Looking For a Good Book

This is one of, if not THE, oldest ARC on my Kindle. I’ve slowly been making my way through my backlist as I request fewer new books to be read.

I have had a fascination with King Arthur since I was a young teen (so, more than 50 years). I have a marvelous collection of books about Arthur, non-fiction and fiction alike, many now out of print. I’ve written about the character (also both non-fiction and fiction) so it’s no surprise that I would be interested in this book.

While I think this is targeted to the YA reader, I found it packed full of information and very easy to access. Author Daniel Mersey breaks the book down into three basic components: The Medieval Arthur, The Celtic Arthur, and the Historical Arthur, and and provides a great deal of insight into the man and the myth. Where did it start? How did it grow? Was he real?

The book is both simple and thorough. Mersey doesn’t expound unnecessarily to pad his pages. He lays out the information in clear detail. Readers who find interest in the work can dig deeper using the “Further Reading, Watching, Gaming, and Visiting” section of the book. This section is also quite thorough and I appreciated that he addresses the gaming world, from board games to card games. (Mersey notes that “Computer games featuring Arthur are not uncommon, but they come and go quickly, so this list instead focuses on board and card games themed around Arthur.”) If any young reader might be reached for further interest, games is a good go-to.

The book is marvelously illustrated by Alan Lathwell. The frontispiece alone will attract reluctant readers. Who wouldn’t be intrigued by knights in armor battling ghosts and skeletons in armor?

This book is informative, accessible, and can be appreciated by readers on many different levels.

Looking for a good book? Anyone with even a passing interest in the legends of King Arthur and his knights of the round table should pick up Daniel Mersey’s King Arthur.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

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King Arthur

author: Daniel Mersey

publisher: Osprey Publishing

ISBN: 9781780967233

paperback, 80 pages