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Everything Old

is New Again:

Retold
Fairy Tales & Legends

ARTHURIAN
LEGENDS

"Legends preserve human heroes through the ages until they grow larger than life. What might have begun as historical fact becomes glorified legend. Keeping our culture's British heritage strong are two of our most enduring legends, King Arthur and Robin Hood, one royal, one a commoner, both centuries old (MacRae 255)." There are hundreds of Arthurian books for all age levels. The following is merely a glimpse to get a young adult reader started. MacRae suggests that Arthurian books can be divided into contemporary fiction, historical novels, heroic fantasy, and mythic fantasy (p. 255-281).

Andronik, Catherine M. Quest for a King: Searching for the Real King Arthur.
NY: Atheneum, 1989.

Nonfiction. Good introduction to the historical search for Arthur.

Ashley, Mike (Ed). The Merlin Chronicles.
NY: Carroll & Graf, 1995.

Anthology with a guide to Arthurian characters and 10 original and 12 reprinted stories ranging in tone from light to serious.

_____. The Camelot Chronicles.
NY: Carroll & Graf, 1992.

Anthology of 18 stories written in this century including 10 written since 1980.

Barron, T.A. The Lost Years of Merlin Series.

  • The Lost Years of Merlin.
    The Seven Songs of Merlin.
    The Fires of Merlin.

_____. The Merlin Effect.

Bradley, Marion Zimmer. Avalon Series.

  • Mists.
    The Forest House.
    Lady of Avalon.
    The Mists of Avalon.

Popular with older young adults who like the "longer the better, don't let it end" books.

Bradshaw, Gillian. Hawk of May Trilogy.

  • Hawk of May.
    Kingdom of Summer.
    In Winter's Shadow.

Chadwick, Elizabeth. First Knight.
NY: Pocket, 1995.

Novelization of the movie starring Richard Gere and Sean Connery.

Cochran, Molly, and Warren Murphy. Arthur Blessing trilogy.

  • The Forever King.
    The Broken Sword.
    Forthcoming.

Chant, Joy. The High Kings: Arthur's Celtic Ancestors. NY: Bantam, 1983.

Chapman, Vera. The Three Damosels Trilogy.

  • The Green Knight.
    The King's Damosel.
    King Arthur's Daughter.

Cooper, Susan. The Dark is Rising Sequence.

  • Over Sea, Under Stone.
    The Dark is Rising.
    Greenwitch.
    The Grey King.
    Silver on the Tree.

Cornwell, Bernard. Warlords Chronicles.

  • The Winter King.
    Enemy of God.
    Excalibur.

Crompton, Ann Eliot. Merlin's Harp.
NY: Donald I. Fine, 1995.

Godwin, Parke. Firelord series.

Firelord.
Beloved Exile.
The Last Rainbow.

Thick, historical novels. Slow paced but some young adults love them.

Green, Roger Lancelyn. King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table.
NY: Knopf, 1993.

Hodges, Margaret, and Margery Evernden. Of Swords and Sorcerers: The Adventures of King Arthur and His Knights.
NY: Scribner, 1993.

Hopkins, Andrea (Ed). Chronicles of King Arthur.
NY: Viking Studio Books, 1994.

Introduction to and retelling of the medieval story cycle "Matter of Britain" based on the vulgate story cycle. Utilizes original text with expansions and clarifications added. Includes list of principal characters and a glossary.

Jones, Courtway. The Story of Dragon's Heirs.

  • In the Shadow of the Oak King.
    The Witch of the North.
    A Prince in Camelot.

Kay, Guy Gavriel. The Fionavar Tapestry.

  • The Summer Tree.
    The Wandering Fire.
    The Darkest Road.

Beautiful language and plots.

Laubenthal, Anne Sanders. Excalibur.
NY: Ballantine, 1978.

Lanier, Sidney. The Boy's King Arthur: Sir Thomas Malory's History of King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table.
NY: Scribner's, 1989.

The classic Malory retellings illustrated by N.C. Wyeth.

Lawland, Stephen R. The Pendragon Cycle.

  • Taliesin.
    Merlin.
    Arthur.
    Pendragon.
    Grail.

McCafferey, Anne. Black Horses for the King.
San Diego, CA: Harcourt Brace, 1996.

McKenzie, Nancy. Guinevere series.

  • The Child Queen.
    The High Queen.

Morpurgo, Michael. Arthur: High King of Britain. San Diego, CA: Harcourt Brace, 1995.

Gorgeous illustrations by Michael Foreman.

Newman, Sharon. Guinevere series.

  • Guinevere.
    A Chessboard Queen.
    Guinevere Evermore.

Patterson, Katherine. Parzival: The Quest of the Grail Knight.
NY: Lodestar, 1997.

Phillips, Graham, and Martin Keatman. King Arthur: The True Story.
North Pomfret, VT: Trafalger Square, 1994.

Pyle, Howard. The Story of King Arthur and His Knights.
4 vols. NY: Scribner, 1993.

Rice, Anne. The Last Pendragon.
NY: Walker, 1991.

Springer, Nancy. I Am Mordred: A Tale of Camelot. NY: Philomel, 1998.

Steinbeck, John. The Acts of King Arthur and His Noble Knights from the Winchester Manuscripts of Thomas Malory and Other Sources.
NY: Farrar, Straus, & Giroux, 1993.

Stewart, Mary. The Merlin Trilogy.

  • The Crystal Cave.
    The Hollow Hills.
    The Last Enchantment.

Stucliff, Rosemary. King Arthur series.

  • The Sword and the Circle: King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table.
    The Light Beyond the Forest: The Quest for the Holy Grail.
    The Road to Camlann: The Death of King Arthur.

Twain, Mark. A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court. NY: Norton, 1982. Originally published 1889.

White, T. H. The Once and Future King.
NY: Ace, 1996.

_____. The Book of Merlyn. Austin, TX: University of Texas Press, 1977.

Whyte, Jack. The Camulod Chronicles.

  • The Skystone.
    The Singing Sword.
    The Eagles' Brood.
    The Saon Shore.

Woolly, Persia. Guinevere series.

  • Child of the Northern Spring.
    Queen of the Summer Stars.
    Guinevere: The Legend in Autumn.

Yolen, Jane. Passenger.
NY: Harcourt Brace, 1996.

_____. Merlin. NY: Harcourt Brace, 1997.

_____. The Dragon's Boy. NY: HarperCollins, 1990.

_____. Merlin's Booke. Minneapolis, MN: SteelDragon Press, 1986.
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