Book Overview
Born of an incestuous relationship between King Arthur and his half sister, the evil sorceress Morgause, the bastard Mordred is reared in secrecy. Called to Camelot by events he cannot deny, Mordred... This description may be from another edition of this product.
Format:Paperback
Language:English
ISBN:0449205193
ISBN13:9780449205198
Release Date:January 1984
Publisher:Fawcett Crest
Weight:0.47 lbs.
Dimensions:7.0" x 1.3" x 4.4"
Customer Reviews
4 ratings
The Wicked Day
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 19 years ago
I found this book, like the other 3 from the Arthurian saga, by Mary Steward, to be a refreshing way of telling a very old and loved story. I read other versions of the saga that I found interesting, but too stuffy for most people. This story draws you in and makes you feel for the characters, specially Mordred, no as the villian he's portrayed on most versions, but as a human being drawn by a pre-destined future to do what he does, and even when he tries to fight it, he's the victim of circumstances beyond his control. So to me it made it attractive, because of the very human emotions that the characters convey, which shows more than on other books of the same genre that I have read. Those emotions made me keep on reading and hoping for a different end, even thou I knew how it will be. To me that's real story-telling, and Mary Stewart is excellent at it.
A worthy sequel
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 20 years ago
Often, when a fourth book is written after a successful trilogy, it tends to suffer in comparison to the originals. (see Ursula La Guin's Tehanu as a primary example of this) This book clearly avoids this syndrome and succeeds greatly as an alternative take on the story of Mordred. Just as the Merlin trilogy portrayed Merlin in a light not really seen elsewhere, Mary Stewart's take on Mordred comes at this normally-reviled character from an unexpectedly sympathetic point of view and succeeds on essentially every note. Just like other reviewers, I'd strongly recommend reading the Merlin trilogy first, but as soon as you've devoured those, tear into this one. You won't regret it.
Mordred .... a hero (?)
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 24 years ago
After having read Mary Stewart's Merlin trilogy, I was rather reluctant to read this book. Having pre-conceived ideas of Mordred's evil character, I didn't want to destroy the 'feel-good' warmth that I had at the end of the trilogy. But, having started Stewart's journey, I just felt I had to finish it, even though I knew it would not be a happy ending. How wrong I was!!!! This book threw all my expectations of doom and gloom out the window, and impossible as it may seem ... I actually ended up feeling good even if the end was rather tragic. It is extremely refreshing to see Mordred put in an entirely different light - a courageous, strong-willed and honest man, instead of the evil, greedy and conniving son in other more common versions. Unfortunately, in this book, it was circumstances and misunderstandings that went against him. The best part was - it was totally believable!!! If you only want to know 1 version of Mordred's story, then this should be it.
Possibly my favorite of Stewart's novels.
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 25 years ago
I've always been attracted to the character of Mordred in Arthurian legend and who he was (or wasn't). Stewart tells a grim tale, densely,--and the ending is by far the finest I've encountered in any other Arthurian novel: Mordred and Arthur fighting against one another. Even Stewart admits in her notes that tracing back to the first mention of Mordred, there was no mention of him fighting *against* his father (or possibly his uncle), but simply dying in the same battle. Presented in "The Wicked Day" the way it is, the Mordred-Arthur "conflict" is much more heartrending and dark. I loved this book.
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