World Famous Comics: Grail (The Pendragon Cycle, Book 5)
Grail (The Pendragon Cycle, Book 5)
By: Stephen R. Lawhead Publisher: Eos Average Rating: Binding: Mass Market Paperback Label: Eos Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 400 Publication Date: June 01, 1998 Release Date: June 01, 1998
The legend of King Arthur has been told many times—but never with the strength and resonance, passion and richness granted it in Stephen R. Lawhead's masterful
Pendragon Cycle
Drought, plague, and war have left the Isle of the Mighty battered and its heart, the beloved Arthur, grievously injured—until a secret relic is brought before the dying KIng; a Holy Grail that heals his wounds and restores his vigor.
But soon evil enters the royal court in the guise of a beautiful maiden; a soulless, malevolent force capable of seducing the King's loyal champion, confounding the sage whom some call Merlin, and carrying the sacred Grail—and Arthur's adored Queen—off into the dark unknown. And now Arthur faces the greatest challenge of his sovererignty: a quest of recovery that must lead the noble liege through realms of magic and the undead, on a trail that winds inexorably toward a grim confrontation with his most foul nemesis . . . and his destiny.
Drought, plague and war have left the Isle of Mighty battered and its heart, the beloved Arthur, grievously injured. But, astonishingly, the High King lives—his wounds healed and vigor restored by a sacred and secret relic: the Holy Grail.At Ynys Avallach, a dying Arthur was miraculously renewed. And now, in this time of rampant disease and death, the great king wants to share the Grail's curative powers with all who require it. A shrine will be built to house the holy treasure—and Arthur's fabled Kingdom of Summer will at long last come to be.But evil has entered the royal court in the guise of a beautiful maiden. Unbeknownst to Arthur, to his devoted warriors, to his adored Gwenhwyvar. . .even to the bard Myrddrin, the sage Emrys whom some have called "Merlin," malevolent forces, soulless and cunning, seduce the King's most loyal champion. And in an unthinkable unguarded moment, the Grail is carried off, vanishing somewhere into the dark unknown.Now Arthur faces the greatest challenge of his sovereig.
Amazon.com Review: This installment of Stephen Lawhead's long-running Pendragon series is narrated by Gwalchavad (Galahad), one of King Arthur's captains and Lord of Orcady. After getting off to a slow start as the aftermath of a war with the Vandali is sorted out, the story focuses on the Holy Grail, which its guardian, Avallach, has used to cure Arthur of a deadly wound. In gratitude, Arthur raises a shrine to the Grail, but soon the Grail is stolen by Llenlleawg (Lancelot), who also abducts Queen Gwenhwyvar. When Arthur and his knights pursue, they are led to the magical, bleak land of Llyonesse, into the sorceress Morgian's power, fighting for their sanity and the Grail.
This is a straightforward story; there's less intrigue than I expected. Evil Morgian's passages of gloating are nearly over the top, but the honest, steadfast knights are good fellows all. Read previous volumes first!
Pendragon Cycle fumbles to a close amidst a mumbo-jumbo of mysterious fogs, forest, and phantom fighters Book Five of The Pendragon Cycle, which fumbles to a close amidst a mumbo-jumbo of mysterious fogs, forest, and phantom fighters who attack the good guys (Arthur and Company) as they attempt to recover the stolen Grail. The Grail is the hero of the day, but with the wrap-up of the series in just a couple of pages, is curiously ignored.
I think it comes back with them to the home of the lost Atlanteans, where the story would then dovetail into the end of the third book, where Arthur is wounded in combat and "goes away", while the Grail is safely hidden on the Island of Avalon with the Fisher King of Atlantis.
Yeah, it goes like that. In all, the series started strong in the first two books, and raised my hope that it my continue to crescendo to a great finale. It didn't. Best bet: Begin at the beginning (Taliesin: Book One of the Pendragon Cycle) and stop with book three.
It's Ok, but not really part of the Pendragon Cycle This books is Ok, but falls far below the original Pendragon Cycle books.
For starters, the narration is completely different, written in the first-person. Sure, the characters and settings are the same, but the narration style makes it feel like it is disjointed from the rest of the series.
I loved the first three books of the Pendragon Cycle, and being a purist, that is what I will consider to be the canon. These three books had me riveted.
Pendragon, the fourth in the series, was a necessity, as it filled in a huge gap of the third book.
Grail, well... I kept picking it up and reading, hoping that one day, I'll eventually finish it.
