The Mists of Avalon: Avalon Book 7

This is my favourite book about the Arthurian legend and I have read possibly more than I can remember. Marion Zimmer Bradley succeeded in breathing new life into the Arthurian saga, and at the same time, she didn't step too far away from the spirit of it. Placing the emphasis on the fascinating female characters that shaped the fate of Arthur and of Camelot, she created a monumental work that is now the basis on which most of us rate the works about King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table.

Morgaine is our eyes and ears in The Mists of Avalon. It is through her perspective that we come to know Igraine, her mother, Gorlois, her father, Uther, Arthur, Gwenhwyfar, Morgause, Merlin, Vivianne, Lancelot, and all the other well-known figures of the Arthurian Tales. Is our perspective limited since we get to see the story mostly through her eyes? In my opinion, no, because the writer has created Morgaine in such a way that she comes across as a reliable narrator. She is not a fanatic, but I can feel that she is a good judge of characters and I can relate to her. In stark contrast to her stands Gwenhwyfar, the only character in the book that can be described as a ‘‘snooze-fest''. With her obssessive views about religion, her lack of education, she is so irritating...And of course, her actions are far away from what she names as ‘‘Christian love'', and we all know that she is a hypocrite.

The male characters are the ‘‘heroes'' we have come to know from the Arthurian myths. Arthur is Arthur, clever and willing, but weak in judgment and in spirit. I never liked Lancelot much and in Marion Zimmer Bradley's version, he is even more unsympathetic. Mordred's voice comes across strong and clear, voicing desperation and rage against the neglect of his parents and the manner he was begotten, asking for what he feels is his by right. I must confess I've always sided with Mordred in every version of the myth I have come across. Two very interesting male characters besides Mordred are Accolon and Kevin the Bard.

In my opinion, what makes this novel so powerful is its ending. It depicts completion, the way life comes full circle, and the fact that we may give different names to people and places and elements in our lives, but most of the times we all mean the same thing, fighting over thin air, really.