# King Arthur book. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 24, 2004, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/king-arthur-book/261248 "2004-08-24T12:28:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2004, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/king-arthur-book/261248/21 "2004-08-24T19:48:32Z")
**_Firelord_.** Man, I loved that book: probly read it 5 times in the eighties. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2004, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/king-arthur-book/261248/22 "2004-08-24T20:04:03Z")
> [@Grey](#): > > I think you’re thinking of [The Skystone : The dream of eagles Vol 1](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0765303728/qid=1093357653/sr=8-8/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i8_xgl14/002-2462321-7784812?v=glance&s=books&n=507846) by Jack Whyte. I liked the first few books but they lost my interest later on. I dunno. The Skystone fits the description up to the point where the OP stated it was published in the mid-80s. Jack Whyte’s first was published mid to late 90’s wasn’t it? ---
**Author:** ![Kilt-wearin\_man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/82dd89/32.png) [@Kilt-wearin\_man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kilt-wearin_man)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2004, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/king-arthur-book/261248/23 "2004-08-24T21:02:49Z")
> [@Khadaji](#): > > I dunno. The Skystone fits the description up to the point where the OP stated it was published in the mid-80s. Jack Whyte’s first was published mid to late 90’s wasn’t it? It also doesn’t work in that the OP stated that it was “a book” and “this novel” - _The Skystone_ is the first in a series, and Arthur isn’t even born by the end of the book, much less King. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2004, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/king-arthur-book/261248/24 "2004-08-24T23:33:05Z")
> [@Lamia](#): > > Oh, I thught Parke Godwin was a man, but now that I think again I couldn’t swear to it. A quick Google isn’t turning up the answer. I read one other novel by him/her years ago, **Waiting for the Galactic Bus** , which is a pretty funny science fiction book about heaven and hell, the surprising origins of mankind, and preventing the conception of a kid who’ll probably be worse than Hitler. Featuring the ghost of John Wilkes Booth! And the sequel, _The Snake Oil Wars_ features the ghost of Abe Lincoln, not exactly bearing a grudge (incognito, which is why I’m putting it into a spoiler box). Parke Godwin is (or was, I read those books in the late 80’s) a man. Parke is short for Parker. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2004, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/king-arthur-book/261248/25 "2004-08-24T23:45:33Z")
There’s a sequel to _Waiting for the Galactic Bus_?! Quickly, Robin. To Amazon! \ ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2004, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/king-arthur-book/261248/26 "2004-08-25T00:36:56Z")
_Firelord_ is it! I _knew_ there was “fire” in the title somewhere. Thanks! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2004, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/king-arthur-book/261248/27 "2004-08-25T01:04:07Z")
I second the recommendation of Jack Whyte’s series, BTW: excellent job of conforming the Arthurian legends to the end-of-Roman-times Britain that they actually were set in. The series includes: [ul][li]The Skystone[/li][li]The Singing Sword[/li][li]The Eagles’ Brood[/li][li]The Saxon Shore[/li][li]The Fort at River’s Bend[/li][li]The Sorcerer: Metamorphosis[/ul][/li]They are, I believe, all Tor paperbacks. ---
**Author:** ![Grey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b782af/32.png) [@Grey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grey)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2004, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/king-arthur-book/261248/28 "2004-08-25T02:02:27Z")
> [@Kilt-wearin' man](#): > > It also doesn’t work in that the OP stated that it was “a book” and “this novel” - _The Skystone_ is the first in a series, and Arthur isn’t even born by the end of the book, much less King. Very true folks. I skimmed the OP and missed, 80s, woman, fire…ok so I missed the OP except for historical and Arthurian. 🙂 Mind you any series that makes you buy a book on Pelagius can’t be half bad. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Baldwin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baldwin/32/7264_2.png) [@Baldwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baldwin)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2004, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/king-arthur-book/261248/29 "2004-08-25T12:39:24Z")
Amazing, isn’t it, how flexible the Arthurian legends are? You can work almost endless variations on them – high fantasy, realistic historical fiction, gushy romantic stuff. There’s such a strong thread in the center of it all. Just sayin’. ---
**Author:** ![Kilt-wearin\_man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/82dd89/32.png) [@Kilt-wearin\_man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kilt-wearin_man)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2004, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/king-arthur-book/261248/30 "2004-08-25T13:29:06Z")
> [@Polycarp](#): > > I second the recommendation of Jack Whyte’s series, BTW: excellent job of conforming the Arthurian legends to the end-of-Roman-times Britain that they actually were set in. The series includes: > [ul][li]The Skystone[/li][li]The Singing Sword[/li][li]The Eagles’ Brood[/li][li]The Saxon Shore[/li][li]The Fort at River’s Bend[/li][li]The Sorcerer: Metamorphosis[/ul][/li]They are, I believe, all Tor paperbacks. There are also the two standalone sequels - at least one of which I have held in my hand (but was broke, so I had to put it back…) _Uther_ (not really a sequel, more of a “what Uther was doing off-screen while we were following Merlin elsewhere” and _Arthur_, a sequel to the series that apparently gets more deeply into his career a King. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2004, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/king-arthur-book/261248/31 "2004-08-25T14:14:45Z")
> [@Kilt-wearin' man](#): > > There are also the two standalone sequels - at least one of which I have held in my hand (but was broke, so I had to put it back…) _Uther_ (not really a sequel, more of a “what Uther was doing off-screen while we were following Merlin elsewhere” and _Arthur_, a sequel to the series that apparently gets more deeply into his career a King. Hmmm, didn’t know about Arthur - is it worth it? I tend to agree with **Grey** that the series flagged as it went on, so am not clamoring for it, but would be interested in folks’ thoughts of thumbs up vs. thumbs down… ---
**Author:** ![Kilt-wearin\_man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/82dd89/32.png) [@Kilt-wearin\_man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kilt-wearin_man)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2004, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/king-arthur-book/261248/32 "2004-08-25T15:01:27Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > Hmmm, didn’t know about Arthur - is it worth it? I tend to agree with **Grey** that the series flagged as it went on, so am not clamoring for it, but would be interested in folks’ thoughts of thumbs up vs. thumbs down… I can’t guarantee that _Arthur_ has been released - I haven’t personally laid eyes on it. I do know it is at least in the works if it’s not already out. ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2004, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/king-arthur-book/261248/33 "2004-08-25T21:24:49Z")
I liked _Firelord_. It had an interesting angle on Morgause and Mordred. Parke Godwin also wrote a sequel called _Beloved Exile_, in which the widowed Guinevere becomes a prisoner of the Saxons, and eventually escapes. And since everyone else is posting about non-_Firelord_ books, let me recommend the graphic novel _Uther, the Half-Dead King_, by Bo Hampton and Dan Abnett. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/king-arthur-book/261248.md?page=1)