|
|
|
Myth and Legend
|
| Barron, T.A. |
The Lost Years of Merlin
This is the first book of what
was originally planned as a trilogy. But, as T.A. Barron explained
at a conference, Merlin wouldn't let him go at three books and
the trilogy turned into five books in which Merlin speaks of
his youth. He was washed ashore with a woman, Branwell, who claimed
to be his mother. They share a hovel on the outskirts of a village
in Wales and both Branwell and Merlin are shunned and scorned.
While Branwell is being attacked as a witch by some villagers,
Merlin comes to her defense and inadvertently calls on powers
he was just suspecting he had. He seriously injures the village
bully and blinds himself in the process. Young Merlin is very
much like the young Arthur he will serve in the future, reluctant
and doubting but very much on a quest. |
| Barron, T.A. |
The Seven Songs of Merlin
After having saved Fincarya
in the first installment, Merlin is charged with rejuvenating
it with his magical harp. But Fincarya is still in great danger
and soon Merlin's mother is gravely ill and the only thing which
will save her is for Merlin to master the Seven Songs of Wisdom.
He is joined in his quest by his friend, Rhia and a bumbling,
pessimistic court jester, Bumblewy. This book is often laugh-out-loud
funny. |
| Barron, T.A. |
The Fires of Merlin
"Wings of Fire", the sleeping dragon, which Merlin's grandfather conquered, has awakened because some wizard has stolen its eggs. It is foretold that only a descendant of the original conqueror of Wings of Fire may bring him under control. Merlin loses his powers for a time and continues to face his doubts and courage in this book. |
| Barron, T.A. |
The Mirror of Merlin
Merlin must face more demons
this time; some of them are within him. He falls in love with
a deer-woman and discovers a magical mirror. |
| Barron, T.A. |
The Wings of Merlin
Merlin has two weeks, until
the night of the winter solstice, to unite all of Fincarya against
the warlord, Rhita Gawr. The dwarves, the canyon eagles, the
walking trees, the living stones all have arguments with each
other and lots of mistrust for the others. |
| Barron, T.A. |
Child of the Dark Prophecy: The Great Tree of Avalon, Book 1
This book, the first in a planned trilogy, tells the story of The Great Tree of Avalon, a realm which was planted by Merlin and is now in danger of destruction by evil forces and a possible return of Rhita Gawr. Knowledge of the five Lost Years of Merlin books is not necessary to enjoy this new epic, but those familiar with it will experience some surprises.
Tamwyn and Scree were born in the Year of Darkness, when it was foretold that Merlin's "true heir" and the child of the Dark Prophecy were born. The two were raised as brothers and Scree, who was part eagle, always carried a walking stick, even when he turned into an eagle and was flying. Tamwyn always assumed that Scree was Merlin's true heir and has been increasingly haunted by the fact that he may be the dreaded child of the Dark Prophecy.
|
| Cabot, Meg |
Avalon High
This first person narrative is told by Elaine Harrison. She is in the unenviable position of being the "new girl" going into her junior year of high school. Elaine's parents are Medieval scholars who are on sabbatical from their colleges, so they have moved from St. Paul, Minnesota to Annapolis, Maryland for a year. About the only thing that is good about the move is the built-in swimming pool at her new home. That is until she meets Will, senior class president, quarterback of the football team and all around good guy. She's crushing majorly although Will has a cheerleader girlfriend and when she discovers that Jennifer is hooking up with Will's best friend, Lance, Elaine is torn between hoping that Will finds out and wanting to protect him from that hurt because they are friends.
There is an interesting wrinkle to this "new girl" story in that certain people believe that Will is King Arthur reincarnated and those close to him, such as Jennifer, Lance and even his step-brother Marco are reincarnations of Gwenivere, Lancelot and Mordred. Even Elaine is presumed to be the Lady Shalott, which though she was named for the poem about the Lady, most decidedly would never kill herself over a guy the way Lady Elaine did over Lancelot! This very clever modernization of the King Arthur legend is bound to please both Cabot and King Arthur fans alike.
|
| Crossley-Holland, Kevin |
Arthur,
The Seeing Stone
Book one of a planned trio.
