Rating: 
Summary: Is Lawhead a closet Royalist?
Review: Or is that just a necessary basis for returning a King to rule Britian? I just can't get past all the "monarchy will save us" stuff. A great and noble king was a powerful image set in the early medival times of the earlier books, but putting it in modern England just didn't quite hold true. Could such a King make a difference? Yes! But couldn't also such a PM? How about Churchill? The best part of this novel was descriptions of the inner working of the British political system. But many other parts just rang hollow. We see James running through a crowd to single handedly defeat a bunch of Skinhead thugs, yet it seems as if there is no one actually there watching him. Tht whole scene seemed contrived. The new King who everyone is interested in just wandering through the crowd to find a little girl just after defeating the first wave of skinheads and no one seems to notice him? I agree with the review which said that for this to have worked, Arthur needed to save Britian from a real and present danger, not just the supposed danger of a presidency! Come on, I'd say our presidential system is doing just fine; our flawed presidents are no worse, and sometimes better, than the flawed kings out there. At least we can vote them out, a bad king stays around till he dies. I would only add that a reader should look to Lawhead's other great stories to see why so many like him so much. If I sound bitter in this review, it is mostly because I was let down and I expected so much more.
Rating: 
Summary: Fascinating "King Arthur returns" tale
Review: Stephen R. Lawhead has done an admirable job re-telling the Arthrurian legend in his previous novels (Taleisin, Merlin, Arthur, Pendragon, Grail; all excellent reading). In "Avalon," he brings back the "Once and Future King" in a sequel to those adventures. In the 21st Century, the British monarchy is on the verge of being wiped out politically, and a scheming Prime Minister looks to consolidate his power. Only Merlin and a reincarnated Arthur can save the day. While you get an interesting look inside British politics, and some nice set pieces as, "Arthur" begins to accept his new role, this does fall a bit short of the previous Lawhead novels. Enjoyable, but not essential.
Rating:
Summary: Poor Edward the Ninth...
Review: Is this Prince Will's brother (Diana's younger son)? Sad if Lawhead has so much contempt for the house of Hanover/Saxe-Coburg/Windsor that he brings that dynasty to this pitiful end. But then he has the nerve to revive the House of Stuart -- last heir to the throne who hasn't yet signed the abdication agreement with this Prime Minister who wants to become the first President of Britain. The premier (similar to the character in the TV show "Yes, Prime Minister" -- well, no it wasn't that show which was a comedy but the other one that was shown a couple of years ago -- "New Kind of Coup" or something like that) has a murderous mistress, who turns out to be Morgan la Fay in a new guise, James Arthur Stuart, Marquess of Morven in Scotland, is the unknowing reincarnation of King Arthur, and Embries, the old man who has no social security number, but a private office in the attic of the nationalized St James's Palace as a minor bureaucrat, is of course Merlin. This is a fun book, but really has nothing to do with the huge opus Lawhead wrote about Arthur. The best thing in the story has to do with earthquakes that raise up old Lyonesse from the sea bottom between Land's End and the Isles of Scilly in Cornwall. Too bad that was mostly a throwaway aspect of a standard political thriller with a preachy royalist slant. But it's well written nice weekend reading.
Rating: 
Summary: Different, Good
Review: There is no question that this book is quite a bit different than the rest of the Pendragon series. But like Lawhead's other reecent books (Iron Lance, Byzantium) this book is staightforward engaging and not bogged down by the pretentiousness of the 5 previous Arthurian books. It is actually extremely similar to Tom Clancy's "Executive Orders," except this is the British version of the story. Dont expect to return to the world of Saxons and Britons, as this should be enjoyed for its own merit.
