Firelord by Parke Godwin Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Firelord
Book Review: Highest Recommendation
Summary: 5 Stars
I recently discovered that I had somehow misplaced this book. Thankfully I am able to purchase another via Amazon.com--or, at least, that is the game plan. As such, this is the reason why I presently find myself at this place, and for no other reason I have decided to place my thoughts here for you review.Now, if you are reading this, I presume you are considering reading/purchasing/obtaining Mr. Godwin's novel. Let me give you a bit of advice. It is simply the best retelling of the Arthurian legend I have come across. Moreover, it is not only one of the best novels I have read, but one of my favorites. I rank it along with Herbert's Dune, McCullogh's The Grass Crown, Steakley's Armor, Heinlein's Starship Troopers, Forester's Mr. Midshipman Hornblower, Niven's Ringworld, and LeGuin's A Wizard of Earthsea--all old time favorites.
To be sure, others may have a different view. But let me give you more to think about.
You should note that this book has received a number of awards--though I am unable to name a single one at this time. You will discover their identity when you get your copy of the book.
I have read this book every two years since I first picked it up in the early 1980s. While my copy is regrettably quite dog-eared and now mysteriously lost, it maintained a proud place in my library.
My knowledge of the Arthurian legend stems from what I consider to be an extensive review of literature on the genre. I even took a class on the subject way back when in college through my alma mater's Arthurian studies department (yep, they actually had such a thing--though I pursued aero/astro engineering). It was the only book the professor recommended, which gave me a rewarding feeling for I had already read it several times before hearing such.
I rank this book as an exceptional novel and give it my highest recommendation. It is a rare find indeed.
Book Review: LIFETIME FAVORITE BOOK
Summary: 5 Stars
THIS BOOK HAS BECOME A CHERISHED RAG THAT I FEEL COMPELLED TO READ SEVERAL TIMES A YEAR BECAUSE I HUNGER FOR THE BEAUTY OF IT.I'M SURE I HAVE READ THOUSANDS OF BOOKS IN MY LIFE, BUT NONE STRIKE LIKE THIS ONE. I LAUGH OUT LOUD AND CRY TEARS EVERY TIME I READ IT. I THUMB BACK TO CERTAIN PARTS JUST TO REREAD THE INCREDIBLE PROSE, A TURN OF PHRASE, OR PART OF THE DIALOGUE. I LACK THE WORDS TO DESCRIBE THE AWESOME POWER OF THIS BOOK. WHEN YOU READ THIS BOOK YOU WILL SAY "NOW THAT'S HOW IT REALLY MUST HAVE HAPPENED!" THE CHARACTERS ARE SO REAL TO ME I HAVE DREAMED ABOUT THEM.THEY ARE THE STANDARD BY WHICH I JUDGE ALL OTHER KING ARTHUR NOVELS-AND FIND ALLOTHERS WANTING.PARKE GODWIN HAS CREATED A GUINEVERE I GET MAD AT BUT JUST CANT DISPISE.ARTHUR I WOULD HAVE FOLLOWED NAKED AND WEAPONLESS UP MT. BADON.TRISTAN IS SO REAL AND TRAGIC I CAN HEAR HIS HARP SCREAM. THE ONLY BAD THING I CAN SAY IS THIS BOOK LEAVES ME YEARNING LIKE A DRUG ADDICT WITH NO MORE DRUGS. I'VE READ EVERY PARKE GODWIN BOOK I CAN FIND.FOR MERCY'S SAKE WRITE MORE!!I WANT TO KNOW WHAT IT TAKES TO GET A BOOK BACK IN PRINT. IT IS A SUPRESSION OF ART TO LET BOOKS LIKE THIS GO OUT OF PRINT.I HAVE READ SO MANY KING ARTHUR BOOKS MY FAMILY THINKS I NEED THERAPY, INCLUDING WHYTE,WHITE,BRADLEY,STEWART,CORNWELL,LAWHEAD,WOOLEY,MILES ETC.NONE ARE AS GOOD.I'LL KEEP READING WITH A HOPEFUL HEART.ANY RECCOMENDATIONS?IF I KNEW WHERE PARKE GODWIN LIVED I'D CAMP ON HIS DOORSTEP TIL HE WROTE MORE.YOU DESERVE A PULITZER,PARKE!Book Review: One of the better renditions of the Arthurian story.