It is a parallel story of two Arthurs. One Arthur is 13 in the
year 1199 and the other Arthur is the mythical king of the Knights
of the Round Table. It is told in 100 chapters. Arthur is the
second son of a manor lord. He desperately wishes to know his
future. Merlin gives him an obsidian, or seeing stone. In it
he sees the story of King Arthur unfold. It is a complicated
story that is well worth the effort. I am looking forward to
reading The Crossing Places. |
| Demming, Sarah |
Iris, Messinger
Iris Greenwold is a bit of a misfit as is her single mother, a soybean scientist and her flakey, absent father. She looks forward to her twelfth birthday even if it does mean no birthday party (no friends) and strange presents from her parents so when a skateboarding delivery boy leaves a package on her doorstep, she assumes it is from her father. It is a copy of Bulfinch's Mythology and she becomes completely absorbed in the stories of the gods. Her book has apparently been read by someone before her as there are notes written in the margins. She discovers that the gods are alive and well and living in the Philadelphia metropolitan area and the Jersey shore. Posiedon owns a clam shack, Apollo owns a jazz club and Aphrodite owns a beauty spa. As clues in the margin of her book leads her to each of them in turn, they share their stories with her as well as their frustration over their waning powers because no one believes in them anymore.
This book will inevitably be compared to Percy Jackson and the Olympians and will be enjoyed by those readers.
|
| Kindl, Patrice |
Lost
in the Labrynth
This is a novel length retelling
of the myth of Icarus and the Minotaur and is told from the point
of view of Princess Xenodice who is daughter of King Minos and
sister of the Minotaur. Icarus designed the labyrinth and was
imprisoned by Minos because he knew the secrets of the labyrinth.
Xenodice is smitten with Icarus's son Daedalus. |
| McMullan, Kate |
Have
a Hot Time, Hades!
First Jon Scieszka fractured fairy tales and cracked us up with
The True Story of the Three Little Pigs and The Stinky
Cheese Man. Now Kate McMullan cracks us up with fractured
mythology. Knowledge of the original myth makes this book funnier,
but is not necessary to read and enjoy. The book is told from
Hades' point-of-view and is filled with puns, wordplay and jokes. |
| McMullan, Kate |
Phone
Home, Persephone!
The fractured fun continues in Hade's retelling
of the Persephone myth. |
| Morris, Gerald |
Parsifal's
Page
Yet another twist on the tales
of Camelot, this time told through the eyes of the 11-year-old
page of Parsifal, one of the oddest of the Knights of the Round
Table. |
| Morris, Gerald |
The Ballad
of Sir Dinadan
This book stands alone and
may be read and thoroughly enjoyed without knowledge of the Knights
of the Round Table or the King Arthur legends. Dinadan is the
seventeen-year-old brother of the famous knight, Tristam. He
wants to be a minstrel but as the son of a nobleman, this common
job is not acceptable to his father, who knights him and sends
him on his way to join Arthur.
Dinadan is a very likable character and
he meets every challenge along the way with tact and diplomacy.
This book is funny and dear.
|
| Paterson, Katherine |
Parzival:
The Quest of the Grail Knight
This is a darling book. Parzival
in all his sweetness and innocence after being raised in the
woods by his mother sets off to serve King Arthur after an accidental
encounter with three knights. His shielded upbringing is a double-edged
sword as he is unaware of his social gaffes but enables him to
have the single-minded determination to succeed. His success
is not easily earned and when he fails to say the words which
would heal a dying king, Parzival sets himself off on a quest
for the holy grail. |
| Riordan, Rick |
The Lightning
Thief
Oh my, how I loved this book.
According to Rick Riordan's web site, he is planning five Percy
Jackson books and the next is due out in spring of 2006. If you
like fantasy and/ or mythology, you will love this hip, edgy
and funny book.
Percy, short for Perseus, is about to be
kicked out of his sixth school in six years. He vaporizes his
math teacher, who, by the way, was in the process of attacking
him because she was really a Fury (from mythology) in disguise.
Confused yet?
Well Percy sure is. It turns out that he
is a demi-god. He has a human mother and a god, as in Greek god,
as a father. The Greek gods are still around; Mount Olympus has
relocated to the 400th floor of the Empire State Building. Monsters
are coming out of the woodwork trying to destroy Percy and his
only hope is in getting to Camp Half Blood alive. With a nod
to Lemony Snicket and Harry Potter, this inventive fast-moving
novel brings Greek mythology into the 21st century.
