Avalon, by Stephen Lawhead
When Llyonesse shall rise again, and the Thamesis reverse its flow…These triumphant words herald the return of King Arthur in the hour of Britain’s greatest need. Many years have passed since they were written, and the world is not as it once was. It is ‘current day,’ or sometime in the 20th or 21st century. British citizens are tired of a long succession of randy profligate kings, and moves have been made to abolish the British monarchy. The Prime Minister is cultivating dreams of being the first President of England and will do anything to throw down the monarchy. But Merlin has not been idle all of these years, and he will never see the monarchy dissolved no matter what happens. He has only been waiting for the best time to raise up his King and the time has now come. Now he only has to inform the lucky man.
James A. Stuart has lived a very normal life, so this comes as a great shock and surprise to him when he hears he is the last eligible heir to the throne of England. As you may imagine this is very hard for him to swallow. But in various ways he is finally convinced of the fact, and then he discovers he believes in the necessity for a King to rule over Britain. For it is not about power and money: it is about being an example to the people and reminding them of their better selves that lie sleeping. That is why there must be a King, for no one can do the same job, or be such an example. The reason the citizenry were so disappointed with their failed kings, is because they had been expecting something better. You cannot be disappointed with something you never hoped for. So in their hearts, the people of Britain really want a King; they just want a good one. Ahh, but evil does not sleep, and Morgian is ever at the ready to tear down what Merlin tries to build. And this is a terribly delicate structure: James Arthur Stuart cannot go out and win his kingship with a strong arm, he must woo the public and the media. But the media is every fickle, and a bad report often spreads faster than good opinions. It is never easy to try to be a King, and James certainly has his work cut out for him: and what on earth is he going to do about Jenny?
Avalon is a thoroughly delightful book. It is a culmination of all the Arthurian legends, which have so much to bring to bear in this enthralling end of the Pendragon Cycle. In this time of darkness, Arthur returns, bringing light and hope as he once did before. It is exciting to try to find the parallels to the previous books, because there are many. Some old characters seem to show up in new guises, and some events seem like the long awaited conclusion to their predecessors in books 1-5. I enjoyed all of it greatly and immensely, because it was written so cleverly with such attention to detail as to make your heart dance. In all the previous books Arthur had been described as coming fully alive in battle: in Avalon, the battle that this Arthur takes part in is the battle of words. The shift is from the ancient need to protect and win with the strength of one’s arm, to be replaced in the modern day by the need to express yourself well in words. The change in Arthur reflects that.
It is with great sadness that I close this review: I have enjoyed so much reading these books that I hate to see them end. I recommend all of them most highly to anyone who asks. Stephen Lawhead has a rare gift for writing which is not normally seen. He builds such characters and such worlds that make reality seem dim and dull. But reading Lawhead makes me want to change the way I live, just to capture a bit of the beauty he creates when he puts pen to paper.
Normally I only like to ask one question at the end of a review, but I have two that would love to get asked, and I can’t decide between them. So, if there were two questions that I could ask Stephen Lawhead about Avalon, they would be: 1.)Did Morgian really die in Arthur, or was it a trick of hers and so she was now alive in Avalon? and 2.) You have a very Christian centered view on life and religion and it shows in the Pendragon Cycle. How does it square with most Christian theology to have the idea of reincarnation nearly essential to the plot of Avalon?
James A. Stuart has lived a very normal life, so this comes as a great shock and surprise to him when he hears he is the last eligible heir to the throne of England. As you may imagine this is very hard for him to swallow. But in various ways he is finally convinced of the fact, and then he discovers he believes in the necessity for a King to rule over Britain. For it is not about power and money: it is about being an example to the people and reminding them of their better selves that lie sleeping. That is why there must be a King, for no one can do the same job, or be such an example. The reason the citizenry were so disappointed with their failed kings, is because they had been expecting something better. You cannot be disappointed with something you never hoped for. So in their hearts, the people of Britain really want a King; they just want a good one. Ahh, but evil does not sleep, and Morgian is ever at the ready to tear down what Merlin tries to build. And this is a terribly delicate structure: James Arthur Stuart cannot go out and win his kingship with a strong arm, he must woo the public and the media. But the media is every fickle, and a bad report often spreads faster than good opinions. It is never easy to try to be a King, and James certainly has his work cut out for him: and what on earth is he going to do about Jenny?
Avalon is a thoroughly delightful book. It is a culmination of all the Arthurian legends, which have so much to bring to bear in this enthralling end of the Pendragon Cycle. In this time of darkness, Arthur returns, bringing light and hope as he once did before. It is exciting to try to find the parallels to the previous books, because there are many. Some old characters seem to show up in new guises, and some events seem like the long awaited conclusion to their predecessors in books 1-5. I enjoyed all of it greatly and immensely, because it was written so cleverly with such attention to detail as to make your heart dance. In all the previous books Arthur had been described as coming fully alive in battle: in Avalon, the battle that this Arthur takes part in is the battle of words. The shift is from the ancient need to protect and win with the strength of one’s arm, to be replaced in the modern day by the need to express yourself well in words. The change in Arthur reflects that.
It is with great sadness that I close this review: I have enjoyed so much reading these books that I hate to see them end. I recommend all of them most highly to anyone who asks. Stephen Lawhead has a rare gift for writing which is not normally seen. He builds such characters and such worlds that make reality seem dim and dull. But reading Lawhead makes me want to change the way I live, just to capture a bit of the beauty he creates when he puts pen to paper.
Normally I only like to ask one question at the end of a review, but I have two that would love to get asked, and I can’t decide between them. So, if there were two questions that I could ask Stephen Lawhead about Avalon, they would be: 1.)Did Morgian really die in Arthur, or was it a trick of hers and so she was now alive in Avalon? and 2.) You have a very Christian centered view on life and religion and it shows in the Pendragon Cycle. How does it square with most Christian theology to have the idea of reincarnation nearly essential to the plot of Avalon?
posted by Tai Schutz | Tuesday, November 07, 2006
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