Here Lies Arthur

I'm a big fan of Arthurian novels so I was excited to see this new retelling available. When I first opened it and realized it was a young adult book, I was a little uncertain. But, given that I like other young adult books such as His Dark Materials, Harry Potter, and the Tripods series I decided to give it a try. At first, the book was a little slow and I was somewhat disappointed that it was a very different telling of the story of Arthur. Arthur, Lancelot, Merlin and all the characters we've come to know are not the central focus of this story. Instead, they make up the setting and backdrop for a story about a young girl finding her way. About 50 pages in, I really started getting into the book. Once I let go of my preconceptions, I found it to be a really enjoyable read. The journey that the lead character takes is fascinating, particularly as she explores different roles within her culture. Towards the middle to the end, as she takes more initiative and really begins to find herself is when the book becomes really interesting. This book is creative and original and while it isn't the typical Arthur story (Arthur isn't even particularly likable in this book), it's really entertaining and fun to read. I highly recommend it!

"People see what they expect to see, and believe what you tell them to believe." This is the lesson young Gwynna takes from her master, Myrddin, known to us today as Merlin. But just because Myrddin is cynical doesn't mean he's rational. His inner demons will lead him to try to make an emperor of a petty tyrant and a daughter of a peasant girl he's met in his travels, Gywnna. The book is called Here Lies Arthur, but it's really Gwynna's tale - of how she grew wise to the world and learned to be a boy, a girl, a woman and a bard. Through Gwynna's eyes, we see that Merlin was not a magician but a psychologist and that the tricks he played can be played on us all at times. Sad, indeed, for while he made a legend of Arthur with his tales, his advice was barely enough to sustain the ruffian as a petty tyrant. From him Gwynna learns not to trust appearances, nor what people claim to believe, but in the end she goes beyond her master Merlin because she believes in love and pursues it with her whole heart. On its surface, the content of this novel is relatively tame - the future Guinevere and her lover only embrace. But there are themes touching on atheism and gender constructs that are more grown-up in the positive sense of requiring mature consideration of new ideas.

Philip Reeve's HERE LIES ARTHUR may be the book of the decade. This opinion is backed up the the librarians of Britain who recently awarded their annual Carnegie Medal to Mr Reeve, thereby adding him to an honor role which includes Walter de la Mare and C. S. Lewis. The Carnegie Medal goes to "an outstanding book for children" written in English and first published in the U. K. Curiously that prestigious medal has not yet been won by Ms J. K. Rowling for her HARRY POTTER series. The 2008 award winner is a children's book in a sense that is true for Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland or Sir Walter Scott's narrative poem, "The Lady of the Lake." It is a book for all seasons and readers of all ages. Let's start with the title, HERE LIES ARTHUR. The first text by Reeve that we read, after his dedication and note on pronunciation, cites a famous epitaph: HIC IACET ARTHURUS, REX QUONDAM REXQUE FUTURUS as translated by Sir Thomas Malory, Le Morte d'Arthur Here lies Arthur -- King that was, King that will be again. The translation, "Here lies Arthur" literally refers to the burial place of King Arthur, which is neither the subject of the novel nor even mentioned in it. The novel is narrated by a female who at tale's end is posing at the son of the great wizard bard Myrddin (Merlin). She, Gwyna, an eye witness to King Arthur's death in battle, simply concocts from thin air a spontaneous yarn (one of many) of non-burial: "And on an island in the west he lies sleeping, healed of all his wounds. And he'll wake one day, when our need of him is bad enough, and he'll come back to us" (Ch. 50). "Here lies Arthur," as the novel amply demonstrates, is about the art of lying in a good cause. It is not so much that Arthur lies or tells lies himself. It is rather that he allows Myrddin to tell lies about him And these are grand brags barely or rarely related to facts. Arthur begets facts. Myrddin begets lies about Arthur for Myrddin's own purpose. That purpose is to make those who hear and repeat his bardic lays believe that Arthur is a great Christian knight who will restore the peace and unity of Britain destroyed when the last Roman legions were pulled out in 410 A. D. For that purpose and for Arthur's future reputation, here is all that matters: "men see whatever you tell them to see" (Ch. 7). "in the end stories are all that matter" (Ch. 30). "The real Arthur had been just a little tyrant in an age of tyrants. What mattered about him was the stories" (Ch. 50). Demonstrable facts about post-Roman 5th Century Britain, about Arthur and Guinevere, Camelot and other legendary greats vary from nil to very, very few. Yet there is a vast literature about King Arthur, in Welsh, in Latin, in French, and in English. Philip Reeve's implied thesis is that they all lie. And someone there must have been to start all the lying. In HERE LIES ARTHUR, liar-in-chief is Myrddin/Merlin, who passes his spin-meister torch to his young servant Gwyna. She in turn be

Well, ok, there is one heroine--the narrator, Gwyna, fits the description. She rescues people in distress, puts her neck on the line for other people all the time, and generally does not think of herself first. She is a very strong character--I disagree with reviewers saying that she sort of melts into the background. No way! She grows stronger throughout the story, proving herself time and again to be a better person than the much-lauded Arthur and his "knights." In many ways, this is the story of a powerful female protagonist put in the middle of events that became the stuff of legends. The narrative she tells moves swiftly and includes lots of violence, some romance, and a smattering of political intrigue. I think it is largely appropriate for the young adult audience, although there is an extra-marital affair which is treated as mostly a bad idea because the lovers will get in trouble, not as intrinsically wrong. There is one slightly explicit description, when Arthur finds the lovers together. There are also a number of references of Arthur's infidelities, which Gwyna mostly seems to see as tasteless. Some parents may have trouble with the non-Christian worldview of the characters, who are living in a time when Christianity in Britain was tenuous and in conflict with the older pagan beliefs of the populace. I enjoyed this story a lot, but only after I came to terms with the discrediting of Arthur and his men. Arthur is presented as a brutal tyrant; his knights as rowdy sidekicks; the finding of Ex Calibur as a fraud; and Merlin as a shyster. The whole idea of the round table is ridiculed. Kay (usually portrayed as the brutish one) ironically is presented as measured and loyal. Only Percival is presented about as well as he usually is. So in its departure from Arthurian tradition, the book was more than a little jarring. I would not be surprised if real aficionados of Arthur stories abhor this book, since it is not true to the traditions at all. However, this could go over very well with readers who prefer more realistic stories than most Arthurian tales. There is nothing unbelievable about this story, and readers (of both genders) who like historical action-adventure fiction may really love this one. If, however, this is likely to be a teen's only encounter with the Arthurian legends, I might suggest discussing with them how this departs from almost every other narrative involving these characters. Still, a great stand-alone book, even (or especially) for those not already immersed in Arthurian lore.

This is by far the best book I've gotten from this Vine program thus far. If you're touchy about curse words, go into the book realizing there will be about 5 along the way. The writing style was flowy... some may take that to be meandering but it suits the nature of the type of story well. This tale is told from as a first person account of Gwyna/ Gwyn, a cross-dressing waif just trying to survive in a rough world. Although not a "historical fiction" novel, this book is a lovely, and I think pretty realistic, take on what Arthur might have been like. It's refreshing to get a not-so-flattering look at someone so shiny in most tales told about him. Myrddin's a wonderful spin doctor. He's got a way with words that turns Arthur's every brutish act into a noble deed. Gwyna picks up some of his skills along the way. Like all good stories, this one mixes in bits of truth, like the fact that people want to believe in stories of heroes. In dark times, it's at least something to cling to. A worthy read suitable for adults and young adults.