HISTORICAL FICTION REVIEW: King Athur: Dragons Child - MK Hume

BOOK BLURB:

Uther Pendragon, High King of Britain, is dying. As he weakens, Britain is being torn apart by the squabbling of kings. Only one man can bring them together. This is the legend of Artorex, the man destined to be King Arthur.

Artorex, tall for his years, is growing up in the household of Lord Ector. Artorex was sent here by the Bishop of Glastonbury when he was but a babe in arms and, although his parentage is unknown, life has been unremarkable. That is, until the arrival of three men who arrange for him to be trained in the skills of the warrior; blade and shield, horse and fire; pain and bravery.

By the time the men return, Artorex is both a father and a warrior – and married to Lady Gallia. The country is in a desperate state – Londinium is about to fall to the Saxons and Artorex is needed to help fight their advance. But to do so, he must leave his wife and family in the care of others. In an act of appalling treachery, they are slaughtered. But despite his terrible grief, Artorex’s destiny is set. He launches into a campaign of battle against the Saxon hordes, earning himself the trust of all men, and proving himself to be the only worthy successor to Uther. But Uther cannot accept Artorex’s role and hides his sword and crown.

If Artorex is to unite the kings and fulfil his destiny, he needs the weapon destined to be worn by the High King of the Britons. Can he find the embittered Uther's hiding place? The future of Britain is at stake...


REVIEW:

With a great many books having been written about the life and times of King Arthur, an author really does have to come up with something a little special to stand out in the sea of literature. Here MK Hume steps into the front line with her first tale in whats set to be a trilogy of a tale that utilises the best of the myths along with transfering them to what many believe is historically the real time period of the King.

What ensues in this first book (of the trilogy) is his journey from boyhood to manhood and his taking of the throne upon the death of Uther with a tale that really will enthuse the reader. The writing style is a pure joy to read and its obvious from the opening couple of pages how enthused the author is along with how clued up they are about the time period. Definitely a tale for all who love a good historical epic with characters so tangable you can almost meet them face to face. Cracking offering and we'll eagerly devour the next tale in October.