A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court

A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court by Mark Twain
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

During 2015 planned a King Arthur reading project and this novel wrapped that up for me. The shift of perspective, a 19th century man observing the middle ages, was interesting and this book is significant for being considered the first time-travel novel. I found Twain's writing a bit of a slog in several parts, especially the beginning of the novel, once the action picks up--this is largely an adventure story after all--it was easier going.

The Mists of Avalon

The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A retelling of the Arthurian legends from the perspective of the women who are traditionally in the background of the tales this is a complex book full of moral dilemmas.
The lives of these women are harsh and full of deaths and forced marriages and they struggle with the choices the men around them make which made this novel tough going in places.
The conflict between the pagan matriarchal society of Avalon and the increasingly Christian Camelot is a focus in much of the novel and is very well presented in all its facets. Morgan Le Fay is a familiar character in popular culture and is typically a one-dimensional evil sorceress. Here she is the main character (called Morgaine) and the villainous actions that she is known for in film and literature are understandable now that we see her side. In this respect the book reminded me of Gregory Maguire's Wicked.
I am counting this book as my 'retelling of a classic story' for the Read Harder Challenge. 

The Once and Future King

The Once and Future King by T.H. White is made up of four books and tells the story of King Arthur beginning with his childhood (when he was known as Wart) and taking us through his life to the point where he stands ready to battle Mordred. The story continues in the Book of Merlyn which is now on my to-be-read list.

I really enjoyed this book, which seems like the sort of book that will be worth re-reading. Ursula K. Le Guin is quoted on the cover as saying "I have laughed at [this] great Arthurian novel and cried over it and loved it all my life."
I liked the first book, which was about Wart growing up with Merlyn as his teacher and how he becomes King Arthur, the best. The second book, The Queen of Air and Darkness, is mostly about the forming of the round table and a lot about the Orkney clan. It includes a lot of ancient history of what becomes Great Britain. Book three is Lancelot's story, The Ill-made Knight, and was my least favorite. The final book, The Candle in the Wind, tells us about what happened as Arthur and his friends and enemies get older and a younger generation comes into its own.
The tone of the book is very irreverent in places and makes the story entertaining. White frequently refers to other tellings of the Arthurian legends, especially Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur, and is often funny about it. At several points he says basically that there is a long boring bit here about a battle (or a procession, or whatever) and if you want to know all the gory details go read Mallory. Here is a passage that I loved and that I think is a good representation of the style of the first book (The Sword in the Stone):

"There was a real corkindrill hanging from the rafters, very life-like and horrible with glass eyes and scaly tail stretched out behind it. When its master came into the room it winked one eye in salutation, although it was stuffed. There were thousands of brown books in leather bindings, some chained to the book-shelves and others propped against each other as if they had had too much to drink and did not really trust themselves. These gave out a smell of must and solid brownness which was most secure." (p. 30)

This book counts toward the What's in a Name 2014 Challenge in the category "a position of royalty."