Customer Reviews

A Search for the King

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In this little-known short novel, Gore Vidal revisits the legend of King Richard the Lion-Heart and his troubadour Blondel. As fans of Robin Hood or Ivanhoe will recall, Richard was imprisoned by a duke of Austria on his return from the Third Crusade and held for ransom. In his absence, the King's younger brother John siezed the throne, intending to keep it.

The legend (and this novel) recount how Richard's companion minstrel Blondel continued to search for the King throughout Europe when others abandoned him. Vidal has taken a relatively straightforward narrative here. Anyone hoping for salacious details of Richard's sexuality or scandalous stories of medieval monks will be disappointed. This short novel follows the old legend, and not speculative history. There are werewolves, a giant, a dragon and other mythical beasts, but not in the manner one might always expect. For although the book is not unsuitable for younger readers, there is not much in the way of whimsy in this tale.

As Blondel looks for his friend and patron, he undergoes a type of existential crisis. His search defines him and limits him at the same time. Vidal is a skilled enough craftsman to make this apparent to the older reader without coming across as a Freudian analyst, but the internal monolauges and grim reflections of Blondel (especially late in the book) often make this storybook fable more modern than one would expect.

All in all, I recommend this novel with the proviso that it is neither reliably historical (unlike the author's better known "Julian" or "Lincoln" or a "boy's adventure" in the tradition of Harry Potter or a boy's King Arthur. Those with the willingness to appreciate it's unique approach will be rewarded.

What an absolutely terrific adventure novel. The story of Blondel and his search for Richard Coeur-de-Lion. Giants, warewolves, vampires, dragons, unicorns, horny women, pretty men, battles, singing and even Robin Hood - this novel is one of the best, most entertaining and completely enthralling I've ever read. A treat and a pleasure from the first page to the last. I'd love for some Hollywood type to rediscover this "lost" Vidal novel and make a great film of it.