The Island of the Mighty by Evangeline Walton

Goodreads Synopsis:
Tricked into giving birth to him, the sorceress Arianhod swore that the child should be nameless until she named him...that he should not bear arms until she herself bestowed them...and that he should never love a woman of the human race.

But her brother and lover Gwydion tricked her into bestowing a name, Liew...and Gwydion's wiles brought her to arm him...and then Gwydion called upon his craft to produce a woman who was supremely lovely and ardent in her passion for Liew..yet not human. (less)


My Review:
If you are a fan of mythology in general then read this book. If you are a fan of, more specifically, English and Welsh mythology/literature then you definitely need to read this. Evangeline Walton takes from the Welsh cycle of legends, called the Mabinogion, and creates an amazingly vivid narrative. And for the super nerd, she sprinkles footnotes and various references throughout the book that refer to these ancient stories.  You can definitely get a sense of Walton's love and knowledge of the legends. She uses all of it to bring each character to life with language that is flowery but intelligent. I absolutely loved this book and look forward to reading the rest in the series.

If you'd like to read more about the Mabinogion: http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/celt/mab/index.htm

The Author

Author Tidbit: Walton said of her knack for writing fantasy: “My own method has always been to try to put flesh and blood on the bones of the original myth; I almost never contradict sources, I only add and interpret.”

The Way of King Arthur by Christopher Hibbert

Book Synopsis from Goodreads: 
A fascinating and vivid depiction of the actual life and times of the real-life sixth-century British warrior who was to become known and loved as the legendary King Arthur.

My Thoughts:
This is a fairly quick read for a history book. I finished it in a day and I'm not a fast reader. What I appreciated most about this particular book on King Arthur is that it gives you a good summary of the history and warfare taking place during the supposed time of Arthur's life. I love history, but I retain information better when I can have an aerial view of it. In other words, summarize it for me pretty please. Once I have a good overview knowledge of the topic then I can better appreciate the details.

       Any type of fan of King Arthur could enjoy this book. Whether you prefer the historical no-nonsense point of view or if you prefer the romantic legend, this goes into both sides of the man. It rounds out the timeline of literary inspiration as well as the events taking place in England before, during, and after King Arthur's existence. And the last two or so chapters are dedicated to the archeological discoveries made in England that have shed more light on the legend. The language is simple but engaging without talking down to the reader. The author avoids doling out dry servings of history and sticks to the known facts while still retaining a healthy dose of romanticism.

The Author

Author Tidbit: A popular & prolific historian and biographer, Christopher Hibbert was actually born Arthur Raymond Hibbert. The name Christopher stuck after an Army Sergeant Major referred to him as "Christopher Robin" for his youthful looks.