Avalon:: The Return of King Arthur [Hardcover]

Stephen R. Lawhead (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 7, 1999

The hour fortold has come at last! Edward the Ninth, reprobate King of England, is dead and a proud an venerable institution is to be buried with him. A new political order--encouraged by an ambitious Prime Minister and supported by a public wearied by a succession of royal scandals--is about to render the old obsolete. With signed abdications of all potential throne claimants already in P.M. Thomas Waring's hands, it is a near-certainty that the British monarchy will not survive the twenty-first century.

But in the Scottish Highlands, a young man makes a remarkable discovery that will change the seemingly unaltered path of his beleaguered nation. For Captain James Arthur Stuart is not the commoner he has always believed himself to be, but rather the scion of an obscure branch of the royal family, raised in ignorance of his true station. Even more astonishing, the monarch-to-be does not merely share the name of the legendary King of Summer--he is, in fact, King Arthur reborn!

Claiming a throune, however, is one thing, while holding it is quite another, as James--now ruling the land as Arthur II--turns to those most beloved and most loyal for support, guidance, and assistance: his adored wife, Jennifer; his best friend, Calum; and his enigmantic and mystical advisor, a certain Mr. Embries.. better known as "Merlin." Their road will be rocky and perilous, and there are powerful enemies arrayed against them--not only Prime Minister Waring and his ruthless political machine, but the forces of an ancient, far more potent , destructive evil. For Arthur is not the only one who has returned--and Merlin's magic is not the only sorcery that has survived the centuries.

With Avalon, one of the premier voices in the literature of the fantastic offers us an unparalleled adventure as replete with bravery, treacher, romance, and magic as the beloved tales of the Table Round, yet cast in a setting as recognizably real as that which surrounds us.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this rousing postcript to Lawhead's bardic Pendragon Cycle (Taliesin, Merlin, Arthur, Pendragon, Grail), such a monstrous evil stalks near-future Britain that an ancient Welsh prophecy will be fulfilled: the Thames will reverse its course, Avalon will rise again from the cold gray sea and Arthur will return. A series of Royals so rotten that the Brits can't wait to dump the whole stinking lot enables scheming Prime Minister Waring to creepAtrick by political dirty trickAtoward Magna Carta II, the abolition of the monarchy. Far in the Highlands, though, former career officer James Arthur Stuart feels destiny stir within him. He is Arthur, come again to exalt Britain and its grand old valuesAgoodness, compassion, mercy, charity and justice. Accompanied by his enigmatic adviser Embries, his boon drinking buddy Calum McKay and the lissome Jenny, James struggles to come into his own, proving his mettle against modern monsters: skinheads armed with pit bulls, the fickle hydra of the press and the redheaded "total dish" Moira, Arthur's old witchy nemesis who destroyed Camelot. By the time James ousts Moira's insidiously treacherous buffalo-wing- and pizza-chomping politicos, Lawhead makes even aristocracy-phobes want to stand up at the skirl of the pipes and cheer on the eternal virtues James represents. In revisiting nearly every romantic Arthurian clich? and playing off snappy contemporary derring-do against the powerful shining glimpses of the historical Arthur he created, Lawhead pulls off a genuinely moving parable of good and evil. (Sept.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

In a near-future Britain, the death of King Edward IX throws the succession into disarray until a young man named James Arthur Stewart discovers his identity as the reborn King Arthur and claims his rightful throne. Aided by his counselor Myrddin Embries, the new king seeks to restore faith in the monarchy as well as a sense of justice to a land beleaguered by despair. The author of the popular "Pendragon Cycle" takes his Arthurian interests one step further as he explores the ramifications of a legend come to life in the modern world. Infused with Christian overtones, Lawhead's latest novel should appeal to fans of Arthurian fantasy. Recommended.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 448 pages
• Publisher: Harper Voyager; 1st edition (September 7, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0380977028
• ISBN-13: 978-0380977024
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.7 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (66 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,055,409 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #60 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy > Arthurian

More About the Author

Stephen R. Lawhead is a prolific and bestselling author of mythic history and imaginative fiction. He is best known for his King Raven trilogy, a re-telling of the Robin Hood legend, and Pendragon Cycle, centering on the King Arthur legend. Other notable works include the Song of Albion, Celtic Crusades and Dragon King Trilogies, Byzantium, Patrick, Avalon, and the works of science-fiction Dream Thief and Empyrion saga. Lawhead makes his home in Oxford, England, with his wife.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Classic Arthurian legend brought to modern day, April 16, 2000

By 

N. Bernadsky "ski429" (Conway, AR United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Avalon:: The Return of King Arthur (Hardcover)

I began reading the Pendragon Cycle in Junior High (gee, guess that shows how young I am, huh?), and absolutely fell in love. Now a Junior in college I was thrilled to see Lawhead bring the story to its conclusion(?) in present day England. What a wonderful story come full-circle! Although, I must agree, Moira was not quite the evil villianess I have seen in previous Lawhead tales. Some slight disappointment there. But how about the return of good old Embries? How classic to make him a timeless compainion to Arthur. He has been my favorite character all along. If you are a Lawhead fan, I have told you nothing new. However, if you've never read Lawhead before, or if you've never read the Pendragon Cycle before, I reccomend starting at the beginning with Taliesin. The story line will be much more intriguing if you know the history. Oh...and if you plan on reading the whole series, stop by Stephen's website for what order to read them in, they weren't written chronologically. And it's just a fun site.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars God save the king! Amen says Lawhead., April 5, 2001