Summary: 3 Stars
A quick & satisfying portrayal of Arthur the Romanized Celt who halted, for a brief time, the inexorable Saxon advance which ultimately gave us England & Wales. Not overly steeped in the fantastic and the "hard-to-believe", it reads "true" to the few historical sources and the background material we have of this time today. And it offers just a touch of mystery: Merlin appears as a vision who makes himself known to Arthur at crucial moments in his life (to guide him toward his destiny) while the Faerie folk are presented as the primitive and diminutive stone-age remnants of the first men to inhabit the British Isles (w/all the "magic" of such primitive peoples and the fear of the unknown they may inspire among the ignorant). This tale depicts a very convincing Romano/British world, fighting against the insistent thrust of the newer, land-hungry Germanic peoples. Arthur & his companions are a convincing crew, as well, as they move through the old legends but w/a modern spin. My main quibble is with the dream-like experiences of Arthur among the Faerie folk. I couldn't quite see why he should have felt "out of time" or forgotten his own kind and self while in their midst, nor did their existence seem at all the idyllic sort which Arthur appears to experience among them. Maybe its just my modern prejudices showing through, but I thought the author included this stuff more in the spirit of a pro-forma nod to the legendary magic, to explain it to us moderns, because what, afterall, is an Arthurian tale without its mysterious wizard and enchantresses? Yet it's ultimately unconvincing & rather silly. Living in filthy hovels in the earth among the Faerie, surrounded by one's cattle and sheep may be okay to those who haven't lived differently, but few will choose it when they have other options. Arthur's difficulty in forsaking this life because of its spiritual quality just didn't ring true. (Witness the rapid demise of this form of life wherever primitive nomads encounter more modern lifestyles in our time.) Still, this provides the author one means of imparting what he seems to believe are the necessary, traditional magic and fantasy elements. While my preferences lean toward books which truly smell of their times (and this one is an historical/fantasy novel told by an Arthur with a deceptively modern sensibility), I thought it actually did work, and that it manages to convince and carry the reader into a reasonable facsimile of what Arthurian Britain may have been like. Not all that easy a task, as numerous failed Arthur tales have shown us. -- Stuart W. Mirsky (mirsky@ix.netcom.comBook Review: my favorite book
Summary: 5 Stars
This is by far my favorite book of all time (followed closley by Tolkiens "Lord of the Rings" and Goldmans "the Princess Bride". This is the kind of book that will leave a lasting inprint on your soul. Passages like, "Rest you gentle, sleep you sound", "Lancelots not the only one who counts",the way Trystan refers to Arthur as "my commit" and the infamous opening paragraph "Catch the lightning, friend. Chain the wind." those are things that will be with me all my life, images that will apear in my dreams and come to my lips when i least expect him. I just saw the movie "King Arthur" and i came home and read "Firelord" The way Godwin writes can not be contested, cannot be matched, cannot be out done let alone reproduced. one thing i feel compelled to add, this is the version of Trystan that i fell in love with, now i'm a bit of a Trystan junkie. How can any woman resist that screaming harp like the sea?
Book Review: the best Arthurian retelling, bar none
Summary: 5 Stars
Not even "The Mists of Avalon" can touch it.Arthur himself narrates, and while his voice and sensibilities may strike some as too modern and cynical, he fits the portrayal of a chaotic, Romanized society awaiting its inevitable doom. Arthur also provides an immediate hook into the story, which contains some of the most recognizably human characters I have yet found in an epic. Finally the knights are real, the whole bloody lot of abrasive, pigheaded men torn between loyalty to their clans and to the whole of Britain. Finally the women are real; Morgana is a very interesting twist on a Faerie queen, and Guinevere, long cast as a scheming adulteress or a weepy deadweight, at last stands as Arthur's equal and his most worthy opponent. As Arthur says, most kings have wives, but he had a queen. (Btw, if you like her here, read "Beloved Exile.")
The tale is a bit nonstandard, in that Arthur's father Uther is merely a Romanized noble, not the king of Britain; Arthur suceeds Ambrosius directly. Merlin is mostly absent, as is any overt magic, and when he does appear is anything but a bearded old man. Religion is largely a catch-as-catch-can issue in the complex, often self-destructive British society; there is also no Grail.
Instead, we get a look at a gritty, tumultuous period in the history of Britain through the eyes of a flawed, ambitious man who develops vision and compassion while stumbling towards true nobility. I cannot speak for historical accuracy, but the way things fall apart is stunning in its subtle inevitability; the characters react to each other and their environment in ways that seem natural, not forced by a preordained plot. Arthur and Guinevere's last effort to redeem themselves and patch things together has such desperate, moving potential that I find myself pleading with fate each time the story marches, naturally and relentlessly, to Camlan, where Modred fulfills his destiny.
And the ending is priceless.