Lancelot Du Lethe

Rating:
Summary: Fantasy galore
Review: As a lover of Arthurian ledgend, I snatched up Lancelot Du Lethe eager to explore the story from Lancelot's point of view. While I found the book an easy and interesting read, I also found it about 50 pages too long. I could easily have enjoyed the story with a few less descriptions of the pixies and gnomes and other woodland creatures of fantasy. They were distracting to the excitement of the story and added a childish twist that was at the very least unnecessary and at the very most - insulting. I knew King's work - having first read Le Morte D'Avalon and knew his propensity toward magic so I should have been forewarned. If you do not appreciate an abundance of spells, time warps and impossible underwater travel - this is not the book for you. With any Arthurian legend there will be some aspect of myth- but King really knocks it out of the park. I wondered if he didn't delve deeply into the unexplainable, because he lacks a grasp of any possible historical aspects on which to base his story. I found this to be a mixture of bits and pieces of the legend which other authors such as Cornwell, Bradshaw, McKenzie and even Miles tell more skillfully. Now -it was a VERY fast read and I did like the perspective. Unfortunately, I found Lancelot and Guinevere well developed while the other characters suffered. I did not read his first book Mad Merlin due to a personal disinterest in the main character. If you are eager to explore King's work - you may want to start at the beginning and see if it carries along from book one to book three.

Rating:
Summary: Fantasy galore
Review: As a lover of Arthurian ledgend, I snatched up Lancelot Du Lethe eager to explore the story from Lancelot's point of view. While I found the book an easy and interesting read, I also found it about 50 pages too long. I could easily have enjoyed the story with a few less descriptions of the pixies and gnomes and other woodland creatures of fantasy. They were distracting to the excitement of the story and added a childish twist that was at the very least unnecessary and at the very most - insulting. I knew King's work - having first read Le Morte D'Avalon and knew his propensity toward magic so I should have been forewarned. If you do not appreciate an abundance of spells, time warps and impossible underwater travel - this is not the book for you. With any Arthurian legend there will be some aspect of myth- but King really knocks it out of the park. I wondered if he didn't delve deeply into the unexplainable, because he lacks a grasp of any possible historical aspects on which to base his story. I found this to be a mixture of bits and pieces of the legend which other authors such as Cornwell, Bradshaw, McKenzie and even Miles tell more skillfully. Now -it was a VERY fast read and I did like the perspective. Unfortunately, I found Lancelot and Guinevere well developed while the other characters suffered. I did not read his first book Mad Merlin due to a personal disinterest in the main character. If you are eager to explore King's work - you may want to start at the beginning and see if it carries along from book one to book three.

Rating:
Summary: Awesome Aurthurian Adventure!
Review: J. Robert King has enlivened and energized a story that has been told and retold many times. As a fan of the fantasy genre in general and Aurthurian tales in particular, I found King's depiction of the love affair between Guinevere and Lancelot bewitching. Perhaps the strongest point of this great book is its language...it is 'high' enough to engage even the most well-read literature buff but at the same time it is 'low' enough for the first-time pre-teen fantasy reader to enjoy. This work of art provided me hours of entertainment and I am positive that it will for you as well!

Rating:
Summary: The moon sets on a great knight
Review: Lancelot du Lethe is the second book featuring King's unique take on the Arthurian legends. Gone are the various pantheons of gods, as this book is mostly about the land of Britain itself, its ties with the Fey folk, and how Christianity is pushing everything aside. King plays with the legends even as he includes many things that we all know and love about them. This is a better book than the first and it doesn't contain any of the problems the first book had. It does, however, have a couple of its own.

As good as Mad Merlin was, this book is just so much richer that it's hard to believe. Anybody familiar with the Arthurian legends knows of the ill-fated love between Guinevere and Lancelot, and how the betrayal of Arthur affects Camelot and everything around it. While sticking to the basics of the legend, King adds so much more to the tapestry that it reads like a new tale. While Mad Merlin added the war between the gods, Lancelot du Lethe adds a great deal of detail to the land of the Fey, and the magical world that lies beneath and between the real world of man. Guinevere is of this land, and while she is married to Arthur in order to bring peace and stability to the land, she is drawn to Lancelot and his otherworldness. He harbours a secret of his own and draws her to him even more, a secret that even he doesn't know about. They are fated to be lovers as well, and this adds the main conflict to the story. The choices that King has the characters make are hard choices, and there are always consequences to them. He doesn't give them an easy way out like some authors do.

