King of Ages: A King Arthur Anthology

by Paola K. Amaras, Patrick S. Baker, Josh Brown

A fresh take on a legendary tale, this anthology of thirteen short stories is a testament to just how eternal and timeless the story of King Arthur truly is.

One recurring aspect of Arthurian literature is the notion that he will one day return as a messiah to save his people. Another hallmark of the King Arthur legend is that Merlin—wizard, prophet, and Arthur’s most trusted advisor—lives backwards through time. What if Merlin was actually advising multiple reincarnations of King Arthur during various points, and places, in time and history? And what if this all began at the end of time?

King of Ages is an anthology like no other, showcasing stories that re-imagine King Arthur at several points in history, from the end of days all the way to the beginning of mankind.

Featuring thirteen all-new stories by

Paola K. Amaras • Patrick S. Baker • Josh Brown • Dale W. Glaser • Doug Goodman • Joanna Michal Hoyt • Philip Kuan • David W. Landrum • P. Andrew Miller • Mike Morgan • Alex Ness • C.A. Rowland • David Wiley

Genres: Arthurian, Fantasy, Historical Fiction

335 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 1, 2015

About the author

Pen name for Paula M. Kalamaras

Reviews

[Arthurianmaiden · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a collection of arthurian stories that try to have a single theme: the one of the once and future king, of Arthur who lives over and over again, as a man or as a woman helped by Merlin, the only one who, living backwards, understand the importance of Arthur's destiny. The stories are also very focused on Lancelot and Guinevere.
I particularly liked how the authors don't fall into the "all USA Arthur" that I usually find in modern day stories. I am not from USA (I am Italian) so it's sometimes a bit irritating to see how, somehow, modern or non medieval stories are always set in USA or in England (okay, England and GB make sense!). Here we have an Arthur from Italy (yes!), one from the Easter Island, one from space etc.
I loved the recurring theme of betrayal even if it wasn't in all the stories, and I like in general the fact that as a collection it was much more coherent than other collection of stories, we can almost say that it was a novel with different chapters written by different people. I would have probably preferred some of the stories as longer as sometimes they felt a bit rushed.
I was also a bit sad that there wasn't an actual arthurian story set in Camelot. I know we know the story already but I feel like it is missing in an arthurian collection of stories and the interpretations of what happens in Camelot are infinite. I am not sure what the ending exactly means, if Merlin will go on in time or he will go even back in time and if it's a cicle that will end with the evolution of humanity or not.
But now, more about the single stories (with spoilers):
Unto His Final Breath (Mike Morgan): This story is a sci fi short story about the end of the Universe. An amazing start for the collection as it starts explaining what is happening, why Merlin is living backwards and the final failure of Arthur's time. I particularly loved the delightful mentions of other knights and characters: a female Gawain, Lancelot and Guinevere, Mordred's son and many others.

The Siege of Battle-Station Camelot (Patrick S. Baker): This is another sci fi story. I found this one a bit more difficult, mostly because it seemed very technical and I admit I never read sci ficso I was confused by what exactly was happening in parts. Still, I loved Guinevere's role and how Arthur found out of the relationship between her and Lancelot and I especially loved the fact that Merlin was an AI and how the plot from the previous story slowly entered into this one.

Arturia (David W. Landrum): I am so happy that both Merlin and Arthur here are women! This is another sci fi story, still dealing with the love triangle (I think it'll be the main theme for the fall of Arthur in the stories) where instead Lancelot is a woman and Guinevere is a man. Most of the story is focused on Merlin (Merlaina) and how she came to Arthur (Arturia) and I admit I loved those parts, while I found the rest a bit rushed (especially the part talking about the love triangle, but then, it's a short story so there is not the unlimited amount of time/words that a novel can give and things have to be shortened).

Twilight’s First Dreaming (Paola K. Amaras): An amazing story! This is another sci fi story but not in space like the previous ones. A very clever way to present the characters (especially the idea of MORDRED) and I am a big fan of stories that feature Sir Kay so I couldn't be happier to see KaRoi (brother of Arthur and Bedivere) as a sensible and likable character. Post apocalyptic/dystopian future is one of my favourite settings and I wasn't disappointed.

Arthurus Rex Tempus, Rex Eternae (Alex Ness): This is a short story which is slightly different from the previous ones as it's Merlin here who calls an ancient Arthur. I love this concept and I liked that the story itself seemed more mystical than the others. I was a little confused by the quotes in the middle of the story and I wish it could have been longer! (But at the same time, the story seems complete with that kind of ending).

