Arthur High King of Britain

by Michael Morpurgo

As the sea sweeps in, the boy is suddenly cut off in his attempt to walk round the Scilly Isles from Great Ganilly to St Martin's. Having given up hope of survival, he finds himself waking up beside a warm fire with the man, Arthur Pendragon, and his dog, Bercelet, who have rescued him. Arthur tells him the incredible story of his life while the seawater dries out of boy's clothes. His tale begins with his legendary pulling of the sword from the stone, his leadership of an army to defeat the Saxons and his celebrated court at Camelot. From then on, he tells of the great and tragic love between himself, Guinevere and Lancelot and the numerous deeds and adventures of the knights of the Round Table. Finally, the curse of Morgana Le Fey come true and Arthur's son, Mordred, kills him, but not before he can watch Bedivere return Excalibur to the Lady of the Lake. After the wonders of the story, the boy returns home, looking forward to surprising his family with his adventure - but time in the cave where Arthur hibernates until it is time for him to rule again has stood still, and the boy's family have not even noticed he was gone.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Arthurian, Historical Fiction, Childrens, School, Mythology

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1994

About the author

Sir Michael Andrew Morpurgo, OBE, FRSL is the author of many books for children, five of which have been made into films. He also writes his own screenplays and libretti for opera. Born in St Albans, Hertfordshire, in 1943, he was evacuated to Cumberland during the last years of the Second World War, then returned to London, moving later to Essex. After a brief and unsuccessful spell in the army, he took up teaching and started to write. He left teaching after ten years in order to set up 'Farms for City Children' with his wife. They have three farms in Devon, Wales and Gloucestershire, open to inner city school children who come to stay and work with the animals. In 1999 this work was publicly recognised when he and his wife were invested a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to youth. In 2003, he was advanced to an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE). He became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature (FRSL) in 2004. He was knighted in the 2018 for his services to literature and charity. He is also a father and grandfather, so children have always played a large part in his life. Every year he and his family spend time in the Scilly Isles, the setting for three of his books.

Reviews

[Sophie Crane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I Absolutely Love this Story, Highly Recommended!

[Scott Constantine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was given this book when I was 10 years old, I hated reading, writing and thought there was no point in stories because I could play games or watch shows. This book changed everything.

[Nicky · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is mostly a fairly straight retelling of the Arthurian stories from within a conventional framework of a boy stumbling on Arthur's resting place and being told the stories he remembers. There was something different about this, though -- Arthur seems fairly, well, human. Normally Arthur is so very good, so very forgiving, that he can't really be true. This Arthur doesn't seem turned out of the usual mould, which is both refreshing and disappointing, in a way.

The little changes that have been put in are mostly ones of chronology and swapping out characters. The healing of Sir Urry, for example, happens as soon as Lancelot comes to court, and Nimue is the one who sets up the test of the Green Knight...

Still, all in all, there's not much to set it apart from the crowd. Some tender moments -- Ector and Arthur, Merlin and Arthur, Merlin and Nimue, Arthur and Guinevere -- and such, but nothing particularly special.

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this aloud to my boys ages 8 and 6. The author sets up the stories with a frame story of a modern boy who finds himself hearing the stories straight from King Arthur himself. The tales are well-told, but in my ignorance of the Arthurian legends, I didn’t know that I was getting myself into so many tales of marital infidelity. My sons quickly caught on that all of the bad that befalls Arthur and his court follows from these selfish, foolish choices. My oldest loved to hate it.

[J.P. Harker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Though pretty basic (I hadn't realised when I bought it that this was aimed at younger readers) this is a good introduction to Arthurian myth

[Klare · Rating 2 out of 5]

An okay read

[Eli · Rating 1 out of 5]

Boring. Almost ripped my eyes out.

[Jordan · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF but I did make it almost all the way through because I was on a 2 hour ferry crossing and had nothing else to do.

If I had been on that beach at the beginning, I would have grabbed the nameless boy and been like "Hey, don't follow that bell sound! There's a long-winded, self-centered old man waiting for you who claims to be the high king of Britain but is actually just a jerk, and he'll talk your ear off and bore us all if he finds you."

