Thanks for the very kind words! Good luck in your studies. I'm impressed that you find the time to make BookTube content while drinking from the med school firehose. :)
@@thelibraryladder Very inconsistent BookTube schedule. Haven’t posted in months!! That firehouse knocks me down every now and again lol but it paid off because I matched into orthopedic surgery residency and start in June! Thank you for the great content! Very original with a wealth of knowledge. My videos didn’t start out the greatest but I hope I’m getting better and better. My goal is your quality of video!
I became interested in the Arthurian legends in the late 1970s/early 1980s, and I've read about 200 books retelling the stories over the years since. I've also watched about all the movies and documentaries on the legends, read books exploring them, and I recently watched a lecture series on Curiosity Stream on the subject. I really fell down a rabbit hole. One of the main things that interests me about it is all the different takes on the story over the centuries. I think it is fascinating how it has developed and evolved, and how many different perspectives and variations there have been over time. Of course, my list would be different than yours, and I wish I had the time and energy to dive into it, but about 65% would be the same, and I have to give you a great deal of respect for putting this together.
Thanks! Reading 200 retellings is quite an accomplishment! I've probably read (or in a few cases sampled) only about 40 or so in my life, and that felt like climbing a tall mountain. I feel much the same way as you about the wide variation in the focus, tone, elements and intent of different retellings over the centuries. It's fascinating to me how the story has served many different purposes at different times.
What a wonderful, comprehensive survey of Arthur works. ♥️ As an Arthur fan who’s read FAR fewer versions than you have, you’ve destroyed my TBR. “Thanks.” 😆
Thanks, Matt! There are a lot of great retellings to choose from (and I'm sure I didn't cover them all). The wide range of character perspectives and historical/fantastical elements they draw upon help mitigate the sense of overlap among their stories.
I only drink whiskey. I only drink on Fridays. I only drink two glasses to unwind, three if it's been a particularly hard week. I'm a creature of habits. I see a video of yours come out, I deliberately put it on my Watch Later list and wait until Friday night, while having my whiskey at home, to watch it. Notebook at the ready to write down recommendations, then go hunting for them. This is one such Friday, and it's one of those things that makes life remotely bearable at this point. Thank you for sharing your vast knowledge on the subject, and here's to many more Friday nights like this, just sitting back and watching The Library Ladder.
Sounds like a lovely evening! Cheers! [as I raise a mug of coffee, since it's Saturday morning now for me] :D And thank you. I'm so glad you find enjoyment in my videos.
I swear to God I was looking for a video like this to get me introduced to the Arthurian legends for over a month. There are way too many places to start, and although I read many suggestions of Mary Stewart's books, I didn't know how to feel about them. Started The Crystal Cave today, and I'm about 20% into The Crystal Cave. Thank you!
John Steinbeck's retelling was my first reading of the King Author tales. After that, the Prydain Chronicles were fun reading in my teens. Not an adaption perse, but clearly inspired by the Arthurian legends.
Thanks for sharing! If you haven't already read them, I think you might enjoy Bernard Cornwell's Warlord Chronicles (its martial and mystical aspects share some of the brutality of Tidhar's novel) or A.A. Attanasio's series (for its unusual/weird take on the Arthur legend).
@the library ladder I can also recommend "The Last Legion" by Italian archeologist Valerio Massimo Manfredi. Told as the memoir of Druid Myrdin Emreis from the point of view of himself, a handful of Roman solders and Livia Prisca, a warrior woman from what will be Venice as they escort Romulus Augustulus from |taly to Britain. Romulus' sword is inscribed "Cai Iul Caes Ensis Caliburnus"... an insciption which fades in the years after these events until only "Es... Calibur" is legible. Manfredi is a superb writer and I recommend him to anyone.
I’m a huge Arthur fan and have read almost all that you’ve talked about. But one I’ve not heard of was Firelord. I just finished reading it. The whole story was breathed fresh and new. The ending was very satisfying.
I'm so glad to hear that you enjoyed Firelord. Like you, I thought it was a very fresh retelling when I first read it. I also think the ending is nearly perfect (which is one reason I treated it like a standalone in the video even though Godwin wrote two sequels to it).
Another great video for the library. My first Arthurian novel was The Warlord Chronicles by Cornwell a decade ago. Maybe I'll check some of the more fantasy style orientated ones since I've started with historical fiction. Can we hope for a similar video about Robin Hood? He's another British folktale character that has been talked and written for centuries
Thanks! I think Mary Stewart's fantasy trilogy about Merlin would pair well with Cornwell's version. Robin Hood is on my list of future videos. (Alas, the list is long and keeps getting longer.)
One notable thing about TH White’s works is that he doe a little playing around with the timeline - whereas many Arthur adaptations are set in the sixth century and feature Arthur as a Briton fighting against the Saxons, White makes Arthur a Norman, specifically having Uther Pendragon being the Norman conqueror of England instead of William of Normandy (in fact William is mentioned in White as being a fictional character in that universe). It’s not a big thing narratively, but it does make for a nice variation on events that allows White to unironically indulge in various medieval tropes.
Great point! White borrowed that story convention from versions of the Arthur saga written in the late Middle Ages when authors such as Malory blurred the lines of history to make Arthur's court seem more modern (by the standards of that day).
I'm really appreciative of the how comprehensive and useful this list is, and the same goes for all of your videos. Thank you for the clear effort that this took, and for tackling such a vast body of works in a clear, approachable fashion.
It's weird to me that people would say that Mary Stewart's books give the female characters short shrift, because while they might not be the focus very often, when they are, they're very well done. Her take on Morgause in particular is one of my favorite villains in literature. She's a thoroughly nasty character, but in a nuanced way that lets you know exactly how she got that way.
I just discovered this video. Thank you for your recommendations. After a cousin recently suggested The Mists Of Avalon, I've had a King Arthur fixation.
Another excellent video! Your channel is a wonderful place for anyone looking to expand their knowledge of literature. There are so many books and authors in this video alone that I have never heard of until now. Great job, Bridger! I love T.H. White's Once and Future King. It's up there with The Hobbit and Watership Down as one of my favorite standalone fantasy novels (granted, it's more of a fixup novel). The book's version of Lancelot is one of the most unique takes on the character. And Arthur's character arc is tragic. Watching him go from a wide-eyed youth full of hopes and dreams to a disillusioned man full of regrets is both fascinating and heartbreaking.
Thank you! I hope you find some in this list that you love as much as I do. While I don't quite share your love of White's TOAFK (I appreciate and admire it instead), I'm right with you on The Hobbit and Watership Down. :)
There would be a day-there must be a day-when he would come back to Gramarye with a new Round Table which had no corners, just as the world had none-a table without boundaries between the nations who would sit to feast there. The hope of making it would lie in culture. If people could be persuaded to read and write, not just to eat and make love, there was still a chance that they might come to reason. But it was too late for another effort then. For that time it was his destiny to die, or, as some say, to be carried off to Avilion, where he could wait for better days. For that time it was Lancelot's fate and Guenever's to take the tonsure and the veil, while Mordred must be slain. The fate of this man or that man was less than a drop, although it was a sparkling one, in the great blue motion of the sunlit sea. The cannons of his adversary were thundering in the tattered morning when the Majesty of England drew himself up to meet the future with a peaceful heart.
Found your channel last year when I was searching for the reading order for eternal champion. Just wanted to say your thumbnail game is amazing. I love the pictures you use to make the collage, the colour grading setting you place on each thumbnail, and the overall vibe you present in both the videos.
Thanks! I decided early on to break many of the 'rules' of thumbnail design as a way of giving mine a distinctive look. When so many other thumbnails feature people's faces in expressive poses or are designed with extremely bright and heavily saturated color palettes, I thought mine might stand out with muted colors and a text-centric approach. Plus, I love using them to showcase illustrations that are relevant to the books.
Thank you so much for this video! Very informative and thoughtful. In high school I devoured all of Rosemary Sutcliff’s writing and enjoyed Stephen R. Lawhead’s first 3 Arthur books. This year I read Cornwell’s “Warlord Chronicles” and that reignited the excitement for Arthurian retellings. I have read “The Once and Future King” and hope to read Mary Stewart’s work in the next couple years.💛
It feels real good when you show off books and I have the same copies. It makes me feel like I'm doing something right in my book hunting 😅. Thank you so much for making this video. It is going to be a great guide for my journey through the Arthurian novels. I will be starting with the Mary Stewart novels as soon as I can find time to fit them in. Keep up the good work!
I grew up in the '50s reading everything I could find about King Arthur and still remember the 'confusion' effect of my encountering the first adult version/interpretation of the story: 'Sword at Sunset' 1963 by Rosemary Sutcliff. Engendered my love of historical fiction.
I felt much the same way the first time I encountered a more historically-based retelling of the Arthur legend (i.e., not based on the anachronistic medieval traditions of the later Middle Ages that formed the basis of most of the versions I encountered in my childhood). In my case, it was Mary Stewart's Merlin trilogy that opened my eyes.
This is a video. Thank you! I, too, love the Mary Stewart trilogy. And, I've been meaning to read The Mists of Avalon for years. The Cornwells are now on my (very long) TBR list.😊
Thank you! MZB's novel was a pleasant surprise for me after languishing on my TBR list for decades. I hope you enjoy it, and Cornwell's Warlord Chronicles, as much as I do.
I read The Mists of Avalon years ago, and it was absolutely brilliant. I had been a fan of Bradley's Darkover novels before that. The Mists of Avalon is told from the women's viewpoint and has a slightly feminist slant, but it's not overtly preachy, as I recall. I believe Bradley was friends with Starhawk and other prominent Wiccan writers of the day. Diana L. Paxson is a similar writer who has written Arthurian stories. I think she is also a friend of Bradley's.
Midway through Jack Whyte's Camulod Chronicles. All of your comments were spot on, including the Ayn Rand comparison (except there are some slight supernatural things, mostly prophetic dreams)
Thanks! I'm glad you're enjoying Whyte's novels. I considered those dreams somewhat ambiguous, and I opted to interpret them as Whyte planting superstitious (and in some cases logical) suggestions in characters' minds rather than as supernatural events. Kind of like how I used to wonder if I was clairvoyant because a random, obscure song would pop into my head and then five minutes later I'd hear it on the radio. (For the record, I'm not clairvoyant, and I don't listen to the radio anymore.) :D
The Barbarians at the Gate Britain faced in Sutcliffe's Sword at Sunset were the English - Anglo-Saxons. This is far more accurate than the Mallory-hijacked history that makes Arthur English, and created the concept of chivalry. Nothing to do with who Arthur probably was: an enemy if the English invaders. Amazing video, as usual ❤
37:40 Rosemary Sutcliff's "Arthur Trilogy" is probably the best retelling of Malory. I'd definitely put it over Howard Pyes series. She's a wonderful witer, and unlike other re-telling's she doesn't cut out the darker aspects of the book.
I agree with you that Sutcliff's retelling is terrific and is more enjoyable than Pyle's. Hers is written in a more modern style, while Pyle's has a more traditional style and structure, which is why I put them in different categories in the video (and why I don't recommend those older, traditional versions as good entry points for readers today).
I love Rosemary Suttcliff. Not very known in France. Unfortunately. Her trilogy of roman legion i read in french is extraordinary. A great writer and a good historian.
