Customer Reviews

Knight Life (Revised & Expanded Edition)

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As usual, Peter David manages to mingle his dry wit with the fantastic to produce a very satisfying tale. Having never read the original edition of this book, published many years ago, I can't compare the two. This expanded edition (expanded by some 30,000-plus words, according to the introduction) is a lot of fun.

Arthur Pendragon, King of the Britons, returns to life in the present day and runs for Mayor of New York City. With him are his perpetual advisor Merlin (whose odd habit of living his life backwards has reduced him to the form of a young boy), the immortal knight Percival (whom history neglected to mention was a Moor) and the reincarnate of his beloved Guienivere. Of course, old enemies Morgan Le Fay and Modred return to cause trouble as well.

The book is a nice satire of modern life and politics as well as a fun adventure yarn. I also appreciated David dotting the landscape of his New York with characters named after his colleages in the comic book world (Louise Simonson, Jim Owsley, etc.) It's the best sort of inside joke -- the kind that those who aren't in on it will never know was a joke and that those who are in on it will smile in appreciation and keep reading.

The sole misstep, I felt, came in a press conference scene where Arthur began outlining political positions which I suspect were crafted to reflect David's own. While this is certainly within his rights as an author, it seemed rather blatant and distracting to me.

Other than that, a great story, and I can't wait for the sequel.

What if King Arthur came back today? And what if instead of being the king of England, he did something radically different--such as run for mayor of New York City?

Those questions serve as the premise for Peter David's first novel, Knight Life. For years, Knight Life was hard to find--its popularity among David fans is well-known. Thankfully, David has ended the long searches through used bookstores by updating his novel and releasing it again in hardcover for a new generation of fans to pick up and enjoy.

If you like Peter David's usual writing style, you're in for a treat here. David pays homage to the basic tenants of the Arthurian legend while putting his own, comic spin on a lot of it. David has apparently done his homework and done it well, but he doesn't take it so seriously that he can't have some fun with it. There are a lot of absolutely laugh-out loud sequences in the book, from the Lady of the Lake rising up in Central Park and being covered with trash to the running joke about Merlyn's reverse aging and looking like a teenager.

This modern-day retelling of the Arthur story works very well and you can see the joy that David has in writing it. Some passages seem to be in the same vein as William Goldman's The Princess Bride. David pays homage, but also pokes holes in the coventions of the stories he is re-telling, just as he did last year with his great Sir Appropos of Nothing.

If you've a Peter David fan, this is a must-read. If you've heard good things about him, start here and then head on to Sir Apropos and Imazadi. All of them are great stories by a great author.

Knight Life (1987) is another of Peter David's almost unclassifiable works. It is a small scale epic drama, with comedic overtones, of King Arthur running for mayor of New York while opposed by Morgan Le Fay.

Morgan is a couch potato watching sitcoms while consuming large quantities of beer. She is contemplating suicide but first she tunes in to her favorite channel: a view of Merlin's resting place. But, wait, the stone has been moved. Thus begins the show.

Arthur Pendragon is back! Of course, his first stop is Arthur's Court, a men's clothier, to exchange his armor for something a little more comfortable, like a three-piece suit, bought with an American Express card, don't leave Camelot without one.

After a local cop suggests a political career, Arthur retrieves Excalibur from Central Park lake and allows Chico and Groucho, two spaced out muggers, to swear undying allegiance to the man with the Day-Glo sword. He finds Merlin and gathers a campaign staff, including Gwen DeVere as his secretary, Gladys, a basilisk -- just kidding -- as receptionist, and Percy, an old drunk with a CPA -- no kidding -- as treasurer.

The Big Apple meets King Arthur and New York loves him, especially when he saves two children from the fire caused by the fire elemental. This original version has some rough spots, but is still very funny.

Recommended for fans of Peter David and anyone else foolish enough to subject themselves to such zany humor. You have been warned; if you bust a gut, its your fault.

-Arthur W. Jordin

The legend of King Arthur and Camelot has fascinated and captured the hearts of more people than perhaps any other legend. It has been endlessly retold in all types of media, from musicals to film to cartoons. And here we have a very modernized version, one where King Arthur arrives in modern-day New York, clad in traditional armor, which causes an almost immediate plunge down the subway steps, an image which sets the tone for this tongue-in-cheek, sometimes hysterical tale.

