In the tradition of T.H. White's The Once and Future King, the author makes use of the prerequisites of the Arthurian legend: Excalibur, the Holy Grail, Lancelet's illicit love for Gwenhwyfar, the destruction of Camelot, but with a twist--she presents the entire panoramic story from the female point of view. No passive by-standers, these earthy priestesses from Avalon literally breathe life into a musty, oft-told tale. In Book One: Mistress of Magic, the Lady of the Lake--Viviane--brings about the marriage of her younger sister Igraine to Uther Pendragon. Their only child, Arthur, is believed to be the last hope in the long standing war between Saxons and Romans. Meanwhile, Morgaine, Igraine's daughter by her first marriage to Gorlois, has come under the apprenticeship of Viviane at Avalon. In spite of her great love and hope for Morgaine, Viviane is driven by an unrelenting vision. Miserable, but duty-bound, she tricks Morgaine and Arthur into becoming lovers during the night of the ritual fires. Enraged and shamed by what her aunt has done, Morgaine plans to rid herself of the child that has resulted from their union. Book one ends with Arthur's coronation and Morgaine's decision to leave Avalon.
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"La légende du roi Arthur et des chevaliers de la table ronde n'avait inspiré un roman d'une telle envergure. " — Wafa (5 out of 5 stars)
"La légende du roi Arthur et des chevaliers de la table ronde n'avait inspiré un roman d'une telle envergure. "
An epic novel of violence … and haunting enchantments.
" I thought it was just okay. It didn't get deep enough into the story and characters. I felt like it just skimmed over the top. "
" i am conflicted about the book. the arthur tale was done quite well and it was a pretty good read. i found the prose quite overblown and flowery, however. "
" Yet another Arthurian legend retelling, this one from the woman's perspective (yay) but bloated and repetitive (boo). If I hadn't been listening to it as an audiobook I probably would have ditched in the middle. "
Marion Eleanor Zimmer Bradley (1930–1999) received her BA from Hardin Simmons University in Abilene, Texas, and her graduate degree from the University of California–Berkeley. She was a science fiction and fantasy fan since her teens and had written as long as she could remember, but only for school magazines and fanzines until she sold her first professional short story to Vortex Science Fiction. She wrote everything from science fiction to Gothics but is probably best known for her Darkover novels and her Arthurian novel, The Mists of Avalon. In addition to her novels, she edited magazines, both amateur and professional.
Davina Porter has been enthralling listeners for over twenty-five years with her ability to mine the psychological depths of the characters she reads and bring them convincingly to life. In 2006, she won the prestigious Audie Award for Best Female Narration and in 2004 for Best Inspirational Literature Narration. She has been honored as an AudioFile Golden Voice and has won nineteen AudioFile Earphones Awards. As an actress, she has appeared on stage at the Vineyard Playhouse and the Square One Theater, among others.
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