In I Am Mordred, one of the most fascinating and misunderstood heroes of Arthurian lore comes to life in an epic fantasy for Camelot fans.
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Jun 28, 2011
Rosalyn
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I've been reading a bunch of Arthurian stuff for a project I'm working on. This particular book takes on the conclusion of the Arthurian saga from the perspective of Mordred, Arthur's son by his half-sister, and usually seen as the villain of the Camelot tragedy. In that sense, it's similar to Mary Stewart's The Wicked Day, but this is written for a middle-grade/YA audience. The style of writing is pretty high fantasy--sometimes it was lovely; othertimes it seemed a little over-done to me. I did
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Apr 08, 2010
Leeanna
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I Am Mordred, by Nancy Springer
In "I Am Mordred," Springer recounts the life of King Arthur's illegitimate son, the son who will kill him. Mordred's typically gotten a bad rap or been ignored in Authurian stories, and Springer takes a different approach and tries to show what led to him killing Arthur.
Because Mordred was conceived by Arthur and his half-sister, he was considered morally evil as soon as he was born. Springer examines Mordred through the lens of More...
In "I Am Mordred," Springer recounts the life of King Arthur's illegitimate son, the son who will kill him. Mordred's typically gotten a bad rap or been ignored in Authurian stories, and Springer takes a different approach and tries to show what led to him killing Arthur.
Because Mordred was conceived by Arthur and his half-sister, he was considered morally evil as soon as he was born. Springer examines Mordred through the lens of More...
Jan 27, 2012
Kara
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Sep 19, 2010
Mena
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Already a fan of I Am Morgan le Fay I was pleased to come across this book. As most reviewers have already stated, Mordred is too often painted as a black hearted villain. This was a breath of fresh air in the Arthurian genre.
I really enjoyed reading things from an innocent Mordred's point of view. You cannot help but feel sympathy for a character who, no matter how good his intentions or how hard he tries to do the right thing, has a life filled with so much strife and sorrow.
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I really enjoyed reading things from an innocent Mordred's point of view. You cannot help but feel sympathy for a character who, no matter how good his intentions or how hard he tries to do the right thing, has a life filled with so much strife and sorrow.
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Sep 12, 2010
Purplycookie
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One of the most enigmatic and mysterious characters of Arthurian legend is Arthur's illegitimate son, Mordred. Unfortunately, he is also one of the least explored. In a market flooded with preachy, badly-written Arthuriana, "I Am Mordred" shines like a rare, dark gem.
The book opens with King Arthur sadly setting dozens of newborn babies adrift on the ocean. Several years later, we see a young boy living peacefully with a fisherman and his wife. Their happy lives are interru More...
The book opens with King Arthur sadly setting dozens of newborn babies adrift on the ocean. Several years later, we see a young boy living peacefully with a fisherman and his wife. Their happy lives are interru More...
Sep 01, 2011
Aryana
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The Arturian saga told from the point of view of Mordred, Arthur's bastard son, sired with his own sister. A child of prophecy, for Merlin told Arthur that he would die by his own son's hand. The king has to act - to prevent his son from killing him, he must kill his son, an so 40 babies are sent on the sea in a small boat to die out there, Mordred among them. Fisherfolk found him, the only baby living among all the dead, he grows to be a fisher boy until Nyneve finds him and takes him to Lothia
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Aug 12, 2009
Sandra
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This novel adds flesh to the legends of Mordred. It takes real squeezing to make Mordred a sympathetic protagonist. This novel at least explains his actions and makes his motivations believable. Mostly, the novel is fantasy adventure with a wisp of theme: struggle against fate, and self fulfilling prophecy: does Mordred become the myth only because he is prophesied to do those actions that destroy Arthur's Camelot? Do the prophecies come about because of his character combined with the circ
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Dec 05, 2008
Briene
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"Although it has been about 4 years since I read the tale of Mordred, a part of the story still lingers around in my head. The shocking discoveries and revelations that unfold help create a sense of mystery leading to a never-ending read. The development of the protagonist, Mordred, and the adventure that he sets out on will surely grab a hold of you along with Nancy Springer’s exceptional and detailed form of writing.
The exceptional writing of Springer led me to (currently) rea
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Nov 08, 2008
Lisalit
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I really, really liked this book. Granted, I love the Arthurian mythology, and it is hard for me to not enjoy ANY retelling of that story. But I think what I really enjoyed about this book was the deeper theme of predestination--is it possible for us to avoid what we are meant to become?
In this novel, no. Destiny wins in the end, despite all of Mordred's better efforts. The reader is privy to his feelings of love and hate for Arthur, the father whom he is destined to destroy. We More...
In this novel, no. Destiny wins in the end, despite all of Mordred's better efforts. The reader is privy to his feelings of love and hate for Arthur, the father whom he is destined to destroy. We More...
