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Arthur: A New Life
It is said that a monument now stands before the high church of an anvil pierced through with a sword. It is said that the sword can only be taken by the Britons' rightful king...
From Sunday Times bestseller Amy Jeffs', A New Life mines the deep, elusive seams of a story we think we all the legend of King Arthur.
But here he is a larger-than-life warlord, a hero raised by fairies, a leader of the wild hunt, a monster-slayer, lying wounded under the ash cloud, longing to rise again.
Tracing an epic story from Merlin's conception and the building of the Round Table to the abduction of Guinevere and King Arthur's ambitious quest for Empire, this Arthur is as real as any other, brought back to life from the earliest sources.
Drawing out the dark and beautiful stories from the original medieval and early modern texts, Amy guides the reader from citadels through forests, into volcanoes, caves and riverbanks and beyond, even as far as Hell and the Otherworld. Going further than merely the stories, she provides incisive commentary about each tale, emphasising the legends' crafted nature and their symbiotic relationship with the political cultures of contemporary medieval Europe.
From Sunday Times bestseller Amy Jeffs', A New Life mines the deep, elusive seams of a story we think we all the legend of King Arthur.
But here he is a larger-than-life warlord, a hero raised by fairies, a leader of the wild hunt, a monster-slayer, lying wounded under the ash cloud, longing to rise again.
Tracing an epic story from Merlin's conception and the building of the Round Table to the abduction of Guinevere and King Arthur's ambitious quest for Empire, this Arthur is as real as any other, brought back to life from the earliest sources.
Drawing out the dark and beautiful stories from the original medieval and early modern texts, Amy guides the reader from citadels through forests, into volcanoes, caves and riverbanks and beyond, even as far as Hell and the Otherworld. Going further than merely the stories, she provides incisive commentary about each tale, emphasising the legends' crafted nature and their symbiotic relationship with the political cultures of contemporary medieval Europe.
Audible Audio
First published September 10, 2026
About the author
Amy Jeffs
6 books151 followersAmy Jeffs is an art historian specialising in the Middle Ages. In 2019, she gained a PhD in Art History from Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, having studied for earlier degrees at the Courtauld Institute of Art and the University of Cambridge. She is currently a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art.
During her PhD Amy co-convened a project researching medieval badges and pilgrim souvenirs at the British Museum. She then worked in the British Library's department of Ancient, Medieval and Early Modern manuscripts.
Her writing is often accompanied by her own linocut and wood-engraved prints.
Amy is a regular contributor to Country Life Magazine.
During her PhD Amy co-convened a project researching medieval badges and pilgrim souvenirs at the British Museum. She then worked in the British Library's department of Ancient, Medieval and Early Modern manuscripts.
Her writing is often accompanied by her own linocut and wood-engraved prints.
Amy is a regular contributor to Country Life Magazine.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
A mix between fiction and non-fiction, Arthur: A New Life by Amy Jeffs gives us everything we expected and more.
Between new thoughts on the old material we have at our disposal, and actual scenes played out on our most beloved tales about King Arthur (& his knights and ladies), pretty much everything here is worthy of note, this author knows what she’s talking about.
The research is thorough, in a way that isn’t hard on your brain. This, unlike many other non-fiction reads, can in fact be the book you read after a long day, to unwind. And maybe it’s just me, because the Arthurian legend takes up most of my brain (and life!), so anything regarding that could very well be a bedtime story for me. But. This was easy to understand, were there fancy words here and there? Sure. But it really didn’t matter, it was so well researched, so engaging.
There could’ve been a tad more information on Lancelot & Guinevere, because their section was really small, I could’ve used some more time focusing on them, separately and together. In fact, Lancelot was mostly nonexistent in this book. A little disappointed considering how well written this book is, how specific.
But again, she gives insight on many different things, her opinions on certain topics, etc. Be the material she focuses on new to you or not, you can’t help but be enthralled.
The illustrations I actually really liked, simple but moody, gothic. They really fit the book well. There were quite a few pictures in between different scenes, but I found myself wanting even more!
I don’t usually rate non-fiction(-ish) books, I don’t really have a reason why, I just don’t. But if I had to give this one a rating, it would be a five stars. When you like the subject matter, and the book is this impressive, there’s really nothing else you can do.
