Customer Reviews

Shadow of the King: Being the Third Part of a Trilogy (Pendragon's banner)

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

***This review may contain spoilers for those not familiar with the legends***

Shadow of the King takes up where Pendragon's Banner left off, as Britain is at peace and Arthur and Gwenhyfar live at Caer Cadon with their young daughter Archfedd. Arthur is convinced by the Roman Emperor to sail for Gaul and defend it against the barbarians who wish to destroy it, along with Arthur's lands in lesser Britain. Once there, the campaign becomes mired in politics, backbiting, intrigues and treachery and Arthur is there much longer than originally intended. Once the battle is engaged, it does not go well and Arthur is presumed dead and left to Morgaine's care to see to his burial.

Arthur's uncle, Ambrosius, now governs Britain with his council, but they are not strong enough to fight off the Saxon threat, including Arthur's wicked ex-wife Winifred and her son Cerdic. Gwenhyfar grieves for Arthur's loss, but she must marry and have a husband to look after her interests. Not happy with Ambrosius' choice she looks to Arthur's younger cousin Bedwyr who has been in love with her since he was a young boy. They become lovers but something always holds Gwenhyfar back from the marriage ceremony, until one day when rumors come from The Place of the Lady that sends Gwen in search of.......

Well I won't tell since I am not into spoilers, although those familiar with the legends know how the story goes. The rest of the story details how Hollick envisions the politics and history of the time, the growing threat of the Saxons as the Britains battle to keep them at bay and the struggles for power between Arthur's sons Cerdic, Medraud (Mordred) and Cynric (or is he Cerdic's son?), until the final fateful battle that threatens to end Camelot once and for all.

As much as I did enjoy this book, I also found it to be very slow paced at times and definitely the weakest in the trilogy. Also, the author's prose was very reminiscent of Penman's early works but by the third book those short sentences and oddly placed commas were getting a bit tiresome. If you're looking for another glorified, romantic version of Arthur with honorable knights, magic and ladies in constant peril waiting for her knight to rescue her then this series is not for you. However, if you're looking for something more down to earth and realistic you might want to give this a whirl. A generous 4/5 stars.

The series in order,
The Kingmaking
Pendragon's Banner
Shadow of the King

Although an interresting twist on Arthurian legend, the Kindle edition contains many typographical errors and very frequent insertion of the author's name and book title in the oddest places. It also has many needlessly hyphonated words. A good read if one can get past these distractions.

Shadow of the King is the third - and final - novel in Helen Hollick's superb trilogy about King Arthur. Unlike traditional Arthurian literature, Hollick treats this as straight-up historical fiction, creating familiar characters without all the magic.

She's imagined Arthur to be a King of Britain during the Dark Ages, a man who is desperately fighting to unite the various tribes under his own banner.

Throughout all the series, Hollick succeeded in balancing action-packed battles with Arthur's personal life --- his wives, his children, his own personal tragedies. All in all, it's a riveting story and well worth the time and effort to read all three books.

I gave it four stars as a general rating for the entire series here. Five stars is very rare...if I could award a half-star this one would be 4.5. :)

Happy reading!

The third and final book in this Arthurian trilogy - see below for the other two books. It took me a while to finish this one because I enjoyed it so much. How did that work? Well, whenever I was putting the book down, I would flip ahead some pages and see what would be happening, flip ahead a few more, etc. So I have to leave myself enough time in between readings to "forget" what I had read so I could be more surprised in what was coming up. Did it work? A little. Well, perhaps a lot - even though I knew what was going to happen (both from my knowledge of Arthurian literature and in what I had skimmed ahead), there were many tears that I shed at the end of it. Very very good trilogy of books.

Though it has been a struggle, Arthur and Gwenhwyfar have somehow managed to put their lives back together after the deaths of all three of their sons. Their small daughter and sole surviving child, Archfedd, is their joy and the kingdom of Britain their solace and responsibility. But they never can seem to agree when it comes to Arthur's decisions about the ruling of it.

