Rating: 
Summary: Miraculous
Review: This is one of my favorite Pendragon books, perhaps because it was so different. First of all, it was all in the viewpoint of Gwalchavad, with little inserts from Morgian in between, believe it or not. I loved that. Lawhead did pure, humble Gwalchavad wonderfully; immediately the reader likes him. Hearing from Morgian was very revealing, both to her character and to her plot. It enabled some of her schemes to be discovered by the reader, but never by the Cymbrogi. I actually began to understand her and her motives. (The statement about Avallach's favoritism had me almost sympathetic. Quite moving.) Also, the atmosphere was very dreamlike to the point of being surreal. When the whole episode is finished, reality and sunshine break through once more. Morgian's vail of fear is tangible. Thirdly, the adventure is impeccable. It is suspenseful, scary, and satisfying. Llenlleawg's betrayal added a whole new aspect to the fear of Morgian. Nothing is safe from her. He was one of my favorites in past books, which made it worse. The power of evil is revealed through him. Fourthly, Merlin is back to his old self. He was beginning to get rather prudish in former books. I love the part where he slams his stick on the ground and yells at Arthur. One more thing I liked, and this might be just me. Arthur had his troops go to confession and Mass beforehand. That reminded me of Joan of Arc. Spiritual health added credibility to their almost miraculous escape. I suppose I can see why some readers would not like this book as much, but it has definate unique appeal. A nice change!
Rating:
Summary: Miraculous
Review: This is one of my favorite Pendragon books, perhaps because it was so different. First of all, it was all in the viewpoint of Gwalchavad, with little inserts from Morgian in between, believe it or not. I loved that. Lawhead did pure, humble Gwalchavad wonderfully; immediately the reader likes him. Hearing from Morgian was very revealing, both to her character and to her plot. It enabled some of her schemes to be discovered by the reader, but never by the Cymbrogi. I actually began to understand her and her motives. (The statement about Avallach's favoritism had me almost sympathetic. Quite moving.) Also, the atmosphere was very dreamlike to the point of being surreal. When the whole episode is finished, reality and sunshine break through once more. Morgian's vail of fear is tangible. Thirdly, the adventure is impeccable. It is suspenseful, scary, and satisfying. Llenlleawg's betrayal added a whole new aspect to the fear of Morgian. Nothing is safe from her. He was one of my favorites in past books, which made it worse. The power of evil is revealed through him. Fourthly, Merlin is back to his old self. He was beginning to get rather prudish in former books. I love the part where he slams his stick on the ground and yells at Arthur. One more thing I liked, and this might be just me. Arthur had his troops go to confession and Mass beforehand. That reminded me of Joan of Arc. Spiritual health added credibility to their almost miraculous escape. I suppose I can see why some readers would not like this book as much, but it has definate unique appeal. A nice change!
Rating: 
Summary: Feels like a one-off contract fulfillment
Review: This lame book is characterized by clumsy, cliche and lazy writing. Lawhead has done little more than recycle all his old tricks and is slowly becoming a parody of himself with this travesty. The first three books of this series were brilliant and moving meditations on the Arthurian legend. He explored new facets of the legend and brought wonderful characters to life, making them move and breath, drawing us into their stories. They were grand, emotional and dramatic tapestries. And this book (along with its predecessor Pendragon) do not deserve to be named as part of the series. From the thinly disguised over the top and heavy handed Christian theme to the cliched Morgian and the absolute ripoff near the end: the knights getting lost in Morgian's dark forest. The contrived ending is enough to make us wretch. Unfortunately the once great Lawhead has lost it.
Rating: 
Summary: Should have stopped after 3..
Review: Too much religion, too much praising God for no help and no reason, too much contrived plot-writing and rehashing of previous events. Too much inconsistency, with all the other books and within this one. If you've read the other books, you can already map out the plot of this one before you read it: Arthur gets threatened yet again by Some Evil Force Who Wishes Britain Harm. Everyone else refuses to help. Merlin gives Wise Counsel Which Arthur Ignores. The Loyal Subjects aid Arthur but can't do everything. There Is Much Fighting. And since this takes place during the middle of book 3, we know how everything will end. Trust me and all the others on these pages: the first three Pendragon books make a wonderful story (albeit with way too much religion). The last two seem tacked on as a ploy to extend the series and the sales. I read Grail just to finish all five: don't make the same mistake.
| 