I’d definitely recommend it, it’s on the shorter side, the little scenes break up all the blocks of information and it works. I found it brilliant.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Between new thoughts on the old material we have at our disposal, and actual scenes played out on our most beloved tales about King Arthur (& his knights and ladies), pretty much everything here is worthy of note, this author knows what she’s talking about.
The research is thorough, in a way that isn’t hard on your brain. This, unlike many other non-fiction reads, can in fact be the book you read after a long day, to unwind. And maybe it’s just me, because the Arthurian legend takes up most of my brain (and life!), so anything regarding that could very well be a bedtime story for me. But. This was easy to understand, were there fancy words here and there? Sure. But it really didn’t matter, it was so well researched, so engaging.
There could’ve been a tad more information on Lancelot & Guinevere, because their section was really small, I could’ve used some more time focusing on them, separately and together. In fact, Lancelot was mostly nonexistent in this book. A little disappointed considering how well written this book is, how specific.
But again, she gives insight on many different things, her opinions on certain topics, etc. Be the material she focuses on new to you or not, you can’t help but be enthralled.
The illustrations I actually really liked, simple but moody, gothic. They really fit the book well. There were quite a few pictures in between different scenes, but I found myself wanting even more!
I don’t usually rate non-fiction(-ish) books, I don’t really have a reason why, I just don’t. But if I had to give this one a rating, it would be a five stars. When you like the subject matter, and the book is this impressive, there’s really nothing else you can do.
I’d definitely recommend it, it’s on the shorter side, the little scenes break up all the blocks of information and it works. I found it brilliant.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
September 20, 2026
Excellent book. Educational and entertaining. It’s a perfect blend of history, myth, academia and storytelling. Mediaeval times and the Arthurian legend are as enthralling as ever.
August 9, 2026
I think the tales of Arthur, Merlin and the knights of the round table have captured the imagination of many. Steeped in myth and legend, I’ll defy anyone not to be at least a bit intrigued about the tale and its origins.
This book was the perfect amalgamation between fiction and non-fiction, drawing upon old medieval manuscripts and historical sources to weave beautiful tales. At the end of the brief fiction short stories, the author launches into a detailed yet perfectly surmised non-fiction explanation of the tale and where they may have originated. I found it so so interesting and looked forward to each new chapter.
As an enthusiast of the Welsh language too, I found it so interesting how handfuls of these tales were drawn from old medieval Welsh! How cool. I had no idea!
I couldn’t recommend this enough to any fan of history, myth and nonfiction and fiction fan alike. It read so vividly and the times of Arthur and magic were brought to life.
Thank you to the author and publisher for this book on NetGalley in return for my honest thoughts and review.
This book was the perfect amalgamation between fiction and non-fiction, drawing upon old medieval manuscripts and historical sources to weave beautiful tales. At the end of the brief fiction short stories, the author launches into a detailed yet perfectly surmised non-fiction explanation of the tale and where they may have originated. I found it so so interesting and looked forward to each new chapter.
As an enthusiast of the Welsh language too, I found it so interesting how handfuls of these tales were drawn from old medieval Welsh! How cool. I had no idea!
I couldn’t recommend this enough to any fan of history, myth and nonfiction and fiction fan alike. It read so vividly and the times of Arthur and magic were brought to life.
Thank you to the author and publisher for this book on NetGalley in return for my honest thoughts and review.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Amy Jeffs’ new retelling of the life of Arthur promises to go back to older versions of the Arthur story, stripping out some of the better known but later elements along the way, to give us a version of Arthur’s story both new and old. The older stories act as a springboard for her story, at times cleaving closely to original sources, at times developing hints and ideas in new directions. In this it is successful but, for the general reader, the decision to stick only to earlier tellings comes at the cost of some of the most engaging of the Arthurian stories and also a degree of coherence that most later retellings, which copy the form of Mallory’s Le Morte d’Arthur, show. The changes made are ones that shift the perspective of the story a little, rather than ever radically recasting it or changing it into a wholly modern rewrite. There are flaws - more of which below - but overall these are definitely outweighed by the positives.
