The legend of King Arthur’s court told through the eyes of the women behind the throne is the spellbinding story in this week’s staff pick The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley. Don’t be turned away by the book’s size (876 pages!), this original retelling of an old legend is an engrossing page turner.
“In Marion Zimmer Bradley’s masterpiece, we see the tumult and adventures of Camelot’s court through the eyes of the women who bolstered the king’s rise and schemed for his fall. From their childhoods through the ultimate fulfillment of their destinies, we follow these women and the diverse cast of characters that surrounds them as the great Arthurian epic unfolds stunningly before us. As Morgaine and Gwenhwyfar struggle for control over the fate of Arthur’s kingdom, as the Knights of the Round Table take on their infamous quest, as Merlin and Viviane wield their magics for the future of Old Britain, the Isle of Avalon slips further into the impenetrable mists of memory, until the fissure between old and new worlds’ and old and new religions’ claims its most famous victim.” —Amazon