An urgent summons for assistance from across the sea in Gaul arrives and Arthur, against Gwenhwyfar's pleading, cannot resist the promise of action. Despite the fact that his absence will leave Britain without a leader, he is restless and drawn to the excitement that battle brings.

The summons is a trap. After prolonged delays the battle is finally fought and Arthur is killed, as was intended by the plotters all along. Chaos and despair reign across Britain, there will never be another King like Arthur. As the fate of an entire nation hangs in the balance, those who loved him must try to pull together to save the island nation from being torn to pieces by those hungry for wealth and power.

As I've said before, this series is one of my very favorites. I read it years ago, in the 1990s, it played a large part in the development of my love for historical fiction. It doesn't get done any better than this! If you like historical fiction that comes alive, is thoroughly researched, smart and intricate, this is the series for you. Helen Hollick is, in a word, excellent. I can't recommend her or her novels any higher, they are simply the best. If you haven't read them yet, you are MISSING OUT!!!

In this final book of Helen Hollick's Pendragon trilogy, the reader follows the story of Arthur and Gwenhwyfar through their final years. The book begins with Arthur and his men going to Gaul to help his allies there. He is betrayed by them and forced into a battle where his army is massively outnumbered. A few of his men escape and take the body of their beloved king with them. As they are followed by the victorious enemy, Morgaine, the pagan healer who also loves Arthur and who followed him to Gaul, convinces them to move on and leave her to bury the King.

What she knows is that there is still life beating in Arthur's body. She nurses him back to health and he then remains with her and their son, Medraut, for three years. Arthur has lost his confidence and feels he has nothing to return for, as he believes that Gwenhwyfar had died of illness before the battle.

A Saxon slave was granted freedom by Arthur before the battle and is intensely loyal to him. When he learns that Arthur is alive, he travels to England and tells Gwenhwyfar and her court. She travels to Gaul to find Arthur, who leaves with her and brings his son.

But he comes back to an England where his kingdom is in tatters, with many scheming for his former position and alliances broken. The book follows Arthur's campaigns as he once again brings England together under his rule.

This book is recommended for historical fiction readers. Helen Horrick has created a historical masterpiece, taking a different route with Arthur's life than that which came down through history, but with enough touchpoints that the reader will be constantly reminded of those legends. The history rings true, and the relationships and battles transport the reader to another time.

The Pendragon's Banner series is by far the best telling of the man we know as King Arthur that I have read to date. Helen's 'Arthur' is a real man with faults while still being the most charismatic war lord and King of his time. The plotline is heartbreaking, engaging and holds a steady course throughout the novel. All the characters are well developed and draw the reader in with every scene. When I first picked up The Kingmaking (book one in this series), I wanted to pommel Arthur for his chauvinistic mannerisms, but I must say that this is the 'true' Arthur. He would not have been a knight in shining armor or godlike in any way. Thus Helen has truly given us a realistic telling of who this great man might have been. Ms. Hollick also has given us a wonderful Guinevere who is as real and practical as any strong woman would have had to have been in that time. Any historical fiction reader will find themselves thoroughly entrenched in this intricate tale of Arthur and all those who were touched by his life and ambitions. Bravo to Ms. Hollick for giving us this Arthurian treasure to enjoy for generations!

All three of Helen Hollick's books on Arthur are excellent. Unlike many other books on Arthur, however, they deal with Arthur from a realistic point of view and deny any form of magic. This has the effect of making the books more historical fiction than fantasy, but very worthwhile if you bear this in mind. Arthur is a much stronger character in these books, but also much more human. His love for Gwenhwyfar is his one saving grace, as he is nearly fatally flawed in every other regard and in every other relationship. Gwenhwyfar also is far more of a real person in this series. She is a real woman with real needs and intelligence of her own, not just the slightly dim but beautiful focal point of chivalry displayed in most portrayals. The Pendragon's Banner Trilogy is an excellent read, and will influence your opinion on all future and past writings of the tale of Camelot.