As King Arthur stories go, this was probably the worst I've ever read. The narrative framing was super weird- because we're hearing the story from Arthur, who's recounting the events thousands of years later to a kid in a cave, it's like we're held at arm's length from the events and can't feel as though we're really there. I was more invested in the Kid's story at the very beginning than in anything that came out of Arthur's mouth.

Arthur himself is super unlikeable. I realize there are parts of the Arthur story that will inevitably be a little problematic, but they just were not handled well here, ESPECIALLY considering the fact that this is supposed to be a children's book- I felt there was way too much sexual content and violence for a book meant for 10-12 year olds. Also there were some grammar issues that shouldn't have made it past the editors.

If you're looking for an Arthur retelling that's not only better written but better suited for younger readers, try The Squire's Tales series by Gerald Morris. WAY better in my opinion.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of my childhood favorites. It manages to bring about a certain childhood magic that is lost in our 21st century world of magnificent spectacle magic (ie tv excitement for the sake of excitement). This is children's fantasy at its purist. The legend of King Arthur was brought to life for me with this book, and it is through this that I remain fascinated with this piece of history and will be for the rest of my life.

[Marion · Rating 3 out of 5]

Je voulais un livre qui m'en apprenne un peu plus sur la légende arthurienne. J'ai effectivement appris des choses que je ne savais pas, mais comme il s'agit d'un livre pour enfant qui essaie d'en dire le plus possible, le plus simplement possible et en un minimum de pages, je me dis que finalement je devrais quand même par la suite me tourner vers des ouvrages un peu plus complets si je décide d'approfondir mes connaissances en la légende Arthurienne...

[Sophie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was a relatively fun read. It wasn't very well written and due to the nature of the tale (Arthur sitting in a cave telling a boy about him and his knights) the whole book felt unnatural. It was more of an information overload than a story.

I wouldn't recommend this but I am glad I read another version of the Arthurian Legends. Saying that I don't think I actually took anything away from this about the legends.

[juliette nd · Rating 1 out of 5]

boring as hell

[Shay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Has King Arthur, will read, will enjoy.

[Tiffany Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a fun, yet down to earth Arthurian middle grade retelling!

***SPOILER FREE REVIEW***

This was a really wonderful middle grade retelling that included a nameless boy who gets lost and has a run-in with none other than King Arthur himself....

I had the best time reading this story and the characters were truly incredible! I truly adored Gawain and Arthur's faithful dog, Bercelet the most

And I felt this was a tale about family, friendships, betrayal, lost love, revenge, forgiveness and faith. It had epic battles, magic, and loads of adventure!

I do want to give Trigger Warnings for quite a bit of adult content, violence, and animal cruelty.

This has so many incredible elements such as:

- Retelling
- The Chosen One
- Destiny
- Magic
- Animal Companions (Bercelet the dog)
- Epic Battles
- Political Intrigue
- Love Triangle
- Revenge
- Found Family
- Betrayal

The ending was truly lovely and I thoroughly enjoyed this!

If you love a great Arthurian retelling and middle grade as well as cozy reads, I highly recommend this one!

[Jen Bryce · Rating 3 out of 5]

Intrigued by this version with Arthur as the narrator. I was also compelled to pick this up due to its 5th grade reading level, as I considered it for a student read. Though the language and vocabulary was manageable for upper elementary students, I was disappointed by the adult content that was referenced. Though not explicitly stated, three love triangles and two illegitimate sons left me confused. A great reminder that reading level doesn’t always mean age appropriate. So sad. I really wanted to like it more than I did.

[Salomé]

Lu pour mes cours avec les 5e mais en fait c'est drôle parce que, ce que ces histoires sur les chevaliers de la Table Ronde montrent véritablement, c'est que les mecs sont vraiment des teubés qui savent pas gérer leurs émotions et désirs et qui pensent régler leurs problèmes en tuant ou en remettant la faute sur les femmes (as always) ah ah ah. Quelle bande de truffes je vous jure. Les chevaliers c'est la plus grosse arnaque du siècle.

