Pendragon — The New High King of Britain Faces Diverse Adversity "Connecting the Dots" W/O
Written: Nov 06 '06 (Updated Nov 06 '06)
Product Rating:
Pros: A great continuation to the legend of King Arthur
Cons: Many will probably not like this interpretation
The Bottom Line: This particular tale may not feel as epic as previous writings, but I still like Lawhead's take on the Arthurian legend as he grounds it more into reality.
elvisdo's Full Review: Stephen R. Lawhead - Pendragon
The reign of Arthur has just begun as he is crowned High King of Britain. But there are those who are not happy with the situation at all and don’t recognize this claim to the throne, regardless if it is his birthright. Adding controversy to the mix, the Lady Gwenhwyvar, a foreigner from the Isle of Irene, arrives to take Arthur as her husband. And to make matters worse, Arthur takes off to liberate his wife’s homeland and leaving Britain unprotected by vandals. The new king of Britain isn’t making a favourable impression in Pendragon, the fourth book in the Pendragon Cycle by Stephen Lawhead, and one has to wonder if he will lose everything just as it all begins.
Lawhead has crafted his own interpretation to the Arthurian lore that started in Taliesin, Merlin and Arthur that forms a complete trilogy with a beginning and end. Pendragon is not a continuation of the third book, but a supplement to the whole. Lawhead is now focusing on specific stories that fill in the gaps and he starts off with Arthur’s reign as the new High King of Britain.
Throughout this book and the entire series, it is obvious that the underlying theme revolves around faith. Lawhead’s Arthur is heavily influenced by Christian undertones as it serves as the backbone to his take on this legend, and he shows how fragile faith can be especially when adversity comes in many forms—vandals, barbarians, treachery, pestilence, arrogance, greed—these things and many more combined together can break any person, but Arthur perseveres through it all and inspires faith in those who follow him. Does this sound eerily familiar? Lawhead unabashedly sets Arthur as the Chosen One (the Messiah so to speak) who, with his guide Merlin (a prophet), will lead his people to the Summer Kingdom (the Promised Land or the kingdom of heaven… take your pick).
As done with the previous books, with the exception of Taliesin, Pendragon is told from a first-person narrative with Merlin taking the helm. Lawhead can definitely weave a tale and make it extremely fascinating while putting the Arthurian legend in a historical setting. However, the first third of the book is a retelling of some of Arthur’s youth and his ascent to kinghood, albeit in greater detail. Nonetheless, it is still retelling, sometimes word of word, of what was written in the previous book. It isn’t until the story moves to the Isle of Irene that the “Hidden Tale” be revealed. But because this is a self-contained story, the epic feeling isn't quite prominent as it was in the previous books.
Pendragon is a good follow-up in this Pendragon Cycle series. I find Lawhead’s take on the Arthurian legend quite fascinating and a breath of fresh air. If you are looking for magic and sorcery, then this series will surely disappoint you as it is heavily seeped in religion. It may also seem like it plods at a slow pace as Lawhead really delves into the personalities of these characters. But therein lies the true magic of the book as he makes them really come alive and presents them in ways that he reader can connect with these wonderful characters.
James Bond and King Arthur are two famous figures from the great land of Britain. Ah, those crazy Brits. I hear they actually speak English. Just another "Connecting the Dots" review.
The second is a part of sleeper54's "Lean-n-Mean V" write-off. The above review clocks in at 599 words.
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