The Mists of Avalon
by Marion Zimmer Bradley
Rating: 9/10
Teaser: Many authors have attempted to portray the world of King Arthur, but this book is something unique. Bradley takes a fascinating twist on the tale; she looks through the eyes of the women in his life: his aunt Viviane, his mother Igraine, his aunt Morgause, his wife Gwenhwyfar, and his half-sister, Morgaine. In beautifully cunning form, Bradley depicts realistic characters with hopes, dreams, and fears in Britain shortly after the Romans left. Her Camelot is not quite the place of mythic wonder readers are accustomed to: instead, Camelot is a real place populated with real people, people who fall in love with each other, sometimes at the cost of their lives.
Review: Bradley took an old story and breathed refreshing, new life into it! She told the story of King Arthur--the stories we're all familiar with, such as The quest for the Holy Grail and the love of Guinevere and Lancelot--in a way previously unimagined.
Bradley's use of multiple and opposing points of view within the story help to create a three-dimensional picture of a world we so often write off to valor and honor. She successfully writes the conception, founding, and death of an empire within three generation; a life-path that closely follows that of the central family.
Although all books have their weak points, this one's are hard to find. The biggest "hole" is the glaring inequality of power. Bradley posits the two most powerful characters (Viviane and Morgaine) on one side of the fence against a weak-willed female lead (Gwenhwyfar) and two tortured male leads (Arthur and Lancelet). This unequal distribution of power sometimes leaves the reader wondering if Bradley is merely writing feminist propaganda. However, this reviewer thinks this oversight can be forgiven due to two reasons: Viviane and Morgaine both question their real power and the morality of its use, and the ultimate victor in the series.
Quote: "And so, perhaps, the truth winds somewhere between the road to Glastonbury, Isle of Priests, and the road to Avalon, lost forever in the mists of the Summer Sea. But this is my truth: I who am Morgaine tell you these things, Morgaine who was in later days called Morgan le Fay."
