A Song of Ice and Fire... and Geeks

[J_Mimbs]

Bugbear, the Pendragon Cycle is a series of books centered around Arthur and Merlin, but in a more "historical" setting, albeit with fantasy elements. Merlin is a Christian Druid, Arthur is a British chieftain, etc. The series is set in the 5th century; Hadrian's wall is still the main defense against the "barbarians" to the North, but the incursion of "Saecsens" is another issue.

Then there's the Atlanteans, but that's a whole 'nother thing.

All in all they are well written books but not what some people expect if they only know the popular stories of Arthur and Camelot. Heck, Arthur doesn't even enter the story until the third book. The first one is about Merlin's father lol!

[Bugbear]

Bugbear, the Pendragon Cycle is a series of books centered around Arthur and Merlin, but in a more "historical" setting, albeit with fantasy elements. Merlin is a Christian Druid, Arthur is a British chieftain, etc. The series is set in the 5th century; Hadrian's wall is still the main defense against the "barbarians" to the North, but the incursion of "Saecsens" is another issue.

Then there's the Atlanteans, but that's a whole 'nother thing.

All in all they are well written books but not what some people expect if they only know the popular stories of Arthur and Camelot. Heck, Arthur doesn't even enter the story until the third book. The first one is about Merlin's father lol!

Too much Arthurian reading on my waiting list. I watched the Merlin series with some of my Neo-Druid and New Age friends, and have the books by James Mallory, but have not yet read through them, so that is up first.

I have read the two volumes of Le Mort d'Arthur, attributed to Thomas Malory, as well as, Idylls of the King, by Tennyson; studied those a little in college.

Alan Lupack says each generation and culture pretty much remakes the Arthurian tradition in the introduction to, The Oxford Guide to Arthurian Literature and Legend. It's a little like adaptive retelling of the story is part of the Arthurian tradition.