Arthur, King [Mass Market Paperback]

Dennis Lee Anderson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 13, 1994

Seeking to regain the sword Excalibur from Mordred, who has traveled into a time of war and demons using Merlin's book of spells, King Arthur must pursue his bastard son in a future world where he is not recognized.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Harper Voyager (December 13, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 006105433X
• ISBN-13: 978-0061054334
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,496,761 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great novel about King Arthur with a modern twist., October 21, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Arthur, King (Mass Market Paperback)

Legends, excitement, history, and a little bit of romance; if you like all of these, the book Arthur , King is good for you. As you may have guessed, it is about King Arthur, but why last name first? Well, the story begins in England. After a great war with his son Mordred, Arthur awakens pretty badly hurt. He tries to find his sword, Excalibur, but he has no luck. When Arthur finds Merlin, he is told that Mordred has taken the King's precious sword to the future, to take over the world. Now, it is up to Arthur to go to the future, retrieve Excalibur, and save the world before its too late. However, no one will know who the King is,so he changes his name to Arthur King. To make matters worse, Arthur will be sent to the time of Hitler and the Holocaust. The world's saftey is on the King's shoulders. In addition to the great plot, Arthur, King is filled with great and realistic characters. The two maincharacters are King Arthur and his son Mordred. Arthur is the big hero in this story. He tries to stop Mordred from taking over the world, while at the same time, fallingh in love, and getting adjusted to all the new things he sees. Mordred is pure evil. He has no amount of goodness in him. He has no sympathy or care about anyone but himself. I was flabbergasted about how well this book was written. I reccomend Arthur, King for anyone who likes excitement. This is truly a five star book.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fabulous update on a timeless myth, August 2, 2001

By 

"teencynic" (Nicosia, Cyprus) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Arthur, King (Mass Market Paperback)

I read this at ten years old, took it everywhere I went until I finished reading it, renewed it a few times and returned it way overdue.

Then I spent another four years looking for it, because paperback editions don't show up with the name.

Man, it was good. The book -possibly the best Arthurian book, set in any time. Arthur, in the midst of a bloody battle, finds himself in another bloody battle known as World War 2 (that's uncertain, but the presence of Churchill and mentions of Roosevelt are clues).

This time, he's here to save England in her biggest crisis, and naturally, he's not without opposition. His illegitimate son Mordred, a dispicable self-server and intelligent only when doing destruction, is back to get him. Then there are the Naziz lurking in the background, thwarting his romance with a beautiful nurse.

It's so well-written you don't even notice you're turning the pages, and it's not until the ending that you realise you've just read it.

I just loved it, and I'm so glad I found it again.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Medieval Hero in a Modern World, October 15, 2000

By 

"kingsransom" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Arthur, King (Mass Market Paperback)

The legends of the Once and Future King tell us that Arthur will return to save Britain when its need for him is great. There are no clues, however, as to when that time will be.

This novel provides a possible answer. In it, Arthur does return to war-torn England during World War II. It's not a rebirth or reincarnation, nor has he lain sleeping all these years on some misty isle. Rather, Arthur has been sent through time by Merlin's magic to pursue Mordred and the stolen Excalibur.

Arthur, as always, is a warrior through and through. But instead of swords and axes, the battles are fought with Spitfires and Hurricanes, Stukas and Messerschmitts. And while some myths tell us that Merlin once turned Arthur into a hawk, in this novel Arthur is turned into a pilot.

The author has even provided Arthur with Bill Cooper, a Connecticut Yankee to round out his court. And, while he does stretch a bit sometimes to make amusing Arthur-related puns and anachronistic misunderstandings, it's still an enjoyable read. At the same time, Anderson drives home the deadly seriousness of the Battle of Britain with death and sacrifice everywhere and the grim hope and stubborn resolve which truly made it England's finest hour. The repeated attacks on London, the devastating blitz on Coventry, it's all there in shocking detail.

This is a good book for Arthur enthusiasts because it takes the heroic figure out of his element and introduces him into a new one. World War II buffs will also like it for the gritty realism of the outnumbered RAF and the ceaseless air war over Britain. I recommend it highly.