A review by angelasasser
The Dragon and the Unicorn by A.A. Attanasio
4.0
Whatever I was expecting when I first read this book was completely blown out of the water by one of the most unique and well-crafted epics I have read in quite awhile, and since!
While this is a retelling of Arthurian legends, do not be fooled by such well-recognized themes. This novel reads more like an ancient tale told around the fire than it does the dulcet and expected lines of most predictable retellings of Arthurian legend, and yet at the same time, Attanasio adds a strange mix of scientific cosmology with glimpses of the future intersecting with the past. This can be offputting to some, but intriguing to others, such as myself.
This particular volume follows the trials of Ygrane, the celtic priestess with knowledge of her past lives, Merlin, the demon now shackled by the form of a man who ages backwards, and the rise of Uther, the would-be father of Arthur. The lives of all three intersect, their stories unfolding in vivid, fearless descriptions that harken back to the gritty clash of Christianity and Celtic religion which permeated the ancient times of Brittania before King Arthur's ascent.
I have nothing bad to say about this book other than the beginning starts out slow. But keep reading, my friends, and it does not disappoint, especially if you have a taste for the gritty, sensual, and vividly recreated style of a great myth.
While this is a retelling of Arthurian legends, do not be fooled by such well-recognized themes. This novel reads more like an ancient tale told around the fire than it does the dulcet and expected lines of most predictable retellings of Arthurian legend, and yet at the same time, Attanasio adds a strange mix of scientific cosmology with glimpses of the future intersecting with the past. This can be offputting to some, but intriguing to others, such as myself.
This particular volume follows the trials of Ygrane, the celtic priestess with knowledge of her past lives, Merlin, the demon now shackled by the form of a man who ages backwards, and the rise of Uther, the would-be father of Arthur. The lives of all three intersect, their stories unfolding in vivid, fearless descriptions that harken back to the gritty clash of Christianity and Celtic religion which permeated the ancient times of Brittania before King Arthur's ascent.
I have nothing bad to say about this book other than the beginning starts out slow. But keep reading, my friends, and it does not disappoint, especially if you have a taste for the gritty, sensual, and vividly recreated style of a great myth.