I have been meaning to read Lev Grossman’s Magicians trilogy for some time, it is part of my ever expanding TBR list. It has probably moved up a couple of levels now that I have read his big release this summer The Bright Sword. Ever a sucker for an Arthurian tale, when I saw that this was coming out, I knew that I would get to it before his more well known works.
Collum, later Sir Collum, is an ardent follower of King Arthur, who has never met the King, and never ventured off his far Northern island. When circumstance forces him to leave the only home he has ever known, he steals a suit of armor and heads off for Camelot. Before he even gets there he has fought a duel, wandered into Fairie and followed, albeit unwittingly, Morgan Le Fey. Collum’s path does not follow the straight and narrow, and while he quickly makes it to Camelot, is quickly knighted, and quickly sets off on a quest, he remains mostly unsure of his own abilities to the very end of the tale. The perspective of Collum allows us to travel alongside the great stories at a distance, as a passionate observer of the characters from the stories he has loved. Even as he becomes part of the stories himself, he never loses that perspective of one looking in on greatness.
By the time Collum arrives at Camelot, Arthur and most of the Knights are dead, and the round table is but a shadow of its former self. While the story follows Collum it is interspersed with side quests into the backgrounds of some of the lesser known knights of the round table. Sir Bedivere being the most well known, and closest to Arthur of the group, is given the first aside, and we learn much about his love for the once and future king. In these stories, Grossman is able to examine different aspects of the legends, and use different versions of the old stories to craft his own narrative for Collum. There is a fairy story for one knight, a gender story for another, and even a wibbly wobbly timey wimey story for one of them, which reminded me very much of the latest series of Hilda on Netflix, and may be my favorite or all the tales spun here. The stories feel familiar whilst at the same time feeling that something new is being brought to the (round) table.
The story brings you around to a female perspective more often than is usually accomplished in Arthurian tales, and the ending will definitely surprise you. Guinevere and Nimue are presented in this story in a way that hearkens less to the familiarity of the old stories, and more to the unknown. On a basic level the differences are that Guinevere is portrayed as no great beauty and Nimue is far more trustworthy. While both women have something to offer in this book, I particularly adore the story of Nimue in Grossman’s retelling. Especially her relationship and battle with Merlin. Grossman draws together minor stories and deities of legend, in a patchwork of support for Nimue, so that when the two wizards finally come to blows, she is carried through the air by reaching out to all the lesser known spirits that she has tended to over the years, it is a beautiful example of kindness over might. Even with new perspectives for Nimue and Guinevere, this is still a tale that is heavy on the testosterone. If you are looking for something centered even further away from the men of the round table I would suggest Queen of None by Natania Barron, which like Grossman’s book favors Bedivere heavily, but focuses on Arthur’s sister and her experiences of Camelot and Arthur’s Briton.
One of the persistent themes in this novel that I found to be especially engaging was the relationship between Arthurian Christianity and the traditions and gods of old Briton. They feel especially relevant this year when conversations around the American church and politics has become something aside from christianity. The entrenchment of Christianity in Arthur’s Britain echoes that level of arrogance and superficiality which can be found in the American evangelical movement. There are some very interesting conversations in this book about tradition and how systems of government can change the very religions they are purporting to protect. Nimue’s perspective on her own Christianity and use of magic is especially enlightening, and in an election year like this, I feel that Grossman has really put his finger on the pulse of where religion and faith clash. I have been a card carrying Christian and regular Sunday attendee for almost thirty years now, and found some real peace to be found in the way Nimue’s faith carried her from Christ on a cross, to magic in a field. Grossman’s approach to faith feels a little like my own, faithful but not at the expense of humanity and humor.
Arthur was ardently Christian — if his toast landed butter-side up he was on his knees thanking God before you could say knife.
The conversations Grossman engages with concerning Arthurian Christianity, he also discusses with regards to whole systems of government, and the idea of where our rulers come from. There is a touch of “Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government” about the dialogue that the knights dip in and out of. This is what we believe, this is what we are waiting for, but also a lot of reflection on why do we do this and where does it come from. One of my favorite recurring themes is the legitimacy of the claim to the throne of Sir Constantine, who of the knights, is the only one with a real claim, and a father who is a minor King in his own right. If anyone can take Arthur’s place on paper, it is Constantine, but he repeatedly refutes his own claim and threatens to leave completely if they try and make him! Only those who don’t want to be in power, deserve to wield that power maybe. The mind of one inclined to rule an empire is not necessarily the best one to do so, as the culmination of this story proves.
“I prefer my ambitions thwarted, thank you.” — Sir Constantine
Grossman ends the novel with several pages of information about the origins of Arthurian legend and why he has taken the liberties he has. In some ways, I wish this had been a preface instead, as it greatly enhanced my feelings towards the story. Grossman does not shy away from the darker parts of the tale, the rape of Igraine, the incest of Arthur, but he also draws together the ideas about a Britain in suffering, a patchwork of people and systems from Rome, to Arthur to the arrival of the Saxons. He does a masterful job of presenting a country in political, social and moral turmoil. Having been working on this narrative since 2015, I think its appearance in the American landscape of 2024 is a work of the fates.
It was June, and nature wasn’t in mourning for King Arthur, Martins whipped in and out of the trees, and the roadsides were deep with drifts of wildflowers, wild carrot, and cow parsley.
While I am not a fan of the arrogant tagline that the publisher has attached to this book that does not bear repeating, I am very pleased with this work as an addition to the Arthurian canon. I have thoroughly enjoyed Grossman’s narrative style and so will definitely be dipping into his popular back catalog later this year.
GeekMom received a copy of this book for review purposes
