King of the Middle March (Arthur)

Amazing!


A Tear Stained Conclusion to A Magical Trilogy   March 1, 2004
A. Weston (Brighton, UK)
14 out of 17 found this review helpful

Oh dear, blubbing again. Kevin Crossley-Holland can have me howling with sorrow in a very short time. In the first book, Arthur and the Seeing Stone it was the death of little Luke, in this one, well it was practically everything. But don't let the salt water deter any reader - these are wonderful, wonderous books. I was intrigued to see how the author would tie together the parallel worlds of Arthur in the stone and Arthur out of the stone. I was not disappointed. He has pulled off an amazing juggling act, making it all knit together with perfect symmetry. But oh how sad, how tragic, and how sore the reading was. Arthur sees with his heart and with his head at once, a saracen fortune teller informs him: the same could be said of Crossley Holland who writes with both soul and intellect. Laced with a gentle poetry it is in the small details that the power of the writing tells - the little rag doll found in an abandoned room, the petty violence meted out by the crusaders, the smell of spice and jealousy in the air. I can't say more without saying too much. It is enough that this book is everything and more that I had hoped it would be: one of the most enthralling and sophisiticated pieces of writing I have had the fortune to read.


the best book I have ever read   December 9, 2003
Keal 'indie is too broad a term to be a real branch of music' (Windsor, UK)
9 out of 11 found this review helpful

It is far better than both of the first two in this trilogy put together, and I now think that Arthur is more exciting than Arthur in the stone. It is a very emotional book and Arthur's journey through it is incredible. I would greatly rate this book.


Absolutely Amazing Arthur   April 13, 2004
5 out of 7 found this review helpful

I love these books,is all i can say! I am probably the biggest Arthur stories lover, this retelling was fabulous. I recommend reading these books with a passion because they are so in depth and capture your heart, you feel everything he's going through and sometimes i swear I could almost be there in the book.
I also spoke to my Dad about these books, and being the critical person he is he simply presumed that they were the sterotypical medieval version, but even these books changed his mind completely. They may not be telling the supposedly druid version of Arthur, but they sure are a good read,whatever version you prefer.
Read them, you will be drawn in completely.


King of the Middle March   December 3, 2006
The Book-snake (Wales)
This stunning trilogy plunged me right into medieval Britain: every detail, from food to fighting, entertainment, life and death, is well-researched and colourfully presented. 'King of the Middle March' takes the young narrator, Arthur, to Venice to join the Crusades. But war isn't as he expected it to be...
While I enjoyed the first two books more, this is still a five-star read, and a worthy conclusion to a brilliant series.