I did not know anything about this book until I saw it in Barnes and Noble. I’ve read The Magician’s trilogy by Lev Grossman, but hadn’t read anything else by him. I had actually just finished doing a re-watch of the SyFy tv show based on the Magicians (I have very mixed thoughts about that tv show). But, I’m a sucker for a King Arthur story, so I was interested right off the bat. This is not a retelling of the traditional King Arthur stories (LaMorte d’Arthur, Once and Future King, etc.), but it’s a story more so of the Knights of the Round Table, and not the ones that typically get all the attention (Sir Gawain, Sir Galahad, Sir Kay, Sir Percival, Sir Tristan, etc.) This is the story of Sir Bedivere, Sir Dagonet, Sir Palomides, and others. The old favorites make appearances (Galahad, Lancelot, Gawain, etc..) but they are not the focus. It makes the tale seem more like untold stories. Which I think is a nice take on Arthurian legend. I don’t know how unique it is, but for fans of Arthurian legends, it’s a nice change of pace.

Our protagonist is Collum, a young man with a sad past who has dreams of being a Knight of the Round Table in service to King Arthur. Collum makes his way to Camelot, and finds that Arthur is dead, and the Knights of the Round Table are in shambles. The story continues as Collum and the remaining knights set out on a journey to rebuild Camelot and come to terms with how the beloved King Arthur could have possibly been defeated. There are some new twists on old favorites and it wouldn’t be an Arthurian legend without some quests for holy objects and visits to the faery world. The main narrative is broken up by interludes that give us the backstories of the remaining Knights of the Round Table. The story is therefore not linear. Arthur is always a presence, even when he is not depicted in the backstories.

My overall thoughts are that the story is entertaining. I do think it might be a bit long. There are points in the story, particularly in the middle, where it seems as though the backstories are becoming the focus, rather than propelling the main story forward. Side quests are a staple of Arthurian legends, but with several chapters devoted to backstories, I think it is more important to be able to get back to the main story to keep things moving. There’s a twist to the traditional Lancelot, Arthur and Guinevere love triangle, which I enjoyed, but it took us a while to get there. I do recommend The Bright Sword, particularly if you enjoy Arthurian legends. I would not recommend this book as an entry point to King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. Read the more traditional tellings, first, and then come back to this one for some fun and intersesting twists to the tale.

Lilypad Rating: 3 1/2 out of 5