Guinevere is much more developed in this book than the last one. It was about Arthur and Merlin, and Guinevere was mainly a means to an end, a character that served a purpose and wasn't a whole lot more. Here, though, she comes into her own. She is a kind and good queen, but she is a woman who is living in a sexless marriage because if she gives in to Arthur, everything will be destroyed. When Lancelot shows up, she is inexplicably drawn to him. Their romance is tragic, even more tragic than in many tellings of the legends. Lancelot is a good man as well, and he knows what he feels will hurt Arthur. He continues to try and deny his feelings but he feels like he must follow his heart. King masterfully tells the story of how they dance around each other and their feelings, and Arthur's feelings as well, until ultimately something has to give. These are all good people, and the reader feels the tragedy even more because of that.

Other characters are not so well drawn, as they interact with these three only peripherally. I sometimes questioned the choices King made in this. Morgan le Fay and her son Mordred don't really come across very well. Morgan has plans for Lancelot but these plans are foiled more out of authorial fiat than by anything Lancelot actually does. She does have a hand in the tragic ending, much like in the legends, but she plays a relatively minor role overall. This is a shame because she's in the book a lot, and always lurking in the background and behind Mordred's plans as well. Mordred also doesn't come across as very interesting, and if King wasn't keeping to the basics of the legend, I would have liked to have seen a more interesting villain. As it is, his character is given more weight by his place in the stories that King is using than by King himself. And Merlin only makes a couple of token appearances. His first appearance is superfluous, however, and his second only provides a story element before he goes back to his wonderful life with his lady love. I think it would have been a better book either without him, or with a meatier part to the story.

Again, King does a wonderful job with the tools he is given and extrapolates very well, giving the story a fresh feel even as we know the basics of what is going to happen. The prose is again wonderful, with rich descriptions and vivid scenes. The interesting thing is how he extends the tales, and King delivers in spades. Sure, there are familiar items: other knights (Galahad, Gawain), the Holy Grail and the Spear of Longinus). However, the rich descriptions of the fairy world, the way King uses the fairies to supplement the intrigue in the real world, and the tragic elements King adds to the romance, all do their jobs nicely. Even when you know what's going to happen, you really don't. That's the perfect way to retell a legend.

There is another minor problem with the book, however. This is the almost anecdotal feel to the book. It almost seems like a set of stories with an overarching theme, almost like a "Stories of King Arthur and the Round Table" with stories that mainly center on Lancelot. While this may give it a feel of the old legends, I found it kind of distracting in a 450 page book that's not really a short story book. This problem is alleviated later on once events start rolling down the hill to their inevitable oblivion. But at first, it is a problem.

I will say that the ending is very fitting, though. King really outdoes his first book there. It's tragic yet it also has a glimmer of hope. It also provides the perfect bookend with the first book. Together, they make a wonderful visit to the land of Arthur, taking you back to the old days of jousts, chivalry, warriors in plate armour, and romance. I had a great time on my trip.

David Roy

Rating:
Summary: The moon sets on a great knight
Review: Lancelot du Lethe is the second book featuring King's unique take on the Arthurian legends. Gone are the various pantheons of gods, as this book is mostly about the land of Britain itself, its ties with the Fey folk, and how Christianity is pushing everything aside. King plays with the legends even as he includes many things that we all know and love about them. This is a better book than the first and it doesn't contain any of the problems the first book had. It does, however, have a couple of its own.

As good as Mad Merlin was, this book is just so much richer that it's hard to believe. Anybody familiar with the Arthurian legends knows of the ill-fated love between Guinevere and Lancelot, and how the betrayal of Arthur affects Camelot and everything around it. While sticking to the basics of the legend, King adds so much more to the tapestry that it reads like a new tale. While Mad Merlin added the war between the gods, Lancelot du Lethe adds a great deal of detail to the land of the Fey, and the magical world that lies beneath and between the real world of man. Guinevere is of this land, and while she is married to Arthur in order to bring peace and stability to the land, she is drawn to Lancelot and his otherworldness. He harbours a secret of his own and draws her to him even more, a secret that even he doesn't know about. They are fated to be lovers as well, and this adds the main conflict to the story. The choices that King has the characters make are hard choices, and there are always consequences to them. He doesn't give them an easy way out like some authors do.

