Book review: The Bright Sword by Lev Grossman

I have always been a fan of King Arthur. I remember in the sixth grade when I was first introduced to the stories, and I imagined what it would be like to live in Camelot. I loved the idea of the Round Table - and secretly wished I could become one of its Knights. As I grew older I discovered BBC's Merlin series, which had a completely different take on the legends I had loved. Since then I have discovered Legendborn and Tracy Deonn's amazing magic system that transformed the Knights into modern-day legends. So when I learned Lev Grossman, author of The Magicians trilogy, had written his own take on Arthurian legend, I immediately was on board.

The concept behind this novel hooked me the moment I read it: Collum has dreamed his entire life of becoming a Knight of the Round Table, and finally has made his way to Camelot. However, upon arrival, he finds out the battle of Camlann was two weeks ago, and the few survivors are the ones who never were the main characters in the legends of old. It's a disappointment for Collum to say the least, but Camelot needs a king - and it's up to this group to figure out who that is going to be.

Something I will warn about before I continue: this book does not shy away from the darkness contained in the original legends. So if you are triggered by abuse, manipulation, or violence of any kind - this is not a book for you! It handles these themes incredibly well, focusing primarily on the consequences these kinds of actions can have on a group of people. However, they are mentioned frequently, which is why I felt like it was needed as a warning.

What I loved the most about this book was the fact it was not as linear as one would expect from a novel. Our main story that follows Collum is told in chronological order - however, various asides jump back and forth in time. I know some readers can find these jarring, but I found them crucial to understanding our entire cast of characters because these chapters give the backstory of the knights who survived. We not only see their backgrounds, but also their views of Arthur - which provides a complicated yet realistic look at the iconic King in a story after his death. I found this created an amazing character study on Arthur Pendragon, and by looking at him through multiple points of view, it allowed the reader to truly get to know him. We saw how he presented himself, how he was when he was with those he trusted, and how being the King that everyone needed broke the man behind the scenes.

In addition to the various character studies the novel gives us, it creates a fascinating look into the culture of Camelot with the main conflict being between magic vs. religion. However, instead of there being a right and wrong way - there is instead nuance. There are good people on both sides and even one who happens to be on both. There are also bad people on both sides. I appreciated the way the book handled this with nuance and grace, never once insulting either side, while they were able to eventually admit both had their pros and cons. I feel like this is actually a very powerful message for today's world, as many times we need to set down our metaphorical swords and work together instead of tearing each other apart. I am not sure if the way this was written was specifically to mirror today's cultural climate - but I cannot help but notice the similarities between what is happening now and what happened in the story.

Overall, this book is going to be the longest I read this year, and I am glad I did. It's a wonderful ode to the sidekicks, giving them their own story and showing us that even if you spent your life on the sidelines, you can still become a hero. With beautiful prose and fun characters, I would recommend The Bright Sword to anyone who has a love for the King Arthur legends and wants a new adventure with the Knights of the Round Table.

The Bright Sword is available through Penguin Random House