Of course Arthur can't continue to clank around in thousand year old armor, so he trades it in for a traditional 3-piece suit, courtesy of the American Express card Merlin so thoughtfully provided. But when Arthur looks for something worthy of his talents, the real fun begins as he enters the race for mayor of the city. This is probably the best part of the book, as Arthur pokes large holes in his opposition by coming up with common sense answers to the political questions of the day and by not side-stepping and obfuscating the questions and issues. This is good satire, exposing just how empty the standard political campaign is. Arthur's campaign stance really should be taken up by a live politician - he might be surprised by the voter reaction.

Some other pieces of this work are not quite so good. The initial image of Morgana Le Fey as an obese, broken-down maudlin old woman is a scream, but the later scenes after her rejuvenation that attempt to portray her as evil personified don't come off so well. Moe Dred (Mordred) never seems to become more than a stick figure. There are inconsistencies in Arthur's level of understanding of both English and modern ways of living, sometimes missing an intended meaning or uttering an unintentionally hilarious line, quite understandable given his lack of experience with the New York of today, at other times showing more knowledge of how things work than even Merlin. Arthur's political opposition is not portrayed with any depth, basically an attempt at a caricature of the 'standard' political hack, but it would have been better if they had been portrayed with more depth, intelligence, and political savvy.

In concept and satirical level, this is an excellent book that will provoke many grins and an occasional outright laugh, but with a few too many false steps to be unabashedly great.

Knight Life (2002) is another of Peter David's almost unclassifiable works. It is a small scale epic drama, with comedic overtones, of King Arthur running for mayor of New York while opposed by Morgan Le Fay.

Morgan is a couch potato watching sitcoms while consuming large quantities of beer. She is contemplating suicide but first she tunes in to her favorite channel: a view of Merlin's resting place. But, wait, the stone has been moved. Thus begins the show.

Gwen DeVere is having a bad day. She needs to find a job to support herself and Lance, but nothing seems to be available. As she is sitting on a park bench reading the job ads, a knight in full armor stops in front of her. She is annoyed and tells him that she has mace and shows him the spray can; he pulls a two-foot long club with a flanged head from his armor and says "So have I". She gets up and walks away briskly. He calls out for her to wait and follows. When she runs into a subway station, he tries to follow but trips and falls downs the steps, clanking merrily as he rolls.

Arthur Pendragon is back! Of course, his first stop after the subway fiasco is Arthur's Court, a men's clothier, to exchange his armor for something a little more comfortable, like a three-piece suit, bought with an American Express card, don't leave Camelot without one.

After a local cop suggests a political career, Arthur retrieves Excalibur from Central Park lake and allows Buddy and Elvis, two spaced out muggers, to swear undying allegiance to the man with the Day-Glo sword. He finds Merlin and gathers a campaign staff, including Gwen as his secretary, Miss Basil, a basilisk -- no kidding -- as receptionist, and Percy, an old drunk with a CPA, as treasurer.

The Big Apple meets King Arthur and New York loves him, especially when he saves two children from the fire caused by the fire elemental. When they find out his true identity, his popularity rating skyrockets.

This revised version smooths over some of the rough spots in the original and updates some of the jokes, but is still just as funny.

Recommended for fans of Peter David and anyone else foolish enough to subject themselves to such zany humor. You have been warned; if you bust a gut, its your fault.

-Arthur W. Jordin

Arthur: trapped in a dreamless sleep for eternity. It was foretold that one day he would wake and help patch up the new yet horridly unclean world of the future. Merlin, also trapped, ages backward enough to escape the cave prison, wakes the King, and enfuriates Morgan le Fay. The only problem with this legend is that Merlin and Arthur find themselves in New York City!!!!!!!! In this hilarious novel, Arthur runs for the ruling throne of Mayor of NYC. He also (to his surprise)reunites with Guenivere, Lancelot, and Percival, and more. Of course, Morgan le Fay and her son Modred attempt to stop him (in ways unimaginable of this age: demons and spells and more). You'll get humor on every page of this novel! The entire aspect of a wise wizard trapped in a little boy's body is great and you'll love the humor from him. That's not all either. You'll laugh at his new "recruits" (previous bandits) and their ways of ensuring votes, the Lady of the Lake's (or Central Park Lake's) "graceful" poise as she returns Excalibur to Arthur, and the all around humor of this book. This is a recommended read for those who love a good laugh and more importantly, a good story line. I loved every minute of this book and didn't even come across boring parts! Wow! Happy reading!