Using as her main sources Geoffrey Monmouth’s partly mythic histories and the romances of the Brut (stories of early Britain, of which the tales of Arthur were most popular), which provide the book’s form. To this she adds from the Mabinogion, folk tales and Saint’s lives, where they incorporate Arthur. It is a good idea. It concentrates on Arthur as a character, where in many retellings he fades from view shortly after receiving his magical sword. He is not the same wise and often tolerant king he becomes in some later medieval stories. Many of these stories do make it into later retellings but not sometimes as lesser incidents, overlooked by comparison to the Grail quest or Lancelot and Guinevere which are absent in this book.
Jeffs clearly enjoys finding the unusual, the outre and some of the most characterful stories - something the later Arthurian tales are full of too. At its best, we have Merlin remembered as half demon, Arthur as a fierce sometimes vicious ruler and eerie ghostly encounters , the sort of things that modern retellings can sometimes iron out. Battles with giant cats and magic boars, as well as giants, are given their proper due. We begin and end with a diversion to Sicily and southern Italy, where the Normans brought stories of Arthur and transplanted some to foreign soil. Some of the stories retold might be familiar to the general reader and if others encourage the reader to read more from the original sources that’s surely to be encouraged.
But by choosing the format for her stories she has, then sticking closely to it, brings notable disadvantages. She finds herself devoting the later half of her book largely to Arthur’s battles against the Roman Empire on the continent, for example. This a subject that clearly was important to the medieval reader but which the author appears to struggle to muster much enthusiasm for. Perhaps it was a looming deadline, but even the account of Camlann and the final struggle with Mordred feels a little rushed and flat.
The decision to concentrate on Arthur’s role, with Guinevere and Gawain as secondary main characters, means that, for example, when the boar hunt from the tale of Culhwch and Olwen appears, it is without it’s wider context and, as a result, appears more like a puzzling diversion with little to hint at the rest of the story.
Some of the story telling is decidedly odd. The capture and hostage taking of Guinevere by the Melwas is told entirely from her point of view: she imagines the rescue by Lancelot that later writers would invent but, in the end, because it is entirely from her perspective and she, in this telling, is kept away from any of the action, it ends with her simply being released and a brief explanation of how Saint Gildas intervened. It isn’t very exciting. Whilst using Guinevere’s perspective makes sense for part of the story, one might have thought that some illustration of how Arthur and his court react to her being taken hostage would make for a better story.
Following each story there is a brief discussion of the story, influences and connections (and occasional travelogue from the author visiting related sites). These, along with the woodcut illustrations, are highlights of the book. At times one might wonder if she wouldn’t have been better structuring her book around the aspects of the Arthur story that interested her and using stories to illustrate parts. The capture of Guinevere and her rescue, her relations with Mordred, the fact there may be more than one Guinevere and his appearances in the hagiographies of saints are all interesting aspects of the stories picked up on but fit poorly into this format.
There are, for me, some odd omissions, in both stories told - Jeffs’ bold, reckless Arthur would fit well with the king who dug up the head of Bran as no one else should protect Britain from invasion - and connections in the discussions - the evolution of the story of the cloak of beards in Mallory and the local folklore of Snowdonia might rate a mention and mightn’t the story of Diarmuid and Grainne tell us something about Guinevere and Lancelot? - but such choices are, in the end personal.
Overall, it is a mark of the fact the book does a good job of engaging the reader with old stories presented in a new way that such complaints are merited. I was aware of Jeffs books but hadn’t read them before and there is enough here to tempt me to explore some of her previous books too.
Advance copy from Net Galley supplied.
Using as her main sources Geoffrey Monmouth’s partly mythic histories and the romances of the Brut (stories of early Britain, of which the tales of Arthur were most popular), which provide the book’s form. To this she adds from the Mabinogion, folk tales and Saint’s lives, where they incorporate Arthur. It is a good idea. It concentrates on Arthur as a character, where in many retellings he fades from view shortly after receiving his magical sword. He is not the same wise and often tolerant king he becomes in some later medieval stories. Many of these stories do make it into later retellings but not sometimes as lesser incidents, overlooked by comparison to the Grail quest or Lancelot and Guinevere which are absent in this book.