I went on a real Arthurian tear back in the late 80s/early 90s & read a ton of novels & short stories either retelling the OG myth( Mary Stewart's Merlin Trilogy & of course Mists of Avalon by MZB) or brought Arthur, Merlin, Morgan into a modern setting. I wish I could remember the titles & authors because I really enjoyed some of those stories & wouldn't mind revisiting them. Unfortunately we've had to purge our very extensive library from time to time when moving :( so certain books had to be sacrificed. When you have a lot of books, your friend only help you move ONCE lol.
I can empathize with you about the hardships of moving a large book collection (having done it twice in the past 25 years, which my back doesn't let me forget). I've read only a few dozen Arthurian retellings, so this video represents only a small subset of the hundreds of Arthur tales that have been published. I'm still on the lookout for more good ones to read if you ever remember the ones you'd like to revisit. P.S. I'm going to guess that you have a particular fondness for Disney's animated Sword in the Stone. :)
@@thelibraryladder the story I've been trying to find had Arthur brought forward in time to WW2 as a fighter pilot flying a plane called the Merlin. It was very interesting & leaned heavily into the myth that Arthur will return when England needs him. He doesn't know why or where he is & has no recollection of how he got there. I have re read both The Merlin Trilogy & Mists multiple times. Still my faves & still have the hard bound editions :) The other short stories were from a collection of stories based on Arthurian myth. Quite a variety of takes & fun to read. Collected short stories on a theme are a fun way to find new authors or just find good stories.
the Alan Garner pair, 'The Weirdstone of Brisingamen', and 'The Moon of Gomrath' had me hooked from page one. He picks up some Tolkien and some Arthur, some of Irish and Welsh tales. It is a pity he did not make it a proper trilogy. Cadellin has some real surprises up his sleeve. But my fave Merlin of all is easily the very pre-Saxon one they wake up from his resting place in Bragdon Wood, in CS Lewis's 'That Hideous Strength'
I read somewhere that Mary Stuart traveled and studied for 14 years before she wrote her trilogy. I don't know if it's true but it's absolutely amazing to read.
I didn't know that, but it makes sense, as many of her earlier suspense novels are set in various places around the world and in different historical periods. She did her research well.
Excellent video! The Warlord Chronicles is one of my favorite series, and I always warn new readers about that slow start in book 1. The role of prophecy was what made this trilogy tiptoe the fantasy line for me. You got me very excited to get to Mary Stewart's series sometime!
Thanks, Johanna! The Winter King is the only Cornwell book I've ever bounced off of (and I've read just about everything he's written). I couldn't get past the first 50 pages or so without losing interest when I first tried to read it 20+ years ago. I set it aside and returned to it a few years later with a much more satisfying result. If you enjoyed Cornwell's trilogy, then I think you'll really enjoy Mary Stewart's. They pair well in my opinion (and even more so if you view Warlord Chronicles as fantasy).
Watched this video several times, mostly to get straight the order in which to read some of them. I guess I’ll have to sit down with pen and paper and listen one more time to jot them down. Your two Arthur videos are excellent. I was able to purchase pretty good copies of the CRYSTAL CAVE and FIRELORD for less than $20. Looking forward to reading them. Thanks. Keep up the great work.
Thanks! I'm sorry for not providing an easier roadmap to prioritize your Arthur reads. :) I hope you enjoy the Stewart and Godwin books as much as I do.
Given my recent decision to explore Arthurian tales, this video is more than I could have requested. Your comparison to Guy Gavriel Kay has sold me on Godwin's Firelord. I found a used copy for a good price online and can't wait to get my hands on it. Thank you for the wellspring of information that is this channel; I'm always entertained, impressed, and informed by each video ☺
Well worth the wait. It is incredible how countless authors can take many of the same core aspects of Arthuriana and yet tell such difference stories. I enjoy the historical fiction interpretations but I do wish a modern author could reinvigorate the legend with a more magical version that hits me the same way Mary Stewart's did.
Great job, Bridger. I simply love your compilations and reviews. I've long since been a fan of the Arthurian mythos, and your suggestions were spot-on. Any chance of you doing the same for authors that explore more fantastical or retellings of Greek and Roman mythology?
Thanks! That's a great suggestion. I'm planning to feature some Greek/Roman retellings in an upcoming video on classic historical fiction, and I'm also thinking about a video on various retellings of Homer's Iliad and Odyssey. Over the past decade, literary adaptations of ancient mythologies have sprouted seemingly everywhere, and I haven't kept up with most of them. I'd need to read more of the recent ones to offer informed opinions about a broader range of mythological retellings.
Another great video. Some of these were very well known and I have read a few but some are new to me. This is a very nice selection with a lot of variety.
Thank you! I wanted to read a wide range of Arthur stories and then select the most memorable ones of different types so viewers could have a varied selection to choose from.
What a fantastic video! My favorites are Mary Stewart's and Parke Godwin's. I've not met anyone else who has read Firelord, but I grabbed it when I was a teen and it was still new. I was obsessed with Arthurian legends and read everything I could get my hands on and that book was such a standout. I was pleased to see Joan Wolf on the list too. She's a cut above most historical romance authors in that she cares about the history and incorporates it. (Another historical romance writer like that is Roberta Gellis, who had master's degrees in both biochem and medieval lit. Her prose is a bit stiff though.) Thank you for taking all the time you did to put this video together!
Thanks! You have great taste in Arthur retellings. :D Firelord was a recent discovery for me as I began preparing for this video a couple of years ago, and I wish I had encountered it decades ago. I'm not familiar with Gellis' works, so thanks the tip.
When I was in grade school (third grade, probably) I found a book in the school library called "Knights of the Round Table" by Gwenn Gross, illustrated by Norman Green. Now, I wouldn't call it essential reading now, because it is very much a book for very young readers. But I was just the right age when I found it. The stories and the illustrations lit my imagination on fire like nothing else up to that point, and I've been a fan of King Arthur ever since. For any third graders out there who might be interested in Arthur, I'd highly recommend it. I hadn't heard much about the Mary Stewart books. I'm excited to check them out!
@@thelibraryladder Haven't watched the vid yet, but my favorite is Susan Cooper's version in her Dark is Rising sequence. It wasn't my first introduction to the Arthurian cycle, even at age 9-11ish, but it's the one that was most haunting to me, and was explicitly drawn from/set in Wales.
As always a delight to hear your recommendations and thoughts, Bridger, especially on this topic! I was listening to this while reading Rosemary Sutcliffe’s «The Lantern Bearer» in preparation of reading «Sword at Sunset» next (really enjoyed it, well worthy of its award, which together with your recommendation, makes me all the more excited to start on «SaS»!😊). I was a bit sad Sean Poage’s «Arthurian Age» did not make the final cut (prehaps my favorite «one historical King Arthur» story, I am surprised that not more «Historical» takes on King Arthur use the «Arthur as Riothamus» angle, easily the most well documented alternate so far, if he existed), but glad for the mention! Would also mention the Arthur-adjacent «Conscience of the King» by Alfred Duggan (centered on a kinslaying powerhungry Roman Briton of Germanic descent siding with the Anglo-Saxons, it could almost be read as a darker mirror version of «The Lantern Bearers» with the origin of King Arthur being a mix of Ambrosius (the «Last Roman Briton», I believe Cornwell have publicly stated Duggan as a major inspiration too) and the minor character of Artorius, a former Byzantine Heavy Cavalry Officer), and (while definitely anachronistic mix of historical and medieval romanticism) I really have a soft spot for the «Prince Valiant» 1940s-50s Comic (the Battle of Andelkrag Castle: So anachronistic, so majestic and impeccable detailed!). Big fan of «The Winter King» (the Battle of Ynes Trebes/St. Michel is perhaps his best, I could have read a while Trilogy of Derfel and Galahad fighting Franks in the Hills of Bretagne, and what a loathsome trio of villains in Gundleus, Tanaburs and Lancelot!), but I hold the unpopular that I really disliked «Enemy of God», it completely rubbed me the wrong way! «Excalibur» was thankfully mostly a return to form, even if I think Cornwell did Gawain dirty! 😅 Had never heard of Gemmell’s stories and Attansio’s series, so thank you for those! My next Arthurian foray after Sutcliff, will most likely be Giles Kristian’s novels or «The Crystal Cave», though if I come across «Firelord», I will definitely read it straight away after your GGK comparison! Cheers!
Thanks! I have a feeling you're going to really enjoy Sword at Sunset (and the Mary Stewart, Parke Godwin and Giles Kristian retellings when you get to them). Trimming my list in this video to a manageable length wasn't easy for me, which is why Poage's books garnered only a brief mention. I was trying to satisfy two overlapping, but not entirely compatible, goals -- to present my own assessment of enjoyable versions of the Arthur tale while also providing a broad cross-section of the retellings available. I enjoyed the Poage books more than several of the ones that made the final cut (e.g., the Attanasio and Lawhead versions and some of the traditional retellings such as White's TOAFK), but I wanted to provide viewers with a wide variety of types to choose from and not just a list of my favorite versions (which would lean toward the historicals). I'm kicking myself for not mentioning Duggan's Conscience of the King among the Arthur-adjacent versions. That one completely slipped my mind. Thanks for the reminder about it. I'm working on a broad overview video about the history of the historical fiction genre, and I'll be sure to include it.
@@thelibraryladder Yeah, no worry: It is a Herculean effort you have made with this video and I genuinely think your mention of Poage’s novels are raising awareness on a very undervalued writer! Yeah, that one and its spiritual predecessor «The Little Emperors» (set during the end of Roman rule with the unlikely protagonist of a highly level Roman bureaucrat involuntarily caught up in quite a few coups: Some of the quotes could have come straight out of «Yes, Minister!») should make Duggan well deserving of a spot in such a video, indeed! I was genuinly surprised how they rather fit very well modern research on the subject being written in the 50s (with the mapping of the Roman Provinces being the only major exception dating it: For example the province of Britannia Prima, were the majority position today is that it consisted of Wales and South West England, not the whole of South England as previously thought during Duggan’s writings), perhaps some truth in the «pendulum of history»!😄
Hey, Bridger! Arthurian mythology is so pervasive in Western culture but so wildly varied that it's always been confusing to me about what is authentically rooted in classical tradition and what is revisionist. This and the previous Arthurian video's excellent breakdowns have brought clarity to a tangled mess! Apparently, Arthurian lore has been fluid from the jump but it was edifying to learn what contributions Monmouth, de Troyes and Mallory made. Categorizing the various adaptations as traditional, modern revisionist and historical revisionist was extraordinarily helpful. I had no idea "The Sword in the Stone" was just a part of "The Once and Future King"! And I had never heard of "Firelord" before! I also had no idea that Steinbeck tried his hand at Arthurian myth as well! Bernard Cornwell is the gold standard of historical fiction and his trilogy is being adapted on Prime's "The Winter King" with "Agents of SHIELD" Iain de Caestecker as a surprisingly credible Arthur! I loved the "Sharpe" series with Sean Bean and "The Last Kingdom" series with Alexander Dreymon so I've been watching it. John Boorman's "Excalibur" is easily the best Arthur movie but I have a soft spot for Antoine Fuqua's blood-and-thunder "King Arthur" with Clive Owen and Keira Knightley which apparently was inspired by works like Sutcliff's, Godwin's and Whyte's. Your video essays are always endlessly fascinating and that velvety voice makes for very easy listening. Lol. I will continue to assert that you should be working at PBS. I can't wait for the next Moorcock lecture on Elric!
