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The Never King
by
The once-great democracies of the West are slowly crumbling. In Britain, there is talk of revolution as anti-government demonstrations are met with lethal force. Then in an obscure English country carnival, a young man pulls a sword out of a boulder and is hailed as Britain’s mythic savior, its Once and Future King.
Enter Peter Quince, a professor of theology whose special ...more
Enter Peter Quince, a professor of theology whose special ...more
Paperback, 319 pages
Published
January 8th 2013
by The Bedwyr Press
(first published January 4th 2013)
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Start your review of The Never King
Gwir yn erbyn byd.Welsh Bardic motto.
Truth against the world.
Dedication: With thanks to Doris Rodin and Hilary Metcalf Costa – Two superior mentors forty years apart
Preface opening: Bedwyr Abbey, County Powys, Wales, March 2037
At first it was just a dry spell, something that only farmers and weathermen talked about. But the dry spell became a drought and the drought became a disaster and, in less than a decade, Great Britain was surviving on glacier melt that was shipped in from Greenland.
Pe ...more
The Never King is an enjoyable, well-written novel. It kept me guessing the whole way through. With all of the interesting characters, especially the main character, it was a delightful read. Except for one section, the book was a real page turner. While this section provided necessary explanation, it is the only part that did not keep my full attention. I felt like it slowed the pace for the rest of the book. Other than that, this book was incredibly exciting. Overall, I really enjoyed The Neve
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I found this book while doing one of my numerous searches for Arthurian novels and I must say it was one of the more unusual takes on the Arthurian legend I have read. Many of the basic elements are there but then the author mixes in a bit of dystopian element along with a trace of intrigue and bakes an Arthur Cake that is quite tasty. Without giving too much away, the book examines the possibility that Arthur was never a king in the traditional sense of the word. I won't say anything more excep
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It took a few dozen pages to become engrossed, but it was hard to put down once I was. I found the story interesting and compelling and the characters relatable.
Why isn’t it four stars?
1: the story was a bit choppy, which is to say that some scenes that could’ve been extended were short and unsatisfying and sometimes the exposition could’ve been done without as much dialogue.
2: while the characters were relatable, they weren’t as in-depth as they could’ve been; outside the protagonist, most of t ...more
Why isn’t it four stars?
1: the story was a bit choppy, which is to say that some scenes that could’ve been extended were short and unsatisfying and sometimes the exposition could’ve been done without as much dialogue.
2: while the characters were relatable, they weren’t as in-depth as they could’ve been; outside the protagonist, most of t ...more
Disclosure: I received this book in a give-away on GoodReads.com
> While this book is not one that I would have picked up in a library or purchased in a bookstore, I was not disappointed in the attraction that it held for me... I read it in one day!
> As a current-day take on some of the Arthurian legend, and a bit of political intrigue, there were several points of both 'wow, neat' and 'what, really?'
> Legend, religion, politics, and string-theory physics... what more can one ask for?
> I just mig ...more
> While this book is not one that I would have picked up in a library or purchased in a bookstore, I was not disappointed in the attraction that it held for me... I read it in one day!
> As a current-day take on some of the Arthurian legend, and a bit of political intrigue, there were several points of both 'wow, neat' and 'what, really?'
> Legend, religion, politics, and string-theory physics... what more can one ask for?
> I just mig ...more
This fantasy/mystery novel blends Celtic mythology, political intrigue, psychological uncertainty, and adventure. One of the really interesting things here is that the novel more or less begins with the ostensible conspiracy theory that Arthur--the Once and Future King--has been appropriated by neo-fascists who want to use him (that is, the reincarnation of the actual Arthur of legend) to overthrow the British government in the name of some kind of imagined pre-Saxon Utopia (which is an interest
...more
I started to write out a huge book report style review but changed my mind. Lets just suffice to say if you can get through the first 100 or so pages without being completely annoyed by every single character then you will probably get all the way through this book and may well enjoy it. But if you're like me and cam only take so much hedging and being cryptic from everyone then save yourself the trouble and skip to like pg. 200 and have character after character spend 15-20 pages explaining the
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Im still alittle confused about this book, but i did like it.
Filled with Celtic myths, fairies, Kings, murder, and romance, The Never King is a romp threw another world that surrounds us and can only be seen by those that truly believe.
Right from the first page, you are thrust into an adventure and mystery that spans ages.
With lovable, and some hate-able, characters, a great plot, and location descriptions that put you right in the heart of England, this is a great read for fans of fantasy, mys ...more
Filled with Celtic myths, fairies, Kings, murder, and romance, The Never King is a romp threw another world that surrounds us and can only be seen by those that truly believe.
Right from the first page, you are thrust into an adventure and mystery that spans ages.
With lovable, and some hate-able, characters, a great plot, and location descriptions that put you right in the heart of England, this is a great read for fans of fantasy, mys ...more
I won a copy of this via the Goodreads Giveaways page and was quite taken in by the synoposis. I was not disappointed, this is a really fun little book with great character development and with particular attention paid to celtic mythology and legend. It's not so much a story about the conventional King Arthur either, nor does it have too much to do with that story itself but more a personal quest of discovery and spirituality. I really enjoyed it and Thistle is amazing. I can't wait to read mor
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Promising Start -Hopeless Development
Such a shame. The author obviously has writing skills. The beginning is well written and offers the possibility of a interesting fantasy/political drama.
Step by step in spirals downward to a point where fantasy turns in to rambling fairy tale and towards the middle in to the ramblings of naive political propaganda.
I know nothing of the author but if I was told a 12 year old had decided the plot and had a teacher with anarchist leanings ghost write it I'd beli ...more
Such a shame. The author obviously has writing skills. The beginning is well written and offers the possibility of a interesting fantasy/political drama.
Step by step in spirals downward to a point where fantasy turns in to rambling fairy tale and towards the middle in to the ramblings of naive political propaganda.
I know nothing of the author but if I was told a 12 year old had decided the plot and had a teacher with anarchist leanings ghost write it I'd beli ...more
The Never King revolves around the legend of King Arthur, but handles it in a most unusual way. It is in fact a rather strange book. I am not quite sure how to properly explain what it is about whitout revealing too much.
The best part of this book for me was actually the language. It is very seldom that I find myself saying this these days, but this book was written in such a light and quirky style that the pages just flew past my eyes. Up until I was about 70% through. From there things went a ...more
The best part of this book for me was actually the language. It is very seldom that I find myself saying this these days, but this book was written in such a light and quirky style that the pages just flew past my eyes. Up until I was about 70% through. From there things went a ...more
My familiarity with the legend of King Arthur is lacking compared to most. OK, let's be honest, I've only read parts of The Once and Future King, seen The Sword in the Stone, but have Monty Python and the Holy Grail practically memorized. Hardly the background to delve into some alternate tellings of the legend, but enough to know the character and story to get me through. That can be seen as a downside because I have no authoritative basis of comparison for this story, or a good thing for te sa
...more
The Never King is a story revolving around the legend of King Arthor. Whether you are familiar with the stories or not, you shouldn't have a problem reading this book. I considered the novel to have a more mystery solving theme than adventure, but it did have both.
Characters:
The story is written in first person following an American professor, Peter. At times the book is written as though Peter is directly speaking to the reader, rather than just telling his story; this only happens a handful of ...more
Characters:
The story is written in first person following an American professor, Peter. At times the book is written as though Peter is directly speaking to the reader, rather than just telling his story; this only happens a handful of ...more
If you're looking for something refreshingly different, The Never King certainly fits the bill. As others have mentioned, it's a bit hard to sum up exactly what kind of novel The Never King is. One could say it's a suspenseful mystery/fantasy novel. Certainly, it is heavily influenced by the Arthurian Legend as well as paganism (and more specifically Celtic folklore), but these influences aren't necessarily the focus for the reader. In fact, one of the key (and unique) strengths of this novel is
...more
4.75 stars
This is a very unique novel.
Using a composition of spy themes, fantasy, Arthurian genre, and to be honest probably a multitude of others - the author expertly breathes life into this story and the characters. It was intriguing, intricate and I did not know what to expect next while reading it. You don't get lost, even though so much is going on and situations will just pop into a scene, but it's like a potato chip - you can never just have one. You have to keep reading just to see wha ...more
This is a very unique novel.
Using a composition of spy themes, fantasy, Arthurian genre, and to be honest probably a multitude of others - the author expertly breathes life into this story and the characters. It was intriguing, intricate and I did not know what to expect next while reading it. You don't get lost, even though so much is going on and situations will just pop into a scene, but it's like a potato chip - you can never just have one. You have to keep reading just to see wha ...more
An interesting premise, Mr. Tyson has set the story in a land of my dreams. I have always wanted to go to some of these places and hope I can some day. At its heart it is an adventure story which brings folklore to the present. I do like tales of Arthur and it was interesting to see how the story would unfold. The climbing of the mountain so to speak was fun, it was on the descent where it tailed off a bit. Like many stories with an interesting premise, the initial part of the story proves to be
...more
What a nice surprise this book is! I wasn't sure what to make of this book initially since I was expecting a bit of an Arthurian "redux" but this book was not anything like it. I enjoyed the writing, character development, action and mystery this novel invoked. A very unique story that takes place in the near future where our global social, political and planetary environment is at its 'tipping point' and how a mere historian encounters change in all aspects. If you are hoping for a retelling of
...more
What an unexpected surprise! Fantasy is not normally my thing but a friend suggested I read this based on my love for suspense and modern Arthurian fiction and I was not disappointed. The author deftly walks a line between complete fantasy and the possibility that the "other world" of the Fairy Faith of Arthurian lore exists and is alive and well and helping humanity behind the scenes. The positive note the book ends on almost makes you hope it's true. I loved the historical detail and the descr
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I really enjoyed this book. The concept was really fun and interesting. However, at times I felt the book was a little disjointed. I also felt that the last several chapters were tacked on to try to tie up loose ends and explain what had happened in the actual story. I thought this material could have been tied into the rest of the story better to make the book more cohesive. Even with the criticisms I have of the book, I would read it again.
I received this book for free through Goodreads First ...more
I received this book for free through Goodreads First ...more
I won this book as a Goodreads.com first reads giveaway. I must say another truely wonderful read as most all of the books I've recieved from goodreads giveaways. This was definately an original twist to a well known legend. A must read book I will be recommending to friends and family. Thank you sincerly Mr. George Tyson for the opportunity to be one of the first to read and review this enthralling tale.
In The Never King, set in a future where the world is crumbling, Arthur reappears to pull a sword from a stone. A professor of Celtic mythology is drawn into a web of mystery and intrigue as he seeks to solve the mystery of Arthur. But it is also a personal quest for him, as he must choose happiness and finally accept the Otherworld as real or choose to deny the existence of even the woman he loves. The Never King is an enchanting read; just what a story on Arthurian legend should be.
A truly fun and unique book that was not conventional in any of its
multiple themes and influences.The charecters were wll made and they had great character development and with particular attention paid to celtic mythology and legend. It was a actually nice story of a one persons personal journey. Good suprise read.
multiple themes and influences.The charecters were wll made and they had great character development and with particular attention paid to celtic mythology and legend. It was a actually nice story of a one persons personal journey. Good suprise read.
At 10%, I had an inkling that I wouldn't like this book; at 18% I was sure. Not well written at all.
What an interesting book. I liked all of the people in this book. I can not wait until the next book comes out. Would love to see how this will turn out.
In grinning, leaping homage to the tales of knights of yesteryear & brought up to date right into the counterculture period with modern psychological undertones. I DO recommend this book.
...more
it wasn't what I went in expecting but it was good
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George Tyson was born 65 years ago in a Washington, D.C. hospital that has since been demolished. It gives him a weird feeling that he can’t see where he was born.
He became interested in writing in 12th grade when his English teacher, Ms. Doris Rodin, worked hard to clean up his writing style which had previously been ponderous and choking on adverbs and adjectives. In fact, his initial career pla ...more
He became interested in writing in 12th grade when his English teacher, Ms. Doris Rodin, worked hard to clean up his writing style which had previously been ponderous and choking on adverbs and adjectives. In fact, his initial career pla ...more
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