[Isoheel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un roman parfait pour s'initier à la légende arthurienne, connaître dans les grandes lignes l'histoire du roi Arthur sans se perdre dans toutes les histoires parallèles.
La partie dans le présent n'était selon moi pas forcément nécessaire, mais c'était intéressant d'avoir Arthur comme narrateur.

[Drew Reilly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a children's book. I remember reading it as a child and I bought a copy so that I could read it to my son. I wanted to reread it, so I could gage what age he needs to be before we start it. A very quick read, and a great intro for kids into the Arthurian mythos.

[Loïs FL · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un magnifique hommage à la légende arthurienne. La narration suit plusieurs récits enchâssés aux images épiques et poétiques. La pépite de cette fin d'année 🌟

[Bladelor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bien écrit, un vrai plaisir de se replonger dans la légende arthurienne sous la plume de cet auteur talentueux.

[Mathilde]

Je l'ai lu dans le cadre de l'école, j'ai bien aimé le style eu livre, malgré le fait que ce soit un peu long

[Nathanael Rath · Rating 3 out of 5]

To me it’s a classic for literature not the best book but I still enjoyed a lots out of it, I loved the start I was hooked but the more the story went on the more I was not feeling it. I personally think the reason why I disliked the last 100 pages of the book was because it was telling the story of characters I wasn’t the biggest fan of.

In this book I loved Lancelot… yeah I know he wasn’t the best and he did bad things in the book, but still I loved how his story was beautiful but still had a dark side, I really loved how we felt that he was a human, he did good things but also did bad choices just like us humans. And that’s why Lancelot is my favourite character.

Please don’t hate me but I really love Mordred, such a good antagonist, he wasn’t just a character that came out of no where and was against Arthur, we got to see him grow up and all that stuff, and I think that’s why he’s such a likeable character, yes he did bad things but the way he was also treated/rejected by his father made him be that, and the pressure from his mother to take over the kingdom he never really had his place anywhere and that lead him to a bad path but an understandable path in my opinion.

This book is the fondation for fantasy book and I would recommend it to everyone who’s into fantasy ish stuff

[Adele · Rating 3 out of 5]

This modern reworking of Malory by a past children's laureate is deceptively simplistic. An apparently straight-forward frame narrative of teh Camelot highlights it is in fact heavily layered with symbolism and overtly didactic. Aimed at readers aged about 12, it is one to read with your child, or discus with them, to dilute some of the more overt sexism - Guinevere in this is a non-entity, her only significant contributions to the narrative being a whinging and pathetic utterance as she mourns for her lost Lancelot while King Arthur is alternately a cuckold or a holier-than-thou monarch aided and abetted by the foresight and moralising of Merlin. That said, it goes beyond the boundaries of the tale that most children - or even adults - will know already, including the tale of Percivale, Gawaine, and Tristram de Lyones, so it holds some interest and could serve as an introduction to the Arthuriad for younger readers.

[Alexandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

https://commeparenchantements.wordpre...


Etant une grande fan de l’univers de Merlin et du Roi Arthur, je ne pouvais pas passer à côté de ce petit roman jeunesse. Je collectionne tous les livres en rapport avec cette légende (un article verra surement le jour sur le sujet). J’aime tellement cette histoire ! Il s’agit ici d’un livre jeunesse (à partir de 9 ans), écrit par Michael Morpurgo, grand auteur de jeunesse. Lecture rapide et très agréable, on ne veux pas quitter tous ces personnages, ni quitter le royaume de Camelot. Arthur nous parle à nous lecteurs, nous raconte son histoire, mais également celle de certains de ces chevaliers les plus valeureux tel que Perceval, Lancelot ou encore Gauvain. Un classique que tout le monde peut découvrir ou re-découvrir, avec toujours un grand plaisir ! Un beau roman d’aventure et de chevalerie !