Helen Hollick brings history to life once again in Shadow of the King, the final book in the Pendragon's Banner Trilogy. She weaves fact with fiction in such a way that keeps you spellbound and turning the pages as quickly as you can to find out what will happen. From love and loyalty to fighting raging battles there is never a boring moment.

I've been lucky enough to read the whole trilogy starting with The Kingmaking (my review here) and Pendragon's Banner (my review here). It's been an amazing journey watching Arthur and Gwenhwyfar move through their lives having children, being separated and fighting battles together.

Shadow of the King finds Arthur, Gwenhwyfar and their daughter Archfedd at Caer Caden. Arthur is now 33 years old and has been King for 11 years. All is not well though. Trouble is brewing as plots are being unfolded to try and take over Arthur's Kingdom once again. Arthur is still dealing with his uncle Ambrosius wanting to bring the kingdom back under Roman rule; they have never seen eye to eye. However, this isn't Arthur's only problem this time - his son Cerdic also has his eye on what he believes to be his rightful birthright.

We meet many of the characters once again in Shadow of the King that have come before in previous novels. Some of my favorites being Bedwyr and Ider among a few. There were others introduced in this novel that I grew to really like as well - Cadwy and Ragnall being one couple but there are so many more. With Cadwy and Ragnall they both have a disability of sorts and Hollick writes of them coming together and finding a peace in each other that they hadn't known before; it was a nice story.

Then there are those that we will dislike no matter what like Winnifred. Age hasn't mellowed this woman at all and she is still bent on destroying Arthur. Her goal is to have her son Cerdic take over being King from Arthur but as the story progresses she gets a rude awakening in terms of what she really made her son into.

I liked that in Shadow of the King we got to see a more human side to Arthur; one that hurts and grieves and feels he can't go on. The majority of the time Arthur is this big strong man that can take care of everything for everyone. This time the grief hits harder than even he can handle. He ends up disappearing out of Gwenhwyfar's life for a while; she fears him dead. What he really is, is afraid - afraid to come back and face life as it may be and even more terrified of having to go into a battle once again. Can he come back and face a battle in order to gain control of his lands again? Can he again make a life with Gwenhwyfar?

It's impossible to put this book of 672 pages into a review that will do it justice. In it's entirety this is a series that you want to just lose yourself in and experience to the fullest. Helen Hollick writes in a way that takes you to the battlefield and just as fast takes you back to the romance of Arthur and Gwenhwyfar. I found myself holding my breath at times in battle and smiling over the bickering between Arthur and Gwen at others. As always, Arthur and Gwenhwyfar are my favorite characters - I liked them from the beginning and always rooted for them to stay together. They have a strong bond with each other that was always a pleasure to read about. Helen brings this story to life for her readers - you feel as though you are there - you are experiencing this story first hand and that's really what makes it so wonderful.

I have to admit I'm sad to see the trilogy end but as anyone knows the legend of Arthur must end but Helen Hollick has put her own spin on the ending and it's a great finish for the series. I will say that I did actually shed a tear or two over some losses in this novel that I wasn't expecting but really, all that says is that this is a really well written and fantastic novel! To anyone who loves historical fiction you don't want to miss the Pendragon's Banner Trilogy. All of the books stand alone without a problem but I don't think a person gets as much out of it if they don't read all three and grow with the characters throughout.

This was a good story. I read the first two in the trilogy and was looking forward to the last. I have two complaints. Unlike the first two books, this one moves at a much slower pace. There is, in my opinion, to much description of everything from the scenary to the clothes. The end is very abrupt. Most are aware of how this story ends, but I was expecting a little more lead up. It is almost as if she ran out of steam. Mind you, I like the way Arthur passes, but the lead up was highly anti-climatic. I do like the way she weaves Arthur's legacy into present day Britan through Cedric and Cynric, his sons. Also, I love the portrayal of Guinevere and Bedwyr (Lancelot). I am not a fan of the wilting Guinevere and the cheating Lancelot. The book is worth the read, but the first two were much better.