One Knight Only [Hardcover]

Peter David (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 2003

Arthur Pendragon, the Once and Future King, has pursued his political career all the way to the White House. Then tragedy strikes, in the form of an assassination attempt that leaves his wife Gwen at death's door. To save her, Arthur must once again seek the Holy Grail, the Cup whose magical powers can heal her body and soul...

And as Arthur knows from experience, grail-hunting can be a very dangerous occupation.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Arthur Pendragon, aka Arthur Penn, continues his illustrious modern political career, moving from mayor of New York to president of the U.S. A man of the people and wildly popular, he takes to the presidency like a duck to water, though it is far more challenging than kingship was in days of old. For one thing, Arthur's friend and mentor Merlin has been turned into a stone statue gracing the White House gardens but leaving Arthur to bear the weight of leadership alone. He is still reasonably happy, but then an assassin's bullet puts his beloved wife, Gwen, in a hospital bed, near death. One night as Arthur keeps vigil at her bedside, an old, deadly enemy comes to him with an offer and a choice. Either way he chooses, he will lose something dear to him. David's latest is a fabulous tale of ancient gods, mythical beasts, and the Holy Grail in contemporary America. Laced with intelligent humor, it is simply enchanting. Paula Luedtke
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About the Author

Peter David has worked in television, film, books (fiction, nonfiction, and audio), short stories, and comic books. He is the New York Times bestselling author of more than forty novels, including several Star Trek books. His comic book resume includes an award-winning, twelve-year run on The Incredible Hulk. Peter has also written several scripts for "Babylon 5" and the sequel series, "Crusade".

Product Details

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Ace Hardcover; 1 edition (July 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0441010571
• ISBN-13: 978-0441010578
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.1 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,808,616 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #91 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy > Arthurian

More About the Author

Peter David is the New York Times bestselling author of numerous Star Trek novels, including the incredibly popular New Frontier series. In addition, he has also written dozens of other books, including his acclaimed original novel, Sir Apropos of Nothing, and its sequel, The Woad to Wuin. David is also well known for his comic book work, particularly his award-winning run on The Incredible Hulk. He recently authored the novelizations of both the Spider-Man and Hulk motion pictures.He lives in New York.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Now For Something Rather Different..., September 5, 2005

By 

George Buttner "Agent0042" (Dayton, Ohio United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: One Knight Only (Knight Life) (Paperback)

For those who have read "Knight Life," "One Knight Only" will definitely come as something of a surprise. It's a much more serious novel for perhaps much more serious times. That's not to say that there isn't still much of the same sort of humor that readers have seen in "Knight Life" and other Peter David stories, but on the whole, this is a much more weighty book.

I'll admit, it took me a while to get used to the more serious tone of this story, but once I did, it turned out to really be pretty good. In the original "Knight Life," Arthur Penn became mayor of New York. In this story, he's since moved up in the political arena --- way up --- and has now become President of the United States. It's been quite a journey and there have been losses along the way too --- Merlin, for one, turned to stone by Miss Basil, whom he was no longer able to control. Arthur is also now faced with the growing threat of top terrorist leader Arnim Sandoval, who will soon make things personal. But all of this may be nothing compared to the very legendary individual that Arthur will soon be facing.

If you liked "Knight Life," I'd say give "One Knight Only" a try. It may not quite match the amazing standard of writing set by Peter David in that first story, but it's still good.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Sequel is lacking, May 2, 2005

By 

B-don (Belcamp, MD USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: One Knight Only (Hardcover)

Personally I found this sequel to be a far cry from the enthralling tale that was Knight Life. The narrative jumps around and it seems that David tries to hard to incorporate several other mythological literature heroes into the tale.
The result is a storyline that doesn't flow and has no clear objective. I found myself struggling just to finish the book.
Definitely a disappointment from the witty tales we are used to from this author.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars One Knight Only -NOT a good sequel., July 3, 2005

By 

Kirsten M. Blair "devourer of the written word" (Naples,FL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: One Knight Only (Hardcover)

I enjoyed the first book,(Knight Life) and was eager to read this one. It was a definite disappointment. I kept looking for more story after it had stopped- I can't say finished,because "finish" implies an ending and a resolution and neither of these were included in the book I read. Did Mr. David just get tired and quit writing? Did the publisher leave out some of the book? I don't know, but I'm VERY glad I borrowed it from the library before buying it.