The Bright Sword

Starred review from May 13, 2024
Bestseller Grossman (the Magicians trilogy) turns his hand to Arthurian legends, delivering a breathtaking tale that honors past iterations while producing something entirely unexpected. Young Collum escapes the lordly household where he’s been raised, liberating a suit of armor and a steed in the process, and travels to Camelot, where he hopes to serve King Arthur. He arrives too late—Arthur has already fallen at the Battle of Camlann. The few knights left at Camelot know that others will come seeking the throne but aren’t sure what to do. Grossman interweaves stories of each knight’s past with the ongoing quest to find a worthy heir to Arthur’s crown, which takes them and Collum into the Otherworld in search of a holy lance. In his historical note, Grossman acknowledges that he is among the camp of Arthurian writers “who pick and choose what they like,” producing a work “full of a lot of authentic historical detail but also a lot of anachronisms and contradictions.” Indeed, Grossman has his own take on beloved characters: Sir Bedivere is in unrequited love with Arthur, witty Sir Dinadan is trans and learned swordcraft from a fairy, and Sir Palomides is secretly a prince of Baghdad. There’s even a hint that Collum may be something more than he first appears. Grossman does a remarkable job of pulling together these disparate strands while providing enough combat and magic to keep the pages turning. Epic fantasy fans will hang on every word.

Starred review from December 1, 2024

Grossman (The Magicians) returns with an intricately woven, richly detailed, and thoroughly researched Arthurian tale. Collum, a knight-aspirant to the fabled Round Table, finds himself drawn into the realms of magic and treachery when he arrives at Camelot in the wake of King Arthur's demise, as told in Le Morte d'Arthur. Only a handful of forgotten and misbegotten knights remain. Searching for a new king for Camelot, they set out on a great quest that challenges them beyond their usual stations. Each character has a place in the tale, and their individual backstories are interwoven with the main narrative to add depth to the ongoing quest. Don't be fooled, however--these ancient stories are given new life by Grossman, who embraces the challenge to rethink who these knights may have been and what they looked like. Grossman's skillful recreation and evolution of Arthurian storytelling is bolstered by Nicholas Guy Smith's exceptional performance as narrator, imbuing each character with a richness and fullness that will have listeners hanging on his every word. VERDICT A triumph of classic fantasy storytelling that embraces tradition just as much as it turns tradition on its head, this is sure to resonate with high-fantasy readers everywhere.--Collin Stephenson

Copyright 2024 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.