Customer Reviews

The Mammoth Book of Arthurian Legends

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4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
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I think that this book was very inspiring and I loved reading every page of it, although some stories were a little too detailed, like the "Winning of Olwen", but the rest was great. The Mammoth Book of Arthurian Legends inspired me to read more, and learn more about the Arthurian Legends, and now I am obsessed, the story of King Arthur has so many aspects to it, it would be a great subject for any reader, it has magic, mystery, battles and bloodshed, and romance. It is a great book, and for anyone who hasn't read it is missing a great deal.

This book is great contains many great stories of Aurther and has many great writers in this book such as John Steinbeck. This is a great novel and covers Aurther's entire lifespan. I would suggest this book to any middle age enthusist or any historian or anybody studying british litrature.

This book is a huge collection of stories about the mighty king of Britain and his Knights. An amazing chronological tale, that includes many great authors, and includes the original chronicles as well. The hand picked selection of stories highlights each one of the authors abilities, making it all the better. The only problem it the mammoth size, and the same drudgery can get bothersome toward the middle. I recommend this anyone who likes Arthurian legends.

Ashley's anthology provides a thorough introduction to the story of Arthur by bringing together a variety of stories about Arthur, his knights, and other aspects of the legends. The stories cover Arthur's birth and fosterage, his rise to power, the exploits of some of his knights, Merlin's influence, and the demise of the Round Table. The last story in the book is a special treat.

Because the stories come from different times, cultures, and authors, some flexibility is necessary. Names change and events are depicted differently from story to story. But this is also an important aspect of the legend, and Ashley's introductory comments to each tale help to tie it all together.

This book, of course, does not cover every aspect of the adventures of Arthur and his Court, but it introduces the reader to a world that has been explored many times by many authors, and the interested reader can choose his own direction confident that he has a good grounding in the story.

Although reading this collection as a relative novice to Arthurian legends, I often found that the quite varied styles of the different authors distracted from the content and continuity of the series. Some ill-adviced placement/order choices made by the editor, as well as glaring omissions in some of the stories (e.g. very little on the quest for the grail) left me thinking a better job could have been done with this compendium. However, individual stories occasionally shine through to redeem what might've been just another scrapbook of re-told legends.

This book is wonderful--so many varied retellings of Arthurian legend! I especially loved "The Lady of Belec." The only stories I didn't particularily care for were the two about Guenevere and Lancelot.