Mordred

by Grant Piercy

Once upon a time, the son of King Arthur betrayed his father, pressing his claim and demanding the realm surrender to his rule. There is a fixed point in time, a battle known as the Strife of Camlann, from which this legend descends. The villainous son has had many names through the centuries, but history knows him as the traitorous Sir Mordred.



After the Grail Quest's completion, Arthur branded Sir Mordred an outlaw before discovering the truth of his heritage. Now, Sir Mordred is in desperate need of allies to survive. Meanwhile, his legendary mother, Morgan Le Fay, conspires to crown her son, though otherworldly forces may stand against them. Can their fate be avoided? 



In this surreal retelling, Grant Piercy explores questions around Camelot's inevitable fall and the circumstances around its legendary adversary. What drove Sir Mordred to rise in rebellion? Could he have been a better man? How could someone love a villain so reviled of history? 



Piercy weaves multiple forms into the legend of Sir Mordred, intercutting chapters with imaginative "shadows" of other stories, alternative tellings exploring the "house of form and fable."

455 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 1, 2025

About the author

I'm a self-published writer, originally from Illinois. I grew up in the orbit of the strange planet Chicago -- just out of reach, but just close enough that it feels like home. Relocated to central Ohio to be with my wife about a decade ago, so I suppose Columbus is my home now. For a number of years, I've worked in the courseware development industry, creating educational materials for IT companies.

I've been writing since I was a kid on my Dad's Apple II -- sometimes tidbit stories based on dreams, sometimes raving, suicidal anecdotes from a depressed teenager, but most often about trying to find connection in a world in which I've often felt alien. It shouldn't have been any surprise that, after failing to satisfactorily follow through on a massive tome more in common with a conspiratorial transgressive fiction novel, I gravitated toward science fiction, especially after discovering the work of Philip K. Dick and Kurt Vonnegut.

The first book I've self-published -- The Erased -- contains strands from all of the above influences. You might feel that yearning to connect that you'd see in the work of Chuck Palahniuk, the brevity of chapters and manic weaving of elements similar to Cat's Cradle from Vonnegut, and of course, the android problem of PKD. Whether or not I actually continue on in science fiction is a different story. I've got other works-in-progress that will hopefully see the light of day soon.