Customer Reviews

King Arthur's Daughter

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This was my first venture into a tale about King Arthur and Queen Guenevere having had a daughter. Ursulet was a young girl at the fall of Camelot. Fearing for her safety, Guenevere sent her to a convent. When Arthur was "killed", and Guenevere died, Ursulet seemed to forget her identity. As the Saxons began to overrun the countryside, the convent was sacked and Ursulet fled into the night. Enter Ambroise - a young knight with a very stately family history stretching back to King Lot. With the very few remnets of the Round Table Knights and those loyal to Arthur and his true heir, Ambroise sets out to find Ursulet and intsall her on her rightful throne.
The story introduces a new batch of characters that I found refreshing and interesting if not terribly well developed in this book. I have not read Chapman's other books in her Arthurian tales, and therefore, I may have missed some of the character development that I think the story lacked.
My favorite part - the look at King Arthur. Chapman takes us to where he rests and we hear again the voice of Merlin telling us that King Arthur truly did not die but lives on to this day and how that is Ursulet's true destiny.

I bought this book because I enjoyed The King's Damosel, another book by Vera Chapman. While both plots follow unusual (and enjoyable!)twists and turns I feel the characterization in King Arthurs Daughter, particularly of Ursulet, was not as good. Also the story's conclusion left something to be desired. As King Arthur mythology goes, it's about standard, but I expected more from Vera Chapman.

As can be seen from the title, this book steps outside the realm of "normal" Arthurian legend simply by stating that Arthur and Guinevere had a child. The writing is good but not great, and the story is enjoyable but not completely gripping. Parts of the portrayal of Urselet seemed incongruent with other parts of the same book. Ambris's character was more believable. Though I have read better, I think anyone interested in Arthurian legend would enjoy this book, and I recommend it to them.