|
| Riordan, Rick |
The
Sea of Monsters
Riordan delivers big time in this eagerly awaited sequel to The
Lightning Thief. Percy is just about to complete his school
year at his new school without incident- a first for him. The
only friend that he made at the fancy private school was Tyson,
a hulking homeless child whom the school "adopted"
as a community service project but never treated particularly
well. On the last day of school, the school bully challenges
Percy to a dodge ball game and has three new "students"
playing for him. Tyson mentions that they smell funny to Percy,
who thinks nothing of that observation until the "new students"
start pelting fireballs at Percy's team. Tyson comes to the rescue
and seems impervious to the missiles. Naturally, the destruction
of the school is pinned on Percy, who needs to make a quick getaway
with Annabeth in tow. They hail a cab (and you can be sure, this
is no NYC cab) to take them to Camp Half Blood, only to find
it under siege, Citron fired and Thalia's tree dying. |
| Riordan, Rick |
The Titan's Curse
My head is spinning with wonder that this series continues to be fresh, compelling and humorous. Its non-stop action begins at once with Grover's frantic plea for Annabeth and Percy's help in freeing two new half-bloods from a strange private school in New England. It's a trap and they end up losing Annabeth but are joined by Artemis and her huntresses. After retreating to Camp Halfblood, the heroes learn that Lord Kronos is on the move and monsters and creatures are stirring. Five must go on a quest and the prophesy which the Oracle relates is none too comforting. |
| Sandell, Lisa Ann |
Song of the Sparrows
This blank verse retells the story of the Lady of Shalott with some revisions which are explained in the author's note. Elaine of Ascolat was a member of King Arthur's court who was in love with Sir Lancelot. Unfortunately, Lancelot was in love with Lady Gwynivere, who was betrothed by her father to Arthur.
All is not romance and crushes however, as Arthur is in the middle of a war against invading Saxons and Picts. Elaine is the only female in camp and considers all of Arthur's men-at arms brothers as she has grown up in this camp. She is also an accomplished healer and during and after battle the men look to her for her abiity to heal.
Fans of King Arthur stories will love this addition to Arthurian lore and fans of blank verse novels just might become interested in King Arthur legends as a result of reading this lovely book.
|
| Spinelli, Jerry |
Maniac
Magee
Jeffrey Magee is an orphan
who runs. First he runs away from his Aunt and Uncle who adopt
him because, though they each take good care of him, they detest
each other and finally Jeffrey can't take it any longer. It is
his constant running which makes him a legend and earns him his
nickname, Maniac. Then, it is his ability to catch and kick a
football and hit an unhittable pitcher which adds to his legend.
When he runs into the wrong side of Two Mills and is taken in
by an African-American family whom he grows to love, real trouble
starts for the colorblind Maniac. |
| Springer, Nancy |
I
am Mordred
This is a retelling of the
tale of King Arthur from the point of view of Mordred. Knowledge
of the tale is helpful to fully appreciate the tale of Mordred,
but not absolutely necessary. Springer has also written I
am Morgan leFay, which tells Morgan's side of the Camelot
tale. I would also recommend that you try to read Once and Future
King or Tales of King Arthur! |
| White, T.H. |
The
Once and Future King
Originally published in 1938, this 639 page epic sweeps the reader
into another world on page one and does not let go until the
tragic ending. The attention to detail paid by White is absolutely
amazing. Life during those times was brutal and harsh. I found
as much joy in the descriptions of the mysterious and dangerous
forests as the squire's training, hawking, and life in the castle.
The politics and intrigue of the monarchy were gripping. The
character of Arthur was satisfying to get to know from a scrawny
little "Wart" to uncertain and doubtful king constantly
striving to do the right thing. Merlyn is equally amazing as
the consummate teacher, allowing his pupil to discover truths
for himself despite the doubts. |
| White, T.H. |
The
Sword in the Stone Illustrated
by Dennis Nolan Book one from The Once and Future King,
is perhaps a less intimidating invitation for young readers into
the legend of King Arthur. This is the Book One of The Once
and Future King and tells of Arthur's early life and Merlyn's
arrival as tutor for Sir Ector's boys, of Wart's education from
a snake, badger and hawk, of King Pellinore's hunt for the Questing
Beast and of Arthur's burning desire to be squire to his brother
Kay's knight. |
| Yolen, Jane |
Sword
of the Rightful King
We all know the story of King
Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table. Or do we? There have
been many retellings of the tales of this heroic king. In this
retelling, Yolen has Arthur pull the sword from the stone after
he has been crowned king as a way of binding his people to him.
However, there are those who would wish to be king and the dreaded
Queen of the North wishes to lay claim to the throne through
her sons. There is plenty of intrigue and magic in this novel. |
| Yolen, Jane & Robert J.
Harris |
Jason
and the Gorgon's Blood
Yolen and Harris collaborate
again to bring us the a new myth. They imagine Jason, of Argonaut
fame, as a young boy raised by the centuar, Chiron on an island
where he and sons of kings learn to become warriors. After Chiron
heals a fellow centuar using magic from Perseus' Gorgon's Blood,
the centuar returns with a gang to steal the jars because although
one heals, the other poisons. They brutally beat Chiron and it
is up to Jason and his four fellow students to track the centuars
and attempt to recapture the jars. Before leaving, Chiron informs
Jason that he is not an orphan, but the son of the rightful king
of Iolcus. Unfortunately, the son of the robber king is one of
Jason's companions. |
|
