The Bright Sword: A Novel of King Arthur
Marvelous ... Grossman affects a breezy 21st-century style that still allows plenty of room for magic. He gives each knight a new and extensive history that frees them from the ur-narrative while honoring it ... Grossman’s take on the Arthurian legend may lack the grandeur and tragic gravitas of White’s classic The Once and Future King, but he excels at colorful characterizations and vibrant action scenes, which are legion. Like White, he uses humor liberally and masterfully ... As Grossman’s splendid, offbeat quest reaches its conclusion, we see Arthur’s waves of Saxon invaders and their many predecessors refracted in a different light, one that helps illuminate our own tumultuous, battle-torn age in the way that only the best epics can.
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Resoundingly earns its place among the best of Arthurian tales ... The book is long, more than 600 pages, and it feels long. The story meanders, but other than a few back story chapters that are, if not unnecessary, perhaps mistimed, nothing feels superfluous. This is a narrative that demands and rewards patience ... Grossman...is at the top of his game with The Bright Sword, which is full of enviable ideas and execution. Few authors could accomplish what he has, grounding such an ambitious novel in so much tradition and history while still making it accessible and deeply affecting.
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Wonderful ... Mr. Grossman combines the many versions of the legends, ancient and modern, with his own invention, and includes a wonderful explanation for his choices in the book’s bibliography. Even for those unaccustomed to fantasy, The Bright Sword tells a tale as old as (post-Roman) Britain that continues to delight.
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