Up till now, Lawhead has made every effort to present the Arther legends in historical settings. Disregarding the romantic versions, or popular culture, he built a realistic world, where one can easily imagine Arther walking the lands. With that realism came the needed disregard of the Grail quests.
Until now. The book feels like it was "just written", rather than being an outgrowth of previous material. My impression is that the author was pressed to somehow or another fit the grail into his Arther retelling, and this is the half-hearted result.
While the book is good as a standalone book, make sure you read it with that in mind: it's just a standalone book, which borrows elements from the series.
The Quest for Truth Picking up exactly where "Pendragon" left off, "Grail" puts a new and interesting spin on the legend of the holy grail. Lawhead has done a masterful job in recreating the Arthurian legends, infusing them with his poetic writing and creating legends that are uniquely his own, while holding firm to the ones that have come before. Many readers might argue at the 'changes' Lawhead has made to the legends, but a legend by literary definition is a tale that is interpreted just a little differently by the teller each time it is passed along. Stephen Lawhead's version of events is just as sincere and justified as any of his worthy predecessors.
At the conclusion of "Pendragon", King Arthur was gravely wounded at the end of his (book-long) battle with the Vandali warhost. He is taken to the Ynys Avallach where he is mysteriously healed by the grail. Meanwhile, his warhost are awaiting word of Arthur's death, travelling a land blighted by plague and drought, to deliver grim news to the kinsmen of those who betrayed Arthur. When Arthur returns, miraculously healed, he is adamant that the grail will inaugurate his 'kingdom of summer' and restore Britain to health. Stubborn to the core, and deaf to his advisors, Arthur has a shrine built to house the grail that others may bask in its glory and be healed. But evil lurks within the land, as the dreaded Morgian has nurtured her power and schemes to defeat Arthur once and for all.
Told by Gwalchavad (Galahad), "Grail" is an epic novel, and a respite from the battle-drenched "Pendragon". While battles between good and evil persist, the narration is given over to the deception and treachery that tricks Llenlleawg (Lancelot) and makes him a pawn of Morgian, an interesting twist on the Lancelot-Guinivere-Arthur triangle. Lawhead's Arthurian tales are grounded in Celtic lore and centered around a spreading Christianity in the early birth of Britain. The Pendragon Cycle is a fresh spin on an oft-repeated legend that will stand its place in the world of Arthurian lore.
Not the best conclusion to the amazing Pendragon cycle, but has substance. This wasn't the best book in the cycle. It disapointed me as a conclusion. I sort of think of the end of Arthur as a conclusion, because after that book, the series does not seem to be in chronological order. Arthur disappears at the end of the third book, and he's back in the forth and fifth. The plot is a bit flat and not as captivating, but the poetic language never fails you, and Lawhead seems to get a bit mroe religious in this book.
I have read too many accounts of Arthurian fiction, and I very much liked the Pendragon cycle. Lawhead writes like a poet. His writing can get pretentious at times, and a bit thick and hard to read, but it is well worth it. It definitly enriched my mind and made me want to write epic poetry. It's not the kind of book that you can't put down, the narrative doesn't flow like a best-selling novel, but if you like the subject matter, it is not hard to get though.
Many people critisize this series of books because it deviates from legend. This bothers me. The reason it is "legend" and not fact is because it is largely unknown. I love how lawhead makes everything seem authentically celtic, ("Bedwyr" instead of "Bedivere" and so on)and he puts his own version of the legend, which every author has the right to do. If you're anything like me, your sick of hearing about Lancelot and Guenivere and you want a new and refreshing version of the saga. Lawhead has done his research and knows what he is writing.
Strongly recommended, only if you have read the first four.
The Conclusion of the Epic Re-Imagining of Arthur Grail is the conclusion of the Pendragon Cycle (although its not the end of Lawhead's Arthurian tales). Grail casts a unique spin on the abduction Arthur's queen as well as the search for the Grail. At the end of Pendragon, Arthur had defeated the invaders of his kingdom but only after suffering a terrible wound. He is healed by the power of the Grail and now beginning in the appropriately named Grail, he wants to set up sacred house for the Grail. Yet his enemy Morgian is ever at work and as the project is completed the Grail is stolen as is Arthur's Queen. This is a dark tale but at the same time its totally unique to the Arthurian mythos. Lawhead could have ended his Arthur stories here and no one would have been upset.
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