Guinevere is much more developed in this book than the last one. It was about Arthur and Merlin, and Guinevere was mainly a means to an end, a character that served a purpose and wasn't a whole lot more. Here, though, she comes into her own. She is a kind and good queen, but she is a woman who is living in a sexless marriage because if she gives in to Arthur, everything will be destroyed. When Lancelot shows up, she is inexplicably drawn to him. Their romance is tragic, even more tragic than in many tellings of the legends. Lancelot is a good man as well, and he knows what he feels will hurt Arthur. He continues to try and deny his feelings but he feels like he must follow his heart. King masterfully tells the story of how they dance around each other and their feelings, and Arthur's feelings as well, until ultimately something has to give. These are all good people, and the reader feels the tragedy even more because of that.

Other characters are not so well drawn, as they interact with these three only peripherally. I sometimes questioned the choices King made in this. Morgan le Fay and her son Mordred don't really come across very well. Morgan has plans for Lancelot but these plans are foiled more out of authorial fiat than by anything Lancelot actually does. She does have a hand in the tragic ending, much like in the legends, but she plays a relatively minor role overall. This is a shame because she's in the book a lot, and always lurking in the background and behind Mordred's plans as well. Mordred also doesn't come across as very interesting, and if King wasn't keeping to the basics of the legend, I would have liked to have seen a more interesting villain. As it is, his character is given more weight by his place in the stories that King is using than by King himself. And Merlin only makes a couple of token appearances. His first appearance is superfluous, however, and his second only provides a story element before he goes back to his wonderful life with his lady love. I think it would have been a better book either without him, or with a meatier part to the story.

Again, King does a wonderful job with the tools he is given and extrapolates very well, giving the story a fresh feel even as we know the basics of what is going to happen. The prose is again wonderful, with rich descriptions and vivid scenes. The interesting thing is how he extends the tales, and King delivers in spades. Sure, there are familiar items: other knights (Galahad, Gawain), the Holy Grail and the Spear of Longinus). However, the rich descriptions of the fairy world, the way King uses the fairies to supplement the intrigue in the real world, and the tragic elements King adds to the romance, all do their jobs nicely. Even when you know what's going to happen, you really don't. That's the perfect way to retell a legend.

There is another minor problem with the book, however. This is the almost anecdotal feel to the book. It almost seems like a set of stories with an overarching theme, almost like a "Stories of King Arthur and the Round Table" with stories that mainly center on Lancelot. While this may give it a feel of the old legends, I found it kind of distracting in a 450 page book that's not really a short story book. This problem is alleviated later on once events start rolling down the hill to their inevitable oblivion. But at first, it is a problem.

I will say that the ending is very fitting, though. King really outdoes his first book there. It's tragic yet it also has a glimmer of hope. It also provides the perfect bookend with the first book. Together, they make a wonderful visit to the land of Arthur, taking you back to the old days of jousts, chivalry, warriors in plate armour, and romance. I had a great time on my trip.

David Roy

Rating:
Summary: superb retelling of the Camelot triangle
Review: When Merlin first sees the newborn Lancelot he knows that the infant will one day destroy all that King Arthur accomplished at Mount Badon and Camelot. The lad's father King Ban asks Merlin to bless his heir, but the mage wonders if the world would be a better place if he killed Lancelot right then and there. Reluctantly, Merlin blesses the baby stating he will one day be the best knight.

Years later, Lancelot is considered the bravest knight of the Round Table. However, he and Arthur's Queen Guinevere feel a strong attraction to one another, but both try to do the honorable thing by avoiding one another even as their fey blood screams for these soul mates to converge. Arthur knows Lancelot owns the heart of his beloved wife and feels impotent. The wannabe lovers feel hopeless to stop the inevitable betrayal of Arthur that will disrupt the mortal and mystical planes as never seen before.

LANCELOT DU LETHE, the sequel to MAD MERLIN, is a superb retelling of the Camelot triangle. The lead trio is written as doomed heroes caught in a destiny beyond their control, making them seem human yet majestic. The secondary cast provides further insight into the threesome while deepening a powerfully written plot that adheres to the legend while dramatically freshening up the Camelot lore. Fantasy fans will fully enjoy J Robert King's exciting epic tale that keeps him firmly on the genre's throne.