Thanks! I'm so glad you found the videos helpful. Like you, I'm a big Cornwell fan, and I share your soft spot for the more historical approach Fuqua took in his movie adaptation (although I found some of the casting decisions a little jarring). I hope you give some of the other modern adaptations such as Firelord a try.
Amazing! Not only did I find a great new channel but you recommend Mary Stewart! Her prose - Merlin’s dream of Mithras in the winter field takes my breath every reading. I don’t think she skimped on the female perspective, either. Tell me another character like Ygraine the wise and brave. Or the young nun with feet veined like bluebells. But I can see the Marion Zimmerman Bradley opinion. I had read all of her Darkover novels by the time Mists of Avalon was published. I couldn’t bring myself to read it even though all my feminist gal pals were gushing over it. But maybe I will now. I’m not as fond of Bradley as I am Stewart but she tells a great story.
Thanks! Mary Stewart was a masterful writer. I'm a fan also of the thrillers she wrote in the 1950s and 60s, which are mostly forgotten today. [Note to self: potential future video topic] And serendipitously, my next video will be a retrospective look at an author (Connie Willis) who cites Stewart as one the greatest influences on her writing.
Incredible video,I've only read The Warlord Chronicles a few months ago and although I struggled with The Winter King in the beginning,soon I started to enjoy it and ended up loving the trilogy. I will buy The Crystal Cave shortly and give it a go and after that I will try Lancelot. Have a nice day Sir.
Thanks! I've read the first two books in Kristian's series, and I discuss them briefly toward the end of this video (you might have missed that part -- it's a long video, I know). I'd characterize those books as Cornwell lite. I enjoyed them and would recommend them, but I don't think they're quite at the level of some others I highlighted, such as Mary Stewart's Merlin trilogy. I hope you enjoy The Crystal Cave and its sequels!
Very minor point of feedback for an otherwise stellar video. The portrait you have at 1:42 into the video is not Thomas Malory but is instead a portrait of Henry VII. I double checked the google image search results, and indeed it is improperly tagged in a few locations. I mentioned it only because I recognized the portrait of this well known king (and part of the cast of characters in Shakespeare's Richard III).
You're absolutely right, and I made the exact same mistake in my previous video of relying on a (different) online database to find an (erroneous) portrait of Malory. At this point, I don't think a picture exists of him. [smh] :D
I’ve only read the Warlord Chronicles from these and absolutely loved them! Now I have a bunch of options for when I want a different approach to the tale!
If you loved Cornwell's retelling, Ben, then Mary Stewart's Merlin trilogy, Parke Godwin's Firelord and Giles Kristian's duology (soon to be a trilogy later this year) seem like low-risk choices. Their styles are similar while their stories vary significantly.
Excellent! Thank you so much for this duology of Arthur videos. I have taken The Great Courses “King Arthur: History and Legend” taught by Dorsey Armstrong. While I enjoyed the course, I feel these two videos has given me a better understanding of which works I want to focus on reading next. (Which, of course, wasn’t necessarily Armstrong’s primary objective.) I hope you eventually give a similar treatment to Robin Hood retellings and Sherlock Holmes pastiches. I started reading Anne McCaffrey’s “Black Horses for the King” this week. Only a few pages in, but I have a feeling that I’m going to like it.
Thanks! I'm certain Armstrong's course explored the history and legend of Arthur in far more depth than I did. I merely scratched the surface of the topic in an effort to spark viewer interest in pursuing it further on their own. Great suggestions re: Robin Hood and Holmes pastiches (which I tend to enjoy more than the original). Both are on my list of future video topics, along with a retrospective of Anne McCaffrey's works, although I don't yet know when I'll find time to get around to them (my ever-growing backlog of planned videos is _long_).
@@thelibraryladder Yes, that was the main focus of the 24-lesson course. Speaking of future videos, I hope one covering the physical infrastructure of your library eventually rises to the top. I just watched your channel’s intro video, and it would be great to learn more about the process and decision making that led to such a beautiful retreat. But I understand that type of video might not have as much appeal as the retrospectives. Off the top of your head, could you name three pastiches that you would consider in the running for best or most influential? I plan to read/re-read the canon plus three pastiches this year. I have currently selected “The Seven-Percent Solution,” “The Beekeeper’s Apprentice,” and “A Slight Trick of the Mind.” Any that you would bump in favor of something else? “House of Silk”?
I'll have to give some thought to that library design/planning video suggestion. A brief synopsis is that I designed most of the cabinetry and layout of the room myself to maximize shelf and storage space and to provide the books with significant protection from light, dust and humidity changes (via enclosed bookcases with UV glass panes). The room is about 30'x15' with a 15' ceiling, and the cabinets and shelves extend all the way up (necessitating a 12' ladder). I was aiming for a feel somewhat similar to what might be found in the private library of an old English or French manor house. I spent about six months planning it and then hired a custom cabinetmaker to make it a reality. Re: Holmes pastiches -- The Seven-Percent Solution is an essential read (even though I didn't fully enjoy it myself), and I think House of Silk also is worthwhile. You might also give Michael Chabon's The Final Solution a try. It feels similar to the Ian McKellen film Mr. Holmes from a few years ago. And there's the very first collection of pastiche stories authorized by Doyle's estate -- The Exploits of Sherlock Holmes, which was co-written by Adrian Conan Doyle (Arthur's son) and mystery writer John Dickson Carr and published in 1954. There also are some worthwhile pastiches that revolve around characters directly inspired by and modeled after Sherlock. The Solar Pons stories written by August Derleth (and later by Basil Copper) are my favorites of that type. You might also check out Maurice Leblanc's classic volume of short stories featuring master thief Arsene Lupin and a _very_ thinly disguised Holmes named Herlock Sholmes (which raised Doyle's ire as copyright infringement when it was first published).
Currently going through the Pendragon Cycle and Pyle's books. I'm liking them both. Lawhead's work in Taliesin and Merlin is really good as far as an epic fantasy retelling of the Legends goes and I like how Pyle's King Arthur and His Knights is easy to follow. You have me Intrigued with Landis' Camelot books and I had been considering David Drake's Dragon Lord (Because an S&S retelling of Arthur with him as a conquering warlord sounds like fun), so thanks.
I’ve been waiting for this video since your last video on Arthur and it was worth the wait. I put Mary Stewart’s trilogy on reserve at the New York Public Library!
I am enjoying it a lot. I’m reading it right now! You should read Lev Grossman’s new Arthurian novel, the Bright Sword. Very enjoyable. Looking forward to your next video.
I am so glad that you made this video - *it* is essential! I am so glad that you brought up Parke Godwin! Firelord, Beloved Exile, and Sherwood have long been favorites amongst amongst my friends who are scholars on these subjects. I *did* peg uou for a Mart Stewart fan. . . I didn't know about these later series either. Thank you.
This was a brilliantly done survey of the best Arthurian literature, Bridger. Mary Stewart’s series is amazing! I loved the Warlord Chronicles, but I agree that book one is a bit rough.
Thank you, Chas! I'll add the qualifier that they're the best I've ever read. I'm sure there are some terrific ones I missed because I haven't read them yet. :D
This is a very thorough and impressive video! I do wish however that there was some sort of summary in the form of a chart or text so as to not require skimming through the video when revisiting it to find the next read.
@@Ithenos Thanks! If you click on the “Show Transcript” button near the bottom of the video description section, you can quickly scan the text of the video (and I enter the subtitles manually so I know they’re accurate).
The Warlord Chronicles are not just my favorite King Arthur books, but some of the best books I've read period. I will have to track down Firelord. Anything compared favorably to GGK goes to the top of my TBR. Thank you for the suggestion.
I hope you enjoy Firelord as much as I do. And if you haven't read any of Cornwell's other historical fiction series, you should. His Grail Quest series that begins with The Archer's Tale (also titled Harlequin in the UK) is a great read and doesn't require a significant commitment by readers because it consists of only four books (or three, as the fourth book was written many years later as a standalone novel for the main character from the original trilogy).
What a tremendous video! Several of these were on my radar but I'm definitely more compelled to get to Mary Stewart and Parke Godwin (if I can find a copy) sooner rather than later! I'm glad to see The Mists of Avalon on here too: I've seen quite a few negative reviews of that in the last few years, but I personally loved it. Good to know about the Mary Stewart 5 book series how they intertwine, as I wasn't sure about that. Thanks for this great video!
Thanks, Josh! I suggest Stewart's Merlin trilogy as an ideal starting point (her books 4 & 5 are good, but optional). You might also want to jump on finding a copy of Godwin's Firelord. I noticed yesterday that there's been a run on them on eBay in the past few days. :)
Great video. I love Arthurian retellings. I'm currently reading, and enjoyng, "Child of the northern spring" by Persia Woolley. It's from Guinevere point of view. I've bought the book for the cover by Sergio Toppi, and because it was only 2 euro, and I'm very glad I did.
Oh, I love the Arthurian legend! I think the first book I read was The Once and Future King, then I read the Mary Stewart trilogy. I've also read the Jack Whyte series and the Cornwell series. But my all time favorite is The Mists of Avalon (not just my favorite Arthurian tale, but one of my favorite books period), which I've read several times over the years. I've never heard of Firebrand, but just ordered a used copy and I'm looking forward to it. Thanks!
The Mists of Avalon was a very welcome surprise for me. It deserves the acclaim it's received over the past 40+ years. I hope you enjoy Firelord as much as I do.
Thank you Bridger, wonderous video as always! I love the Dark is Rising sequence, or at least I loved the first 3 when I was young but hit a bit of a wall when book 4 brought in a lot of Welsh words, so I don't know how it ends, but book 2 was brilliant and I love the idea of modern day Merlin helping new boys and girls to become heroes - I should really make time to reread that. And I love the look of T.A. Barron's Merlin series, and it's unique Avalon tree map - been trying to collect them in the original covers because the modern ones are kinda bleah to me. I do have all the Alan Garner books which look like a fascinating cup of tea. From what I've heard, the Pendragon series, while great, doesn't go beyond an obvious allusion with the name. As for actual retellings, I've got a good deal of what you recommend already - though I hadn't even heard of Attanasio or Godwin's versions, unfortunate how forgotten they are when they stand so uniquely. I'm still feeling like starting with "the source" of Mallory since I have such a strong attachment to the film Excalibur, and I think I have a tolerance for archtypal mythic characters - plus I have such a lovely illustrated edition. If that goes well, I jump to try Welsh or French stories. I also have a lovely edition of James Knowles with perfuse Celtic spirals and wood cut art, which is tempting starting place also, if he can tell the same story in a more concise or otherwise better delivery. And then probably on to Mary Stewart, which I've wanted to read for decades - I might have said White's but you've made me wary with what you say of his pessimism thoughts, which is needed to a degree in the story, but not at the expense of the idealism of what is possible. I do have the original Sword in the Stone though, and part of me is attracted to reading that boyhood before Mallory. It's amazing how much thought I've put into this. LOL
Thanks! I admire your determination to start with the source texts. I think the Knowles retelling might serve you better than Malory's (and I'm intrigued by your description of both illustrated editions -- they sound terrific; I'm a sucker for vintage book illustrations). Of those traditional retellings, I prefer Pyle's writing over Knowles', but the difference isn't substantial. Also, you can't go wrong reading The Sword in the Stone, although your mileage might vary on White's later books in the series. Stewart's Merlin trilogy is a great starting point among the moderns. I hope you enjoy them all!
