The Pagan King

by Edison Marshall

The mysterious Song of Camlon tells of a mighty warrior who will win the crown of Cambria. This is Arthur's great destiny-or so prophesies Merdin the seer. To claim his birthright, the simple Welsh rustic must overcome the tyrant Vortigern, his brilliant son Modred, and the other formidable foes arrayed against him. Is Fate the architect of Arthur's success, or is his rise to power determined by the strength of his sword arm and the shrewdness of his advisors? The naive young warrior must learn much about his enemies, both open and secret, and the prophecies that so rule his life before he can step from the pages of dark history into glorious legend. The Pagan King, first published in 1959 and long out of print, is one of the first modern novels to rediscover the Arthurian legend's Welsh roots. In Edison Marshall's splendid retelling, readers will share the agonizing losses and thrilling victories of one of the world's greatest heroes.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Fiction, Arthurian, Medieval

320 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1959

About the author

Edison Tesla Marshall (28 August 1894, Rensselaer, Indiana - 29 October 1967 Augusta, Georgia) was an American short story writer and novelist.

Reviews

[tysephine · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

This is one of the first retellings of Arthurian legend in the 20th century. It starts with Arthur as the nobody Welsh peasant Ambrose and moves through the legend to the end. I personally love modern Arthurian romances because authors tend to attempt to give us a more "true" retelling of the myths aurrounding Arthur. Marshall rather brilliantly moves through Arthur's rise in power as king of all Britain, weaving a story around the myth.

The only drawbacks I found in this novel were (1) the pace, which was a little slow in some places, (2) the voice, which at times made for a difficult read, and (3) the timeline, which makes it seem like Arthur goes from nothing to great king in a little over a year. Overall, this is a pretty good retelling of the classic Arthurian romance.

[Larry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Edison Marshall and Samuel Shellabarger wrote historical novels to wait for eagerly when I was in middle school and high school. Upon rereading many years later, "The Pagan King" remains a seriously good novel of how Arthur became a hero.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read as a teenager. Retelling of the Arthurian legends

[Carol · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting plot quirks but style has not aged well.

[Bob Atwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it.

[Brenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Young Arthur's adventures!