Peter David has re-worked and re-issued his first novel Knight Life. In this updating of the Arthurian legend Arthur Penn (real last name Pendragon, get it?) returns to New York City to run for mayor as an independent. His Republican opponent is a gritty, profane prosecutor (hmmm....). The Democrat is a handsome actor who has played a big city mayor in a tv series. Too funny...

Much of the rest of the legendary cast joins Arthur. Merlin looks like an eleven year old (remember, he lives and ages backwards) who dresses as a prep schooler. Morgan is here: dark, evil and sexy as ever. Mordred is a p.r. agent (ha!). Lancelot is a failed writer into s. and m. while Guinivere is initially an abused woman who grows mightily as the book progresses. Galahad is passingly refered to (he doesn't make the modern cut) as the whiny virgin.

The book is laugh-out-loud hilarious. Luckily Arthur is outfitted with plastic credit when he arrives in NYC so he is able to trade his armor in for Brooks Brother-like duds. His first speech on a street corner is clever. His dismay during a televised three-way debate when his opponents evade all the questions using them as set pieces for a pre-written riff is painfully funny.

This is a funny, satiric and, oddly, profound book. The melding of Arthurian honor and modern poitical opportunism is unsettling and yet by the end hopeful. Read this book for a fun time and a strangely compelling affirmation of man's basic goodness.

It is time to fulfill the medieval prophecy as Arthur Pendragon has returned to the mortal plane. However, instead of ye olde merry England he lands in modern day Central Park making Belvedere Castle his home. Arthur struggles to adjust to Manhattan especially with the dysfunctional assistance of his mentor Merlin.

Once Arthur becomes a little more acclimated to the city that never sleeps, he decides that the best way to fulfill his mission is to become mayor so he throws his helmet into the ring as a candidate for the mayor of the Big Apple. Besides Merlin, Guinevere and Percival assist Arthur on his maiden political run. An atrophied couch potato living in exile in New Jersey, the return rejuvenates Morgan Le Fay who enters the city to challenge her long-term foes. Worse than the sorceress for Arthur is that Modred has also been reincarnated, but this time as the deadliest of opponents, a public relations professional working for the dreaded competitor.

Renowned comic book and fantasy novelist Peter David has rewritten his wild mid-eighties -Camelot in Manhattan tale, retaining the humor and the personae of the cast, but tightening the plot. The story line is fun for more than just the Round Table crowd as Arthur struggles with almost everything about contemporary New York even as he runs for the job of mayor. Mindful of Mike W. Barr and Brian Bolland's Camelot 3000 series (also originating in the 1980s), but less graphic and more amusing, KNIGHT LIFE is a wonderful modernization of Camelot.

Harriet Klausner

This book is a fascinating read and honest, good fun. In it, the legend of King Arthur is turned on his head as Arthur, Merlin and other characters from the time arrive after ten centuries of hiding into the modern craziness of the twentieth century. Once there, Arthur hopes to regain the fame and power he once had, but he'll have to do something he's not used to --- starting relatively small. Thus does Arthur Penn's (Pendragon's) campaign for mayor begin. However, he'll have to face many old foes from the past, as well as the opposing candidates for mayor --- the second being something not nearly as much to worry about as one would think.

"Knight Life" is full of Peter David's typical off-beat humor and is a wonderful first offering from him. This version is an updated version of the original release, offering Peter David's improvements to an already great story.

I'm not completely familiar with the Arthurian legend, but still found it quite easy to get into this book. Sure, some hardcore fans may find things to nitpick, but overall I thought this was a really great read and it's also made me curious to check out more of the legend. It also had a surprise ending that I didn't expect.

Peter David, well known in sci-fi and comic circles, updates one of his very first books with some newer material for the modern age, as well as an overhaul of the writing style to reflect his more mature and developed style. This book tells the "what if" story of King Arthur and his band of confidants in the modern age as the great king reappears in 21st century New York City after being bound in a magic cave for the past few centuries. If you like fanciful fiction and witty writing, you'll like this. Yeah, it's kind of a sily concept, but it works, and you won't be disappointed!