All Things Medieval discussion

Anyone got any suggestions on a good book that recounts tales of King Arthur and his Knights? I'd love the read about Lancelot and Guinevere and the whole apparent love triangle.
Not a young readers version, please. Something a bit more suitable for adult readers. I don't want something that's PG13. All the versions I've found so far are for readers between the ages of 9 and 12 - WHICH I DON'T WANT! Lol. Help me out, anyone?

The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley
Guinevere, Queen of the Summer Country by Rosalind Miles

there are others by these authors, but I've actually read these two...a long time ago. From what i remember the first is NOT PG.

For old stuff I'd recommend: Le Morte D'Arthur: The Winchester Manuscript, the Wincheter Manuscript is very well done by Cooper. The Lancelot of the Lake on the other hand is hard work.

Old-Barbarossa wrote: "For old stuff I'd recommend: Le Morte D'Arthur: The Winchester Manuscript, the Wincheter Manuscript is very well done by Cooper. The Lancelot of the Lake on the other ha..."

More modern stuff I enjoyed was the Arthurian trilogy by Bernard Cornwell. Different take on the relationships.
Check out the Arthurian group on goodreads for some other pointers: http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/9...

Queen of Camelot A bit on the romancy side but I enjoyed it.

Joan Wolf's is very good but takes a different spin on some of the relationships The Road to Avalon

If you want a grittier Arthur with less romance and more sweat and blood Helen Hollick's trilogy is very good.

My two favourite King Arthur retellings are Sword At Sunset by Rosemary Sutcliff and The Once and Future King by TH White. The Once and Future King is four books in one, and the first book (Sword in the Stone) is all about the young Arthur's education by Merlin and is rather YA in tone. Guinevere and the love triangle form the central story in Books 3 and 4 (The Ill-Made Knight and The Candle in the Wind).

Seconded Misfit's comment about Helen Hollick's Arthur trilogy; however as I remember there's no Lancelot-Guinevere love triangle element in Helen Hollick's version. (Misfit, have I remembered that right?). I like the first book in Helen Hollick's trilogy best, as Arthur and Guinevere get to know each other as children and develop their relationship as they grow up.

Carla, yes you are right there is no Lancelot triangle in Helen's books. I agree about the first being the best, as much as I did enjoy book three it was quite a drop off from the first two.

You will get the Lancelot/Gwen/Arthur triangle in Nancy MacKenzie's book.

For Arthurian love triangles I'd go with the Tris/Izzy/Mark one. More tragic, more complicated. Don't know of any modern retellings really, Tristan: With the Surviving Fragments of the 'Tristan of Thomas' is very well translated though.

Old-Barbarossa wrote: "For Arthurian love triangles I'd go with the Tris/Izzy/Mark one. More tragic, more complicated. Don't know of any modern retellings really, Tristan: With the Surviving Fragments of the 'Trist..."</i>
For a modern retelling of the Tristan-Isolde romance, you could try [book:Twilight of Avalon by Anna Elliott. I gather it's Book 1 of a trilogy. Book 2, Dark Moon of Avalon, is already out but I haven't read it yet. I'm not sure if the final book is available yet.

Old-Barbarossa wrote: "For Arthurian love triangles I'd go with the Tris/Izzy/Mark one. More tragic, more complicated. Don't know of any modern retellings really, [book:Tristan: With the Surviving Fragments of the 'Trist..."

Rosalind Miles did a pretty good trilogy starting with Isolde, Queen of the Western Isles then The Maid of the White Hands, then The Lady of the Sea. Not perfect, but readable. The author head-hops the point-of-view a bit loosely, but you get used to it quickly.

Old-Barbarossa wrote: "Old-Barbarossa wrote: "For old stuff I'd recommend: Le Morte D'Arthur: The Winchester Manuscript, the Wincheter Manuscript is very well done by Cooper. The [book:Lancelot of the Lake|..."
I'd agree with the comment about Le Morte D'Arthur. It's the first English version of a lot of these stories. It's thought that Mallory took the stories from the French versions. I read a version in the original middle English. I found that a challange and for ease of reading might go for a modernised version.

I also liked Queen of Camelot by Nancy McKenzie. In addition, I can't believe that no one has mentioned Mary Stewart's Arthurian series, starting with The Crystal Cave. The first two are great. The second two are worth missing. Stephen Lawhead also has an Arthur series, starting with Taliesen. I've not read them, but I've read the first of his Robin Hood series, called Hood, & it was really good. Also, Bernard Cornwell has an Arthur series that starts with The Winter King. It is not at all magicky and I've heard its really good from one of my male friends. I got a free download of Child of the Northern Spring, by Persia Wooley. I haven't read it yet, but it has good reviews on Amazon.

I've just finished reading Gillian Bradshaw's Arthirian trilogy, Hawk of May, Kingdom of Summer and In Winter's Shadow. It's just been reissued by Sourcebooks; I hadn't read these before and liked them very much. The first two focus on Gwalchmai (Sir Gawain), the last one - which was the one I liked best - tells the Guinevere-Arthur-Bedwyr love triangle very movingly.

I enjoyed Queen of Camelot - been meaning to reread it again sometime. Has anyone read the Persia Woolley books - I have the first two but haven't read them yet.

Lisa wrote: "I just read The Book of Guinevere by Andrea Hopkins. I enjoyed it very much. It is a short novel but includes various excerpts of Medieval prose and poetry that relate to Guinevere and commentary i..."

Does it have the George A. Romero stylee version that has Lance hunt down Gwen and Mordred after his usurpation and her betrayal, then brick up M with Gwen's corpse which Mordred then feeds on before starving?
Think that's in Jean de Preis.
Pretty nasty stuff.

A very different style of Arthur is portrayed in Helen Hollick's Arthurian trilogy. I read them all some years ago and became a bit of a fan of her earlier historical stuff. I was lucky enough to meet her last year - never expected to do that. Equally, I never expected my own little medieval books (not Arthurian so I won't name them) to be reviewed by someone I've given pride of place to on my own bookshelf. What a thrill. However, I digress. Helen's trilogy is listed below - and a jolly good read it is.

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