[Lizzy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Why isn't the illustrator Michael Foreman mentioned on the cover!?!? I was actually completely surprised by his pictures- and this is a great selling point too.
I found this quite miserable reading, how to make the thrilling tales a bit glum and dreary, completely overshadowed by nastiness. Oh well.

[Chris Stanley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love it when my daughter brings home a Michael Morpurgo book from the library, and this one is no exception. Having a soft spot for all books Arthurian, I indulged and enjoyed a great story about King Arthur, told simply and very, very well.

[Courtney · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my favourite Michael Morpurgo as it has so many elements and to me is really interesting. However it depends what kind of books you are into otherwise it isn't gripping.

[Rabspur · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent Book, what’s not to like about Ling Arthur and his Knights of the round table
Well written as are all or Morpurgo’s books, highly recommended it.

[Andy N · Rating 4 out of 5]

* Audio version of this review to follow on Reading in Bed Book review Podcast from readinginbed.bandcamp.com from 01 August 2021 *

Michael Morpurgo
Arthur High King of Britain

Blurb:

Marooned on a sandbank, a boy faces certain death. With the sea closing in and the current about to drag him to a watery grave, his final wish is to see heaven. Waking in a strange bed, the boy meets an old man sitting by the fire with his dog. It is King Arthur, the great warrior of legend, and from his lips the boy hears of Camelot, chivalry, magic, evil and betrayal.

Strengths:

I’ve read and reviewed a few of Morpurgo’s books for Reading in Bed ‘Why the Whales come’ and ‘Escape from Shangri-La’ both of which were set in a modern setting and both of which were more softer, subtle character like pieces.

This one was somewhat different as it focuses on the legend of King Arthur when a young boy stumbles into a cave and meets Arthur who sits down and tells him his story etc and the child instead of being the narrator is the vehicle for him to tell us the story.

And well, it covers all of the bases with all of the main characters of course. Arthur is somewhat more human than I have seen before, and Merlin felt very sad and weary throughout the book which was also nice.

Guinevere sadly didn’t have much to do, and Lancelot I felt was much more in the background too.

As stated elsewhere, I have read a bit on these myths before and it does appear to be a mixture of different versions of the legends. It feels like the Author clearly has researched this and used it to place his own thumb print on it and despite the hinting of sex and voilence (which I have seen mentioned elsewhere) is a great introduction to the Arthur legends.

Weaknesses:

It certainly however didn’t add anything new to the story, and despite being great for children, I thought the narrative was somewhat flat throughout the book in places and I was disappointed with Guinevere, instead much preferring the mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley which looks at the myths through the eyes of the female characters (which is essential reading).

I felt some of the backing cast who I won’t name were wrote inconstantly also in places and the setup while great did wander into information dumping way too much for my personal taste.

I did enjoy it, but it was far from the author’s best book and also far from the best Arthur legends book I have read.

Worth a read but don’t expect anything major.

7/10

[Ponytaorponyboy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Étant donné ce livre écouté en Français, j'imagine que je vais mettre mes pensées en Français.

Je pense vraiment avoir déjà lu ce livre, sans vraiment savoir si je l'ai déjà fait. En tout cas, ça m'a vraiment rappelé de bons souvenirs.
Au courant de ma jeunesse, j'ai parcouru la bibliothèque municipale de ma ville en long et en large, lisant tout ce que je pouvais sur les légendes arthuriennes. Je les aimais vraiment beaucoup. Je regardais aussi beaucoup les émissions de télévision et les films qui y étaient reliés. Je viens tout juste de terminer la série de The School for Good and Evil, et je dois dire que je n'avais pas vraiment aimé la version des faits de cette histoire. Alors, j'ai vraiment apprécié le fait que je pouvais entendre plusieurs personnages dont les noms me sont très familiers malgré le temps passé depuis la dernière (vraie) légende arthurienne que j'ai lue.

Pélinor, par exemple, dont je me souvenais vaguement dans le film "Merlin l'enchanteur."


En tout cas, c'était un vraiment bon petit roman à écouter pendant cette semaine de relâche.