The Trek (Philip Kuan): I am not a trekkie (actually, I am not that familiar with Star Trek as I only watched sporadic episodes) and unfortunately this story ended up being really difficult for me to understand. Still I loved the fact that there were so many modern and pop references (a part from that "Gwen is one of the guys" line). I think that people who love Star Trek and sci fi in general will really appreciate this!

If This Grail Be Holy (P. Andrew Miller): I was loving this story even before I realized it was going to be about Arthur falling in love/starting a relationship with Lancelot. The idea of Arthur as a politician is one of my favourite ideas about a modern day Arthur and the plot twist was amazing and unexpected. I particularly loved Merlin here as he was rutheless and desperately trying to help Arthur get to his destiny and I liked how this story showed a bit what also happen in some of the future stories (at least in my opinion): that Arthur is a free man/woman and doesn't live just for his destiny even if he/she often ends up reaching it. In my mind he did here too, telling the truth. Absolutely delightful.

She Who Makes Us Free (Joanna Michal Hoyt)
I loved this story so much. I loved the setting (1910-1920) and the fact that all the characters were women striking and fighting for their rights or factory workers and women as well. I loved the characters, Orsola (Arthur, also Italian as an Italian myself I was so glad because that doesn't happen often in novels), Merlin (and her tragic end, I think she was my favourite character in the short story), Gwen etc. My favourite part was the confrontation about equality and being equal because that has always interested me as the idea of a King Arthur in modern (more or less) times can't be the same as the one of a ruling king.
My only complain would be with the Italian mistakes. Orsola sometimes use Italian words but there are some errors: "Si" should be "Sì" (the accent is fundamental to say "yes"), "Orsola" doesn't mean "little bear" in Italian as it doesn't have an meaning but it means "little bear" in Latin, "partitio" should be "partito".

Lord of the Plains (Doug Goodman)
A short story of Arthur (a Native American warrior) failing his quest. I like the fact that at the end Arthur fails, but I found the story a bit too short. Still, kudos for the creative use of Excalibur.

The Challenge (C. A. Rowland)
This story was also an excuse for me to find out of the race of the Easter Island and the tradition of the Birdman cult, it was very interesting! Still, what I liked more was the "careful what you wish for" theme, which is one of my favourite ones. It was extremely satisfying, I don't know if I can explain it in words, it's just- I was very glad, it felt complete and just.

Pirate King (Josh Brown)
High five to this story. I love pirate stories but when I've read of Arthur saving poor Princess Gwen from the evil Mordred I rolled my eyes a bit. Of course, I was wrong. A+++ for the plot twist that I really did not expect. I cheered for Guinevere because I felt like in this collection she had been a bit a very secondary character so I enjoyed her more prominent role here. And I am a lover of betrayal for power and greediness. I only wished she could have been the Pirate Queen fo the "Lancelot" for longer!

The Saga of Artur Uthersson (David Wiley)
Icelandic ancient Arthur meets Merlin and is then tempted by Morgana. Morgana had been a bit ignore in the rest of the stories so I like the fact that she appeared a lot here and that we understood that she too, as well as Merlin, remembered their past (future?). She is also called Loki and considered Loki, the trickster. There was also a nice connection between Arthur and Thor and how the story is the start of Arthur instead of his downfall.

The Breaking Dawn (Dale W. Glaser)
I should have expected the age of the story but a part of me still wished for Camelot and Arthur's knights and I was a bit surprised when I saw that the story was set much earlier. It is still a good ending because it closes the narrations of the previous stories.

[Dylan Hiler · Rating 5 out of 5]

King Arthur and I are friends, I've let myself indulge in probably too many of his tales through various types of media. When I got my hands of King of Ages: A King Arthur Anthology I was excited. Have multiple perspectives and going through time in reverse was a unique and interesting concept to me.

All 13 stories had something to add and each author had their own flair. Each tale stayed true to the tragedy that is the King Arthur mythology. Being able to experience it in different time periods was exceptional. These weren't singular tales of Arthur and his Knights of the Round, the various incarnations of Arthur and his trusted seer Merlin learned and changed. The character's were adequately represented through their short stories as being real people with ambitions, loyalty, and love. Some of the twists inside the novel are engaging and unexpected. If it sounds vague it's because I don't want to spoil it.

Admittedly the tales that were closer to King Arthur's middle ages captured my interest the most. I believe it is because the romanticism of the age and the mythology of which he and Merlin represent. Two of my favorite tales involved Arthur as a swashbuckling pirate captain and another where he was a Viking leader. Both of the scenario's seemed true to character and contributed to his mythology.

One of the most unique tales involves Arthur as a woman in the 1900's organizing labor. It showed a more down to earth side to the king and represented him (or her in this case) as a champion of the people. It veered away from Arthur's combat heavy history and really focused on character development and trust.

