Legend of the Emerald Rose Book

I enjoyed reading this as I love this era and most things in and around the Arthur legend. I think it was a 3.5 for me but rounded it up, probably because some things in it at the end just made me smile. I am well aware that the Arthurian legend is just that - a legend from a time so long ago that we can not determine truth from myth. No one really knows if Arthur even existed, but whether he did not not, his tale has survived for centuries. There are some thing we do know about those times and although the Arthur legend has been written a lot of ways, there are some common threads that are constant. There was one thing that was a big part of this book that bothered me as it just is not part of the Arthur legend or of the time and place.

First let me explain that this is not about Arthur but rather is after his death. The story begins with a bard telling a story to some young boys and especially to an inquisitve youngster who catches his attention. The book is the story he tells. Guenevere has been slain and Merlin has disappeared. Mordred still lives and is the villain in this story although in different ways than in the usual tellings of the legend. Add to this story, Guenevere bore a child before she was killed. Merlin also had sons. These twists made this story unique and it did make for interesting reading. The part that bothered me as just not ringing true to history nor to the legend, was the addition of Christianity. I am a Christian so do not object to the beliefs in a book. I also love history and the stories about the Druids and the old religion that was practiced in the fifth and sixth century in Europe is a fascinating part of pre-Christianity.

This post-Arthur story portrays just about all of the main characters not only Christians but very very devout Christians. Lancelot and even Merlin which was a little bit far reaching to me since Merlin was a Druid. I found this distracting and almost like it was preachy. It took away from the story which perhaps would not have bothered me had I not read quite a bit about this time in history and this particular legend.

I am a huge fan of Juliet Marillier's books and especially her trilogy The Bridei Chronicles. The little mention toward the end of King Bridei and the King's Druid made me smile and like this entire book a little bit more. There was a tie there that made it kind of special.

I did not even mention the main characters are Emerald Rose Rayn, daughter of Guenevere and Pendragon heir and Shadoe who is Merlin's son. Along with the the remainder of the Knights of the Round Table and the chieftains they can pull together, they fight to keep Mordred from destroying all that they love. Camelot still exists in this book, and there are some great descriptions of it.