“Lyonesse is a unique and fascinating young adult version of the King Arthur story. The kingdom of Lyonesse is usually on the periphery of the King Arthur legend. Here it is at the center of the story. The author was born on the Isles of Scilly, which according to legend are all that is left of the sunken kingdom of Lyonesse.
From samllewellyn.com:
". . . My childhood was full of tales about a sinking of the land that transformed Scilly from a range of mountains into an archipelago, and a world in which people knew how to exchange thoughts with animals – the birds and beasts of Scilly are still remarkably tame. . . . Just as it was common knowledge on Scilly that Lyonesse had sunk, it was also common knowledge that Lyonesse had been the home of Arthur, or Idris as he was called. We believed in dragons, monsters, star and stone, and that all actions had consequences. I was born in a room overlooking the body of water from which the sword Excalibur came, and into which it was flung. I grew up with the certainty that Arthur and Tristan and Morgan and the rest of them originated here and in the related French Atlantis of Ys. While Lyonesse has featured as a springboard for the wilder type of fantasy, it has had no real chronicler. I decided that this was something I needed to put right. . . ."
Lyonesse is an enchanting adventure story even for young people who are not familiar with the legend of King Arthur. Those who know the story of Arthur will recognize the wizard called the Great Ambrose, and Morgan, the red-haired girl who becomes Idris’s best friend. The story is well-paced with plenty of plot twists and surprises, and twelve-year-old Idris is called upon to make a number of difficult decisions as his courage and determination, as well as his humanity and compassion, are tested.
”
RitaLC wrote this review Monday, May 18, 2009.
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