Here lies Arthur is the "real" story of King Arthur as told by Gwyna, a Welsh orphan girl who is rescued by Myrddin (Merlin) and is used by him to spin his magic webs of mystery and greatness that surround the king. This is a story full of cross-dressing, secrets and the "truth" about King Arthur.This is a fantastic book. It is well written, with a good setting and plot, without overpowering descriptions. It really draws you into Gwyna’s plight: from her rescue to her well-kept secrets, to her hidden love.
Some readers may have a problem connecting the Welsh names to the traditional Arthur stories, but this shouldn’t put you off and all is explained in the author’s note. Apart from that there is nothing negative to say about this truly gripping and enchanting tale.
For Here Lies Arthur I'd give an overall rating of ten out of ten.
Aoife adds her thoughts
I would definitely recommend Here Lies Arthur to readers aged 12 and over and it can be enjoyed by girls and boys, but you need to pay attention to every line since the plot changes very rapidly.
I like this book because it seems realistic and makes you feel as if it happened, even though most of it is fiction. By the end of it you are very surprised that it really is something someone made up.
I’d give Here Lies Arthur a ten out of ten for plot, an eight out of ten for writing and a ten out of ten for page-turning qualities.
Here Lies Arthur by Philip Reeve is published by Scholastic. To order a copy from Amazon, please click the link below:
Here Lies Arthur