@@thelibraryladder the Knowles is of those Dilitium Press Children's Classics, but republished by Random house (smaller and without the 8 colour plates I've just noticed 😮💨 - oh well still pretty) illustrated by Louis Rhead. And the Morte D'Arthur is a 2000 Cassle and Co. edited my John Mathews and Illustrated by Anna Marie Ferguson (Many many water-coluor plates that are weirdly pixilated in this printing but still very beautiful.) Thank you, I hope so!
Dilithium Press editions are excellent. I love that many of them reprint the original artwork from editions published 50-80 years earlier during the Golden Age of book illustration. It's a shame that your copy doesn't include the color plates. The Ferguson illustrations in the Malory edition look very striking.
I've read almost everything you mentioned and many others. I was so glad that you love Parke Godwin's Firelord as it's been a favourite for decades. Most people don't know it.
I have to wonder if Firelord was a victim of unfortunate timing, arriving just before The Mists of Avalon was published. MZB's novel attracted so much attention and acclaim that it might have crowded out wider awareness of Firelord. I hope by shining a spotlight on it, I can help Godwin's novel find a new audience of readers (and convince publishers to bring it back into print, even if only as an ebook).
To add to the Steinbeck book, his novel Tortilla Flat is also a retelling of sorts, depicting King Arthur's court as impoverished Californians. It's a much looser retelling but I really liked it!
Interesting. I had been making notes for a space opera based on Arthurian legend. Admittedly, I don't know if I will actually write it (let alone finish it), but these modern retellings may help how I shape the characters and stories. If anything, I'm definitely interested in Mary Stewart's Merlin trilogy after seeing this, so thanks for that.
You have a lot of room to make the Arthur story your own. The legend is very malleable if the many versions I read for this video are any indication. I wish you all the best in your writing!
I've always loved arthurian stories thanks for all the recommendations. I loves hearing your voice, it's very soothing :) My personal favourite Arthurian retelling is L'Enchanteur by French author René Barjavel. Sadly there seems to be to English translation of the book :/
Thanks! I've never heard of Barjavel's novel, and unfortunately, I think you're right -- according to isfdb.org and Goodreads, it's never been published in English. I wish more works published originally in languages other than English would be translated for the US market. I plan to track down a copy of L'Enchanteur and see if my very rusty French language skills are up to the challenge. I might need help from my daughter, who is more fluent than I am.
I have Taliesin(sp?) and The Crystal Cave-both first books in a series here. This makes me want to pick them up sooner rather than later. I’ve heard great things about Mary Stewart’s work.
I *loved* The Crystal Cave as a teenager, but I don't think I ever read the rest of the trilogy. I don't remember the plot, as such, but there are certain moments and images that really stuck with me. I am of an age to have grown up with the T.A. Barron series, so The Lost Years of Merlin has a special place in my heart. I found the books right as I was starting to read fantasy a little more and absolutely fell in love with them. I did read The Once and Future King for school when I was younger, but I was a dork of a 12 year old who hated fantasy and only wanted to read historical fiction and mysteries. And I have no memory of it, beyond the fact that I read all 4 novels when I was only required to read The Sword in the Stone even though I didn't enjoy any of them. No idea why; I was just a weird kid. (This was a point in my life when I loved Tom Sawyer and Treasure Island and Sherlock Holmes and The Three Musketeers but had no patience whatsoever for The Hobbit or The Voyage of the Dawn Treader because how dare a book be about something that did not and never had actually existed.) This was also the age when I first read A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court because I thought I was a huge fan of Twain (having read precisely one of his books when I was 8) and had it go completely over my head.
You're my hero for reading those older classics as a kid! I wish more younger readers would do the same. I too read Connecticut Yankee when I was eight, but I read an abridged version written for children which focused on the core plot points and eliminated most of Twain's political and social commentary, making it simply a fun adventure story. I didn't read the original until I was an adult, at which point I discovered everything the abridged version cut out. (I did read and enjoy Tom Sawyer, Treasure Island and The Three Musketeers as a kid in their original, unabridged forms.) I encourage you to finish reading Mary Stewart's Merlin trilogy. I think it's terrific.
Thank you for the video!! Surpassed all my expectations in both content and presentation. I heard there were two other books by Parke Godwin that follow up on the events of Firelord. Did you read any of them? If so, are they worthwhile?
Thank you! Yes, Firelord is the first book in a trilogy, but for the purpose of this video, I treated it like a standalone. That's because Firelord tells Arthur's complete story. Books two and three tell their own separate stories that are mostly original, with only loose connection to the traditional legends of Arthur. Book two is excellent (focused on Guinevere enslaved by Saxons after Arthur's death), while the third book has a more fantastical and mystical focus as it follows a young priest's journey to the land of Faerie.
Hey Bridger, Hope your enjoying the summer so far!! Ive just discovered 'Kelpie, the boy wizard' by Ken Mennel and John Burns published by 'Wham' ( before the days of 2000ad) and its set during the Arthurian period. Its a comic, but its was created in the 1960's and its just had a 60th anniversary re release and its nice to see . Thought you'd like to know ;)
Hi! That's a new one for me. I've never heard of Kelpie before. British comic strips didn't make it across the ocean very often when I was a kid. I just looked it up, and it reminds me a lot of the Prince Valiant comic that was very popular here in the US. Thanks for letting me know about it!
Oh I didn’t knew about such scandal. Thats why the tv adaptation of Nists of Avalon wasn’t played again on tv or streaming? :( Thats so sad. Is my favorite arturian version. Such a jewel lost :,(
I've had Mary Stewart's, The Crystal Cave on my shelf forever, will certainly give it a try after I finish McCaffrey's Dragonflight. Thank you for the suggestion. I know it's beyond the scope of this video, but I found the comic series Camelot 3000 a fascinating telling of Arthur, regarding the reincarnation of Arthur and his knights in modern times (i.e. the 80s) It certainly falls into the weird category at some points, but I certainly think the graphic novel is worth a flip through, if not more serious consideration. Thank you for so many excellent suggestions. Despite the not-as-impressive Christian bent of Lawhead's books, I'll have to give them a look (Atlantis + Arthur seems fascinating)
Thanks for bringing Camelot 3000 to my attention. My experience with comics is very limited, and I wasn't aware of it. I hope you enjoy The Crystal Cave (and the rest of Stewart's trilogy) as much as I do, and that Lawhead's series pans out for you.
Thank you for this really good review of Arthurian fiction. Like you, I think the Warlord Trilogy by Bernard Cornwall and the Sword at Sunset by Rosemary Sutcliffe are both wonderful retelling of the Arthurian story, but I’ve never heard of Firelord and will now try to find a copy somewhere. I also liked the Jack Whyte series (though never got beyond book 1 for some strange reason which I must correct). Thank you.
Thank you! It's nice to encounter someone who's read Sutcliff's wonderful novel. I hope you enjoy Firelord and the rest of Whyte's Camulod Chronicles as much as I do.
@@thelibraryladder It took a while for Firelord to arrive from Canada but I have just finished it and found it to be a really interesting read. I liked the more realistic historical setting in sub-Roman Britain and the fresh take on the Arthur, Gwen and Lancelot triangle, but I don’t think it will replace the Warlord Trilogy as my favourite Arthurian tale. Great recommendation though - thank you.
I don’t always watch The Library Ladder, but when I do, I watch three hours of content. Incredible video!! You are my aspiration.
Thanks for the very kind words! Good luck in your studies. I'm impressed that you find the time to make BookTube content while drinking from the med school firehose. :)
@@thelibraryladder Very inconsistent BookTube schedule. Haven’t posted in months!! That firehouse knocks me down every now and again lol but it paid off because I matched into orthopedic surgery residency and start in June!
Thank you for the great content! Very original with a wealth of knowledge. My videos didn’t start out the greatest but I hope I’m getting better and better. My goal is your quality of video!
Bernard Cornwell's Warlord Chronicles are my favourite versions of Arthurian retellings.
Absolutely gripped me from start to finish.
Bro's voice plus background music and artworks = paradise
Oh thank God, I was just doomscrolling and you pulled me out of it
😂 Me too!
Same! 😂
Yup…
That’s how I found him lol
Thank you for acknowledging the Mists of Avalon. I have read it once a year since I was 13 and LOVE the series.
Happy you started with tennyson....there's something about tennyson's poems that gets to me. Thanks for the vid.
I became interested in the Arthurian legends in the late 1970s/early 1980s, and I've read about 200 books retelling the stories over the years since. I've also watched about all the movies and documentaries on the legends, read books exploring them, and I recently watched a lecture series on Curiosity Stream on the subject. I really fell down a rabbit hole. One of the main things that interests me about it is all the different takes on the story over the centuries. I think it is fascinating how it has developed and evolved, and how many different perspectives and variations there have been over time. Of course, my list would be different than yours, and I wish I had the time and energy to dive into it, but about 65% would be the same, and I have to give you a great deal of respect for putting this together.
Thanks! Reading 200 retellings is quite an accomplishment! I've probably read (or in a few cases sampled) only about 40 or so in my life, and that felt like climbing a tall mountain.
I feel much the same way as you about the wide variation in the focus, tone, elements and intent of different retellings over the centuries. It's fascinating to me how the story has served many different purposes at different times.
What a wonderful, comprehensive survey of Arthur works. ♥️ As an Arthur fan who’s read FAR fewer versions than you have, you’ve destroyed my TBR. “Thanks.” 😆
Thanks, Matt! There are a lot of great retellings to choose from (and I'm sure I didn't cover them all). The wide range of character perspectives and historical/fantastical elements they draw upon help mitigate the sense of overlap among their stories.
I only drink whiskey. I only drink on Fridays. I only drink two glasses to unwind, three if it's been a particularly hard week. I'm a creature of habits. I see a video of yours come out, I deliberately put it on my Watch Later list and wait until Friday night, while having my whiskey at home, to watch it. Notebook at the ready to write down recommendations, then go hunting for them. This is one such Friday, and it's one of those things that makes life remotely bearable at this point. Thank you for sharing your vast knowledge on the subject, and here's to many more Friday nights like this, just sitting back and watching The Library Ladder.
Sounds like a lovely evening! Cheers! [as I raise a mug of coffee, since it's Saturday morning now for me] :D
And thank you. I'm so glad you find enjoyment in my videos.
I love Mary Stewart version of King Arthur retellings. I have been waiting for your update. Thank you.
I'll admit, I got way too excited when I saw you posted a new video. I guess I'm adding new books to my reading list today xD
There are a few I really hope you add to your list, as they're widely overlooked these days.
I swear to God I was looking for a video like this to get me introduced to the Arthurian legends for over a month. There are way too many places to start, and although I read many suggestions of Mary Stewart's books, I didn't know how to feel about them. Started The Crystal Cave today, and I'm about 20% into The Crystal Cave. Thank you!
I so glad you found my video helpful! I hope you enjoy Stewart's Merlin trilogy as much as I do.
John Steinbeck's retelling was my first reading of the King Author tales.
