Arthur and the denyed religion of their whole people.
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Summary: This is the book you've been waiting for
Review: MZB is a tremendous writer and and ingenious storyteller. I love this Authurian legend from Morgaine's p.o.v. I was Morgaine: I hated, I cried, I rejoiced. The ending was what one should be; it gave me completeness. YOU MUST READ IT!!!
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Summary: take the phone off the hook to read this!
Review: this has got to be one of the best stories i have ever read. the amount of research ms.bradly did on this novel is astounding. and through more than one thousand pages, i didnt put the book down but to sleep and eat. it consumed me. i dreampt of it. and when i read the last word, i immediatly flipped the book back to page one and read it all over again. must be read by anyone who has even a mild interest in the arthur myths, ancient history, godess worship, or femminist theory.
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Summary: The Book That Changed My Life
Review: When I picked up this book, I was 14. I've reread it many times. Before I read it, I never looked much further than the surface of anything-slowly, I began to change as the book made me realize that value is hidden beneath the surface of everything. The beauty of the prose took my breath away. The action kept my fanny moored to more chairs than you can imagine. I wept, talked to the characters and finally, gave a tearful smile. It was the book that changed my life - and more than entertained, opened my mind to new, fascinating ideas.
Rating: 
Summary: Not bad, but not fantastic either.
Review: Marion Zimmer Bradley had an interesting idea when she decided to tell the story of Arthur from the point of view of the women around him: Queen Guenivere, Morgan Le Fay, Nimue, and so on. Unfortunately, the work doesn't quite live up to its promise. I think my main criticism is that I found the characterization oddly uneven, as though the characters were simply following the legend around. I realize that the story of King Arthur is pretty well established, but Bradley has enough writing experience that giving the characters believable personalities and realistic motivations shouldn't have been too much of a task. As it was, the novel was obviously set up to revolve around Morgaine and Gwenhwyfar, something I would have found much more intriguing if Gwenhwyfar had any kind of backbone or any kind of capacity for rational thought. Over the course of the story it became obvious that Bradley cared too much for the character of Morgaine at the expense of the other characters, making for an unbalanced story. Also, a word on the religious struggle Bradley sets up in the book. This, too, had more potential than was realized. I suspect that part of my problem with it came from recognizing a great deal of what the Goddess worshipers said to one another as modern Wiccan writings. There's nothing wrong with that in itself--except that modern Wiccan sensibility is very different from medieval sensibility of any sort, and I couldn't quite sink into the story with these echoes of the 20th century popping up every few pages. Overall, "Mists" isn't a bad effort, especially not if it's recognized for what it is: an interesting, if flawed, attempt to tell a familiar story from an unfamiliar perspective. I just wish it had been done better, with the believability, sweeping grandeur, and consistency of tone and characterization that are the hallmarks of great epic fantasy.
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Summary: Of course it wasn't like that, you morons......
Review: I'm only 12, but quite frankly I loved this book. Its interesting how some people seem to think that just because they are Pagans or big Celtic fanatics or that they are named Morgaine gives them the right to know exactly what happened in the court of King Arthur. Of course they have the right to say, "But thats not what happened in the legends and books I've read!" If Ms. Bradley had been satisfied with the legends, than she wouldn't have written the novel, now would she? I think everyone's entitled to their own opinion, but if they didn't like the book because they believed it didn't happen that way, they should just keep their ridiculous opinions to themselves. They're discouraging other people. Some say the book has no plot, but that is totally not true! How can an 800 page book have no plot? As Marion has said in the prologue of the book when Morgain speaks, it was only Morgaine's opinion of the world. I found it very difficult to accept Morgaine leaving Avalon, and as she had told herself often, she could have Lancelot at this moment or take him now, but why the h-ll didn't she????? It could have totally altered the book, but who gives a d-mn when the heroine ends up happy. Morgaine was raised not to fight destiny, or what the Mother Goddess proclaimed, but I wouldn't have at all minded if she did. This book seems to have brought me to Camelot and Avalon, and it's made me feel in all ways how I should have felt about the characters. I've hated Gwen for a long time, but then I began to see her harmless, beautiful too. Lancelot I loved, but I hate him for loving Gwen, though Morgain should have tried to love his love for another. Marion is a genius to have created such an extraordinary book. I'd recommend this book to everyone. -Brooke C. Qian
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