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A review by stephilica
The Seeing Stone by Kevin Crossley-Holland
5.0
While this book's plot isn't terribly complex to someone familiar with Arthurian mythos, it is well-plotted, and the "dual timelines" between the "ancient" King Arthur in Camelot and the "modern" page Arthur de Caldicot during 1199 AD makes for an engaging and intertwined narrative.
The large cast of characters and fastidious attention to details of everyday medieval life make the setting feel lived-in and real. The "ancient" timeline, which has more of a fairytale-like atmosphere compared to the somber 1199 AD timeline, also intersects with the characters in a way that drives tension forward and provides food for thought in symbolic occurrences.
The protagonist, Arthur de Caldicot, is also incredibly likable. He's a vulnerable thirteen-year-old with perhaps unconventional characteristics for a knight-in-training: he's left-handed, and he enjoys reading and writing to the point he fears his father means for him to enter a monastery and become a monk. He's a bit unbelievably eloquent, but it makes for gorgeous prose to read. I also appreciated his unapologetic references to his worldview and how Christianity shaped his ideas: the tailbone subplot makes for a great illustration of how superstition can corrupt genuine faith, for example.
This remains one of my favorite Arthurian retellings. The pacing may be slower, but it is focused, and the work is atmospheric and engrossing.
The large cast of characters and fastidious attention to details of everyday medieval life make the setting feel lived-in and real. The "ancient" timeline, which has more of a fairytale-like atmosphere compared to the somber 1199 AD timeline, also intersects with the characters in a way that drives tension forward and provides food for thought in symbolic occurrences.
The protagonist, Arthur de Caldicot, is also incredibly likable. He's a vulnerable thirteen-year-old with perhaps unconventional characteristics for a knight-in-training: he's left-handed, and he enjoys reading and writing to the point he fears his father means for him to enter a monastery and become a monk. He's a bit unbelievably eloquent, but it makes for gorgeous prose to read. I also appreciated his unapologetic references to his worldview and how Christianity shaped his ideas: the tailbone subplot makes for a great illustration of how superstition can corrupt genuine faith, for example.
This remains one of my favorite Arthurian retellings. The pacing may be slower, but it is focused, and the work is atmospheric and engrossing.