Rating:
Summary: A very intelligent approach to a eye-misting dream
Review: I've never read Lawhead before, but will now, and had enjoyed lighter treatments of the theme of Arthur's return, i.e. "The Forever King" and "The Broken Sword" or "Arthur King" or a couple of mid-90's novels that did put modern folks with chivalric dreams in the bodies of authentic,cruder Arthurian court figures. Lawhead has avoided most of the potential whimsy, grappling with thinking through how such an extravagant idea could work in a complex, modern England. The contrast between the wasted opportunities of Britain's royalty since Queen Victoria and what a leader could do was particularly powerful and pounded home so a deaf man could hear it. The characters are well done, the plot moves along modern political thriller lines instead of a few whacks from the Caliburn blade to resolve things, and there is a lot of long reflection obvious in the entire book. If you enjoy the many interpretations of Arthur, you'll enjoy this as well.
Rating: 
Summary: Modern Day Arthurian Legend
Review: I love Arthurian books, I inhale them, I own dozens of them, and each sits in an honored place in my libaray. "Avalon" has joined those books. A fine modern tale of Arthur come alive, "In the hour Britain's greatest need, King Arthur will return." So speaks the legend, and so it is true. Mr. Lawhead's books tries to show the reader how England would be in it's greatest hour of need. Power-hungry Prime Minister, sad defeated King, and a nation in moral decline. One man can change all that and he doesn't even know it. Captain James Arthur Stuart has no idea he is about to become the stuff of legends. It was a good read, all the factors of Arthurian legend were there, well all but one. Excalibur! Why he left out Excalibur I have no idea. Remember? The King without a sword is a land without a King. At times the story wanders around and takes it's time coming back to center. All in all it was a good book, wide open for a follow up story.
Rating:
Summary: A modern king Arthur?
Review: I had been warned by others who enjoyed Lawhead's Pandragon series on the Arthurian legends that these don't translate very good into a modern setting. But, as I've enjoyed his other books a lot, I took a chance on reading it. It turned out to be all too true. Lawhead has not managed very well to bring the magic of the old celtic legends into a modern setting. When Mr. Embries sings, a scene that would have left the reader awestricken, set in a celtic environment, it seems... sentimental. Morgian seems like a real bimbo, and James' feelings when he discovers his lost memories, the way they are described, seem... silly. I've decided to give the book 3 stars, because it's not completely without good sequences. Both the beginning and the wedding feast reflect the brilliance of the author, but the rest does not give him too much credit.
Rating:
Summary: Couldn't put it down
Review: Having never read this author before, I was surprised at how fabulous this book was. I took it out of my local library, and was finished with it in 5 days. I found myself rushing to get home to read it, even if I only had time to read 1 chapter. I recommend this book to anyone who is looking for an updated story of Arthur.
Rating:
Summary: A nice change of pace for Lawhead
Review: Were one to rename all the characters and remove any hint of historical fiction, this would still be an engaging story -- particularly prescient in light of modern British politics. The addition of the Authurian element adds mystery and intrigue. It seems clear a royalist agenda was at work in the writing of this book, but the agenda doesn't overpower the story, and Lawhead never comes across as preachy. Fans of political thrillers and historical fiction alike will enjoy this book; if you're a fan of both genres as I am, you won't be able to put it down.
Rating:
Summary: Not up to par
Review: When I read the Pendragon Trilogy first, I was amazed by the vision Lawhead had of the legends and how amazing the pace of the stories was. I couldn't stop reading at all, and I was moved near to tears each time a beloved character died. In the books written later, Lawhead doesn't have the same vision he did; the stories don't have the driving, living spirit behind them that the first three did. In Avalon, I was disappointed to find that I was reading more of a political thriller than a story of passion and spirit. This is not to say that I didn't enjoy the story. In fact, if I had read the book apart from the first three, I would have enjoyed it thoroughly, even given it four stars. But given the other books, I was expecting Arthur to emerge during a global war crisis to lead the Britons to victory over all foes and bring peace to all nations (or something similarly climatic). Merlin didn't have the same clout and presence wearing a suit that he did wielding a staff, and Arthur didn't have the same majestic aura. Again, I liked the book, but I was expecting more. It was for me as if Tolkien had written a book about Aragorn in his old age; some things are better left unwritten, and the return of Arthur is a tough topic to handle. Nate estel81@hotmail.com
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