Apr 21, 2008
Erin
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Springer's second novel does not fail to please. As a fan of I Am Morgan Le Fay, I was excited, to say the least, to read its companion, I Am Mordred. Immediately I can sense Springer's descriptive style and her way of drawing you inside the novel. I think what I adored most about this novel is how she takes the situation of a medieval teenager and yet it reads like a modern teenager's story. Mordred is easily relatable, in his yearning for his father's acceptance and love, and how teenagers
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Aug 01, 2010
Magic Mike
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This is a really different take on the King Arthur storyline. Instead of seeing it from Arthur's point of view we see it from that of his son Mordred. This is a really compelling look into fate and whether or not it can be avoided. The ending is a little quick to this one, but really it tells the parts of the story that need to be told. I highly recommend this for fans of the Arthur legend.
Aug 17, 2011
S.
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This is an amazing book. If you like tragic antiheroes, you cannot go wrong here. The writing is clear, lucid, the emotions are pure and burning as diamonds.
This is the book that got me writing after taking a decade off. This is the book that, to purloin a concept from Dune, woke the sleeper in me.
It is just pure quality, and I wish I had been the one to write it.
This is the book that got me writing after taking a decade off. This is the book that, to purloin a concept from Dune, woke the sleeper in me.
It is just pure quality, and I wish I had been the one to write it.
Jun 30, 2009
Kate
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Nancy Springer is always reliable for a good, character-driven upper J/lower YA novel. This one relies a lot on your knowledge of Arthurian legend to fill in the story. Not as good as her Rowan Hood series, but worth a look for a sympathetic portrayal of Mordred.
Sep 24, 2009
Jessica
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This book was a successful journey into one of my favorite book subjects: taking a famous story and looking at it from an evil character or foe who might more or less be misunderstood. Short and sweet, but a little more bittersweet in where it is destined to go. Definitely worth a read.
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Mar 31, 2009
There was much to think about and love in this book: beautiful prose, the inventive mind for detail of the author, the development of the character of Mordred. I found it all speeded up and cut short at the end, though.
Oct 06, 2011
Ami
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Not my favorite story. It has some great parts and magic of Camolot but it also showed the darker side too. I don't agree that we have no choice in our destiny but it felt like the main character believe that.
Feb 02, 2012
Ramoths
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I really liked this book, I felt bad for Mordred who by no fault of his own was born under the curse. It is a bit different in the telling and in the ending. I would recommend this book to anyone that wanted a quick but interesting read set in the world of King Arthur.
May 25, 2010
Lucy
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I loved this book.
It showed how villians turned evil and showed that maybe they were never evil just had to follow the path chosen for them.
I cried
It showed how villians turned evil and showed that maybe they were never evil just had to follow the path chosen for them.
I cried
Jan 05, 2009
Joey
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While it was definitely interesting to see things from Mordred's perspective and to see a warmer, kinder side of Nyneve, I still found the story a bit lacking. This was hovering around 2 stars the entire way until the end. The ending was pure cheese, but what can I say, I'm a sentimental sap.
Jan 14, 2011
Ariana
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3 1/2 stars. I really liked everything until the ending. It just didn't play out the way I hoped it would have, which is to say, it was kind of a cop-out. But good book overall.
Jul 10, 2010
Linda
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Although I knew that Mordred was part of the Arthurian legend, I was never sure exactly who he was. This was excellent historical fiction.
Jun 03, 2009
Molly
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I read this a long time ago, but I remember really liking it. Dark and adventurous young adult book with roots in the Arthurian legend.
Dec 04, 2009
Melodie
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While it's very inaccurate from the actual tales of Camelot, it's still a pretty good book.
Feb 09, 2011
Jenny
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Tad was happen with his fisher mother when he was an unknown boy, a gift from the sea. Then Nyneve, the sorceress, finds him and tells him his name is Mordred. His father and uncle King Arthur tried to kill him as an infant with 40 other babies, but Mordred was the only one to survive. He is fostered with Queen Morgause, and grows up to become a Knight of the Round Table. Mordred struggles with the love and hate he feels for his father, and against the prophecy that he will be the one to bet
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Nov 16, 2008
Karen
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The idea that Mordred was more a victim of fate than a completely willing participant in King Arthur's death is not a brand new idea (there are even a few medieval texts that suggest this), but Springer's story was well told. As a reader I really felt for Mordred and hoped that he could actually find a way of changing his fate even as I knew that it would not happen. Very bittersweet.
Nov 19, 2008
Katie
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It's hard to write a happy ending to a tragedy. I wholeheartedly applaud Nancy Springer for accomplishing this. She adds to the storyline of Mordred undertones of childlike innocence while lacing his narrative with the tragic symmetry of myth and legend, defying traditional impressions of characters by making them both good and evil, both led by fate and triumphing over it.
