Book Review:King Arthur: Dragon's Child

King Arthur: Dragon’s Child
M. K. Hume
Headline
9780755348671
$22.99
Paperback - B Format
December 2009
528 pages
Historical Fiction

http://www.hachette.com.au/books/9780755348671/
The first book in an exciting, brand-new Arthurian trilogy. Tells the compelling story of Arthur as he grows from boyhood into manhood and is trained for leadership and a future he cannot yet know.

The epic tale of the man destined to become Arthur, High King of the BritonsThe Dark Ages: a time of chaos and bloodshed. The Roman legions have long deserted the Isles and the despotic Uther Pendragon, High King of Celtic Britain, is nearing death, his kingdom torn apart by the jostling for his throne. Of unknown parentage, Artorex in growing up in the household of his foster father Lord Ector. One day, three strangers arrive and arrange for Artorex to be taught the martial skills of the warrior; blade and shield, horse and fire, pain and bravery. When they return, years later, Artorex is trained in the arts of battle. The country is in desperate straits for the great cities of the east are falling to the menace of the Saxon hordes.Artorex becomes a war chieftain, and wins many battles that earns him the trust of his Celtic warriors. But if he is to fulfill his destiny and become the High King of the Britons, Artorex must find Uther s crown and sword. The future of Britain is at stake.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

M. K. Hume is a retired academic, who is married with two grown-up sons and lives in Queensland, Australia. Having completed an MA and Phd in Arthurian Literature many years ago, M. K. Hume has fulfilled a lifelong dream to walk in the footprints of the past by retelling the epic tale of Merlin in a magnificent trilogy.

Review

This book has great promise and potential for a fantastic series. It is apparent that Hume has done extensive research into the mythology of the Arthurian legend and unutilized many less commonly used parts of the legend to add a new flavour to the book.

Hume creates a vivid imagery of the period of the Dark Ages with his excellent prose and historical accuracy. The characters are well developed, yet not in the traditional Arthurian sense. Many other authors have used the tried and tested character traits, making their books very uninspiring and unoriginal. Not so in Hume’s books.

Setting King Arthur: Dragon’s Child against a backdrop of the Roman Empire with the tribal feuds and alternate names for well known characters almost makes this novel a completely new piece of historical fiction rather than a rehash of the usual Arthurian lore. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and look forward to reading the next two in the series.