The Serpent and the Grail

Arthor #4

by A.A. Attanasio, Jeff Bigman (Illustrator)

The narrator is Rna, a clan woman 90,000-years-old. She is eldest of the Nine Queens of Avalon. The place is Roman Britain, A.D. 491 on an alternate Earth, where Camelot is a monumental quantum gate to other worlds— The boy-king Arthor has beaten back the berserker wolf warriors of the Saxon god, uniting his island kingdom—but at terrible cost. The Grail, the chalice of the Last Supper and the magical shield of Britain, has been stolen. Without the Grail's protection, Britain lies parched and barren, a demon-haunted landscape. To find the Grail, Arthor's mother, Ygrane, must strike a dark bargain with Bright Night, elf-prince of the "pale people," in the hollow hills. Merlin alone can show the way. But it is Arthor who must confront the Serpent, sword in hand, to fulfill the ancient blood rite of kings—and transform himself to King Arthur.

Genres: Fantasy, Arthurian, Fiction, Mythology, Speculative Fiction, Epic, Historical

400 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

I’m a novelist and student of the imagination living in Honolulu. Fantasies, visions, hallucinations or whatever we call those irrational powers that illuminate our inner life fascinate me. I’m particularly intrigued by the creative intelligence that scripts our dreams. And I love carrying this soulful energy outside my mind, into the one form that most precisely defines who we are: story.

Reviews

[Bradley · Rating 4 out of 5]

It wasn't the focus on Arthor that I appreciated in this one. Merlin always stole the show and for the most part, so did all his companions.

In this case, I had a great deal of fun with Loki and dealing with Satan was something else, too.

The whole search for the Holy Grail was quite a bit more magical and female this time around and I have no complaints. Mommy dealing with the Fae was a real delight and pretty epic in its own right.

In retrospect, I think I had a bit more fun in this one than the previous two books. Definitely worth reading if you like Arthurian legends.

[johanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the last of four books about King Arthur. I have been reading these books since high school and i have loved them all. Not only are they just a good read but they have truly inspired my own views about the universe, magic, science, religion and spirituality. I must say that the end of this book was a bit surprising and quite unexpected but it was an interesting take on the whole of this series. If anyone is interested in King Arthur than this is the book series to read. The author has done so much research on religion in this time period and adds many insights on world was during the supposed time of King Arthur. I highly, highly recommend reading all four of these books.

[Mary Slowik · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely a return to form. This delivered on much of the promise of earlier books in the series. It represents a wise reversal of some of the style choices made in its immediate prequel, such as normalizing the chapter titles. And, although I lowered my expectations in this respect, it also gives more coverage to the other, pessimistic side of the argument. That's another way of saying I often agreed with Morgeu, or Loki, or Lucifer. In any event, I was satisfied with this conclusion and glad I pushed onward to the finish. Overall it's a highly original, highly lyrical series.

[Jaime · Rating 5 out of 5]

A terrific reworking of a classic western folkloric trope that ends with just about the greatest last page of any work of fiction that I have read; brilliantly self-referential, it dissolves the wall between writer and reader, tale-spinner and listener, making it clear - to me anyway - that there can't be one without the other and that experiencing someone's story is as close to a 'mind-meld' as can ever be possible.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book 4 of The Perilous Order of Camelot series. Arthur is High King of Britain and is pulling all the chieftains and lords together as one nation to defend against the northern and foreign invaders. Trying to be a Christian ruler he still has to deal with pagans, pagan gods, and magic in his kingdom.

[Rick · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really satisfying and elegant ending. Again, I'm impressed by Attanasio's breadth of knowledge of the legend and mythology. Not as tragic as I feared, but sufficiently high stakes, especially with Ygrane's storyline. Great series!!

[Kris · Rating 2 out of 5]

I got bored and quit reading, but the part I read was ok.

[Therese]

$0.0

[Valentina Guiari · Rating 5 out of 5]

l'unica mia lettura in lingua originale...lo trovo unico nel suo genere. i personaggi, i loro nomi e le loro descrizioni...mai letto nulla di simile