What do you think?
Rate this book
Le Morte d'Arthur: The New Retelling by Gerald J. Davis
#1 New Release in Medieval Literature on Amazon.SPECIAL PRE-PUBLICATION PROMOTIONAL PRICE.King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. The beloved classic tales of chivalry, love and betrayal retold in a voice accessible to the modern reader. Complete and Unabridged.
728 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 1, 2019
214 people are currently reading
383 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
February 28, 2024
King Arthur and Camelot = Allegory of Christ and the New Jerusalem
Thomas Malory’s centuries-old tale of King Arthur, Camelot, and his Knights of the Round Table, “Le Morte d’Arthur” (The Death of Arthur), is one of allegory and myth—of legends and lore—of a vision quest for seeking Christ and his perfect New Jerusalem on earth—and of the ideals of chivalry and courtly love—and it is given a modern retelling in this translation by Gerald J. Davis.
”Morte d’Arthur” is a timeless tale of honor and heroes, of love and loss, and of perfection sought and reality realized (or in the words of Dante Alighieri—Paradise Found and Paradise Lost.
In this collection of tales, King Arthur seeks to instill harmony and acceptance—to love one another—just as Jesus instructs. The most egalitarian method demonstrated by the King is his creation of “The Round Table.” At the round table, Arthur’s privy council meets—his most trusted confidants, his Knights confer. By gathering these most respected and cherished of men, his chevaliers, alongside a table that is circular in shape, they are all recognized and perceived as equals.
Nonetheless, rivalries and challenges were how men demonstrated their prowess, courage, and masculinity in Medieval times. That is how they differentiated themselves. As a result, the most outstanding of these courtiers frequently displayed arrogance, haughtiness, and at times, imprudence—all traits useful for fearless displays of bravery in battle, as well as in the jousting lists—yet unbecoming in gracious society and amongst the holy Church.
At times during their careers, each of the Knights of Camelot embarks on almost insurmountable mystical quests, yet each of them is impeded in their successes due to their lustful, jealous, and/or bloodthirsty natures. This is with the exception of one knight, Galahad. Galahad is renowned for his nobility of character, sinless nature, goodness of heart, and pure spirit. He is the embodiment of Christ on Earth.
JoyReaderGirl1 graciously thanks Goodreads Giveaways, Translator Gerald J. Davis, and Insignia Publishing for this advanced reader’s copy (ARC) for review.
Thomas Malory’s centuries-old tale of King Arthur, Camelot, and his Knights of the Round Table, “Le Morte d’Arthur” (The Death of Arthur), is one of allegory and myth—of legends and lore—of a vision quest for seeking Christ and his perfect New Jerusalem on earth—and of the ideals of chivalry and courtly love—and it is given a modern retelling in this translation by Gerald J. Davis.
”Morte d’Arthur” is a timeless tale of honor and heroes, of love and loss, and of perfection sought and reality realized (or in the words of Dante Alighieri—Paradise Found and Paradise Lost.
In this collection of tales, King Arthur seeks to instill harmony and acceptance—to love one another—just as Jesus instructs. The most egalitarian method demonstrated by the King is his creation of “The Round Table.” At the round table, Arthur’s privy council meets—his most trusted confidants, his Knights confer. By gathering these most respected and cherished of men, his chevaliers, alongside a table that is circular in shape, they are all recognized and perceived as equals.
Nonetheless, rivalries and challenges were how men demonstrated their prowess, courage, and masculinity in Medieval times. That is how they differentiated themselves. As a result, the most outstanding of these courtiers frequently displayed arrogance, haughtiness, and at times, imprudence—all traits useful for fearless displays of bravery in battle, as well as in the jousting lists—yet unbecoming in gracious society and amongst the holy Church.
At times during their careers, each of the Knights of Camelot embarks on almost insurmountable mystical quests, yet each of them is impeded in their successes due to their lustful, jealous, and/or bloodthirsty natures. This is with the exception of one knight, Galahad. Galahad is renowned for his nobility of character, sinless nature, goodness of heart, and pure spirit. He is the embodiment of Christ on Earth.
JoyReaderGirl1 graciously thanks Goodreads Giveaways, Translator Gerald J. Davis, and Insignia Publishing for this advanced reader’s copy (ARC) for review.
September 1, 2025
Rereading and relistening to the podcast.
======
The perfect read along to go with Mythgard Academy's class, at least if you don't want to read it in a very old translation.