Harriet Klausner

Rating:
Summary: superb retelling of the Camelot triangle
Review: When Merlin first sees the newborn Lancelot he knows that the infant will one day destroy all that King Arthur accomplished at Mount Badon and Camelot. The lad's father King Ban asks Merlin to bless his heir, but the mage wonders if the world would be a better place if he killed Lancelot right then and there. Reluctantly, Merlin blesses the baby stating he will one day be the best knight.

Years later, Lancelot is considered the bravest knight of the Round Table. However, he and Arthur's Queen Guinevere feel a strong attraction to one another, but both try to do the honorable thing by avoiding one another even as their fey blood screams for these soul mates to converge. Arthur knows Lancelot owns the heart of his beloved wife and feels impotent. The wannabe lovers feel hopeless to stop the inevitable betrayal of Arthur that will disrupt the mortal and mystical planes as never seen before.

LANCELOT DU LETHE, the sequel to MAD MERLIN, is a superb retelling of the Camelot triangle. The lead trio is written as doomed heroes caught in a destiny beyond their control, making them seem human yet majestic. The secondary cast provides further insight into the threesome while deepening a powerfully written plot that adheres to the legend while dramatically freshening up the Camelot lore. Fantasy fans will fully enjoy J Robert King's exciting epic tale that keeps him firmly on the genre's throne.

Harriet Klausner

Rating:
Summary: A pleasant addition to Arthurian literature. . .
Review: While I don't consider this two-book series ("Mad Merlin" and Lancelot du Lethe") one of the heavyweights of Arthurian retellings, I did find it pleasant and enjoyable. I'm probably being a tad generous in handing out four stars instead of a more appropriate three, but I'm torn just enough to give Mr. King the benefit of the doubt.

This book both adheres to the stock story of Mallory and varies wildly from it. It follows most of the major events of Mallory, such as the kidnapping of Guinevere, Lancelot's stewardship of the Joyous Garde, the birth of Galahad and his travails with the Holy Grail, and countless others. Its major departure, however, lies in the Otherworld origins of both Guinevere and Lancelot, their joint history as changelings, and the ensuing betrothals at their births. Mr. King uses these events to justify Lancelot and Guinevere's respective betrayals of Arthur and manages to have them all make nice-nice at the end. The ultimate end of the story and the impending end of Lancelot's days were downright poignant.

This is really obscure, but I found myself thinking of the fabulous baseball movie, "Eight Men Out", after I finished this book. The end that Lancelot came to in "Lancelot du Lethe" reminded me of the end that Shoeless Joe Jackson came to in the movie. If you saw the movie, you'll know what I mean. If not, I apologize for the oblique reference.

Anyway, I found this book to be a satisfactory addition to the genre of Arthurian literature and would recommend it to all fans.

Rating:
Summary: A pleasant addition to Arthurian literature. . .
Review: While I don't consider this two-book series ("Mad Merlin" and Lancelot du Lethe") one of the heavyweights of Arthurian retellings, I did find it pleasant and enjoyable. I'm probably being a tad generous in handing out four stars instead of a more appropriate three, but I'm torn just enough to give Mr. King the benefit of the doubt.

This book both adheres to the stock story of Mallory and varies wildly from it. It follows most of the major events of Mallory, such as the kidnapping of Guinevere, Lancelot's stewardship of the Joyous Garde, the birth of Galahad and his travails with the Holy Grail, and countless others. Its major departure, however, lies in the Otherworld origins of both Guinevere and Lancelot, their joint history as changelings, and the ensuing betrothals at their births. Mr. King uses these events to justify Lancelot and Guinevere's respective betrayals of Arthur and manages to have them all make nice-nice at the end. The ultimate end of the story and the impending end of Lancelot's days were downright poignant.

This is really obscure, but I found myself thinking of the fabulous baseball movie, "Eight Men Out", after I finished this book. The end that Lancelot came to in "Lancelot du Lethe" reminded me of the end that Shoeless Joe Jackson came to in the movie. If you saw the movie, you'll know what I mean. If not, I apologize for the oblique reference.

Anyway, I found this book to be a satisfactory addition to the genre of Arthurian literature and would recommend it to all fans.