The Sword and the Circle: King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table

Rating:
Summary: Excellent book!
Review: I don't know why everyone keep complaining about how confusing this book is, and how there are too many names or the adventures are all the same.
First of all, people did have names in the story, and there are more than two knights at the Round Table. In fact, there are 150, so occasionally, other knights MUST pop up in the story,and it's wise that they have names.
As for the adventures, I can't agree less. Each adventure is so skillfully written in this book, you are immediatly pulled in.
And each character is wonderfully brought to life from there less-described first days in La Morte D'Arthur, where you only had a few descriptions to go on.
Sutcliff expounds on those and more, and leaves you with memorable, believable characters, my especial favorites being the boisterous and hot-tempered Sir Gawaine, his handsome and noble brother Gareth and Merlin, who, instead of sounding corny and magical, just sounds like a very wise man who knows of the days to come.
Awesome variety of selections from the orginal King Arthur book(s), inlcuding the classics like Sir Gawaine and the Green Knight, Gawaine and the Loathly Lady (a humorous retelling), and my favorite: Beaumains, the Kitchen Knight.
All great stuff! However, if you are not into King Arthur, and you just picked this up because you're bored, I'm not sure how well you'll enjoy it. Obviously, the Round Table and King Arthur are a big part of this book, and since I notice a large number of people on here only read it and nothing else, it pays to read other King Arthur books as well as this one, to give you a bigger picture, and better appreciation for this fantastic retelling of the first 10 or so years of Arthur's reign.

Rating:
Summary: Arthur with a historical flavor
Review: I went through a stage where I was reading everything King Arthury and I of course read this. I really loved that Sutcliff managed to mesh the true historical Arthur with the mythological one. She kept the magic but put his feet on the ground. A lovely story. I particularly loved Gawain and the Loathly Lady.

Rating:
Summary: Adventurous Tales
Review: In the book The Sword and the Circle, Rosemary Sutcliff writes about adventures of King Arthur and some of the Knights of the Round Table. The book starts off with stories of Arthur before and when he became King and receiving Excalibur. There is interesting stories about the quests the knights go on, also. Rosemary Sutcliff added a lot of details in the stories. She changed her stories just a little from the traditional story.
All the chapters in the book were about a different quest of a knight from the Round Table. For example, one of the good parts was in a chapter with Sir Gawain. He wanted to grant a lady's wish promised by King Arthur. The King warned Gawain that the lady was hideous but sir Gawain kept to his word. Nearing the end of the chapter, Gawain ends up liking the decision he made about granting the lady's wish. In The Sword and the Circle, there is also a lot of boring parts. I wouldn't recommend this book as a free read to many people unless you need to know tales of some Knights of the Round Table.

Rating:
Summary: One of Sutcliff's Best!
Review: Rosemary Sutcliff's adaptation of the King Arthur legend is truly a unique and inspiring work, told in a highly descriptive yet very concise format. It is not only powerful and thought-provoking, but creates a sense of the ancient and medieval time it owes its existence to. Starting years before Arthur comes to power, Sutcliff tells the story of young Merlin and how Arthur came to be, following him through his rise to High King, the meetings of such brave and infamous knights such as Lancelot, Tristan and Gawain, right up to just before the quest for the Holy Grail begins. Sutcliff not only tells the traditional and time-honored stories, such as the sword in the stone, but also adapts other variations of the quests that individual knights took upon themselves to maintain peace and honor in Britain. For example, although he may not have actually been a knight of the round table, Sutcliff tells the tragic and romantic story of Tristan and Iseult, the ironic tale of Beaumains, and the humorous story of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, all of which reflect the honor and love which bounded King Arthur's kingdom together. This book easily stands alone, but simultaneously lays solid groundwork for the next two books, The Light Beyond the Forest and The Road to Camlann, two other excellent books written by Sutcliff on the rise and fall of Arthur. By taking her stories to a level above just the basic story-telling, Sutcliff also helps put King Arthur's place in history into perspective and gives an excellent reason for retelling this timeless legend again for this day and age. The book is really a medieval romantic story at heart, but has enough battles and swashbuckling adventures to keep readers more interested in action than a rambling story hooked. I would recommend this book to those who have never read a King Arthur book in their life, to those who might know the story by heart, and anyone in between those two categories, because it is an excellent way of reacquainting ourselves with the days of princes and knights, of villains and dragons, chivalry and fair maidens, and the ultimate triumph of good over evil. The Sword and the Circle and the other two books in the trilogy truly deserve a place all their own among those stories about the knights of the round table. Reading through it page by page, I truly felt drawn into a dim and room, lit by a crackling fire while the wind howled outside, listening to the voice of an excellent story-teller speak of a bygone age and long-dead heroes.

Rating:
Summary: A Great Adventure About King Arthur and his Knights
Review: The Sword and the Circle is a great book about King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table. The story begins with how Arthur actually became king. The story then continues on with adventures of Arthur and how he assembles his Knights of the Round Table. The book tells about the many quests of Arthur, his knights, Guenever, and Merlin, the magician. During the story Arthur adds many knights to his group, but none stand out more than Gawain and Lanccelot. I enjoyed this book and thought it was very well-written. This book is very exciting and full of adventure. I had a hard time putting this book down because it told so much about the journeys of the knights, such as the mystery between Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. The book was also quite interesting and gave adequate information and detail without having excessive writing. This book kept me interested because it was so in depth and full of fascinating information, such as the feelings Sir Lancelot was forced to hide from others. The only negative aspect about the book was that it jumped around between characters. I had a little difficulty following what each character was doing, so I had to look back in the book to see what was happening. I would definitely recommend this book because it is an epic story of adventure that people of all ages would enjoy.

Rating:
Summary: A story about kings and knights
Review: This book is a simplified version of the Arthurian legends. As such, it should not be looked upon as a definitive book on Arthur. It's more of a taste test that, in my case, whetted my appetite for more. I believe Sutcliff is an excellent writer and would recommend this book to any and all that wish to get into Camelot.