After that, the Prydain Chronicles were fun reading in my teens. Not an adaption perse, but clearly inspired by the Arthurian legends.
That's a great introduction to the Welsh myths!
I love the Lost Years of Merlin. Also thank you very much for mentioning Green. I just discovered him recently.
I haven't read many but my favorite retelling so far is called "by force alone"
Thanks for sharing! If you haven't already read them, I think you might enjoy Bernard Cornwell's Warlord Chronicles (its martial and mystical aspects share some of the brutality of Tidhar's novel) or A.A. Attanasio's series (for its unusual/weird take on the Arthur legend).
@the library ladder I can also recommend "The Last Legion" by Italian archeologist Valerio Massimo Manfredi. Told as the memoir of Druid Myrdin Emreis from the point of view of himself, a handful of Roman solders and Livia Prisca, a warrior woman from what will be Venice as they escort Romulus Augustulus from |taly to Britain. Romulus' sword is inscribed "Cai Iul Caes Ensis Caliburnus"... an insciption which fades in the years after these events until only "Es... Calibur" is legible. Manfredi is a superb writer and I recommend him to anyone.
Thanks for the recommendation! I haven't read that one. Is it the basis for the 2007 film with same title?
@@thelibraryladder THe one with Colin Firth and Ben KIngsley? Yes.
I’m a huge Arthur fan and have read almost all that you’ve talked about. But one I’ve not heard of was Firelord. I just finished reading it. The whole story was breathed fresh and new. The ending was very satisfying.
I'm so glad to hear that you enjoyed Firelord. Like you, I thought it was a very fresh retelling when I first read it. I also think the ending is nearly perfect (which is one reason I treated it like a standalone in the video even though Godwin wrote two sequels to it).
Another great video for the library. My first Arthurian novel was The Warlord Chronicles by Cornwell a decade ago. Maybe I'll check some of the more fantasy style orientated ones since I've started with historical fiction. Can we hope for a similar video about Robin Hood? He's another British folktale character that has been talked and written for centuries
Thanks! I think Mary Stewart's fantasy trilogy about Merlin would pair well with Cornwell's version.
Robin Hood is on my list of future videos. (Alas, the list is long and keeps getting longer.)
One notable thing about TH White’s works is that he doe a little playing around with the timeline - whereas many Arthur adaptations are set in the sixth century and feature Arthur as a Briton fighting against the Saxons, White makes Arthur a Norman, specifically having Uther Pendragon being the Norman conqueror of England instead of William of Normandy (in fact William is mentioned in White as being a fictional character in that universe). It’s not a big thing narratively, but it does make for a nice variation on events that allows White to unironically indulge in various medieval tropes.
Great point! White borrowed that story convention from versions of the Arthur saga written in the late Middle Ages when authors such as Malory blurred the lines of history to make Arthur's court seem more modern (by the standards of that day).
I'm really appreciative of the how comprehensive and useful this list is, and the same goes for all of your videos. Thank you for the clear effort that this took, and for tackling such a vast body of works in a clear, approachable fashion.
Thank you! It was a substantial undertaking, but one I had a lot of fun doing. :)
It's weird to me that people would say that Mary Stewart's books give the female characters short shrift, because while they might not be the focus very often, when they are, they're very well done. Her take on Morgause in particular is one of my favorite villains in literature. She's a thoroughly nasty character, but in a nuanced way that lets you know exactly how she got that way.
Terrific work, Bridger. I just started Steinbeck's Arthur because of this video.
Thanks, Jared! I hope you find it as rewarding a retelling of Malory as I did.
I just discovered this video. Thank you for your recommendations. After a cousin recently suggested The Mists Of Avalon, I've had a King Arthur fixation.
Thanks! I hope you find my recommendations helpful.
Another excellent video! Your channel is a wonderful place for anyone looking to expand their knowledge of literature. There are so many books and authors in this video alone that I have never heard of until now. Great job, Bridger!
I love T.H. White's Once and Future King. It's up there with The Hobbit and Watership Down as one of my favorite standalone fantasy novels (granted, it's more of a fixup novel). The book's version of Lancelot is one of the most unique takes on the character. And Arthur's character arc is tragic. Watching him go from a wide-eyed youth full of hopes and dreams to a disillusioned man full of regrets is both fascinating and heartbreaking.
Thank you! I hope you find some in this list that you love as much as I do.
While I don't quite share your love of White's TOAFK (I appreciate and admire it instead), I'm right with you on The Hobbit and Watership Down. :)
There would be a day-there must be a day-when he would come back to Gramarye with a new Round Table which had no corners, just as the world had none-a table without boundaries between the nations who would sit to feast there. The hope of making it would lie in culture. If people could be persuaded to read and write, not just to eat and make love, there was still a chance that they might come to reason.
But it was too late for another effort then. For that time it was his destiny to die, or, as some say, to be carried off to Avilion, where he could wait for better days. For that time it was Lancelot's fate and Guenever's to take the tonsure and the veil, while Mordred must be slain. The fate of this man or that man was less than a drop, although it was a sparkling one, in the great blue motion of the sunlit sea.
The cannons of his adversary were thundering in the tattered morning when the Majesty of England drew himself up to meet the future with a peaceful heart.
Found your channel last year when I was searching for the reading order for eternal champion. Just wanted to say your thumbnail game is amazing. I love the pictures you use to make the collage, the colour grading setting you place on each thumbnail, and the overall vibe you present in both the videos.
Thanks! I decided early on to break many of the 'rules' of thumbnail design as a way of giving mine a distinctive look. When so many other thumbnails feature people's faces in expressive poses or are designed with extremely bright and heavily saturated color palettes, I thought mine might stand out with muted colors and a text-centric approach. Plus, I love using them to showcase illustrations that are relevant to the books.
Thank you so much for this fantastic primer. I've been wanting to explore this genre for ages but had no idea where to start... Until now!
:)
Thanks! I'm so glad you found it helpful. There are a lot of good Arthur retellings to choose from.
I really liked this breakdown of the different Arthurian retellings. Thank you for making this.
Thank you. I had a lot of fun making this video.
Thank you so much for this video! Very informative and thoughtful. In high school I devoured all of Rosemary Sutcliff’s writing and enjoyed Stephen R. Lawhead’s first 3 Arthur books. This year I read Cornwell’s “Warlord Chronicles” and that reignited the excitement for Arthurian retellings. I have read “The Once and Future King” and hope to read Mary Stewart’s work in the next couple years.💛
Thanks! I'm so glad you enjoyed the video and found it useful. I hope you enjoy Mary Stewart's Merlin trilogy as much as I do.
It feels real good when you show off books and I have the same copies. It makes me feel like I'm doing something right in my book hunting 😅.
Thank you so much for making this video. It is going to be a great guide for my journey through the Arthurian novels.
I will be starting with the Mary Stewart novels as soon as I can find time to fit them in.
Keep up the good work!
Thanks, Joseph! I have a feeling you're going to enjoy her Merlin trilogy (and congrats on finding first editions of them).
I grew up in the '50s reading everything I could find about King Arthur and still remember the 'confusion' effect of my encountering the first adult version/interpretation of the story: 'Sword at Sunset' 1963 by Rosemary Sutcliff. Engendered my love of historical fiction.
I felt much the same way the first time I encountered a more historically-based retelling of the Arthur legend (i.e., not based on the anachronistic medieval traditions of the later Middle Ages that formed the basis of most of the versions I encountered in my childhood). In my case, it was Mary Stewart's Merlin trilogy that opened my eyes.
This is a video. Thank you! I, too, love the Mary Stewart trilogy. And, I've been meaning to read The Mists of Avalon for years. The Cornwells are now on my (very long) TBR list.😊
Thank you! MZB's novel was a pleasant surprise for me after languishing on my TBR list for decades. I hope you enjoy it, and Cornwell's Warlord Chronicles, as much as I do.
I read The Mists of Avalon years ago, and it was absolutely brilliant. I had been a fan of Bradley's Darkover novels before that. The Mists of Avalon is told from the women's viewpoint and has a slightly feminist slant, but it's not overtly preachy, as I recall. I believe Bradley was friends with Starhawk and other prominent Wiccan writers of the day. Diana L. Paxson is a similar writer who has written Arthurian stories. I think she is also a friend of Bradley's.
Midway through Jack Whyte's Camulod Chronicles. All of your comments were spot on, including the Ayn Rand comparison (except there are some slight supernatural things, mostly prophetic dreams)
Thanks! I'm glad you're enjoying Whyte's novels. I considered those dreams somewhat ambiguous, and I opted to interpret them as Whyte planting superstitious (and in some cases logical) suggestions in characters' minds rather than as supernatural events. Kind of like how I used to wonder if I was clairvoyant because a random, obscure song would pop into my head and then five minutes later I'd hear it on the radio. (For the record, I'm not clairvoyant, and I don't listen to the radio anymore.) :D
The Barbarians at the Gate Britain faced in Sutcliffe's Sword at Sunset were the English - Anglo-Saxons. This is far more accurate than the Mallory-hijacked history that makes Arthur English, and created the concept of chivalry. Nothing to do with who Arthur probably was: an enemy if the English invaders.
Amazing video, as usual ❤
37:40
Rosemary Sutcliff's "Arthur Trilogy" is probably the best retelling of Malory. I'd definitely put it over Howard Pyes series. She's a wonderful witer, and unlike other re-telling's she doesn't cut out the darker aspects of the book.
I agree with you that Sutcliff's retelling is terrific and is more enjoyable than Pyle's. Hers is written in a more modern style, while Pyle's has a more traditional style and structure, which is why I put them in different categories in the video (and why I don't recommend those older, traditional versions as good entry points for readers today).
I love Rosemary Suttcliff. Not very known in France. Unfortunately. Her trilogy of roman legion i read in french is extraordinary. A great writer and a good historian.
I went on a real Arthurian tear back in the late 80s/early 90s & read a ton of novels & short stories either retelling the OG myth( Mary Stewart's Merlin Trilogy & of course Mists of Avalon by MZB) or brought Arthur, Merlin, Morgan into a modern setting. I wish I could remember the titles & authors because I really enjoyed some of those stories & wouldn't mind revisiting them. Unfortunately we've had to purge our very extensive library from time to time when moving :( so certain books had to be sacrificed. When you have a lot of books, your friend only help you move ONCE lol.
I can empathize with you about the hardships of moving a large book collection (having done it twice in the past 25 years, which my back doesn't let me forget).
I've read only a few dozen Arthurian retellings, so this video represents only a small subset of the hundreds of Arthur tales that have been published. I'm still on the lookout for more good ones to read if you ever remember the ones you'd like to revisit.
P.S. I'm going to guess that you have a particular fondness for Disney's animated Sword in the Stone. :)
@@thelibraryladder the story I've been trying to find had Arthur brought forward in time to WW2 as a fighter pilot flying a plane called the Merlin. It was very interesting & leaned heavily into the myth that Arthur will return when England needs him. He doesn't know why or where he is & has no recollection of how he got there. I have re read both The Merlin Trilogy & Mists multiple times. Still my faves & still have the hard bound editions :) The other short stories were from a collection of stories based on Arthurian myth. Quite a variety of takes & fun to read. Collected short stories on a theme are a fun way to find new authors or just find good stories.
Might the story you're seeking be 'Arthur, King' by Dennis Lee Anderson?
