Rating: 
Summary: Short book title and short attention span.
Review: I look back at the time I spent reading this book and ask myself why I wasted three weeks of my life attempting to read and contemplate the text within this fragment of harolded literary masterpieces. Again, like others, I too have felt the uncontrolable urge to jump out of my bed in wild abandon and toss this book into my natural gas fireplace and watch each page sizzle into ashes. I seriously could never stay awake long enough to go through 5 pages in one night, so I had to read it in the daytime. Overall, the book is much, much too boring and I could never go through with reading it again for my fat English teacher.
Rating:
Summary: This whole series has been disappointing
Review: I would have to say that I wished I never read Lawhead's series. It has been disappointing from beginning to end. Main characters in the beginning books (like Charis and Merlin) have become paper cutouts by the end of this series, to the point where I do not understand why Lawhead has them in his book anymore. He also makes plenty of errors in his books, and this is no exception. Another thing I find incredibly tedious about this whole series is the fact that there are endless wars through all of the books. There is at least a battle in every book--and in some, like "Pendragon", are a tale of battles from beginning to end. You would wonder if the whole world was coming to attack Britain, the way Lawhead writes it.For this particular book, the main mistake Lawhead makes is not reading his other books in this series, or at least not remembering what he said in them. At the end of "Arthur", it is noted that "the Grail was never found". Um...but in this book, it was found, and lost, and recovered, and at the end of the book a shrine to it is made in the Northern end of Britain. Since there is no indication anywhere else that the Grail disappeared from Northern Britain, one would have to assume it's still there. This makes me realize how inconsistent of a writer Lawhead is. This guy could be a great writer, but it's mistakes like these that keep him from becoming such. Lawhead is definitely no Tolkien. Another major mess-up is in his inability to keep Loth and Lot straight. Loth is Lot's father in "Arthur", and by the time the book starts introducing Lot it is clear that Loth is already long dead. By the end of "Arthur" it is clear that Morgian seduced Lot to produce the twins Gwalchavad and Gwalcmai, and in this book Morgaws. Yet in this book Lawhead keeps calling Lot "Loth", although it is pretty clear that it is Lot that is being referred to and not Loth. It also is not clear to me why Morgian's relationship with Lot is considered incestuous, since Lot is the son of his father Loth and his first wife, and Morgian was Loth's second wife. Lot is not her flesh and blood; she's his stepmother. Although it's weird to be sleeping with your stepmother, it's definitely not incestuous is she's no blood relation. It was very pointless to make Gwalcmai and Gwalchavad twins. This did not serve any literary purpose. The fact that Gwalcmai gets sent off and doesn't return until the end of "Arthur" is testament to his uselessness. I honestly thought that "Grail" would be about Gwalcmai, but was sorely disappointed. We are never given the story of his wanderings, although according to "Arthur" he's been gone for 17 years. The other thing is that it is not revealed until the last book of "Arthur" (the chapter that Aneirin narrates) that it is revealed that Gwalchmai and Gwalchavad are the result of a union between Morgian and Lot. So how is it that Gwalchavad already knows this by "Grail"? According to Lawhead, "Grail" comes before the last book of "Arthur". Gwalchavad can't know it. It hasn't been revealed yet. Gwalchavad states Merlin told him--how did Merlin find out? I would think that in "Arthur" Gwalcmai and Gwalchavad wouldn't be surprised by Morgian revelation if they already heard it from Merlin, yet they are shocked to hear it when she says they are her sons in "Arthur". And why is it Merlin can't figure Morgaws out at all, if he knows about Gwalcmai and Gwalchavad? I couldn't understand that at all. I am still not convinced that Morgian was any great threat. She seems way too easily defeated. I don't think that Morgaws (who never existed in any Arthur tales and is a figment of Lawhead's imagination) is that threatening either. I'm still trying to figure out why Charis was so freaked out by her but refused to say anything. I recall one of the opening statements Morgian makes in this book is "Not for nothing am I called the Queen of Air and Darkness". The first thing I thought was, "Oh, yes, you are". Lawhead has not really developed Morgian much, and even though he finally does so here, it's not enough. Fine, so we finally know why she's so pissed off. It doesn't strike me as any reason to get so vengeful towards someone she hardly knows--ie. Arthur. She also seems very ineffectual. She tries to kill Charis and fails, and never tries again. She tries to kill Merlin and fails, and never tries that again either. Every attempt she makes is doomed to failure. So it wasn't that surprising that she failed again here. There is also a scene where some of the Cymbrogi are supposedly dead. If you're like me and read the last chapter of "Arthur" before reading "Grail", this scene is ruined for you. There's no surprise to it. I read somewhere that Lawhead believed that the King Arthur tales needed to be brought back to "their Christian roots". Um..guess what. The King Arthur tales started out as part of Celtic mythology, and authors such as Geoffrey of Monmouth and others are the ones responsible for inserting Christian lore into a tale that was never Christian to begin with. I have done some reading on what past editors of these tales have done, and most of them edited these stories with a particular goal in mind--ie. for Monmouth it was turning Arthur into a Norman hero, and emphasizing the fact that he fought battles against the Saxons, who were the Normans' enemies. These tales have been subject to so much manipulation over the years--isn't it time to say "enough's enough"? Apparently not, for Lawhead has decided that the legend needs even more manipulation. I can't say he's done a good job. I suppose I only have myself to blame. I really should have done more research before buying these books. Now I can't even give them away--most people I know weren't that impressed with the series either.
