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The Bright Sword

By: Lev Grossman
Narrated by: Nicholas Guy Smith, Lev Grossman
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Publisher's summary

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A New York Times Best Book of the Year (So Far) • A New York Times Editors’ Choice • The #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Magicians trilogy returns with a triumphant reimagining of the King Arthur legend for the new millennium

“Grossman, who is best known for his The Magicians series, is at the top of his game with The Bright Sword.”—The New York Times Book Review

“A thrilling new take on Arthurian legend. . . . Marvelous.”—The Washington Post

“If you love King Arthur as much as I do, you’ll love Lev Grossman’s The Bright Sword, a fresh and engrossing take on the Matter of Britain featuring a colorful cast of Round Table knights who don’t often get as much story time as they deserve. The creator of The Magicians has woven another spell.”—George R. R. Martin, #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Game of Thrones

A gifted young knight named Collum arrives at Camelot to compete for a place at the Round Table, only to find that he’s too late. King Arthur died two weeks ago at the Battle of Camlann, and only a handful of the knights of the Round Table are left.

The survivors aren’t the heroes of legend like Lancelot or Gawain. They’re the oddballs of the Round Table, like Sir Palomides, the Saracen Knight, and Sir Dagonet, Arthur’s fool, who was knighted as a joke. They’re joined by Nimue, who was Merlin’s apprentice until she turned on him and buried him under a hill.

But it's up to them to rebuild Camelot in a world that has lost its balance, even as God abandons Britain and the fairies and old gods return, led by Morgan le Fay. They must reclaim Excalibur and make this ruined world whole again—but first they'll have to solve the mystery of why the lonely, brilliant King Arthur fell.

The first major Arthurian epic of the new millennium, The Bright Sword is steeped in tradition, complete with duels and quests, battles and tournaments, magic swords and Fisher Kings. It's also a story about imperfect men and women, full of strength and pain, trying to reforge a broken land in spite of being broken themselves.

©2024 Lev Grossman (P)2024 Penguin Audio

Interview: "The Bright Sword" reimagines the legend of King Arthur for today’s age

'...it was interesting to me to try to take on something more in the epic line, and you don't get much more epic than Arthur.'
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  • The Bright Sword
  • '...it was interesting to me to try to take on something more in the epic line, and you don't get much more epic than Arthur.'

Editorial Review

Behold the legend of King Arthur’s leftover knights
Lev Grossman has thrown himself headfirst into the legend of King Arthur, and he’s come up with a retelling of the many-faceted story that feels both earnest and tongue-in-cheek. The rub is that the story starts after Arthur has died and Camelot is in shambles—what happens next? Collum, our impassioned, naïve hero, shows up a little too late to become a knight of the glorious Round Table. But fear not! There are plenty of adventures to be had for the despondent leftover knights. Replete with Grossman’s signature critical eye toward tropes and accepted truths, and juxtaposed with narrator Nicholas Guy Smith’s classical British storyteller vibe, The Bright Sword is the King Arthur legend for the questioning masses of today. — Melissa B., Audible Editor

What listeners say about The Bright Sword

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High hope but disappointed

I normally enjoy this author but found this story long winded and somewhat boring. Too bad

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A new twist on King Arthur

I have read & listened to many many books on King Arthur. This by far was the most entertaining and the most original King Arthur story I've encountered! It has elements of some really old and accurate information that pertains to his story, plus loads of fun bits & bobs that will make you laugh out loud! Don't hesitate on this one, it's a gem!

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Absolutely PERFECT!

I’m sure I would have enjoyed the hard copy just as much, but the narration is fabulous. A real treat!

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3 people found this helpful

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Wonderful

A rollicking adventure that I could not stop listening to. The author does a wonderful job breaking the main narrative up with chapters reveling important facts about each character.

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1 person found this helpful

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Great for Newcomers into Arthurian legends

as someone that only has knowledge of Arthurian legends from various media from the last decade and a half this was a great read

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An old favorite in a new shiny coat

I enjoyed the retelling of the ancient tales with carefully chosen modern themes and word choices. Mr Grossman takes the ideas of self worth, chosen identity and spiritual and religious complexities, personal quests and ego struggles into “Great Arthur’s” milieu with wit and dexterity. Thank you for an enjoyable and more current version of these tales!

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Brilliant continuation

I’m not a big fantasy person. I also never cared much for medieval tales. However I grew up with the Disneyfied versions of King Arthur and Robin Hood - so my familiarity with both helps to make them the exception. This being my first book of King Arthur I’ve experienced, I was pleasantly surprised. I’ve like Grossman’s Magicians trilogy and this flows much like those books do, albeit with a more likable protagonist in Collum. I cannot wait to see what Lionsgate does with the television rights.

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Poor editing

Long winded and circuitous weaving of Arthurian legend with many nuggets of diver or gold.

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Enjoyable and thought provoking

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and was very sorry when it was over. I loved the original take on the tale of Camelot. It was intriguing and original to tell a story about Camelot after the end of Arthur's reign. I also liked the unique perspective on the personalities of the major players in the original legend. Some of my favorite parts of this book were the psychological depth and complexity of the characters and the exploration of their back stories. The book didn't shy away from serious issues regarding identity and equality and confidence and self-worth. The writing was tight and very engaging. The story had a perfect balance of action, humor, and seriousness. The plot lines came together with great cleverness. The narration was excellent and kept me listening. All in all, a completely satisfactory listen!

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A Tight Tapestry

A beautiful blend of nods to Arthuriana of the past and a fresh feeling story of the ones who are left behind when a golden age begins to end.

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