I agree with you about the value of themed short story collections.
the Alan Garner pair, 'The Weirdstone of Brisingamen', and 'The Moon of Gomrath' had me hooked from page one. He picks up some Tolkien and some Arthur, some of Irish and Welsh tales. It is a pity he did not make it a proper trilogy. Cadellin has some real surprises up his sleeve. But my fave Merlin of all is easily the very pre-Saxon one they wake up from his resting place in Bragdon Wood, in CS Lewis's 'That Hideous Strength'
I agree. All of Garner's books I've read do a nice job of building on (and updating) traditional Celtic tales.
There is a third book in the series, called 'Boneland', though it was written 50 years later and is very different.
I read somewhere that Mary Stuart traveled and studied for 14 years before she wrote her trilogy. I don't know if it's true but it's absolutely amazing to read.
I didn't know that, but it makes sense, as many of her earlier suspense novels are set in various places around the world and in different historical periods. She did her research well.
Excellent video! The Warlord Chronicles is one of my favorite series, and I always warn new readers about that slow start in book 1. The role of prophecy was what made this trilogy tiptoe the fantasy line for me. You got me very excited to get to Mary Stewart's series sometime!
Thanks, Johanna! The Winter King is the only Cornwell book I've ever bounced off of (and I've read just about everything he's written). I couldn't get past the first 50 pages or so without losing interest when I first tried to read it 20+ years ago. I set it aside and returned to it a few years later with a much more satisfying result.
If you enjoyed Cornwell's trilogy, then I think you'll really enjoy Mary Stewart's. They pair well in my opinion (and even more so if you view Warlord Chronicles as fantasy).
The Pendragon Cycle is super underrated!
Watched this video several times, mostly to get straight the order in which to read some of them. I guess I’ll have to sit down with pen and paper and listen one more time to jot them down. Your two Arthur videos are excellent. I was able to purchase pretty good copies of the CRYSTAL CAVE and FIRELORD for less than $20. Looking forward to reading them. Thanks. Keep up the great work.
Thanks! I'm sorry for not providing an easier roadmap to prioritize your Arthur reads. :)
I hope you enjoy the Stewart and Godwin books as much as I do.
Given my recent decision to explore Arthurian tales, this video is more than I could have requested. Your comparison to Guy Gavriel Kay has sold me on Godwin's Firelord. I found a used copy for a good price online and can't wait to get my hands on it. Thank you for the wellspring of information that is this channel; I'm always entertained, impressed, and informed by each video ☺
Thank you for your very kind comment! I hope you enjoy Firelord as much as I do.
Well worth the wait. It is incredible how countless authors can take many of the same core aspects of Arthuriana and yet tell such difference stories. I enjoy the historical fiction interpretations but I do wish a modern author could reinvigorate the legend with a more magical version that hits me the same way Mary Stewart's did.
Thanks, and very well put!
Great job, Bridger. I simply love your compilations and reviews. I've long since been a fan of the Arthurian mythos, and your suggestions were spot-on.
Any chance of you doing the same for authors that explore more fantastical or retellings of Greek and Roman mythology?
Thanks! That's a great suggestion. I'm planning to feature some Greek/Roman retellings in an upcoming video on classic historical fiction, and I'm also thinking about a video on various retellings of Homer's Iliad and Odyssey.
Over the past decade, literary adaptations of ancient mythologies have sprouted seemingly everywhere, and I haven't kept up with most of them. I'd need to read more of the recent ones to offer informed opinions about a broader range of mythological retellings.
Another great video. Some of these were very well known and I have read a few but some are new to me. This is a very nice selection with a lot of variety.
Thank you! I wanted to read a wide range of Arthur stories and then select the most memorable ones of different types so viewers could have a varied selection to choose from.
You are amazing! Thank you so much for the wonderful research you do and the beautiful way you present it to us!!!❤😊
Thank you! I'm so glad you find my videos useful and enjoyable.
What a fantastic video! My favorites are Mary Stewart's and Parke Godwin's. I've not met anyone else who has read Firelord, but I grabbed it when I was a teen and it was still new. I was obsessed with Arthurian legends and read everything I could get my hands on and that book was such a standout. I was pleased to see Joan Wolf on the list too. She's a cut above most historical romance authors in that she cares about the history and incorporates it. (Another historical romance writer like that is Roberta Gellis, who had master's degrees in both biochem and medieval lit. Her prose is a bit stiff though.) Thank you for taking all the time you did to put this video together!
Thanks! You have great taste in Arthur retellings. :D
Firelord was a recent discovery for me as I began preparing for this video a couple of years ago, and I wish I had encountered it decades ago. I'm not familiar with Gellis' works, so thanks the tip.
When I was in grade school (third grade, probably) I found a book in the school library called "Knights of the Round Table" by Gwenn Gross, illustrated by Norman Green. Now, I wouldn't call it essential reading now, because it is very much a book for very young readers. But I was just the right age when I found it. The stories and the illustrations lit my imagination on fire like nothing else up to that point, and I've been a fan of King Arthur ever since. For any third graders out there who might be interested in Arthur, I'd highly recommend it.
I hadn't heard much about the Mary Stewart books. I'm excited to check them out!
I've never run across that version for kids. I'll keep an eye out for it.
I hope you enjoy Stewart's books as much as I do.
The Once and Fure King captured my soul when i was ten
Remarkable work! I would very much enjoy a video on historical fiction as a genre and your favorites ones
Thanks! I'm working on an overview of the historical fiction genre that I hope to have finished later this summer.
This is great I live near Wales now so feeling more drawn to Arthurian Legend than ever before!
Some of the best retellings, in my opinion, draw heavily from the Welsh Arthurian traditions.
@@thelibraryladder Haven't watched the vid yet, but my favorite is Susan Cooper's version in her Dark is Rising sequence. It wasn't my first introduction to the Arthurian cycle, even at age 9-11ish, but it's the one that was most haunting to me, and was explicitly drawn from/set in Wales.
@@mandisaw I give Cooper’s series a shoutout in the video.
I LOVE THIS CHANNEL! Great video, as always!
Thank you very much!
As always a delight to hear your recommendations and thoughts, Bridger, especially on this topic! I was listening to this while reading Rosemary Sutcliffe’s «The Lantern Bearer» in preparation of reading «Sword at Sunset» next (really enjoyed it, well worthy of its award, which together with your recommendation, makes me all the more excited to start on «SaS»!😊).
I was a bit sad Sean Poage’s «Arthurian Age» did not make the final cut (prehaps my favorite «one historical King Arthur» story, I am surprised that not more «Historical» takes on King Arthur use the «Arthur as Riothamus» angle, easily the most well documented alternate so far, if he existed), but glad for the mention!
Would also mention the Arthur-adjacent «Conscience of the King» by Alfred Duggan (centered on a kinslaying powerhungry Roman Briton of Germanic descent siding with the Anglo-Saxons, it could almost be read as a darker mirror version of «The Lantern Bearers» with the origin of King Arthur being a mix of Ambrosius (the «Last Roman Briton», I believe Cornwell have publicly stated Duggan as a major inspiration too) and the minor character of Artorius, a former Byzantine Heavy Cavalry Officer), and (while definitely anachronistic mix of historical and medieval romanticism) I really have a soft spot for the «Prince Valiant» 1940s-50s Comic (the Battle of Andelkrag Castle: So anachronistic, so majestic and impeccable detailed!).
Big fan of «The Winter King» (the Battle of Ynes Trebes/St. Michel is perhaps his best, I could have read a while Trilogy of Derfel and Galahad fighting Franks in the Hills of Bretagne, and what a loathsome trio of villains in Gundleus, Tanaburs and Lancelot!), but I hold the unpopular that I really disliked «Enemy of God», it completely rubbed me the wrong way! «Excalibur» was thankfully mostly a return to form, even if I think Cornwell did Gawain dirty! 😅
Had never heard of Gemmell’s stories and Attansio’s series, so thank you for those! My next Arthurian foray after Sutcliff, will most likely be Giles Kristian’s novels or «The Crystal Cave», though if I come across «Firelord», I will definitely read it straight away after your GGK comparison! Cheers!
Thanks! I have a feeling you're going to really enjoy Sword at Sunset (and the Mary Stewart, Parke Godwin and Giles Kristian retellings when you get to them).
Trimming my list in this video to a manageable length wasn't easy for me, which is why Poage's books garnered only a brief mention. I was trying to satisfy two overlapping, but not entirely compatible, goals -- to present my own assessment of enjoyable versions of the Arthur tale while also providing a broad cross-section of the retellings available. I enjoyed the Poage books more than several of the ones that made the final cut (e.g., the Attanasio and Lawhead versions and some of the traditional retellings such as White's TOAFK), but I wanted to provide viewers with a wide variety of types to choose from and not just a list of my favorite versions (which would lean toward the historicals).
I'm kicking myself for not mentioning Duggan's Conscience of the King among the Arthur-adjacent versions. That one completely slipped my mind. Thanks for the reminder about it. I'm working on a broad overview video about the history of the historical fiction genre, and I'll be sure to include it.
@@thelibraryladder Yeah, no worry: It is a Herculean effort you have made with this video and I genuinely think your mention of Poage’s novels are raising awareness on a very undervalued writer!
Yeah, that one and its spiritual predecessor «The Little Emperors» (set during the end of Roman rule with the unlikely protagonist of a highly level Roman bureaucrat involuntarily caught up in quite a few coups: Some of the quotes could have come straight out of «Yes, Minister!») should make Duggan well deserving of a spot in such a video, indeed! I was genuinly surprised how they rather fit very well modern research on the subject being written in the 50s (with the mapping of the Roman Provinces being the only major exception dating it: For example the province of Britannia Prima, were the majority position today is that it consisted of Wales and South West England, not the whole of South England as previously thought during Duggan’s writings), perhaps some truth in the «pendulum of history»!😄
What an amazing video!!! Thanks so much, it is a Gem.
Thank you! I'm so glad you enjoyed it.
Lancelot by Giles Kristian is incredible, absolutely beautiful spin on the old story
Agree! Liked Camelot too and looking forward to Arthur next month.
It's been a minute! Nice to see a new, excellent, highly informative post!
Thanks! Quite a few minutes more than I intended, to be precise. :D
It's always a pleasure, hearing you discussing books. My dad has the Mary Stewart books, I may have to borrow them.
Thanks! You should read them. They're the best entry point to the Arthur legend in my opinion.
Hey, Bridger! Arthurian mythology is so pervasive in Western culture but so wildly varied that it's always been confusing to me about what is authentically rooted in classical tradition and what is revisionist. This and the previous Arthurian video's excellent breakdowns have brought clarity to a tangled mess!
Apparently, Arthurian lore has been fluid from the jump but it was edifying to learn what contributions Monmouth, de Troyes and Mallory made.
Categorizing the various adaptations as traditional, modern revisionist and historical revisionist was extraordinarily helpful.
I had no idea "The Sword in the Stone" was just a part of "The Once and Future King"!
And I had never heard of "Firelord" before!
I also had no idea that Steinbeck tried his hand at Arthurian myth as well!
Bernard Cornwell is the gold standard of historical fiction and his trilogy is being adapted on Prime's "The Winter King" with "Agents of SHIELD" Iain de Caestecker as a surprisingly credible Arthur! I loved the "Sharpe" series with Sean Bean and "The Last Kingdom" series with Alexander Dreymon so I've been watching it.