By 

Godly Gadfly - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Avalon: The Return of King Arthur (Mass Market Paperback)

In Avalon, Stephen Lawhead has modernized the king Arthur of his delightful Pendragon cycle, and transported him to a futuristic and contemporary twenty-first century Britain, which is on the verge of throwing out the monarchy for good. But Lawhead is convinced that the monarchy is not all bathwater, but that there's a baby in there somewhere that should be preserved. Make the legendary Arthur come back to life to be that baby, and save the monarchy. There in a nutshell, is the plot of Avalon.

Of course there's much more to it than that, and it's impossible to summarize in a few words a plot that is ingeniously original. The Pendragon Cycle is clearly a prelude to this story, and I would suggest that it is required reading for readers of Avalon. Lawhead makes frequent and obvious allusions to the characters and events of the Pendragon Cycle (eg p.89ff), and readers unfamiliar with his earlier work are likely to find themselves perplexed without this background. At any rate, readers familiar with Lawhead's earlier works are sure to get the most of this new tale.

Yet this is far from a modernized Pendragon - it's definitely a story on its own, and fans of the Pendragon Cycle are treated to a completely new tale. The story begins shortly after the death of the last of a series of corrupt and selfish monarchs, with Britain on the verge of abandoning the monarchy for good. Suddenly the unknown James Stuart discovers that despite his ordinary and obscure childhood, he is the rightful king of Britain, and the modern-day Arthur. Although James has a modern-day Merlin at his side, victory of the monarchy is far from assured, because there's a modern-day Morgian and a host of evil powers against him in his quest for kingship and the restoration of Arthurian Britain.

As a followup to the Pendragon Cycle, Avalon is equally suspenseful and exciting, sparkling with originality, action and intrigue, although some characters and sequences lack imagination and depth. But on the whole it is not as successful. The return of Arthur into a contemporary world bears the suggestion of reincarnation, although Lawhead clearly distances himself from reincarnation and leaves the idea of the "same life in another time" as an unsolved mystery (p.159-160). Likely the premise of the return of Arthur and his companions into a modern world is not intended to be a serious religious or philosophical idea, but a literary device. But one can not be so gracious to Lawhead with respect to other modern elements of the story - the sexual allusions (p.178-9) and frequent use of blasphemy (over two dozen instances) detracted strongly from this novel and its Christian message.

Certainly the vision of the Kingdom of Summer is clearly expressed (p.265ff). Furthermore, the struggle to establish the kingship over against the forces of evil is clearly intended to be a conflict that parallels the universal spiritual conflict between the kingdom of light and the kingdom of darkness (p.396). James' struggle for kingship has definite overtones of the Biblical struggle of David before him (p.343), and overtones of the Christ whom he shadows. But sadly, although the kingdom of summer is presented as a vision, we don't get to see this vision become a reality, because the accession to kingship marks the end of the novel (whether we are treated to another novel where we see a modern kingdom of summer is yet to be seen).

On the whole, Avalon lacks the profound religious depth that made the Pendragon Cycle so captivating. With some exceptions, it is less religious and philosophical and more political. In a contemporary era where the monarchy is largely perceived as irrelevant, one cannot but wonder whether the lengthy and passionate diatribes in Avalon defending the monarchy as a legitimate institution by divine right are in fact an articulation of Lawhead's own opinion on the subject. Is the defence of and vision for the monarchy and the biting criticism of the corruption of today's politicians Lawhead's own? Perhaps there's a pro-royalist and anti-democrat message here for leadership in our own time. One thing is certain: just like "Arthur", "Avalon" will not only entertain you with a nail-biting ride, it will fuel a passion for a king and a kingdom! God save the king!

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Bravo! Mr. Lawhead! You do the impossible., September 11, 1999

By 

Christopher J. Hagen (Stillwater, MN) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Avalon:: The Return of King Arthur (Hardcover)

Well, I hoped to write the first review, but Donovan beat me to it. I will merely add to his accurate praises. Avalon arrived on Thursday, I started reading it Friday and just finished it now late Saturday night. It is a page turner. I was reading my way through the last three books of the Pendragon Cycle before I actually read Avalon. However, I could not resist that beautiful new book sitting unread on the bookshelf. So, I set down Arthur right before a tremendous battle against Balduf and picked up Avalon. I would say that Avalon contains some of the wittiest and most gripping dialogue I have ever read. The characters leapt to life, familiar yet changed in their modern setting. I was terribly scared that Lawhead had over reached himself when I heard that this was a modern King Arthur fable. Lawhead exceeded my expectations for this story and pulls it off with great aplomb and heart. I definitely enjoyed the book more because of my prior reading of his Pendragon Cycle.

Please read this book and let your heart soar! My intial reading rates it at 4 stars, one of Lawhead's best, easily the best since Byzantium, but upon further readings, I may strike again with another review with a higher rating.