# The Compleat Arthur? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 22, 2003, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-compleat-arthur/183580 "2003-06-22T15:05:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Fiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e274bd/32.png) [@Fiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiver)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2003, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-compleat-arthur/183580/1 "2003-06-22T15:05:18Z")
I’m thinking about reading all stories about King Arthur. What do I need? I’m already aware of the following authors’ works in this area: Sir Thomas Malory Alfred, Lord Tennyson T.H. White Marion Zimmer Bradley Mike W. Barr Who else? ---
**Author:** ![Briny\_Deep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/briny_deep/32/17188_2.png) [@Briny\_Deep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Briny_Deep)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2003, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-compleat-arthur/183580/2 "2003-06-22T17:22:02Z")
[http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=121803&highlight=\*arthurian\*](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=121803&highlight=%2Aarthurian%2A) One of the very few threads of mine that didn’t sink like a stone… ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2003, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-compleat-arthur/183580/3 "2003-06-22T17:28:51Z")
I went to Amazon to check out Bernard Cornwell’s first name, and find that there’s all kinds of stuff [indexed and listed.](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-url/index=books&field-keywords=king%20arthur&search-type=ss&bq=1/002-9105480-5713633) The Cornwell series is supposed to be very good – it’s on my “to-read” list, perhaps as early as this summer. ---
**Author:** ![Orual](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/779978/32.png) [@Orual](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orual)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2003, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-compleat-arthur/183580/4 "2003-06-22T18:19:17Z")
Jack Whyte (_The Sky Stone, The Singing Sword_, etc.) Stephen Lawhead (_Taliesin, Merlin, Arthur_) My personal favorite: Parke Godwin (_Firelord_) ---
**Author:** ![Avalonian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ee7513/32.png) [@Avalonian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Avalonian)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2003, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-compleat-arthur/183580/5 "2003-06-22T18:53:05Z")
I just recently finished the Cornwell series and I’m currently in the middle of Whyte’s series. They’re both quite original, and quite good. Diana Paxson’s “Hallowed Isle” series is also excellent… perhaps the best “magical” take on Arthurian legend since _Mists of Avalon_, and Paxson’s story is better in some ways. I really like the way each of the four books looks at the legend from a different cultural perspective. Peter David’s _Knight Life_ is a pretty amusing take on the legend, with a sequel, _One Knight Only_, coming out next month. _The Forever King_, by Warren Murphy and Molly Cochran, is a pretty decent read, though not the best. One of my first pieces of Arthurian fiction as a kid was the comic series [Camelot 3000](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0930289307/qid=1056307983/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/103-3409918-6115017?v=glance&s=books). The first time I knew comics could be “mature,” and it started me down a long and happy road of Arthur stories. And before I even really knew who Arthur was I had read Susan Cooper’s _Dark is Rising_ series, which has Arthurian roots, though it is not a retelling of the Arthur myth. It remains one of my favorite fantasy series even today. That would be my short list. There are many more, of course. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2003, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-compleat-arthur/183580/6 "2003-06-22T19:39:20Z")
Mary Stewart’s tetralogy: _The Hollow Hills, The Crystal Cave, the Last Enchantment_ and _The Wicked Day_ is excellent, though the last book suffers from “Silmarillion Syndrome” – it’s not as good as your expectations from the previous three would lead you to expect. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2003, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-compleat-arthur/183580/7 "2003-06-22T20:28:20Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Polycarp \* > \*\* though the last book suffers from “Silmarillion Syndrome” – it’s not as good as your expectations from the previous three would lead you to expect. \*\* Heretic! Stone him! Stone him! Yes, The Wicked Day did sort of suck. But The Sil was never meant to be a sequel novel. [/knee-jerk] ---
**Author:** ![MC\_Master\_of\_Ceremonies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/bb73d2/32.png) [@MC\_Master\_of\_Ceremonies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MC_Master_of_Ceremonies)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2003, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-compleat-arthur/183580/8 "2003-06-22T21:23:31Z")
Monty Python’s _The Holy Grail_. ---
**Author:** ![Ben](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/df788c/32.png) [@Ben](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ben)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2003, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-compleat-arthur/183580/9 "2003-06-22T21:26:04Z")
Steinbeck wrote an Arthurian novel, but it’s semi-difficult to find. I haven’t read it yet, though.