John Boorman's "Excalibur" is easily the best Arthur movie but I have a soft spot for Antoine Fuqua's blood-and-thunder "King Arthur" with Clive Owen and Keira Knightley which apparently was inspired by works like Sutcliff's, Godwin's and Whyte's.
Your video essays are always endlessly fascinating and that velvety voice makes for very easy listening. Lol.
I will continue to assert that you should be working at PBS. I can't wait for the next Moorcock lecture on Elric!
Thanks! I'm so glad you found the videos helpful.
Like you, I'm a big Cornwell fan, and I share your soft spot for the more historical approach Fuqua took in his movie adaptation (although I found some of the casting decisions a little jarring). I hope you give some of the other modern adaptations such as Firelord a try.
Amazing! Not only did I find a great new channel but you recommend Mary Stewart! Her prose - Merlin’s dream of Mithras in the winter field takes my breath every reading. I don’t think she skimped on the female perspective, either. Tell me another character like Ygraine the wise and brave. Or the young nun with feet veined like bluebells. But I can see the Marion Zimmerman Bradley opinion. I had read all of her Darkover novels by the time Mists of Avalon was published. I couldn’t bring myself to read it even though all my feminist gal pals were gushing over it. But maybe I will now. I’m not as fond of Bradley as I am Stewart but she tells a great story.
Thanks! Mary Stewart was a masterful writer. I'm a fan also of the thrillers she wrote in the 1950s and 60s, which are mostly forgotten today. [Note to self: potential future video topic]
And serendipitously, my next video will be a retrospective look at an author (Connie Willis) who cites Stewart as one the greatest influences on her writing.
Incredible video,I've only read The Warlord Chronicles a few months ago and although I struggled with The Winter King in the beginning,soon I started to enjoy it and ended up loving the trilogy. I will buy The Crystal Cave shortly and give it a go and after that I will try Lancelot. Have a nice day Sir.
Thanks! I've read the first two books in Kristian's series, and I discuss them briefly toward the end of this video (you might have missed that part -- it's a long video, I know). I'd characterize those books as Cornwell lite. I enjoyed them and would recommend them, but I don't think they're quite at the level of some others I highlighted, such as Mary Stewart's Merlin trilogy. I hope you enjoy The Crystal Cave and its sequels!
Very minor point of feedback for an otherwise stellar video. The portrait you have at 1:42 into the video is not Thomas Malory but is instead a portrait of Henry VII. I double checked the google image search results, and indeed it is improperly tagged in a few locations. I mentioned it only because I recognized the portrait of this well known king (and part of the cast of characters in Shakespeare's Richard III).
You're absolutely right, and I made the exact same mistake in my previous video of relying on a (different) online database to find an (erroneous) portrait of Malory. At this point, I don't think a picture exists of him. [smh] :D
I’ve only read the Warlord Chronicles from these and absolutely loved them! Now I have a bunch of options for when I want a different approach to the tale!
If you loved Cornwell's retelling, Ben, then Mary Stewart's Merlin trilogy, Parke Godwin's Firelord and Giles Kristian's duology (soon to be a trilogy later this year) seem like low-risk choices. Their styles are similar while their stories vary significantly.
@@thelibraryladder all seem very worth trying for me!
Excellent! Thank you so much for this duology of Arthur videos.
I have taken The Great Courses “King Arthur: History and Legend” taught by Dorsey Armstrong. While I enjoyed the course, I feel these two videos has given me a better understanding of which works I want to focus on reading next. (Which, of course, wasn’t necessarily Armstrong’s primary objective.)
I hope you eventually give a similar treatment to Robin Hood retellings and Sherlock Holmes pastiches.
I started reading Anne McCaffrey’s “Black Horses for the King” this week. Only a few pages in, but I have a feeling that I’m going to like it.
Thanks! I'm certain Armstrong's course explored the history and legend of Arthur in far more depth than I did. I merely scratched the surface of the topic in an effort to spark viewer interest in pursuing it further on their own.
Great suggestions re: Robin Hood and Holmes pastiches (which I tend to enjoy more than the original). Both are on my list of future video topics, along with a retrospective of Anne McCaffrey's works, although I don't yet know when I'll find time to get around to them (my ever-growing backlog of planned videos is _long_).
@@thelibraryladder Yes, that was the main focus of the 24-lesson course. Speaking of future videos, I hope one covering the physical infrastructure of your library eventually rises to the top. I just watched your channel’s intro video, and it would be great to learn more about the process and decision making that led to such a beautiful retreat. But I understand that type of video might not have as much appeal as the retrospectives.
Off the top of your head, could you name three pastiches that you would consider in the running for best or most influential? I plan to read/re-read the canon plus three pastiches this year. I have currently selected “The Seven-Percent Solution,” “The Beekeeper’s Apprentice,” and “A Slight Trick of the Mind.” Any that you would bump in favor of something else? “House of Silk”?
I'll have to give some thought to that library design/planning video suggestion. A brief synopsis is that I designed most of the cabinetry and layout of the room myself to maximize shelf and storage space and to provide the books with significant protection from light, dust and humidity changes (via enclosed bookcases with UV glass panes). The room is about 30'x15' with a 15' ceiling, and the cabinets and shelves extend all the way up (necessitating a 12' ladder). I was aiming for a feel somewhat similar to what might be found in the private library of an old English or French manor house. I spent about six months planning it and then hired a custom cabinetmaker to make it a reality.
Re: Holmes pastiches -- The Seven-Percent Solution is an essential read (even though I didn't fully enjoy it myself), and I think House of Silk also is worthwhile. You might also give Michael Chabon's The Final Solution a try. It feels similar to the Ian McKellen film Mr. Holmes from a few years ago. And there's the very first collection of pastiche stories authorized by Doyle's estate -- The Exploits of Sherlock Holmes, which was co-written by Adrian Conan Doyle (Arthur's son) and mystery writer John Dickson Carr and published in 1954.
There also are some worthwhile pastiches that revolve around characters directly inspired by and modeled after Sherlock. The Solar Pons stories written by August Derleth (and later by Basil Copper) are my favorites of that type. You might also check out Maurice Leblanc's classic volume of short stories featuring master thief Arsene Lupin and a _very_ thinly disguised Holmes named Herlock Sholmes (which raised Doyle's ire as copyright infringement when it was first published).
Currently going through the Pendragon Cycle and Pyle's books.
I'm liking them both. Lawhead's work in Taliesin and Merlin is really good as far as an epic fantasy retelling of the Legends goes and I like how Pyle's King Arthur and His Knights is easy to follow.
You have me Intrigued with Landis' Camelot books and I had been considering David Drake's Dragon Lord (Because an S&S retelling of Arthur with him as a conquering warlord sounds like fun), so thanks.
Thanks for sharing that! I'm glad you're enjoying Lawhead and Pyle, and that I might have introduced you to some books/authors new to you.
Love this channel. Thanks for this topic. Spot on as always
Thank you! I'm so glad you've enjoyed it!
I’ve been waiting for this video since your last video on Arthur and it was worth the wait. I put Mary Stewart’s trilogy on reserve at the New York Public Library!
Thanks! I hope you enjoy her Merlin trilogy as much as I do.
I am enjoying it a lot. I’m reading it right now!
You should read Lev Grossman’s new Arthurian novel, the Bright Sword. Very enjoyable.
Looking forward to your next video.
Thanks. I just ordered the Mary Stewart Merlin Trilogy. It was recommended to me decades ago. It's time I read it.
I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!
So happy I got the Mary Stewart books on deck
I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!
I am so glad that you made this video - *it* is essential!
I am so glad that you brought up Parke Godwin! Firelord, Beloved Exile, and Sherwood have long been favorites amongst amongst my friends who are scholars on these subjects.
I *did* peg uou for a Mart Stewart fan. . .
I didn't know about these later series either.
Thank you.
Thanks! I'm very happy you found it useful and that I'm in good company in my love of Godwin's Firelord.
This was a brilliantly done survey of the best Arthurian literature, Bridger. Mary Stewart’s series is amazing! I loved the Warlord Chronicles, but I agree that book one is a bit rough.
Thank you, Chas! I'll add the qualifier that they're the best I've ever read. I'm sure there are some terrific ones I missed because I haven't read them yet. :D
This is a very thorough and impressive video!
I do wish however that there was some sort of summary in the form of a chart or text so as to not require skimming through the video when revisiting it to find the next read.
@@Ithenos Thanks! If you click on the “Show Transcript” button near the bottom of the video description section, you can quickly scan the text of the video (and I enter the subtitles manually so I know they’re accurate).
The Warlord Chronicles are not just my favorite King Arthur books, but some of the best books I've read period.
I will have to track down Firelord. Anything compared favorably to GGK goes to the top of my TBR. Thank you for the suggestion.
I hope you enjoy Firelord as much as I do. And if you haven't read any of Cornwell's other historical fiction series, you should. His Grail Quest series that begins with The Archer's Tale (also titled Harlequin in the UK) is a great read and doesn't require a significant commitment by readers because it consists of only four books (or three, as the fourth book was written many years later as a standalone novel for the main character from the original trilogy).
Great video! I've had the Mary Stewart Merlin Trilogy on my TBR list for YEARS. I HAVE to check it out ASAP.
Thanks! I really hope more people read Stewart's Merlin trilogy and enjoy it as much as I do.
The Mary Stewart trilogy is wonderful. I read it years ago and am currently listening to the three audiobooks, perfectly narrated by Derek Perkins.
i really want to read the Avalon series but its so long i really have to dig down deep and binge it. Im on the last two books of Once and Future King.
Idylls was a impulse buy for me in a thrift store when I was 30 and it really surprised me with how much it affected me.
I had the same experience with it, impulse purchase and all. :)
Thanks for watching and commenting!
Wonderful selection of books. I know King Artur retellings are quite popular but was not aware of their diversity.
I was pleasantly surprised by the variety of approaches taken by the authors.
What a tremendous video! Several of these were on my radar but I'm definitely more compelled to get to Mary Stewart and Parke Godwin (if I can find a copy) sooner rather than later! I'm glad to see The Mists of Avalon on here too: I've seen quite a few negative reviews of that in the last few years, but I personally loved it. Good to know about the Mary Stewart 5 book series how they intertwine, as I wasn't sure about that. Thanks for this great video!
Thanks, Josh! I suggest Stewart's Merlin trilogy as an ideal starting point (her books 4 & 5 are good, but optional). You might also want to jump on finding a copy of Godwin's Firelord. I noticed yesterday that there's been a run on them on eBay in the past few days. :)
I'm sure that the run on Firelord is because of your video! I'll start a search now...
Great video. I love Arthurian retellings. I'm currently reading, and enjoyng, "Child of the northern spring" by Persia Woolley. It's from Guinevere point of view. I've bought the book for the cover by Sergio Toppi, and because it was only 2 euro, and I'm very glad I did.
Thanks! I haven't encountered Woolley's retelling before, and it sounds intriguing, based on its Goodreads page.
Oh, I love the Arthurian legend! I think the first book I read was The Once and Future King, then I read the Mary Stewart trilogy. I've also read the Jack Whyte series and the Cornwell series. But my all time favorite is The Mists of Avalon (not just my favorite Arthurian tale, but one of my favorite books period), which I've read several times over the years. I've never heard of Firebrand, but just ordered a used copy and I'm looking forward to it.