Jeffs clearly enjoys finding the unusual, the outre and some of the most characterful stories - something the later Arthurian tales are full of too. At its best, we have Merlin remembered as half demon, Arthur as a fierce sometimes vicious ruler and eerie ghostly encounters , the sort of things that modern retellings can sometimes iron out. Battles with giant cats and magic boars, as well as giants, are given their proper due. We begin and end with a diversion to Sicily and southern Italy, where the Normans brought stories of Arthur and transplanted some to foreign soil. Some of the stories retold might be familiar to the general reader and if others encourage the reader to read more from the original sources that’s surely to be encouraged.
But by choosing the format for her stories she has, then sticking closely to it, brings notable disadvantages. She finds herself devoting the later half of her book largely to Arthur’s battles against the Roman Empire on the continent, for example. This a subject that clearly was important to the medieval reader but which the author appears to struggle to muster much enthusiasm for. Perhaps it was a looming deadline, but even the account of Camlann and the final struggle with Mordred feels a little rushed and flat.
The decision to concentrate on Arthur’s role, with Guinevere and Gawain as secondary main characters, means that, for example, when the boar hunt from the tale of Culhwch and Olwen appears, it is without it’s wider context and, as a result, appears more like a puzzling diversion with little to hint at the rest of the story.
Some of the story telling is decidedly odd. The capture and hostage taking of Guinevere by the Melwas is told entirely from her point of view: she imagines the rescue by Lancelot that later writers would invent but, in the end, because it is entirely from her perspective and she, in this telling, is kept away from any of the action, it ends with her simply being released and a brief explanation of how Saint Gildas intervened. It isn’t very exciting. Whilst using Guinevere’s perspective makes sense for part of the story, one might have thought that some illustration of how Arthur and his court react to her being taken hostage would make for a better story.
Following each story there is a brief discussion of the story, influences and connections (and occasional travelogue from the author visiting related sites). These, along with the woodcut illustrations, are highlights of the book. At times one might wonder if she wouldn’t have been better structuring her book around the aspects of the Arthur story that interested her and using stories to illustrate parts. The capture of Guinevere and her rescue, her relations with Mordred, the fact there may be more than one Guinevere and his appearances in the hagiographies of saints are all interesting aspects of the stories picked up on but fit poorly into this format.
There are, for me, some odd omissions, in both stories told - Jeffs’ bold, reckless Arthur would fit well with the king who dug up the head of Bran as no one else should protect Britain from invasion - and connections in the discussions - the evolution of the story of the cloak of beards in Mallory and the local folklore of Snowdonia might rate a mention and mightn’t the story of Diarmuid and Grainne tell us something about Guinevere and Lancelot? - but such choices are, in the end personal.
Overall, it is a mark of the fact the book does a good job of engaging the reader with old stories presented in a new way that such complaints are merited. I was aware of Jeffs books but hadn’t read them before and there is enough here to tempt me to explore some of her previous books too.
Advance copy from Net Galley supplied.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
A retelling of the legends of King Arthur that draws on older sources and shows him in a new light.
Quick sidenote: my personal knowledge of King Arthur is very much limited to kids books and popular culture, so this book definitely made a huge impression on me partly because a lot of the stories retold here were either new to me (the noses, for example) or were shown from a completely new perspective (I love the Guinevere presented here). Each story comes together with an accompanying side story - usually relating to the author's research, linking the legend to the sources and showing how it evolved over time or simply putting it in historical perspective. I really enjoyed both, and I also loved the linocut illustrations that added atmosphere and sometimes humour to the stories (the hare made me snort-laugh).
Arthur, Merlin and co are not what you expect here, and the contrast between their more popular images and how they are presented here makes the book even more fascinating because it also shows how they were perceived by people in the past and how their images changed with time to reach us centuries later.
Excellent exploration of one of the most influential figures in British folklore/history and of the influence stories and legends have had over humanity since the beginning of time.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Quick sidenote: my personal knowledge of King Arthur is very much limited to kids books and popular culture, so this book definitely made a huge impression on me partly because a lot of the stories retold here were either new to me (the noses, for example) or were shown from a completely new perspective (I love the Guinevere presented here). Each story comes together with an accompanying side story - usually relating to the author's research, linking the legend to the sources and showing how it evolved over time or simply putting it in historical perspective. I really enjoyed both, and I also loved the linocut illustrations that added atmosphere and sometimes humour to the stories (the hare made me snort-laugh).
