The Last Pendragon
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- $2.99
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- $2.99
Publisher Description
This imaginative reinvention of the Arthurian legend begins eleven years after the High King’s fall. Arthur has been taken by his sister Morgan to Ynys Afallon, the healing isle, where it is rumored he will one day return to save Britain in its darkest hour.
Without Arthur, Britain is sinking leaderless into a Dark Age of superstition and brutality. Bedwyr—the last of Arthur’s Companions—returns from Rome where he has been serving as a mercenary in the imperial army. Although Bedwyr betrayed the dying Arthur’s trust, hiding the famous sword Caliburn insteadof throwing it into the lake as he had been ordered, he is given a chance to make amends, and in the process rediscovers his lost nobility.
In Britain meanwhile, Arthur’s grandson Irion is desperately trying to live down the ignominy of his father Medraut’s betrayal of Arthur. Because of Medraut’s treachery Arthur’s kingdom fell to the invading Saxons, the Companions died in battle, and Camelot fell into ruin.
Once in Britain, Bedwyr reluctantly joins with Irion to rally the British defense against Ceawlin, the Saxon warlord who threatens to finally conquer Arthur’s kingdom.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In solid, straightforward prose, first-novelist Rice spins a variation on the Arthurian legend, opening as Arthur is mortally wounded in a battle during which he kills his turncoat son Medraut. Near death, Arthur bids the knight Bedwyr to cast the magical sword, Caliburn, into a lake, but Bedwyr disobeys and hides it in a tree. Returning to the British Isles 11 years later from a stint in Rome, Bedwyr meets Arthur's grandson--evil Medraut's only surviving son--Irion. Although Irion begs Bedwyr to help the Britons in their lethal rivalry with the Saxons, the mistrustful Bedwyr refuses and goes off to seek Caliburn, missing from the tree. His quest parallels Irion's desperate attempts to rally forces against the enemy residing in the fortress of Camelot. A fine storyteller, Rice employs the right magic touches (a magnificent white steed, a damsel in distress, an owl that may be the wizard Myrddin, a hidden cave and a valiant showdown at Camelot) in this winning tale of heroism, glory and romance.
Customer Reviews
The Last Pendragon (Robert rice)
Couldn't put it down. Immersive and engaging, a great read.