Thanks!
The Mists of Avalon was a very welcome surprise for me. It deserves the acclaim it's received over the past 40+ years. I hope you enjoy Firelord as much as I do.
Thank you Bridger, wonderous video as always!
I love the Dark is Rising sequence, or at least I loved the first 3 when I was young but hit a bit of a wall when book 4 brought in a lot of Welsh words, so I don't know how it ends, but book 2 was brilliant and I love the idea of modern day Merlin helping new boys and girls to become heroes - I should really make time to reread that. And I love the look of T.A. Barron's Merlin series, and it's unique Avalon tree map - been trying to collect them in the original covers because the modern ones are kinda bleah to me. I do have all the Alan Garner books which look like a fascinating cup of tea. From what I've heard, the Pendragon series, while great, doesn't go beyond an obvious allusion with the name.
As for actual retellings, I've got a good deal of what you recommend already - though I hadn't even heard of Attanasio or Godwin's versions, unfortunate how forgotten they are when they stand so uniquely. I'm still feeling like starting with "the source" of Mallory since I have such a strong attachment to the film Excalibur, and I think I have a tolerance for archtypal mythic characters - plus I have such a lovely illustrated edition. If that goes well, I jump to try Welsh or French stories. I also have a lovely edition of James Knowles with perfuse Celtic spirals and wood cut art, which is tempting starting place also, if he can tell the same story in a more concise or otherwise better delivery. And then probably on to Mary Stewart, which I've wanted to read for decades - I might have said White's but you've made me wary with what you say of his pessimism thoughts, which is needed to a degree in the story, but not at the expense of the idealism of what is possible. I do have the original Sword in the Stone though, and part of me is attracted to reading that boyhood before Mallory.
It's amazing how much thought I've put into this. LOL
Thanks! I admire your determination to start with the source texts. I think the Knowles retelling might serve you better than Malory's (and I'm intrigued by your description of both illustrated editions -- they sound terrific; I'm a sucker for vintage book illustrations). Of those traditional retellings, I prefer Pyle's writing over Knowles', but the difference isn't substantial. Also, you can't go wrong reading The Sword in the Stone, although your mileage might vary on White's later books in the series.
Stewart's Merlin trilogy is a great starting point among the moderns. I hope you enjoy them all!
@@thelibraryladder the Knowles is of those Dilitium Press Children's Classics, but republished by Random house (smaller and without the 8 colour plates I've just noticed 😮💨 - oh well still pretty) illustrated by Louis Rhead. And the Morte D'Arthur is a 2000 Cassle and Co. edited my John Mathews and Illustrated by Anna Marie Ferguson (Many many water-coluor plates that are weirdly pixilated in this printing but still very beautiful.)
Thank you, I hope so!
Dilithium Press editions are excellent. I love that many of them reprint the original artwork from editions published 50-80 years earlier during the Golden Age of book illustration. It's a shame that your copy doesn't include the color plates. The Ferguson illustrations in the Malory edition look very striking.
Absolutely awesome, found a lot of new reads for this year from this video.
Thanks! It's great to hear that.
The Arthur books by Kevin-Crossley Holland are some of my favourites - highly recommended!
I'm not familiar with those. Thanks for bringing them to my attention!
I've read almost everything you mentioned and many others. I was so glad that you love Parke Godwin's Firelord as it's been a favourite for decades. Most people don't know it.
I have to wonder if Firelord was a victim of unfortunate timing, arriving just before The Mists of Avalon was published. MZB's novel attracted so much attention and acclaim that it might have crowded out wider awareness of Firelord. I hope by shining a spotlight on it, I can help Godwin's novel find a new audience of readers (and convince publishers to bring it back into print, even if only as an ebook).
I appreciate the reference to Vance’s Lyonesse. Any chance of a video that focuses on this series?
Absolutely! I'm working on a Jack Vance retrospective that I hope to have ready in a few weeks. Lyonesse will get a lot of love from me in it.
Another excellent video. Your channel really is the good stuff!
Thank you! Cheers!
To add to the Steinbeck book, his novel Tortilla Flat is also a retelling of sorts, depicting King Arthur's court as impoverished Californians. It's a much looser retelling but I really liked it!
Great point! Thanks for sharing it.
Fascinating is that related to Cannary Road?
@@paulmonahawk4921 Just in spirit, Sweet Thursday is the only continuation of Cannery Row iirc
Interesting. I had been making notes for a space opera based on Arthurian legend. Admittedly, I don't know if I will actually write it (let alone finish it), but these modern retellings may help how I shape the characters and stories. If anything, I'm definitely interested in Mary Stewart's Merlin trilogy after seeing this, so thanks for that.
You have a lot of room to make the Arthur story your own. The legend is very malleable if the many versions I read for this video are any indication. I wish you all the best in your writing!
And I just realised that Stephen Lawhead's novels must have been a huge influence on KLF!
Thank you, your video really helped me more than you could ever know today.
Brilliant as always, really appreciate the huge effort that you put into this.
Thank you! I'm very glad you enjoyed it.
I've always loved arthurian stories thanks for all the recommendations. I loves hearing your voice, it's very soothing :)
My personal favourite Arthurian retelling is L'Enchanteur by French author René Barjavel. Sadly there seems to be to English translation of the book :/
Thanks! I've never heard of Barjavel's novel, and unfortunately, I think you're right -- according to isfdb.org and Goodreads, it's never been published in English. I wish more works published originally in languages other than English would be translated for the US market. I plan to track down a copy of L'Enchanteur and see if my very rusty French language skills are up to the challenge. I might need help from my daughter, who is more fluent than I am.
I have Taliesin(sp?) and The Crystal Cave-both first books in a series here. This makes me want to pick them up sooner rather than later. I’ve heard great things about Mary Stewart’s work.
As I mentioned in the video, Stewart is a great place to start. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.
Just ordered myself some Parke Godwin books, thanx for the recommendations Bridger!
I *loved* The Crystal Cave as a teenager, but I don't think I ever read the rest of the trilogy. I don't remember the plot, as such, but there are certain moments and images that really stuck with me.
I am of an age to have grown up with the T.A. Barron series, so The Lost Years of Merlin has a special place in my heart. I found the books right as I was starting to read fantasy a little more and absolutely fell in love with them.
I did read The Once and Future King for school when I was younger, but I was a dork of a 12 year old who hated fantasy and only wanted to read historical fiction and mysteries. And I have no memory of it, beyond the fact that I read all 4 novels when I was only required to read The Sword in the Stone even though I didn't enjoy any of them. No idea why; I was just a weird kid. (This was a point in my life when I loved Tom Sawyer and Treasure Island and Sherlock Holmes and The Three Musketeers but had no patience whatsoever for The Hobbit or The Voyage of the Dawn Treader because how dare a book be about something that did not and never had actually existed.) This was also the age when I first read A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court because I thought I was a huge fan of Twain (having read precisely one of his books when I was 8) and had it go completely over my head.
You're my hero for reading those older classics as a kid! I wish more younger readers would do the same. I too read Connecticut Yankee when I was eight, but I read an abridged version written for children which focused on the core plot points and eliminated most of Twain's political and social commentary, making it simply a fun adventure story. I didn't read the original until I was an adult, at which point I discovered everything the abridged version cut out.
(I did read and enjoy Tom Sawyer, Treasure Island and The Three Musketeers as a kid in their original, unabridged forms.)
I encourage you to finish reading Mary Stewart's Merlin trilogy. I think it's terrific.
Thank you for the video!! Surpassed all my expectations in both content and presentation. I heard there were two other books by Parke Godwin that follow up on the events of Firelord. Did you read any of them? If so, are they worthwhile?
Thank you! Yes, Firelord is the first book in a trilogy, but for the purpose of this video, I treated it like a standalone. That's because Firelord tells Arthur's complete story. Books two and three tell their own separate stories that are mostly original, with only loose connection to the traditional legends of Arthur. Book two is excellent (focused on Guinevere enslaved by Saxons after Arthur's death), while the third book has a more fantastical and mystical focus as it follows a young priest's journey to the land of Faerie.
@@thelibraryladder Thanks for the explanation!! Heard Godwin's depiction of Robin Hood in his novel "Sherwood" is awesome as well.
Hey Bridger, Hope your enjoying the summer so far!!
Ive just discovered 'Kelpie, the boy wizard' by Ken Mennel and John Burns published by 'Wham' ( before the days of 2000ad) and its set during the Arthurian period.
Its a comic, but its was created in the 1960's and its just had a 60th anniversary re release and its nice to see . Thought you'd like to know ;)
Hi! That's a new one for me. I've never heard of Kelpie before. British comic strips didn't make it across the ocean very often when I was a kid. I just looked it up, and it reminds me a lot of the Prince Valiant comic that was very popular here in the US. Thanks for letting me know about it!
Another historical fiction account I would recommend is M.K Hume’s 12 book series.
Thanks for the suggestion! I haven't read Hume's series.
I read Mists of Avalon a long time ago (before scandal broke, law ng ago) and loved it!
long ago...
Oh I didn’t knew about such scandal.
Thats why the tv adaptation of Nists of Avalon wasn’t played again on tv or streaming?
:(
Thats so sad.
Is my favorite arturian version.
Such a jewel lost :,(
I've had Mary Stewart's, The Crystal Cave on my shelf forever, will certainly give it a try after I finish McCaffrey's Dragonflight. Thank you for the suggestion. I know it's beyond the scope of this video, but I found the comic series Camelot 3000 a fascinating telling of Arthur, regarding the reincarnation of Arthur and his knights in modern times (i.e. the 80s) It certainly falls into the weird category at some points, but I certainly think the graphic novel is worth a flip through, if not more serious consideration. Thank you for so many excellent suggestions. Despite the not-as-impressive Christian bent of Lawhead's books, I'll have to give them a look (Atlantis + Arthur seems fascinating)
Thanks for bringing Camelot 3000 to my attention. My experience with comics is very limited, and I wasn't aware of it.
I hope you enjoy The Crystal Cave (and the rest of Stewart's trilogy) as much as I do, and that Lawhead's series pans out for you.
Thank you for this really good review of Arthurian fiction. Like you, I think the Warlord Trilogy by Bernard Cornwall and the Sword at Sunset by Rosemary Sutcliffe are both wonderful retelling of the Arthurian story, but I’ve never heard of Firelord and will now try to find a copy somewhere. I also liked the Jack Whyte series (though never got beyond book 1 for some strange reason which I must correct). Thank you.
Thank you! It's nice to encounter someone who's read Sutcliff's wonderful novel. I hope you enjoy Firelord and the rest of Whyte's Camulod Chronicles as much as I do.
@@thelibraryladder I have found a copy of Firebird in Canada (!) and they are posting it to me. Looking forward to reading it.
@@thelibraryladder It took a while for Firelord to arrive from Canada but I have just finished it and found it to be a really interesting read. I liked the more realistic historical setting in sub-Roman Britain and the fresh take on the Arthur, Gwen and Lancelot triangle, but I don’t think it will replace the Warlord Trilogy as my favourite Arthurian tale. Great recommendation though - thank you.
@@alans3023 Thanks for letting me know! I’m so glad you enjoyed Firelord.