Rating:
Summary: not worth the time
Review: i've read all the pendragon books. but when i think about them i can only remember the story up to the middle of the Aurther book, the rest is just a blur. WHEN I TRIED to read this book i found myself getting side-tracked,(for long periods of time i would just sit there and stare at the pages, or the wall), this book is really boring. After 2 years i'm on page 45 or 50 or something. And i can't stand the christian theme. i don't beleive in god so i can't relate to this book.
Rating: 
Summary: A disappointing end for such a magnificent series
Review: I've read through all the books of the Pendragon Cycle and, until the beginning of "Grail", I thought it almost had no flaws. Unfortunately, I was really disappointed by the fifth and last book, especially by all the contradictions with the "real" end, i.e. the Black Book of Gildas in Arthur. Honestly, I don't really understand why Stephen Lawhead decided to write this book. Pendragon was a necessary addition, in my opinion, because much elements were left out before the ending of the Arthur book. For example, the Vandali invasion was just brilliant. Of course, the Grail itself had to appear somewhere in the series, but I personally think that Arthur being healed after the battle with Amilcar was enough. I found the plot around the temple and the guardians of the Grail to make no sense at all. That brings me to another major flaw. Why is Morgian suddenly so powerful? She was already defeated by Merlin in the Lyonesse years before! All that stuff about Morgian preparing her revenge and raising Morgaws is just plain ridiculous. And what about all those magical creatures? When I first read Taliesin (about 5 years ago), I was disappointed by the lack of all those classical surnatural elements from fantastic novels. But after reading a little more, I realized that the series didn't need all this stuff since everything else was so perfect. While reading the Grail, I almost laughed when the big black beast rushed into the knights. When Gwalchavad fought the undeads, I just couldn't stand it. This series isn't about big monsters and ultra-powerful sorcerers! It's about the birth of Britain and the great battles and heroes that lead to its glory. There's already the Lord of the Rings for all the "magical" content. At the end of Grail, Llenlleawg is banished from the Cymbrogi, being a traitor. Then, why was he defeated in the battle with Medrault in the Black book?! This just makes no sense. Unfortunately, this is only one of the many contradictions that brings this book. To me, the Pendragon Cycle is really a trilogy, that is Taliesin, Merlin and Arthur. I would have integrated Pendragon in the Arthur book. To me, Grail is no part of the series. I gave it 2 stars only because of it allowed me to learn more about Gwalchavad. I will do my best to forget it because I want to remember the Pendragon Cycle as a magnificient series that gave me incredible reading sessions. If it is also your wish, here's my advice : do not read Grail.
Rating:
Summary: A disappointing end for such a magnificent series
Review: I've read through all the books of the Pendragon Cycle and, until the beginning of "Grail", I thought it almost had no flaws. Unfortunately, I was really disappointed by the fifth and last book, especially by all the contradictions with the "real" end, i.e. the Black Book of Gildas in Arthur. Honestly, I don't really understand why Stephen Lawhead decided to write this book. Pendragon was a necessary addition, in my opinion, because much elements were left out before the ending of the Arthur book. For example, the Vandali invasion was just brilliant. Of course, the Grail itself had to appear somewhere in the series, but I personally think that Arthur being healed after the battle with Amilcar was enough. I found the plot around the temple and the guardians of the Grail to make no sense at all. That brings me to another major flaw. Why is Morgian suddenly so powerful? She was already defeated by Merlin in the Lyonesse years before! All that stuff about Morgian preparing her revenge and raising Morgaws is just plain ridiculous. And what about all those magical creatures? When I first read Taliesin (about 5 years ago), I was disappointed by the lack of all those classical surnatural elements from fantastic novels. But after reading a little more, I realized that the series didn't need all this stuff since everything else was so perfect. While reading the Grail, I almost laughed when the big black beast rushed into the knights. When Gwalchavad fought the undeads, I just couldn't stand it. This series isn't about big monsters and ultra-powerful sorcerers! It's about the birth of Britain and the great battles and heroes that lead to its glory. There's already the Lord of the Rings for all the "magical" content. At the end of Grail, Llenlleawg is banished from the Cymbrogi, being a traitor. Then, why was he defeated in the battle with Medrault in the Black book?! This just makes no sense. Unfortunately, this is only one of the many contradictions that brings this book. To me, the Pendragon Cycle is really a trilogy, that is Taliesin, Merlin and Arthur. I would have integrated Pendragon in the Arthur book. To me, Grail is no part of the series. I gave it 2 stars only because of it allowed me to learn more about Gwalchavad. I will do my best to forget it because I want to remember the Pendragon Cycle as a magnificient series that gave me incredible reading sessions. If it is also your wish, here's my advice : do not read Grail.