Arthur, Merlin and co are not what you expect here, and the contrast between their more popular images and how they are presented here makes the book even more fascinating because it also shows how they were perceived by people in the past and how their images changed with time to reach us centuries later.
Excellent exploration of one of the most influential figures in British folklore/history and of the influence stories and legends have had over humanity since the beginning of time.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Following on from Amy Jeffs’ other books about the mythological history of the British isles, in this book she turns to perhaps their most famous figure: King Arthur. Although the best-known Arthurian legends have a more recent origin, many of them can be traced back to the Dark Ages. This book focuses on those older myths.
Each chapter tells a different myth, sometimes followed by a short section about the history of the myth. These non-fiction sections were my favourites, giving insight into the translation process, historical context. or how the myth has evolved over time. So many of the most famous Arthurian legends have evolved over the centuries, and Jeffs does what she can to restore some of them to their original form.
As always, the book is filled with stunning illustrations, which suit the tone of the book perfectly.
Somehow, this book didn’t quite capture my imagination as much as Jeffs’ other books. While it was an interesting book, it didn’t feel particularly cohesive or atmospheric, which I’d really hoped for with a book like this. Nevertheless, I feel like I’ve left the book with a better understanding of the earliest Arthurian legends.
I received a free copy for an honest review.
Each chapter tells a different myth, sometimes followed by a short section about the history of the myth. These non-fiction sections were my favourites, giving insight into the translation process, historical context. or how the myth has evolved over time. So many of the most famous Arthurian legends have evolved over the centuries, and Jeffs does what she can to restore some of them to their original form.
As always, the book is filled with stunning illustrations, which suit the tone of the book perfectly.
Somehow, this book didn’t quite capture my imagination as much as Jeffs’ other books. While it was an interesting book, it didn’t feel particularly cohesive or atmospheric, which I’d really hoped for with a book like this. Nevertheless, I feel like I’ve left the book with a better understanding of the earliest Arthurian legends.
I received a free copy for an honest review.
September 11, 2026
The book circles around the Brut, the Arthur Chronicle, as first recorded by Geoffrey of Monmouth in 1136. But Amy pulls in other early medieval material from art, poems, lives of the saints, illuminated manuscripts, chronicles, various sources from across Europe, etc, to weave a cohesive tale. Each chapter has a narrative section from the perspective of one of the characters, which is then followed by a short commentary on the sources to contextualise it. (The chapter from the perspective of the demon is very interesting!) It starts with Merlin, who, according to some early traditions, was conceived by a demon raping a righteous woman. But because she spent her pregnancy in prayer, fasting, and confession, manages to keep Merlin from being born evil. He has the powers of a demon, but the wisdom of a saint. The prose is engaging, and I personally think, so far, it’s her best book yet!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
We’re all familiar with the story of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, but it’s a legend that has been told many times in many ways over the centuries and Amy Jeffs here takes us back to the original medieval texts to see its sources. She alternates chapters telling the stories themselves with some giving background information on why these stories were being told as well as when and it provides very useful context. There are also beautiful linocut illustrations throughout, a technique that is a perfect match for her wonderful style of storytelling. Highly recommended.
Thanks to Netgalley, the author and publisher for an advance copy in return for an honest review.
Thanks to Netgalley, the author and publisher for an advance copy in return for an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Absolutely loved this. Fascinating examination of the medieval stories, paintings, and artefacts that have fed into tales of Arthur and his knights, plus Guinevere and Merlin. Nuns, demons, fairies, seers, cloaks made of the beards of enemies, and giant cursed kittens - it's top stuff. Scholarly, entertaining, and written with hugely engaging clarity.
My book of the year so far.
Big thanks to the publisher for an advanced review copy. Enjoyed it so much I've preordered the special edition with excalibur edges.
My book of the year so far.
Big thanks to the publisher for an advanced review copy. Enjoyed it so much I've preordered the special edition with excalibur edges.
September 13, 2026
Happy to have discovered Amy Jeffs.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews