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Forever King #2
The Broken Sword
Camelot in New York?
Not long ago, Arthur was an ordinary boy. Now he knows that he is the legendary King Arthur, returned to lead not just Britain but all mankind into a new era of justice, peace, and freedom. Accompanied by the wizard Merlin; Hal, an ex-FBI agent who is now Arthur's bodyguard; and a young girl who holds the powers of the ancient Druids, Arthur seeks the tools of his great work--the Holy Grail and the sword Excalibur.
The Grail's magic has attracted the attention of a powerful sorcerer who will do anything and kill anyone to claim its power. To protect Arthur, Hal summons the Knights of the Round Table from their enchanted slumber in the mists of Camelot. The Knights--now New York City's newest motorcycle club--find the 20th century a confusing time, but they know their mission--fight evil and save the King.
In the final battle, Arthur learns that having right on your side is not always enough. Sometimes there are sacrifices to be made. Will the Round Table never rise again? Will this Camelot, like the last, fade too soon into memory?
Not long ago, Arthur was an ordinary boy. Now he knows that he is the legendary King Arthur, returned to lead not just Britain but all mankind into a new era of justice, peace, and freedom. Accompanied by the wizard Merlin; Hal, an ex-FBI agent who is now Arthur's bodyguard; and a young girl who holds the powers of the ancient Druids, Arthur seeks the tools of his great work--the Holy Grail and the sword Excalibur.
The Grail's magic has attracted the attention of a powerful sorcerer who will do anything and kill anyone to claim its power. To protect Arthur, Hal summons the Knights of the Round Table from their enchanted slumber in the mists of Camelot. The Knights--now New York City's newest motorcycle club--find the 20th century a confusing time, but they know their mission--fight evil and save the King.
In the final battle, Arthur learns that having right on your side is not always enough. Sometimes there are sacrifices to be made. Will the Round Table never rise again? Will this Camelot, like the last, fade too soon into memory?
468 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1998
44 people are currently reading
570 people want to read
About the author
Molly Cochran
34 books90 followersaka Dev Stryker
Born in Tokyo, Japan, Molly Cochran lived in Europe and was educated at the University of Pittsburgh and the Sorbonne in France. She has written 26 books, including 12 ghosted novels, and the non-fiction bestseller, Dressing Thin, before her own first novel, Grandmaster, was a New York Times Bestseller.
Since then, she has written almost a dozen other suspense and fantasy thrillers, including the international best-seller, The Forever King.
Born in Tokyo, Japan, Molly Cochran lived in Europe and was educated at the University of Pittsburgh and the Sorbonne in France. She has written 26 books, including 12 ghosted novels, and the non-fiction bestseller, Dressing Thin, before her own first novel, Grandmaster, was a New York Times Bestseller.
Since then, she has written almost a dozen other suspense and fantasy thrillers, including the international best-seller, The Forever King.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews
March 12, 2015
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Publisher: TKA
Publishing Date: January 2015
ISBN: 9781942356004
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 3.4/5
Publisher Description: No matter how far Arthur Blessing runs, he can’t elude destiny. As the reincarnation of legendary King Arthur, he is the rightful protector of the most powerful relics in the world–the Holy Grail and the sword Excalibur. And he is bound to use those tools to keep war and chaos at bay – ushering in a new era of justice, peace, and freedom.
Review: This was a pretty entertaining read. The only portions that slowed the movement down was the unnecessary back story on some of the characters. For example while Merlin’s beginnings through to his life on Mona is relevant, Kate’s life as a love thing for Aubrey is boring and excessive.
Generally, the character development was pretty good due to the copious movement and constant scene shifting. The authors do a good job of involving the reader even when some characters play bit roles. The scenes are vividly described and engaging. The big problem is that every instance and I mean EVERY instance is fraught with Deus Ex Machina. I get that there is the hidden hand of something drawing everyone and everything together in a cumulative effort to thwart evil or “Begin a New Cycle”, but it just gets a little too convenient in every scene in order to expedite the story line.
This is a pretty long novel, so sit tight and don’t expect too much.
Publisher: TKA
Publishing Date: January 2015
ISBN: 9781942356004
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 3.4/5
Publisher Description: No matter how far Arthur Blessing runs, he can’t elude destiny. As the reincarnation of legendary King Arthur, he is the rightful protector of the most powerful relics in the world–the Holy Grail and the sword Excalibur. And he is bound to use those tools to keep war and chaos at bay – ushering in a new era of justice, peace, and freedom.
Review: This was a pretty entertaining read. The only portions that slowed the movement down was the unnecessary back story on some of the characters. For example while Merlin’s beginnings through to his life on Mona is relevant, Kate’s life as a love thing for Aubrey is boring and excessive.
Generally, the character development was pretty good due to the copious movement and constant scene shifting. The authors do a good job of involving the reader even when some characters play bit roles. The scenes are vividly described and engaging. The big problem is that every instance and I mean EVERY instance is fraught with Deus Ex Machina. I get that there is the hidden hand of something drawing everyone and everything together in a cumulative effort to thwart evil or “Begin a New Cycle”, but it just gets a little too convenient in every scene in order to expedite the story line.
This is a pretty long novel, so sit tight and don’t expect too much.
December 25, 2019
I was so surprised to discover that one of my favorite King Arthur re-tellings "The Forever King" had two more books in the series twenty some years later. I had to re-read "The Forever King" because it has been 20 years since I read it, but I enjoyed it just as much. I also enjoyed this second book also. It gave us a little more background on the druids and Taliesin's connection. We're also introduced to Beatrice, who becomes friends with Arthur and Taliesin. I laughed out loud at Hal's journey with the Knights to New York to help Arthur recover and protect the Grail.
October 23, 2017
One of the worst books I have ever read. I loved the first one so much--it's one of my favorite Arthur retellings--and I hated this one with a passion that can only be described as comical. It's a bad mashup of scenes stolen from Camelot and Mists of Avalon, combined with truly dreadful ritualistic scenes straight out of bad gothic horror romances. It rewrites its own backstory (Merlin offered Arthur the cup once--ONCE), it undoes a lot of the mystery that made Forever King so beautiful (why is Merlin Merlin? Even the druids didn't know. Now we know--in detail that we never wanted and can't bleach from our brains), it directly contradicts some of the character building ("You really have become a Christian," Merlin says to Arthur, and it's a beautiful moment--this co-existence of two faiths, and this gentle insinuation that faith is real. Now what we have instead is constant mocking of the only Christian--Lancelot--and a dubious explanation that "proves" the existence of the old gods), and on top of all that, it accomplishes nothing! The Broken Swords ends exactly where the Forever King did--with the sword hidden, waiting for Arthur to grow up.
If you loved the Forever King do yourself a favor and pretend the Broken Sword never existed. I wish I had. :P
If you loved the Forever King do yourself a favor and pretend the Broken Sword never existed. I wish I had. :P
September 12, 2011
What a mixed bag this book was! As the sequel to The Forever King, I have to say, The Broken Sword is a little disappointing. Picking up a few years after the events in the first book, it continues the story of Arthur Blessing, Mr Taliesin - the Merlin - and Hal. Just like the first book in the trilogy, there is an evil force embodied in a man, trying to claim the cup and destroy Arthur. And so the adventure continues - from the Middle East, to Europe and the UK and ultimately, New York.
Whereas The Forever King was fast-paced, cinematic and often unpredictable, The Broken Sword was mostly pedestrian and predictable, repeating too many tropes and characteristics from first book, and suffering by comparison. For example, whereas Saladin was an incomparable and quite scary villain, Thanatos was a caricature. As a reincarnated knight, Hal the former FBI agent and recovering alcoholic struggles to keep reader interest and, frankly, some of the scenes with the Knights of the Round Table didn't gel. That an ancient knight can drive a truck, let alone ride a motor bike and seemingly embrace contemporary life and technologies with such ease was hard to swallow. Also, some of the plot resolutions were a little too ex machina for my liking and had me rolling my eyes. I became frustrated that I was expected to take such a leap of faith. However, just when I was about to toss the book aside in disgust, a wonderful back story, steeped in the fundamentals of Arthurian myth (with modifications), or some tight action in the present appeared and reminded me of what I so enjoyed in The Forever King - neat, imaginative prose and powerful storytelling.
Saying that, I do believe The Broken Sword relies too much on telling rather than showing, a cardinal sin in a novel. But, when the authors do show, they are damn fine.
I will read the third book but I have to say, my expectations are not so high. I hope I'll be pleasantly surprised.
Whereas The Forever King was fast-paced, cinematic and often unpredictable, The Broken Sword was mostly pedestrian and predictable, repeating too many tropes and characteristics from first book, and suffering by comparison. For example, whereas Saladin was an incomparable and quite scary villain, Thanatos was a caricature. As a reincarnated knight, Hal the former FBI agent and recovering alcoholic struggles to keep reader interest and, frankly, some of the scenes with the Knights of the Round Table didn't gel. That an ancient knight can drive a truck, let alone ride a motor bike and seemingly embrace contemporary life and technologies with such ease was hard to swallow. Also, some of the plot resolutions were a little too ex machina for my liking and had me rolling my eyes. I became frustrated that I was expected to take such a leap of faith. However, just when I was about to toss the book aside in disgust, a wonderful back story, steeped in the fundamentals of Arthurian myth (with modifications), or some tight action in the present appeared and reminded me of what I so enjoyed in The Forever King - neat, imaginative prose and powerful storytelling.
Saying that, I do believe The Broken Sword relies too much on telling rather than showing, a cardinal sin in a novel. But, when the authors do show, they are damn fine.
I will read the third book but I have to say, my expectations are not so high. I hope I'll be pleasantly surprised.
June 17, 2008
The second book in a modern day King Arthur series. I loved the first book and was pretty excited to find this one. It is fun and really easy to read. I think the only drawback is that it is hard to live up to the first book.
June 7, 2015
4.5, even better than the first in the series
February 7, 2019
there's a lot that could happen after the future, but nothing much happens at all in this pointless retread
April 2, 2023
The first book in this series is so good. I read it when I was a kid, and decided to re-read just to see if it was as good as I remembered and it was! Then I discovered it's a trilogy so I thought I'd check out the next two books. Well, having now read this one, I'm a bit discouraged. This really felt anticlimactic. I was so excited to see the knights being transported to present day, and the author did absolutely NOTHING with that premise. Like, I know it would've been hard to make all of them full characters but at least do more with recognisable ones we all know and love like Lancelot. As it is, I actually genuinely hated all of them and found them deeply useless. I get that carousing and having a good time is probably what they'd be into, but they were also deeply loyal and have been searching for their king for hundreds of years, their lack of focus to the mission was absurd given previous characterisation and how they were built up. The story with Arthur, Beatrice and Merlin wasn't much better. Beatrice is such a flat, non-character, who we're supposed to care about because... I don't know... she's blind... or pretty... something.... And frankly I'd have preferred if she died, her value was only in the sacrifice and the only time she was interesting was when she was possessed. Where was Emily??? It's like the book forgot all about her halfway through and yet her reuniting with her nephew and Hal was one of the strongest emotional through lines from the first book.
Thanatos/Aubrey could've been a good villain. He had his moments but he felt like discount Saladin most of the time. And it was all a bit too convenient. Once we find out he's the reincarnation of Merlin's kid, I almost closed the book and gave up right then and there. Just absurd levels of coincidence. There's also something uncomfortably orientalist about the good vs. evil in the story so far. Yes, we get it, all the brown people are evil and their magic is evil and only the pale druids have holy magic that will save the world! It just started to feel silly.
Just a massive let down and I'm not sure I have the energy or inclination to finish it but I feel like I must so I can say I did. But I think the core premise really becomes flawed the more I read. What place does the reincarnation of a medieval king have in modern day times? A king who wasn't even that good of a king. Like what did Arthur actually do? He wasn't a savvy politician, he wasn't especially smart, he just has good branding and made his knights sit at a round table to offer the illusion of equality when... it was just that - an illusion. He was and always is the king, and they defer to him in all things because of it. What is he supposed to do? What golden age is he meant to usher in - in a present day world? He'd probably be more useful if he joined the Peace Corps than whatever he'll end up doing.
I'll see if I have energy to complete the trilogy but maybe I need a break.
Thanatos/Aubrey could've been a good villain. He had his moments but he felt like discount Saladin most of the time. And it was all a bit too convenient. Once we find out he's the reincarnation of Merlin's kid, I almost closed the book and gave up right then and there. Just absurd levels of coincidence. There's also something uncomfortably orientalist about the good vs. evil in the story so far. Yes, we get it, all the brown people are evil and their magic is evil and only the pale druids have holy magic that will save the world! It just started to feel silly.
Just a massive let down and I'm not sure I have the energy or inclination to finish it but I feel like I must so I can say I did. But I think the core premise really becomes flawed the more I read. What place does the reincarnation of a medieval king have in modern day times? A king who wasn't even that good of a king. Like what did Arthur actually do? He wasn't a savvy politician, he wasn't especially smart, he just has good branding and made his knights sit at a round table to offer the illusion of equality when... it was just that - an illusion. He was and always is the king, and they defer to him in all things because of it. What is he supposed to do? What golden age is he meant to usher in - in a present day world? He'd probably be more useful if he joined the Peace Corps than whatever he'll end up doing.
I'll see if I have energy to complete the trilogy but maybe I need a break.
February 21, 2023
After finally finding the first book again after about 25 years, I picked up all three and the reviews are incredibly mixed so I started this with hope but a slight fear it wouldn't live up to the first book. Truthfully it doesn't but then how could it? For its time the first book was so unique and any sequel to a unique book has already lost part of the edge that made the first one so good.
This book felt very much like a bridging book. There is a story to be told of Arthur returning to the world and much as I'm all for the empowerment of individuals there is no way that anyone envisioned King Arthur returning to do good in this world as a child dealing in the world of adults. You only have to look at how some adults treat a certain environmentalist to know how they would treat a child saying they are King Arthur returned.
So between the first book and the last we need Arthur to be safe, to become an adult, and to start sending his message of peace and chivalry out into the world. This book was the founding stone for that and I suspect that when I pick up the next book many years will have passed and it will be time for Arthur to return (then again maybe I'm wrong as I've not even read the blurb for it- I guess I'll find out when I start it later this week.)
There were some great bits in the book, some not-so-great bits, and a few bits that felt out of character - particularly with the knights but that could just be due to my own view of how the knights would behave and the way they are written here is probably more accurate.
I don't think this book will stay with me as the first one did but I am glad I read it and I am looking forward to the next one.
This book felt very much like a bridging book. There is a story to be told of Arthur returning to the world and much as I'm all for the empowerment of individuals there is no way that anyone envisioned King Arthur returning to do good in this world as a child dealing in the world of adults. You only have to look at how some adults treat a certain environmentalist to know how they would treat a child saying they are King Arthur returned.
So between the first book and the last we need Arthur to be safe, to become an adult, and to start sending his message of peace and chivalry out into the world. This book was the founding stone for that and I suspect that when I pick up the next book many years will have passed and it will be time for Arthur to return (then again maybe I'm wrong as I've not even read the blurb for it- I guess I'll find out when I start it later this week.)
There were some great bits in the book, some not-so-great bits, and a few bits that felt out of character - particularly with the knights but that could just be due to my own view of how the knights would behave and the way they are written here is probably more accurate.
I don't think this book will stay with me as the first one did but I am glad I read it and I am looking forward to the next one.
September 1, 2019
Le serie in cui gli autori si lasciano andare a incongruenze tra i diversi volumi lasciano sempre un po' l'amaro in bocca; in questo caso dispiace particolarmente, perché la storia dell'esistenza di Taliesin nella sua interezza avrebbe avuto molto più senso se alcuni fatti relativi ad esempio alla sua iniziazione fossero stati accennati già in 'Re per sempre', per non parlare della grave mancanza della presenza di Saladin in certi flashback. Nonostante questo, ho adorato la svolta presa da questa storia. Il nuovo cattivo è un po' più stereotipato, e nel suo essere "erede" di Saladin non mi ha convinta fino in fondo; ma ho molto apprezzato come tutti i piccoli episodi e tutti i personaggi fossero collegati l'uno all'altro (in una trama sicuramente più complessa che nel primo volume), e i cavalieri della Tavola Rotonda trasportati ai giorni nostri mi hanno fatta morire dalle risate. Spero che il capitolo finale sia all'altezza.
January 8, 2018
The second in a trilogy. I wasn't all that impressed. There's far too much background - telling the story rather than plot - showing the story. I wanted to see what happened to Arthur Blessing, not necessarily relive the Arthurian legen.
May 28, 2018
I felt the story had many possibilities that it did not realize. It didn't have anywhere near what I expected about Arthur or his knights, and had a great deal about an evil sorcerer murderer I found I could not care much about. Maybe if I had read the prequel, I might have felt differently.
June 10, 2017
I enjoyed finding a copy of this book on Amazon. It is the sequel to my favorite Arthur book EVER: The Forever King. If you have yet to read this series I highly recommend it.
April 7, 2020
a bit distracted and violent.
December 4, 2020
"With a swish of its tail, the wolf bounded into a field of flowers. Behind her ran the old man and the golden haired girl, hand in hand, their laughter bright as the sun-light."
Simply kino.
Simply kino.
October 14, 2021
Yes!!!
And our story continues! Just as an remembered it from my first read through. So happy I stumbled upon the series yet again!
And our story continues! Just as an remembered it from my first read through. So happy I stumbled upon the series yet again!
March 16, 2023
A riveting Fantasy tale. I bought this book simply for the cover. After getting about 40 pgs in, I realized it's book 2 of a trilogy. I look forward to continuing the story.
December 15, 2023
And Arthur's story continues!
June 16, 2025
2.5 stars. Some inconsistencies and a pretty notable plot hole from the story line from the 1st book.
June 21, 2022
So The Broken Sword is a book I've had since I was in Junior High (I'm now 33). My copy is beat up and stained and one of two I still have from that time. It is also the sequel to my absolute favorite book The Forever King. That said, I don't think I've ever read the pair one right after the other, and boy, did that diminish my ranking of The Broken Sword. This reread was also my first time reading The Broken Sword with any kind of critical lens, so that also had something to do with it.
I was really looking forward to reading this series as a series, as I've relatively recently discovered The Third Magic existed. However, as a sequel, The Broken Sword doesn't actually hold up or even stack up against The Forever King. First and foremost, the addition of a boat load of new characters makes the story messy, in my opinion. The Forever King was able to weave the backstories of Hal, Taliesin, Saladin, Emily, and Arthur into the overall narrative without pulling you from the story itself. The Broken Sword doesn't manage to do this in a satisfying manner. In fact, toward the end there, it was downright annoying. The main thing that pulled me out toward the end was having the gods literally tell Thanatos that the "old gods" and the "dark gods" were one in the same and then having everyone else for the rest of the story referencing the "dark gods" as having won... which just had me rolling my eyes.
It's not that I didn't enjoy getting Kate and Zack and maybe even Aubrey's backstories, but having to shoehorn them into the rest of the narrative felt clumsy. Trying to recapture the magic of The Forever King and mostly failing because they just weren't integral enough to the rest of the plot. Nor were those backstories nearly as interesting as Saladin and Taliesin's.
My second big issue with the story is Aubrey/Thanatos, the main villain. First off, I don't believe that Saladin would have suddenly decided to appoint anyone his heir. It seemed really out of character for him. In fact, he seemed very out of character for his entire appearance in The Broken Sword. But hey, gotta give Aubrey a backstory that loops him into The Forever King and the mythology of both books somehow. Cue much shrugging and hand-waving. But honestly, my problem with Aubrey is that he's just boring. Like, Cochran and Murphy attempted to make him interesting and a little quirky, but it really didn't succeed. He felt like a caricature of a person rather than an actual threat. Lot of Rheged was more menacing as a villain and he was only a threat to past Arthur. Aaand then there was the whole thing with Morgan. She's one of the most enduring villains from Arthurian legend and probably the best known female villain period... and her truly most evil act is co-opted in this book by Thanatos. It's not through her power that she conceives Mordred, it's through his. This bugs me. A lot.
My last two issues are Portugal and the knights. Hal's whole thing in Portugal had me a) rolling my eyes and b) heading to Google to look up Faro. Antonia, though I know she's literally just a plot device to get Hal back to England, annoyed the heck out of me. She's barely a person and has one of the most stereotypical (and actually insulting) motivations you can give a female character. That was the rolling eyes bit. The Goggling of Faro, Portugal, had me wanting to smack Cochran and Murphy. Faro, as it turns out, is actually a pretty big tourist destination here in 2022. I HIGHLY doubt it was a one-rental-car town as depicted in The Broken Sword back in 1997. Really, I'm annoyed on Faro's account. Misrepresentation of places annoys me. Always has. As for the knights: I know they're from medieval times. I know the behavior expected of them probably wasn't typical of how we behave now. I know they'd probably be pretty rowdy after having been pulled through the veil and set in a pub. I get all that. HOWEVER, they've also gotta be pretty smart. Maybe not book smart, but smarter than they were depicted in the modern parts of The Broken Sword. They definitely seemed to be less stupid back in their own time, that's for sure. This mix of characterization for them just bugs me.
Anyway, The Broken Sword definitely doesn't match The Forever King as far as storytelling goes. It's messy and the addition of all the new active characters really doesn't do the story any favors. Taliesin's whole thing with Mona was definitely a thing. Served the overall plot but wasn't super interesting, truth be told. I am also not sure how I feel about the very ending of the book... which I won't talk about, but yeah... Anway, again, I'm not sure I'll pick up The Broken Sword the next time I feel like reading The Forever King.
I was really looking forward to reading this series as a series, as I've relatively recently discovered The Third Magic existed. However, as a sequel, The Broken Sword doesn't actually hold up or even stack up against The Forever King. First and foremost, the addition of a boat load of new characters makes the story messy, in my opinion. The Forever King was able to weave the backstories of Hal, Taliesin, Saladin, Emily, and Arthur into the overall narrative without pulling you from the story itself. The Broken Sword doesn't manage to do this in a satisfying manner. In fact, toward the end there, it was downright annoying. The main thing that pulled me out toward the end was having the gods literally tell Thanatos that the "old gods" and the "dark gods" were one in the same and then having everyone else for the rest of the story referencing the "dark gods" as having won... which just had me rolling my eyes.
It's not that I didn't enjoy getting Kate and Zack and maybe even Aubrey's backstories, but having to shoehorn them into the rest of the narrative felt clumsy. Trying to recapture the magic of The Forever King and mostly failing because they just weren't integral enough to the rest of the plot. Nor were those backstories nearly as interesting as Saladin and Taliesin's.
My second big issue with the story is Aubrey/Thanatos, the main villain. First off, I don't believe that Saladin would have suddenly decided to appoint anyone his heir. It seemed really out of character for him. In fact, he seemed very out of character for his entire appearance in The Broken Sword. But hey, gotta give Aubrey a backstory that loops him into The Forever King and the mythology of both books somehow. Cue much shrugging and hand-waving. But honestly, my problem with Aubrey is that he's just boring. Like, Cochran and Murphy attempted to make him interesting and a little quirky, but it really didn't succeed. He felt like a caricature of a person rather than an actual threat. Lot of Rheged was more menacing as a villain and he was only a threat to past Arthur. Aaand then there was the whole thing with Morgan. She's one of the most enduring villains from Arthurian legend and probably the best known female villain period... and her truly most evil act is co-opted in this book by Thanatos. It's not through her power that she conceives Mordred, it's through his. This bugs me. A lot.
My last two issues are Portugal and the knights. Hal's whole thing in Portugal had me a) rolling my eyes and b) heading to Google to look up Faro. Antonia, though I know she's literally just a plot device to get Hal back to England, annoyed the heck out of me. She's barely a person and has one of the most stereotypical (and actually insulting) motivations you can give a female character. That was the rolling eyes bit. The Goggling of Faro, Portugal, had me wanting to smack Cochran and Murphy. Faro, as it turns out, is actually a pretty big tourist destination here in 2022. I HIGHLY doubt it was a one-rental-car town as depicted in The Broken Sword back in 1997. Really, I'm annoyed on Faro's account. Misrepresentation of places annoys me. Always has. As for the knights: I know they're from medieval times. I know the behavior expected of them probably wasn't typical of how we behave now. I know they'd probably be pretty rowdy after having been pulled through the veil and set in a pub. I get all that. HOWEVER, they've also gotta be pretty smart. Maybe not book smart, but smarter than they were depicted in the modern parts of The Broken Sword. They definitely seemed to be less stupid back in their own time, that's for sure. This mix of characterization for them just bugs me.
Anyway, The Broken Sword definitely doesn't match The Forever King as far as storytelling goes. It's messy and the addition of all the new active characters really doesn't do the story any favors. Taliesin's whole thing with Mona was definitely a thing. Served the overall plot but wasn't super interesting, truth be told. I am also not sure how I feel about the very ending of the book... which I won't talk about, but yeah... Anway, again, I'm not sure I'll pick up The Broken Sword the next time I feel like reading The Forever King.
March 14, 2021
I read this decades ago, and only discovered it again two weeks.
My initial enthusiasm that it even existed curdled rather swiftly when cardboard black magic with cardboard incantations and cardboard ritual human sacrifices executed by the most cardboard of villains became part of the story.
So I stopped reading, until this Sunday afternoon when I pressed the wrong book on my e-reader and this story started up again, obviously right in the middle of a human sacrifice that had me putting it down in the first place. However, that was also the darkest point of the book, so I was in for a hundred pages of things falling gloriously into place. And this, I am weak, and its Sunday, I liked better.
I will not give this book as a gift to my 13 yo niece for her 14th birthday. I may not even give her book 1, even though I have already purchased a paper version, as that will lead to book 2.
How is it possible that the sequel of a fast passed fascinating book turns out like this?
Or, will book 1, in hindsight and 15 years later, turn out not to be that good either?
My initial enthusiasm that it even existed curdled rather swiftly when cardboard black magic with cardboard incantations and cardboard ritual human sacrifices executed by the most cardboard of villains became part of the story.
So I stopped reading, until this Sunday afternoon when I pressed the wrong book on my e-reader and this story started up again, obviously right in the middle of a human sacrifice that had me putting it down in the first place. However, that was also the darkest point of the book, so I was in for a hundred pages of things falling gloriously into place. And this, I am weak, and its Sunday, I liked better.
I will not give this book as a gift to my 13 yo niece for her 14th birthday. I may not even give her book 1, even though I have already purchased a paper version, as that will lead to book 2.
How is it possible that the sequel of a fast passed fascinating book turns out like this?
Or, will book 1, in hindsight and 15 years later, turn out not to be that good either?
February 15, 2013
Not as compelling as the first one but still really entertaining. A real mixture of different stories; although the one happening in the present was the main one, I admit that I very much enjoyed reading about the times of Camelot as well. I didn't really like the whole idea of mixing evil forces with animalistic desire and raw sexuality; still, I have to say Aubrey as the antagonist was really good - I completely despised him. Serves him right he's back in this void of his, stupid asshole. Sorry. Getting to emotional. The book was fun to read, not boring and keeping me in suspence (although I could predict some things from the beginning). Sometimes (or very often) reminding me of The Mists of Avalon. And, oh, the Knights. How could I forget about them, that bunch of silly cute bastards.
I will need to read the third book someday.
I will need to read the third book someday.
June 10, 2016
Once again a fun read of an old myth. In the second book we find Arthur starting to see who he really is while all around him things are falling apart. He is chased and hassled by Aubrey Katsuleris, a world famous artist whose side job is assassination. As to be expected in the second part of a trilogy, stuff goes badly wrong and the evil side seems to be winning. I appreciate the effort that goes into all the mythology that Cochran and Murphy are creating around the once and future king legend. While some of the saves are seem too easy, this is after all fiction and should be fun. I enjoyed the humor of the Knights brought into our world. I look forward to the final book in the series and expect nothing but a good summer read.
February 10, 2016
Arthur is looking for his aunt but is with Hal who is his protector. Then a beggar comes to his hotel door with a girl and she has the cup they have been looking for. The girl is Beatrice and she has been blind since birth but the cup gave her sight, but her grandmother was killed by a man after the cup. The beggar then took her to Arthur.
This book just didn’t hold my attention. I guess it just wasn’t as interesting as I thought. Especially with the ages of Arthur and Beatrice. Then it seemed to drag for me I just couldn’t finish it.
**I received an ARC of this story for an honest review
This book just didn’t hold my attention. I guess it just wasn’t as interesting as I thought. Especially with the ages of Arthur and Beatrice. Then it seemed to drag for me I just couldn’t finish it.
**I received an ARC of this story for an honest review
March 11, 2023
Even though I din't get as hooked on as in the first book, I've really, really enjoyed it. Aubrey and Merlin backstories were in my opinion the best part of the book and the knights were hilarious!! I'm really looking forward for them in the third book as well as the development of our new self-conciuous Arthur. I wonder if I'll get to read some more of Guinevere in the third book, I kinda miss more female protagonism in the trilogy.
Sorry for my English, for I am not native!!
Sorry for my English, for I am not native!!
August 6, 2008
If you are a fanatic about Arthurian legend, this might not be for you. Otherwise its an interesting look at the possible return of Arthur. I found parts of it to be incredibly funny, I look forward to the other two books in the series. NOTE: THIS IS NOT THE FIRST BOOK OF THE SERIES, I started in the middle.
December 20, 2011
I was prepared to not love this book as much as the first in the series, based upon the reviews that I read. I found that I have to respectfully disagree with those reviews. I loved this book - great characters, action packed, funny... definitely kept me up reading late into the night. I've already got book three out of the library.
March 11, 2016
What a disappointment. I gave up halfway through the book when I realized the story was so muddled and so badly told, it was a waste of my time to continue reading it. The discrepancies and plot holes are absolutely maddening, and it wanders so far from the Arthurian legend that I can't excuse them on that basis. If you loved the first book, leave it at that and don't bother with this one.
January 19, 2016
Book 2 in a 3 part series about a young boy who discovers he may be King Arthur while on the run for his life. Knights running wild in modern times they don't know how to deal with, trading in their horses for motorcycles... An excellent adventure series that was fun to read.
May 28, 2012
The Knights of the Round Table on motorbikes and trying to fight evil in the modern age? A bit of a stretch of the imagination, but really what else would they do? A logical progression from the assumptions made in The Forever King--and I did keep reading to see what happened.
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