I was very curious to see how this book was going to work – it’s a tacked on end to a former trilogy that actually ended with the death of Arthur. So bringing back another Arthur story was definitely a bold move. What this story does is go back to a few moments in Arthur’s youth that serve to illustrate the king he will become, and then go into detail about one of the first great battles he has after he is made king.
I liked this book better than I did Arthur – I think by concentrating on one time period, it served the story better. Arthur looked at three distinct periods in his life, and became a little disjointed because of it. It’s a shame the author hadn’t decided to go this route in the first place.
It was also a little less overly Christian. I don’t know – the idea of a fully Christian Merlin just really rubs me the wrong way – but it just doesn’t seem as in your face in this book as the others.