If you are a fan of the King Arthur Mythology I highly recommend the anthology. If you are a fan of Sci-Fi and Fantasy I highly recommend the anthology as well. If your thing is romance novels and biographies...maybe steer clear. Even then, branch out, you never know what may sway your desires.

[Stacy Overby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Let me get two things out of the way before I start this book review. First, I was given my copy of King of Ages: A King Arthur Anthology for free in exchange for an honest review. Second, I should have had this review up yesterday. A preschooler with serious hay fever issues and a water leak that turned out to be the condensation hose on my air conditioner leaking all down the front of my furnace.
Now down to business. King of Ages started as an open call anthology connected to the King Arthur legends, particularly the idea of Arthur being the Once and Future King. The first story starts out with that time’s version of Arthur trying to avert the ending of the known universe. Each of the following stories tell a tale of Arthur working backwards through time into the more traditional King Arthur story settings, and even a little before then. Each of the stories has at least some of version of the traditional people, places, and things associated with King Arthur, but with their own unique flair.
So, here’s my absolute favorite part about this book, and why I am giving it a fifth star. Even though this was an open call anthology and there are a number of authors involved in the collaboration, this did not have the feel of an anthology to me. Each of the stories, even the non-traditional stories, wove into the next one with a seamlessness that impressed me. I really felt like I was reading chapters in a long novel rather than a collection of stories. To that end, I think the timeline concept that drove the anthology was well executed.
Other things I loved included the significant variety in King Arthur character concepts – even making King Arthur a woman in several stories, how the various versions of Merlin worked well enough together to make it believable that he/she was the same Merlin throughout all of the stories guiding Arthur along. Each of the stories did well with preserving versions of Excalibur, Camelot, Guinevere, Lancelot, and the Round Table concept and yet making them into a fun twist of what is traditional Arthurian legend.
As for things I disliked about the book, I do not have much of anything. The best I could come up with after reflecting on this review for several days is that it took me a bit to associate King Arthur with futuristic space stories. This has nothing to do with the stories, just my own brain being stubborn. As I continued to read, and the stories were all compelling enough to make continuing easy, I wrapped my head around the idea. So, this is not really much of anything negative about the novel itself.
I highly recommend checking out this book. It is a pleasure to read and does some cool things with Arthurian Legend.

[David Wiley · Rating 5 out of 5]

All bias aside, this is an excellent collection of stories that re-imagine King Arthur through various time periods and acting in various situations. Some of the tales take on a traditional feel, while others are extremely innovative in their approach. Arthur and Merlin are the constants in every tale, although not always with those exact names, and many other gems of Arthurian legend are scattered throughout the thirteen stories in this anthology. It was almost as much fun picking out those references as it was reading the stories themselves, but that is my own love of Arthurian legend talking.

I absolutely love the concept behind this anthology, as it poses the idea of Merlin travelling backwards through time, with the first story coming at the end of the universe and working its way back to ancient times. There are a solid set of futuristic tales to begin the anthology and, honestly, I wished there had been more historical fiction tales in this anthology. I loved the pirate tale and, of course, my own, but the possibility of Ancient Rome, late-Renaissance or even Victorian-era tales are a glaring omission. Of course the publisher can only accept the stories that get pitched so that is no fault toward this anthology. It just would have been nice to see more tales taking place more than a century removed from our own.

As with any set of tales, there are ones I enjoyed more than others. There are some absolutely fantastic stories on display here, and I will state that even the stories that didn’t really appeal to my tastes at least had excellent writing. The collection of authors who are pooled together in this book are truly amazing and talented and I am honored to have my own story stand alongside theirs.

If you love Sci-Fi, if you love Fantasy, or if you love all things King Arthur than do yourself a favor and get a copy of this book. By the end you will agree that it was well worth the time invested to explore this interesting and fresh approach on the Arthurian legend.

[Erik Sapp · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book. There were a lot of really good ideas in the short stories, but the writing was rather boring. I even took a break for a while, hoping I could go back with a new outlook, but that did not work. A few of the stories were good, but most were dry.

[LaTasha Gay · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF

[Grant · Rating 2 out of 5]

Seems to be for kids

I struggled through mostly skimming. At the end I found myself craving hard sci-fi. Not bad or dumb, just younger mindset.

[Jennifer Sigman · Rating 2 out of 5]

None of the stories were awful. Some were very clever, some were too short.

The last one, from the viewpoint of Merlin, however, ruined it for me. Without giving anything away, the story doesn't fit the Arthur mythos because it utterly lacks hope. And that wasn't what I was looking for.