Children's Book review

Here Lies Arthur

By Philip Reeve

Published by

The Arthur striding through storyteller-magician, Myrdinn's, tales is noble, a high-minded warrior dedicated to uniting war-torn Britain against the Saxons.

But servant-girl, Gwyna, rescued by Myrdinn and woven into his stories, knows another Arthur, driven by greed, power and desire. Whether serving in Arthur's war-band disguised as a boy or at his court as a girl, Gwyna's life is inextricably linked with Arthur's in an age of random violence and superstition – not nobility.

In poetic, visceral language reverberating with alliteration and internal rhymes Reeve has woven his own electrifying version of the Arthur legend.

The violence is darkly terrifying, the sense of landscape immediate and haunting and Gwyna/Gwyn's shifting gender permits Reeve to cast a unique, strikingly vivid glimpse into dark-age Britain.

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Reading age: 11+
Interest level: 10+