Jane Yolen
Paperback | Pages: 384 pages Rating: 3.71 | 3377 Users | 221 Reviews
Declare Books Concering Sword of the Rightful King
| Original Title: | Sword of the Rightful King: A Novel of King Arthur |
| ISBN: | 0152025332 (ISBN13: 9780152025335) |
| Edition Language: | English |
| Literary Awards: | Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award Nominee (2005) |
Relation As Books Sword of the Rightful King
The newly crowned King Arthur has yet to win the support of the people. Merlin must do something before the king is betrayed, or murdered, or--worst of all--gets married. So Merlin creates a trick: a sword magically placed into a slab of rock that only Arthur can withdraw. Then he lets it be known that whosoever removes the blade will rule all of England, and invites any man who would dare, to try to pull out the sword. But then someone else pulls the sword out first. . . .Present About Books Sword of the Rightful King
| Title | : | Sword of the Rightful King |
| Author | : | Jane Yolen |
| Book Format | : | Paperback |
| Book Edition | : | Special Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 384 pages |
| Published | : | August 1st 2004 by HMH Books for Young Readers (first published May 1st 2003) |
| Categories | : | Fantasy. Young Adult. Mythology. Arthurian. Historical. Historical Fiction. Fiction |
Rating About Books Sword of the Rightful King
Ratings: 3.71 From 3377 Users | 221 ReviewsCrit About Books Sword of the Rightful King
Although my enjoyment of this novel increased as the story went along, the best elements seemed to be taken from earlier interpretations.I was looking for a middle grade book with adventure that wasn't cartoonish and had adult characters, and this hit smack on the nose. A ton of fun, with sly, wry humor, and actually no major characters under 21, yet still decidedly middle grade.A good Arthurian tale is fun and this walks the line between retelling and reference perfectly.
As one might guess from the title, this is a retelling of the Arthurian myth. I overdosed on these quite a few years ago and have been avoiding them ever since. However, this is Jane Yolen, a writer who I LOVE. So I bought and read it, and enjoyed it hugely. Jane's writing is as easy and supple as ever, the characters are vivid and alive, and the story turned inside out and made new. I can really recommend it.
Sword of the Rightful King is a quick, fun read. It's very much in the Malory/T.H. White tradition, rather than anything more innovative. It's not very subtle -- the little mysteries of the story are fairly easy to work out. It has a very clever Guinevere, though Morgause is sluttish and stupid as usual. (Oh for a story that portrays everyone with psychological realism. Morgause could see Arthur as an usurper and still be a rational human being, y'know.) The whole "weak as women's magic" trope
I have always loved the legend of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. When I was a kid I read everything I could get my hands on about this topic. In this retelling, Queen Morgause is deliciously evil and is constantly plotting to overthrow young King Arthur and put one of her sons on the throne. Arthur is already king when the story begins, but Britain is not united. The whole sword in the stone thing turns out to be a trick that Merlinnus uses to convince the people of Britain that
I enjoyed the writing and the fairytale feel of the book.The North Queen is extremely interesting as a character, but there should have been more focus on her.Never felt like I really got to know any of the characters well. While I enjoyed reading it during my breaks at lunch, the twist at the end of the book left much to be desired.Gawen was my favorite character, but now he feels tainted somehow.
Strange ending. I enjoy her books 95% of the time, and this one started out well, but once I got to the last two chapters I realized how poorly thought out this book was. There's a twist at the very end that makes no sense with the rest of the book. Props to her for keeping me in the dark about it until the very end no matter how stupid and irrelevant the secret was. The reasoning behind it just made no sense. Besides that, looking back I see how bad the plot and story line were. The back of the
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