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Summary: Knight Life Is A Charmer
Review: Peter David, well known in sci-fi and comic circles, updates one of his very first books with some newer material for the modern age, as well as an overhaul of the writing style to reflect his more mature and developed style. This book tells the "what if" story of King Arthur and his band of confidants in the modern age as the great king reappears in 21st century New York City after being bound in a magic cave for the past few centuries. If you like fanciful fiction and witty writing, you'll like this. Yeah, it's kind of a sily concept, but it works, and you won't be disappointed!
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Summary: I Love the Knight Life; I Love to Boogie!
Review: This book is a fascinating read and honest, good fun. In it, the legend of King Arthur is turned on his head as Arthur, Merlin and other characters from the time arrive after ten centuries of hiding into the modern craziness of the twentieth century. Once there, Arthur hopes to regain the fame and power he once had, but he'll have to do something he's not used to --- starting relatively small. Thus does Arthur Penn's (Pendragon's) campaign for mayor begin. However, he'll have to face many old foes from the past, as well as the opposing candidates for mayor --- the second being something not nearly as much to worry about as one would think.
"Knight Life" is full of Peter David's typical off-beat humor and is a wonderful first offering from him. This version is an updated version of the original release, offering Peter David's improvements to an already great story.
I'm not completely familiar with the Arthurian legend, but still found it quite easy to get into this book. Sure, some hardcore fans may find things to nitpick, but overall I thought this was a really great read and it's also made me curious to check out more of the legend. It also had a surprise ending that I didn't expect.
Rating:
Summary: Fun and entertaining.
Review: What if King Arthur came back today? And what if instead of being the king of England, he did something radically different--such as run for mayor of New York City? Those questions serve as the premise for Peter David's first novel, Knight Life. For years, Knight Life was hard to find--its popularity among David fans is well-known. Thankfully, David has ended the long searches through used bookstores by updating his novel and releasing it again in hardcover for a new generation of fans to pick up and enjoy. If you like Peter David's usual writing style, you're in for a treat here. David pays homage to the basic tenants of the Arthurian legend while putting his own, comic spin on a lot of it. David has apparently done his homework and done it well, but he doesn't take it so seriously that he can't have some fun with it. There are a lot of absolutely laugh-out loud sequences in the book, from the Lady of the Lake rising up in Central Park and being covered with trash to the running joke about Merlyn's reverse aging and looking like a teenager. This modern-day retelling of the Arthur story works very well and you can see the joy that David has in writing it. Some passages seem to be in the same vein as William Goldman's The Princess Bride. David pays homage, but also pokes holes in the coventions of the stories he is re-telling, just as he did last year with his great Sir Appropos of Nothing. If you've a Peter David fan, this is a must-read. If you've heard good things about him, start here and then head on to Sir Apropos and Imazadi. All of them are great stories by a great author.
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