Rating: 
Summary: Another great book from the Pendragon Series.
Review: Lawhead's Done It Again! It is truly the mark of a good author when a relatively long book series retains all of it's brilliance and originality to the very end. Lawhead has accomplished this and more with his wondrous Pendragon Cycle. Grail is the 5th and final installment in the series (unless you include Avalon in the list). While I think that this is the weakest book of the series, it is still superb and certainly worth the read. The atmosphere of the book is very unique. Unlike the previous books in the series, the enemy is largely supernatural - a much more frightening enemy than the Picti, Angli, or Vandali. Morgian is definetely at her worst - and she even gets a few opportunities to narrate the story (a very peculiar twist.)! Really my only complaint about the book regards Lawhead's choice of characters. It seems that many of the major characters that were seen in Arthur and Pendragon have faded to the backdrop - replaced by relatively new characters. These characters are fine, but I would have rather seen more of characters like Bedwyr, Cai and Arthur.
Rating: 
Summary: Incredible writer...book worth reading, but not his best.
Review: SRL always delivers a great read, but this book didn't reach the same level of excellence as the first three in this series. I'd have to compare this to the fourth book, Pendragon. Both are good stories, but seem to be dragging the story of Arthur out. In the third book he concludes the story. The fourth and fifth then go back and tell us more about the life of Arthur. If you've read the first three books you should read this one also, but I would not recommend starting here. Like always SRL does an excellent job of taking the legend (in this case the Holy Grail) and presenting it in a more realistic light then many other fantasy novelists who make up extremely unrealistic fantasies. Once I finally got involved in the series I enjoyed it. For a really good read I'd recommend Byzantium or the Song of Albion trilogy.
Rating:
Summary: Lawhead sets apart his telling of the Grail legend
Review: Stephan Lawhead all but ignores the Grail legend in his first three books of the Pendragon Cycle, and limits its pressence in Pendragon. It would seem that he set it aside for this faithful telling from the perspective of one of Arthur's Guardians of the Grail. Consistent with the other books, Lawhead finds new voices to tell this tale using Gwalchavad as the principle storyteller and Morgian as an occasional foil to him. Many fans of the first three books will not care for this one. It is steeped in religious context that the other books only aluded to. This is actually part of Lawhead's gift. If the reader takes the time to understand the perspective of the storyteller, he will understand Lawhead's need to cloak it in religious mysticism. This book is an excellent re-telling of Grail legend, and a wonderful use of the characters that Lawhead has given life to in his Pendragon cycle. It seems a shame that this saga should ever come to an end.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent writer, but an unispired book.
Review: Stephen Lawhead is one of my favortie writers. His first three books in the Pendragon series left me with tears of joy and craving more. In Grail, his fifth book in the cycle, Lawhead again dips into the Arthurian world and explores the holy grail, the cornerstone of Arthur's "Realm of Summer." The first third of the book catches you up to speed with the characters, the middle third explores the current conflict, and then the last third is all action. Yet the action and set-up feel extremely forced and contrived, leaving me thinking that this had to be some sort of contractual obligation with Avon. When the book finally starts moving, it unfortunately relies on cliches--the evil witch who kidnaps the queen and leads the rescue party into a huge, dark woodland where the characters get seperated and lost. Although the ending is unique to Lawhead, the first three-quarters of the book are listless, cliched, and previously explored in earlier books. Lawhead is one of my all-time favorite writers, and I'm very sorry to not recommend this book.
Rating:
Summary: Overkill
Review: Taliesin / Merlin / Arthur. Excellent trilogy, with Atlantis thrown in as a bonus. Pendragon and Grail were written to expand the trilogy, but cover much of the same ground -- overlapping overkill -- with too much religion for my taste, very irritating in fact: much more 'Good News' than I can stomach. The author would have done better to go back and revise the original trilogy, which was self-contained, and shoehorned in the grail elements that are the theme of the sequels. But the political nastiness of kinglets, lords, and bishops is well handled, and the wicked ladies are fun. And Grail has some nice spooky witchcraft in a grim forest in Lyonesse -- in fact one of the eeriest scenes in Arthurian fiction.
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