I got a lot from reading a different version years ago which led me to writing this piece. But reading along with the Mythgard classes is, as usual, a much more enlightening experience.
======
The perfect read along to go with Mythgard Academy's class, at least if you don't want to read it in a very old translation.
I got a lot from reading a different version years ago which led me to writing this piece. But reading along with the Mythgard classes is, as usual, a much more enlightening experience.
August 21, 2019
Still reading/enjoying this story. Revisiting the "adventures" of the knights is fun. Lots of jousting and fair maidens. I am taking my time reading this. I won this Kindle book in a Goodreads giveaway. Thank you.
Had a little trouble keeping my interest for a bit in the middle. Jousting and fair maidens continued throughout the book. I never did manage to keep all the knights straight, but it really did not matter. I still managed to get teary with the deaths of the big three. Worth the time it took to read. I recommend this classic.
Written in 1485.
Had a little trouble keeping my interest for a bit in the middle. Jousting and fair maidens continued throughout the book. I never did manage to keep all the knights straight, but it really did not matter. I still managed to get teary with the deaths of the big three. Worth the time it took to read. I recommend this classic.
Written in 1485.
July 7, 2019
Interesting read
July 10, 2019
As someone who had to read the original version in school, I highly recommend this for both literature scholars & omnivorous readers. I received a Kindle edition from a Goodreads giveaway.
October 12, 2025
I was not prepared for the writing style. It felt a little like reading the Bible. That’s not a bad thing, but it’s not what I consider easy reading. I don’t necessarily need to know which knight knocked another knight off his horse, and who noticed and knocked a different knight off his horse to give it to the first horseless knight. It was like a weird way of counting sheep to fall asleep.
After the first book, I thought I had found a rhythm and would breeze through the rest of the book. What I didn’t prepare myself for was the lineage of Sir Tor. His father was King Pellinore, who raped a virgin, the result of which was Sir Tor. Somehow this is less horrific in King Arthur’s mind, because he describes the rapist as “a good man.”
And I know, I know. This is just a sign of the times when it was written, but I am loath to think everything is fine when knights are taking women against their will, or wives are cheating on husbands. It offends my moral compass, even if it makes for timeless tales of unrequited love.
I think my favorite character in the entire book is Sir Tristan. He is faithful to his love, even though he allowed her to marry his uncle due to undeserved loyalty. He does not take advantage of other knights. He is what I always thought all of King Arthur’s knights strove to be.
This doesn’t go into the realm of my all time favorite books, but I’m glad I read it. I’m glad I know how King Arthur died and what happened to all of the knights of the Round Table. I still wonder if the last followers of Sir Lancelot were the founders of the Knights of Templar, but maybe that’s another story.
After the first book, I thought I had found a rhythm and would breeze through the rest of the book. What I didn’t prepare myself for was the lineage of Sir Tor. His father was King Pellinore, who raped a virgin, the result of which was Sir Tor. Somehow this is less horrific in King Arthur’s mind, because he describes the rapist as “a good man.”
And I know, I know. This is just a sign of the times when it was written, but I am loath to think everything is fine when knights are taking women against their will, or wives are cheating on husbands. It offends my moral compass, even if it makes for timeless tales of unrequited love.
I think my favorite character in the entire book is Sir Tristan. He is faithful to his love, even though he allowed her to marry his uncle due to undeserved loyalty. He does not take advantage of other knights. He is what I always thought all of King Arthur’s knights strove to be.
This doesn’t go into the realm of my all time favorite books, but I’m glad I read it. I’m glad I know how King Arthur died and what happened to all of the knights of the Round Table. I still wonder if the last followers of Sir Lancelot were the founders of the Knights of Templar, but maybe that’s another story.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 17, 2024
I'm teaching a full year, honors level high school course called Arthurian Legend in World Literature. This is exactly what I was looking for. While my students could handle the standard edition of Le Morte, having to pause every sentence to work through the archaisms would drag down the flow of class too much. Mr. Davis' retelling is entirely faithful to the language and structure of the original, amended only for clarity, without anything inauthentically modern. I am thrilled with this edition, and I hope it sees the wide circulation it deserves.
September 2, 2019
Had a hard time getting through it
I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway and I didn't like it. This isn't usually the type of book that I read so that may have been why I didn't like it but I didn't understand a lot of it. I had a hard time keeping track of all the characters
I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway and I didn't like it. This isn't usually the type of book that I read so that may have been why I didn't like it but I didn't understand a lot of it. I had a hard time keeping track of all the characters
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews