What do you think?
Rate this book
The Silurian #1
The Fox and the Bear
Hundreds of years ago in a land ravaged by fierce clans, where only the strongest survive...a Legend of the People was born. From the historic tales of King Arthur comes a raw, riveting and passionate series of novels by author L.A. Wilson, who breathes fresh new life into this spell-binding story.
Told in first-person by Bedwyr...the person closest to Arthur's heart...this story is an amazing journey into the past, where social order was kept by the sword, loyalty and the desire to be free. Free to survive, free to live, and free to love without restraint. Through Wilson's powerful story-telling...a whole dramatic world of love, hatred, war, betrayal and loss is created and viewed through the exotic and passionate eyes of ‘The Fox.'
From the first book 'The Silurian: The Fox and the Bear," to the tenth installment, "Last Man to Avalon," this work is destined to become a literary classic, defining a new age of reading and establishing a new genre.
Told in first-person by Bedwyr...the person closest to Arthur's heart...this story is an amazing journey into the past, where social order was kept by the sword, loyalty and the desire to be free. Free to survive, free to live, and free to love without restraint. Through Wilson's powerful story-telling...a whole dramatic world of love, hatred, war, betrayal and loss is created and viewed through the exotic and passionate eyes of ‘The Fox.'
From the first book 'The Silurian: The Fox and the Bear," to the tenth installment, "Last Man to Avalon," this work is destined to become a literary classic, defining a new age of reading and establishing a new genre.
284 pages, Paperback
First published November 15, 2008
24 people are currently reading
348 people want to read
About the author
L.A. Wilson
26 books22 followersUnique writer of Arthurian fiction; this is King Arthur like you have never read before, called The Silurian: the Silurian is Arthur, and this is his story told by his closest companion and foster-brother, Bedwyr, called The Fox.
There are ten books in the Silurian series, with book ten issue only as part one, The Wounded Bear. Part Two will follow in 2013.
Book One: The Fox and The Bear
Book Two: The King of Battles
Book Three: Arthur's Army
Book Four: Hunters and Killers
Book Five: Longhand, White-tooth and the Fox
Book Six: Bedwyr's Loss
Book Seven: The Blacksmith's Hammer
Book Eight: Facing the Bear
Book Nine: The Fox on the Water
Book Ten, Last Man to Avalon; Part ONE: The Wounded Bear
Book One of the series received an 'Honorary Mention' in the London Book Festival of 2007
My work has been describe as 'art', as intense and full of passion. The Silurian, a battleground of Saxon invasions and British survival, of loss and love and enduring resistance. Whatever The Silurian is, it is not in the mould of 'Lancelot loves Guinevere'; but in the true mould of Dark Age warriors, who fight for their lord in war-host to the very ends of the endurance, with Arthur at their head. This is not the romance of Merlin, Tristan, Lancelot, or the 'knights of the round table': this is real life in the raw,told in a unique first person narrative, in the unique style of Bedwyr, the Fox...
There are ten books in the Silurian series, with book ten issue only as part one, The Wounded Bear. Part Two will follow in 2013.
Book One: The Fox and The Bear
Book Two: The King of Battles
Book Three: Arthur's Army
Book Four: Hunters and Killers
Book Five: Longhand, White-tooth and the Fox
Book Six: Bedwyr's Loss
Book Seven: The Blacksmith's Hammer
Book Eight: Facing the Bear
Book Nine: The Fox on the Water
Book Ten, Last Man to Avalon; Part ONE: The Wounded Bear
Book One of the series received an 'Honorary Mention' in the London Book Festival of 2007
My work has been describe as 'art', as intense and full of passion. The Silurian, a battleground of Saxon invasions and British survival, of loss and love and enduring resistance. Whatever The Silurian is, it is not in the mould of 'Lancelot loves Guinevere'; but in the true mould of Dark Age warriors, who fight for their lord in war-host to the very ends of the endurance, with Arthur at their head. This is not the romance of Merlin, Tristan, Lancelot, or the 'knights of the round table': this is real life in the raw,told in a unique first person narrative, in the unique style of Bedwyr, the Fox...
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
June 11, 2010
There are some books where you read them and you feel unsettled because you don’t know the era and the history and the author doesn’t make you feel safe – but I have to say that L A Wilson didn’t engender this fear with me. It was clear from the first few pages that the author knew this period damn well, and if anything was wrong then I didn’t get the feeling, and I didn’t get the itch to rush onto the internet and check facts like I sometimes do with eras I don’t know.
The facts seem to be similar to Geoffrey Monmouth’s history of Britain with some changes (such as Uthyr being brother to Lot, and not Ambrosius) – but as I say, I’m not an expert on the Dark Ages, so it bothered me not a wit and I was just involved in the story being told.
Prince Bedwyr (not really a prince per se as we know it today, but the son of a tribal chieftain) is a complicated and likeable character. Deeply flawed and realistic, I was drawn to him immediately. He’s in love with Arthur; they’ve been raised together as foster-brothers due to Arthur’s father Uthyr having rejected him and they’ve both been placed in the army together. However, as much as he loves Arthur, he holds his love back, confused by the emotions that he feels. He hides his love under fraternal devotion and it’s heartbreaking to read, especially as Arthur, with typical teenage lust, fucks his way around Britain.
Both young men (and the Mordred character, Medraut) have father issues which range from pride to incest, and much of this first book is concerned with Arthur’s rise through the ranks and subsequently taking control of the armies of Britain. There are a lot of political machinations, as you would expect, but they are never dull and over-involved. Wilson manages this by narrating from a viewpoint other than Arthur’s – so we are there to listen to Arthur for all his hopes and fears, rather than being involved in the plots and policto-manouvering. This works well and keeps the action moving along nicely.
As a fan of bad boys, I was charmed and delighted by Medraut, who is written as a most engaging character. He’s blond, extremely handsome and personable and is charismatic where Bedwyr is difficult for people to get to know or understand. As the book progresses though, we see that Medraut – whilst also being in love with Arthur, but for different reasons than most other people – has a dark side and his idea of loyalty is skewed and wrong. He’s pretty frank about his homosexuality in a time when Christianity was leeching across Britain and subverting the tradition of male-love, and whilst he’s not reviled for it, it doesn’t make him popular either. If I have any gripe about Medraut, it’s that I objected to more open homosexual of the saga to be the official baddie, and sado-masochistic to boot.
Understandably, in a saga this large, many characters are introduced in short order but they are well drawn, and unlike some multi-character plots it’s easy to keep track of who is who. That being said, perhaps a glossary would have been useful, in light of what I’m about to say next.
What the book really lacked though – was a map. I like maps, even in my fantasy reading – and because this is writing entirely using original names of tribes and towns (the only one I recognised was Londinium) and because there is so much travelling described from one end of Britain to the other, I felt a map was essential. Perhaps it’s something that the author can address in further printings.
i DID enjoy it, but I had to make myself continue to read it, I’m afraid. For my money the major drawback with this book was the fact that it needed a severe edit with a ruthless red pen, as the mistakes are legion and someone with less patience (or not possessing the punctuation blindness as I appear to have) would have given up fairly early on. Semi colons are used instead of many commas or full stops. They proliferate like bunnies as the book progresses and some of the many many typos are inexcusable. This is a real shame because if this book had been clean and well edited, I see no reason why any historical publisher wouldn’t have picked it up, as it smacks of the period and is a darned good story.
I have the remaining two books of the trilogy and will certainly give them a read. If you can excuse the editing, then I do recommend this book – particularly for those with an interest in the Dark Ages – but I can’t rate it higher in terms of stars, I’m afraid, as the editing really pulls it down.
The facts seem to be similar to Geoffrey Monmouth’s history of Britain with some changes (such as Uthyr being brother to Lot, and not Ambrosius) – but as I say, I’m not an expert on the Dark Ages, so it bothered me not a wit and I was just involved in the story being told.
Prince Bedwyr (not really a prince per se as we know it today, but the son of a tribal chieftain) is a complicated and likeable character. Deeply flawed and realistic, I was drawn to him immediately. He’s in love with Arthur; they’ve been raised together as foster-brothers due to Arthur’s father Uthyr having rejected him and they’ve both been placed in the army together. However, as much as he loves Arthur, he holds his love back, confused by the emotions that he feels. He hides his love under fraternal devotion and it’s heartbreaking to read, especially as Arthur, with typical teenage lust, fucks his way around Britain.
Both young men (and the Mordred character, Medraut) have father issues which range from pride to incest, and much of this first book is concerned with Arthur’s rise through the ranks and subsequently taking control of the armies of Britain. There are a lot of political machinations, as you would expect, but they are never dull and over-involved. Wilson manages this by narrating from a viewpoint other than Arthur’s – so we are there to listen to Arthur for all his hopes and fears, rather than being involved in the plots and policto-manouvering. This works well and keeps the action moving along nicely.
As a fan of bad boys, I was charmed and delighted by Medraut, who is written as a most engaging character. He’s blond, extremely handsome and personable and is charismatic where Bedwyr is difficult for people to get to know or understand. As the book progresses though, we see that Medraut – whilst also being in love with Arthur, but for different reasons than most other people – has a dark side and his idea of loyalty is skewed and wrong. He’s pretty frank about his homosexuality in a time when Christianity was leeching across Britain and subverting the tradition of male-love, and whilst he’s not reviled for it, it doesn’t make him popular either. If I have any gripe about Medraut, it’s that I objected to more open homosexual of the saga to be the official baddie, and sado-masochistic to boot.
Understandably, in a saga this large, many characters are introduced in short order but they are well drawn, and unlike some multi-character plots it’s easy to keep track of who is who. That being said, perhaps a glossary would have been useful, in light of what I’m about to say next.
What the book really lacked though – was a map. I like maps, even in my fantasy reading – and because this is writing entirely using original names of tribes and towns (the only one I recognised was Londinium) and because there is so much travelling described from one end of Britain to the other, I felt a map was essential. Perhaps it’s something that the author can address in further printings.
i DID enjoy it, but I had to make myself continue to read it, I’m afraid. For my money the major drawback with this book was the fact that it needed a severe edit with a ruthless red pen, as the mistakes are legion and someone with less patience (or not possessing the punctuation blindness as I appear to have) would have given up fairly early on. Semi colons are used instead of many commas or full stops. They proliferate like bunnies as the book progresses and some of the many many typos are inexcusable. This is a real shame because if this book had been clean and well edited, I see no reason why any historical publisher wouldn’t have picked it up, as it smacks of the period and is a darned good story.
I have the remaining two books of the trilogy and will certainly give them a read. If you can excuse the editing, then I do recommend this book – particularly for those with an interest in the Dark Ages – but I can’t rate it higher in terms of stars, I’m afraid, as the editing really pulls it down.
August 1, 2011
I love gritty retellings of the Arthurian legend and for the mosst part, this one does not disappoint. The Fox and The Bear is told from the point of view of Bedwyr (better known Bedivere), a prince of the Goddodin. He is the friend, foster-brother shield-brother and companion to Arthur.
This is a dark story, filled with blood, lust, companioship and homoerotic love. There's nothing sanitized here--Dark Age Britain is cruel, cold and brutal as were the lives of many of the people who lived back then. War abounds as does betrayal. One takes their pleasures when they can, and Arthur (as a randy young man) couples at will, all the while plotting to become Supreme Commander of Britain. The characters--Arthur (the Silurian, also called the Bear), Bedwyr (the Fox), Medraut (the Snake) and Uthyr--are all complex men. Heroic at times, self-centered at others. It was especially hard to read about how Uthyr abused his own son then repudiated him publicly.
Bedwyr spins his yarn like a bard. He loves Arthur and yet cannot reveal his feelings, but he spends most of the book declaring himself and putting himself at great risk to remain at his side. I have to admit a certain fondness for the troubled Medraut, son of Lot. His love for Arthur knows no bounds--literally--and he will do for his friend and Supreme Commander what he knows Arthur cannot bring himself to do. Medraut makes no secret of his preference for men, nor of his taste for receiving pain. One gets the sense that he's supposedly the villian, and perhaps that may happen, but his life and his loyalty unto death to Arthur make him very sympathetic.
The battle scenes are so well-crafted I could see them playing out in my mind. I kept hearing the Carmina Burana as I envisioned hundreds of mounted warriors riding into battle, the red dragon banner flying overhead. Wilson does not skip the details and each encounter with the enemy--be they the Saxons or the Picts--left me holding my breath, wondering who would be wounded or lose their lives on the battlefield. Even secondary characters are given lives and personalities of their own, making them as real as the main protagonists.
The place names for cities in this era are called by their Roman names, which if one is not familiar with Arthurian legends, will make one wonder just where the hell they are. Never fear, Wilson includes a glossary at the end of the book that fills in the gaps.
What kept this from five stars were the instances of jarring modern language moments where the characters sounded more like contemporary young adults rather than figures from Dark Age Britain. Be that as it may, I will be reading the sequels. Wilson paints a vivid portrait of a time that happened and a legend from the distant past in a voice that is hard to forget.
This is a dark story, filled with blood, lust, companioship and homoerotic love. There's nothing sanitized here--Dark Age Britain is cruel, cold and brutal as were the lives of many of the people who lived back then. War abounds as does betrayal. One takes their pleasures when they can, and Arthur (as a randy young man) couples at will, all the while plotting to become Supreme Commander of Britain. The characters--Arthur (the Silurian, also called the Bear), Bedwyr (the Fox), Medraut (the Snake) and Uthyr--are all complex men. Heroic at times, self-centered at others. It was especially hard to read about how Uthyr abused his own son then repudiated him publicly.
Bedwyr spins his yarn like a bard. He loves Arthur and yet cannot reveal his feelings, but he spends most of the book declaring himself and putting himself at great risk to remain at his side. I have to admit a certain fondness for the troubled Medraut, son of Lot. His love for Arthur knows no bounds--literally--and he will do for his friend and Supreme Commander what he knows Arthur cannot bring himself to do. Medraut makes no secret of his preference for men, nor of his taste for receiving pain. One gets the sense that he's supposedly the villian, and perhaps that may happen, but his life and his loyalty unto death to Arthur make him very sympathetic.
The battle scenes are so well-crafted I could see them playing out in my mind. I kept hearing the Carmina Burana as I envisioned hundreds of mounted warriors riding into battle, the red dragon banner flying overhead. Wilson does not skip the details and each encounter with the enemy--be they the Saxons or the Picts--left me holding my breath, wondering who would be wounded or lose their lives on the battlefield. Even secondary characters are given lives and personalities of their own, making them as real as the main protagonists.
The place names for cities in this era are called by their Roman names, which if one is not familiar with Arthurian legends, will make one wonder just where the hell they are. Never fear, Wilson includes a glossary at the end of the book that fills in the gaps.
What kept this from five stars were the instances of jarring modern language moments where the characters sounded more like contemporary young adults rather than figures from Dark Age Britain. Be that as it may, I will be reading the sequels. Wilson paints a vivid portrait of a time that happened and a legend from the distant past in a voice that is hard to forget.
December 1, 2011
IMO, this is one of the best m/m romance out there. Very much underrated. The love story between Bedwyr (a.k.a. Bedivere, one of the Round Table Knights) and Arthur is done beautifully. It's not lust. It's not even love between men. It's about love between soul mate in the best meaning of the term, which transcend gender.
This is the first book of the series, which I think will end with the 10th book. As this is a story about King Arthur, we can guess how it ends.
This is romance book, so while you'll find steamy scenes, they're not on the forefront of the book. Note that this series contain M/F scenes, since Bedwyr is bisexual. Arthur? You need to read it yourself, since it's complicated.
The first book starts when they are still teenagers. Each subsequent book follows their lives, with now and then flashbacks or background stories from the time when they met each other, at about seven years old, were given.
Now, if you look at my screen name, you can see how I feel about this book.
This is the first book of the series, which I think will end with the 10th book. As this is a story about King Arthur, we can guess how it ends.
This is romance book, so while you'll find steamy scenes, they're not on the forefront of the book. Note that this series contain M/F scenes, since Bedwyr is bisexual. Arthur? You need to read it yourself, since it's complicated.
The first book starts when they are still teenagers. Each subsequent book follows their lives, with now and then flashbacks or background stories from the time when they met each other, at about seven years old, were given.
Now, if you look at my screen name, you can see how I feel about this book.
December 5, 2013
This is a book I recommend highly, based on my own personal tastes and reading experiences. I enjoyed this book a lot, and was surprised by its historical accuracy, and its originality. I was dragged along so very slowly in the beginning, but after the first half, I began to fall in love with it.
There are a good bout of mistakes that I can pick out here and there, and the author occasionally slips into a more modern tongue. The characters are great, and they are multi-faceted. But sometimes, I find the actions or feelings of the characters hard to believe or relate to, but I give the benefit of doubt and assume that is how the times were.
I can't honestly say how much I liked the series, even though I had said so much about what was a little disappointing. In honesty, the books so far have been a great rollercoaster of emotion. The books are sometimes slow, but they pick up again quickly. You begin to feel for the characters, and grow attached. I feel for Arthur's troubled relationship with his father, and how Bedwyr cannot help but love Arthur. The battles are so very well-done, but not drawn out enough to bore.
There is a good dose of love and hate for each and every character, and that's great. LA Wilson shows her characters as true people, who are both noble and also very annoying sometimes. Normally, I wouldn't enjoy being annoyed by characters, but each time they redeem themselves.
Even supporting characters are appealing to the reader. Sometimes, they fall flat, especially the women. I commend LA Wilson for her deep insight into all the men's characters, but her women seem so shallow to me. I don't know if it is because Bedwyr, who narrates in first person, just doesn't understand women, or if Wilson just can't write them, but that is not too big of an issue.
It's a good series which I suggest highly if you don't mind a slower read and very little in the way of romance.
There are a good bout of mistakes that I can pick out here and there, and the author occasionally slips into a more modern tongue. The characters are great, and they are multi-faceted. But sometimes, I find the actions or feelings of the characters hard to believe or relate to, but I give the benefit of doubt and assume that is how the times were.
I can't honestly say how much I liked the series, even though I had said so much about what was a little disappointing. In honesty, the books so far have been a great rollercoaster of emotion. The books are sometimes slow, but they pick up again quickly. You begin to feel for the characters, and grow attached. I feel for Arthur's troubled relationship with his father, and how Bedwyr cannot help but love Arthur. The battles are so very well-done, but not drawn out enough to bore.
There is a good dose of love and hate for each and every character, and that's great. LA Wilson shows her characters as true people, who are both noble and also very annoying sometimes. Normally, I wouldn't enjoy being annoyed by characters, but each time they redeem themselves.
Even supporting characters are appealing to the reader. Sometimes, they fall flat, especially the women. I commend LA Wilson for her deep insight into all the men's characters, but her women seem so shallow to me. I don't know if it is because Bedwyr, who narrates in first person, just doesn't understand women, or if Wilson just can't write them, but that is not too big of an issue.
It's a good series which I suggest highly if you don't mind a slower read and very little in the way of romance.
November 8, 2014
Well, that was disappointing.
I really love the narrative in the beginning of the book, the way the writing style fit the period, the way Bedivere led his internal monologues about Arthur or Mordred.
Yet somewhere halfway through it seems the author got lazy, or just stopped caring about what kind of book it's going to be and instead filled it with dick and vagina jokes and badly written characters. All women, without exception, serve only to please the men, Mordred, also called a Snake and shown in a juxtaposition to Arthur so often, is built to be a traitor from the very beginning, Uther's actions don't make sense and serve only to add some tragic backtory to Arthur.
I'm surprised this book is listed as a m/m romance since there's more mentions of straight sex scenes than in the majority of m/f books and even though the reader sort of gets the feelings Bedivere has for Arthur, it sort of disappears under the pile of scenes with Bedivere being jealous of all the women Arthur gets.
(Also disappointing that the only canonically gay character in this book, Mordred, is misgonistic as fuck and actually not so kind towards men neither.)
I really love the narrative in the beginning of the book, the way the writing style fit the period, the way Bedivere led his internal monologues about Arthur or Mordred.
Yet somewhere halfway through it seems the author got lazy, or just stopped caring about what kind of book it's going to be and instead filled it with dick and vagina jokes and badly written characters. All women, without exception, serve only to please the men, Mordred, also called a Snake and shown in a juxtaposition to Arthur so often, is built to be a traitor from the very beginning, Uther's actions don't make sense and serve only to add some tragic backtory to Arthur.
I'm surprised this book is listed as a m/m romance since there's more mentions of straight sex scenes than in the majority of m/f books and even though the reader sort of gets the feelings Bedivere has for Arthur, it sort of disappears under the pile of scenes with Bedivere being jealous of all the women Arthur gets.
(Also disappointing that the only canonically gay character in this book, Mordred, is misgonistic as fuck and actually not so kind towards men neither.)
August 24, 2012
I am in the middle of an epic of all epics! The Silurian by L.A.Wison. It's a 9-book 900 pg per book HF based upon the beginning of King Arthur and during the Dark Ages of England's history.
It is AMAZING and Nook-inexpensive. History, armor, battles galore between the british and 1st century Saxons, Picts, etc. It has mild sexual/violent descriptions, but very beautiful descriptions of love; between Arthur and his wife, between his best friend "the sodomite" who narrates the entire thing and his feelings of love toward Arthur. Jokes about "poking" women, brief and very FEW mentions of rape, at a time where no doubt it was prevalent between warring factions. Battles are described but not in a gory way.
It truly is a beautifully written and captivating series. I'm starting on the 6th book and dreading the end of the series!
It is AMAZING and Nook-inexpensive. History, armor, battles galore between the british and 1st century Saxons, Picts, etc. It has mild sexual/violent descriptions, but very beautiful descriptions of love; between Arthur and his wife, between his best friend "the sodomite" who narrates the entire thing and his feelings of love toward Arthur. Jokes about "poking" women, brief and very FEW mentions of rape, at a time where no doubt it was prevalent between warring factions. Battles are described but not in a gory way.
It truly is a beautifully written and captivating series. I'm starting on the 6th book and dreading the end of the series!
August 3, 2013
A most unusual perspective on Arthur, told by his closest friend. This is not a traditional tale. Very intriguing, very engrossing. Neither Arthur nor his vaunted knights will be expecting sainthood from this telling. If Arthur really existed, this would likely be his biography. Can't wait to get the next book.
July 3, 2011
Pleasantly surprised with this series. Not usually a fan of the Knights of the Round Table type books, but, the writing is so eloquent and the story so fresh that it pulled me in completely. I can not wait to see if Fox ever lands his prince...
November 13, 2011
This version of King Arthurs emergence as a leader in Dark Age Britain is
compelling. The primitiveness and brutality are not hidden but not dwelled upon. The novel centers upon three young men, Arthur and his cousins who lead their armies to protect their lands from invaders.
compelling. The primitiveness and brutality are not hidden but not dwelled upon. The novel centers upon three young men, Arthur and his cousins who lead their armies to protect their lands from invaders.
July 16, 2011
It's a good start to the series; and at the price you pay over at Smashwords it's definitely worth it! I am going to start the second one today.
December 29, 2012
Takes a bit to get into but well worth it!
July 23, 2015
I think other people will review this book. I have finished the available books in the series and can barely remember what happened in book 1, as I went from one to the next until I was done, reading all of them in about 5 days. I'm fairly exhausted now.
So what do you need to know? Why did I give it 3 stars, when it obviously kept me engrossed enough to read the whole series? Honestly, I'm mentally incapable of tolerating a cliffhanger, and each book leaves you on one with the possible exception of the 10/1 book, the last book currently available- that book leaves you with a general idea of what will happen next, if not a curiosity of what he will do with certain characters. I have bought the sequels to some real garbage just to find out what happened next.
But this series was worth reading. I enjoyed it. What I wished I'd known, and may not have started the series because of, is that this series is depressing. That is why I gave it 3 stars. Some books spent chapters and chapters wallowing in despair. If you are an emotional reader who becomes totally involved with your characters, this series might feel very heavy.
Stop reading here if you have no clue about Arthur's traditional story or the history of Britain in this time. There will be spoilers ;) I will try not to provide spoilers for the actual books.
The series follows Bedwyr (Bedivere from the old tales, if you want to know who each character corresponds to, the wikipedia pages offer the welsh names) as Arthur's closest companion. It is told in first person from his perspective. Bedwyr is a warrior who feels deeply, and he encounters a lot of pain in these books. He is in love with his best friend Arthur, who cannot love him back in the way he wants. Arthur takes Bedwyr's complete love, and gives back bits and pieces. In turn, when Bedwyr loves, he does the same because his heart is Arthur's. If you are a romantic, there are not many happy endings here for you, it is a setup for a cycle of pain. 10 books of this and him being brokenhearted every time a promiscuous Arthur takes a new woman can be a bit much.
Bedwyr is bisexual in a society that the author has painted as being violently prejudiced against gay love. His romantic love is only for men, and yet he cannot love men safely. The author provided no real break to this, no gay society or normal gay relationships to make a reader think it is possible or that there is a safe place for a gay man, and Bedwyr is filled with self loathing and fear of discovery. He spends a lot of time trying to force himself to love women and hating himself for failing. It is sad.
The best authors of epic tragedy, I believe, provide the readers periods of lightness to counter the darkness, because really several thousand pages of dark is hard to read for some people (and tragedy what this is, right? We all know how it ends, with the fall of Britain to the Angles and Saxons, and then the Danes and the Normans, and no peace for centuries. The author never claims a surprise ending, even the characters know how it ends).
The author uses many of the old myths in interesting ways, not as guides to the storyline but with the assumption that myths and legends and even the history of this time (called the Dark Ages because history went dark when the Romans left) are kind of like a game of telephone with 1500 years between start and finish. He alters relationships and events as he wishes. This isn't a rewriting of the Arthur story, it is his own interpretation is what might have really happened, with creative license to historical accuracy (there are a few anachronisms along the way,and he has moved people around a bit. That's fine, it's fiction). He doesn't include a lot of magic, although there is mystery and there are events that could be magic if you want them to be. If you want a more historically tight, completely non mystic version of Arthur, Bernard Cornwell's series is great (it uses the Arthur as a warlord rather than king hypothesis- there are so many theories on who and what Arthur really was).
Side note- I don't actually know if the author is male, but I suspect so based on the book. Most of the women in this book end up insane harpies at some point, and none of them have much to add.
The books are very unfriendly to the Church and its representatives. This is not a Christian Arthur story.
Writing wise, the author uses a lot of symbolism, but not a lot of visual description. It took like 6 books before I figured out that Bedwyr's hair is curly rather than straight. He uses long sentences, and sometimes they are pretty, but sometimes they fall apart a bit grammatically in the "Eats, Shoots, and Leaves" manner- some of them don't really say what they are meant to say, and if your eye stutters on grammatical errors like mine does, it will catch here and there. Spelling is fairly well edited, although there are a few typos and the author refuses to use possessive apostrophes with names.
This is not a Bedwyr/Arthur romantic love story. The author drops a lot of hints that a sexual relationship is possible, with Arthur kind of leading Bedwyr on as well as the reader. I won't spoil it and say whether it does or does not ever happen, but I will say that the unresolved sexual tension thing gets old after a while when the narrator is the bearer of the unrequited love and is constantly hurting because of it. Over the course, their love does build, but it is slow and agonizing and remember, sodomy is violently despised in this society.
So in the end, I wish there was a little less pain. I think I know where the author was going with it, but for the reader who falls in love with characters, it is difficult to bear. You know, maybe a few subplots that don't end tragically, or something. A period of bliss for the narrator that lasts more than a few pages. Something like that. We all know already that everyone dies at the end (that's the story of Arthur, his rise and fall, and over 10 books you expect to follow the narrator to death rather than a happily ever after, although that's one of the things I'm still waiting to find out, as Bedivere's myth has him surviving the final battle and retiring to a monestary. I don't expect Bedwyr will retire to a monastery, but beyond that, who knows what the author will do with him?).
I think the strength of this book is in the detailed battle scenes. These are not really my thing, but I didn't find them as dry and boring as they turn out in some historical war books. The author doesn't really understand horses, though, and so some of the writing about riding and using horses was off the mark. For his next historical war series, he should read Xenophon's "Art of Horsemanship" to know how war horses were trained and ridden).
Hopefully I didn't give away too much. Just a hint of what the next several thousand pages have in store, if you're going to set off on this series. If you aren't a romantic and are into war stories and don't mind gay love, you're going to love it. If you are emotional and romantic, you'll cry a lot. If you don't like gay people, you'll hate it.
So what do you need to know? Why did I give it 3 stars, when it obviously kept me engrossed enough to read the whole series? Honestly, I'm mentally incapable of tolerating a cliffhanger, and each book leaves you on one with the possible exception of the 10/1 book, the last book currently available- that book leaves you with a general idea of what will happen next, if not a curiosity of what he will do with certain characters. I have bought the sequels to some real garbage just to find out what happened next.
But this series was worth reading. I enjoyed it. What I wished I'd known, and may not have started the series because of, is that this series is depressing. That is why I gave it 3 stars. Some books spent chapters and chapters wallowing in despair. If you are an emotional reader who becomes totally involved with your characters, this series might feel very heavy.
Stop reading here if you have no clue about Arthur's traditional story or the history of Britain in this time. There will be spoilers ;) I will try not to provide spoilers for the actual books.
The series follows Bedwyr (Bedivere from the old tales, if you want to know who each character corresponds to, the wikipedia pages offer the welsh names) as Arthur's closest companion. It is told in first person from his perspective. Bedwyr is a warrior who feels deeply, and he encounters a lot of pain in these books. He is in love with his best friend Arthur, who cannot love him back in the way he wants. Arthur takes Bedwyr's complete love, and gives back bits and pieces. In turn, when Bedwyr loves, he does the same because his heart is Arthur's. If you are a romantic, there are not many happy endings here for you, it is a setup for a cycle of pain. 10 books of this and him being brokenhearted every time a promiscuous Arthur takes a new woman can be a bit much.
Bedwyr is bisexual in a society that the author has painted as being violently prejudiced against gay love. His romantic love is only for men, and yet he cannot love men safely. The author provided no real break to this, no gay society or normal gay relationships to make a reader think it is possible or that there is a safe place for a gay man, and Bedwyr is filled with self loathing and fear of discovery. He spends a lot of time trying to force himself to love women and hating himself for failing. It is sad.
The best authors of epic tragedy, I believe, provide the readers periods of lightness to counter the darkness, because really several thousand pages of dark is hard to read for some people (and tragedy what this is, right? We all know how it ends, with the fall of Britain to the Angles and Saxons, and then the Danes and the Normans, and no peace for centuries. The author never claims a surprise ending, even the characters know how it ends).
The author uses many of the old myths in interesting ways, not as guides to the storyline but with the assumption that myths and legends and even the history of this time (called the Dark Ages because history went dark when the Romans left) are kind of like a game of telephone with 1500 years between start and finish. He alters relationships and events as he wishes. This isn't a rewriting of the Arthur story, it is his own interpretation is what might have really happened, with creative license to historical accuracy (there are a few anachronisms along the way,and he has moved people around a bit. That's fine, it's fiction). He doesn't include a lot of magic, although there is mystery and there are events that could be magic if you want them to be. If you want a more historically tight, completely non mystic version of Arthur, Bernard Cornwell's series is great (it uses the Arthur as a warlord rather than king hypothesis- there are so many theories on who and what Arthur really was).
Side note- I don't actually know if the author is male, but I suspect so based on the book. Most of the women in this book end up insane harpies at some point, and none of them have much to add.
The books are very unfriendly to the Church and its representatives. This is not a Christian Arthur story.
Writing wise, the author uses a lot of symbolism, but not a lot of visual description. It took like 6 books before I figured out that Bedwyr's hair is curly rather than straight. He uses long sentences, and sometimes they are pretty, but sometimes they fall apart a bit grammatically in the "Eats, Shoots, and Leaves" manner- some of them don't really say what they are meant to say, and if your eye stutters on grammatical errors like mine does, it will catch here and there. Spelling is fairly well edited, although there are a few typos and the author refuses to use possessive apostrophes with names.
This is not a Bedwyr/Arthur romantic love story. The author drops a lot of hints that a sexual relationship is possible, with Arthur kind of leading Bedwyr on as well as the reader. I won't spoil it and say whether it does or does not ever happen, but I will say that the unresolved sexual tension thing gets old after a while when the narrator is the bearer of the unrequited love and is constantly hurting because of it. Over the course, their love does build, but it is slow and agonizing and remember, sodomy is violently despised in this society.
So in the end, I wish there was a little less pain. I think I know where the author was going with it, but for the reader who falls in love with characters, it is difficult to bear. You know, maybe a few subplots that don't end tragically, or something. A period of bliss for the narrator that lasts more than a few pages. Something like that. We all know already that everyone dies at the end (that's the story of Arthur, his rise and fall, and over 10 books you expect to follow the narrator to death rather than a happily ever after, although that's one of the things I'm still waiting to find out, as Bedivere's myth has him surviving the final battle and retiring to a monestary. I don't expect Bedwyr will retire to a monastery, but beyond that, who knows what the author will do with him?).
I think the strength of this book is in the detailed battle scenes. These are not really my thing, but I didn't find them as dry and boring as they turn out in some historical war books. The author doesn't really understand horses, though, and so some of the writing about riding and using horses was off the mark. For his next historical war series, he should read Xenophon's "Art of Horsemanship" to know how war horses were trained and ridden).
Hopefully I didn't give away too much. Just a hint of what the next several thousand pages have in store, if you're going to set off on this series. If you aren't a romantic and are into war stories and don't mind gay love, you're going to love it. If you are emotional and romantic, you'll cry a lot. If you don't like gay people, you'll hate it.
December 12, 2019
Who knew there could be a new take on the Arthur story? While heavily male, I enjoyed this very much.
October 7, 2015
I may be biased because I had great expectations about this novel. I've read in reviews people calling it "one of the best arthurian adaptation" and having read many (MANY. I am kind of obsessed) arthurian novels I expected it to live to the role of "best arthurian adaptation". It clearly was not. So from now on I'll review this book simply as any else arthurian novel I've read (or gay romance novel I've read). I might also be biased because I had to read it on pc, as the paperback copy was very pricey, I bought the kindle copy without having a kindle and for me reading on computer is very tiring. I will probably try to read the next books when I'll buy a kindle.
I'll immediately say that I've read about 90 pages then I started to jump a little, reading very fast to see what was going on and after about 160 pages I went truly fast. I've read the end but I basically jumped to it from about page 190 or something.
From now on there will be spoilers.
I don't even know what else to write- I am just very disappointed and annoyed by this book.
I'll immediately say that I've read about 90 pages then I started to jump a little, reading very fast to see what was going on and after about 160 pages I went truly fast. I've read the end but I basically jumped to it from about page 190 or something.
From now on there will be spoilers.
I don't even know what else to write- I am just very disappointed and annoyed by this book.
August 30, 2011
Told in the first person point of view by Bedwyr, loyal companion to Arthur (whose meteoric rise at a young age to become King Arthur of Britain), this meticulously researched historical novel invites readers into the Dark Ages. Arthur of the Silures is portrayed as a charismatic leader of men and lover of women in Roman Britain at the beginning of its fall to the barbarians, including the Picts and the Germani. The exquisite characterization of Arthur and his men and the detailed scenes of battles and daily life make this epic saga hard to put down.
Not that this is an easy read. The language is dense, and if you aren't interested in worldbuilding details, it may be a hard slog. In the pre-chivalry world of these knights, men were coarse and brutal, and most treated women even worse than the enemies they faced in battle: there is no modernist revisionism here.
I would have liked to see the manuscript pruned, with less repetition of material (particularly battles and explicit sex scenes) and more forward movement in the character arcs, but other readers will undoubtedly love those parts. The author also could have been more careful to avoid mixed metaphors and flat dialogue in places. Still, these are minor issues when weighed against the driving action of the story.
(Disclaimer: I received a free evaluation copy of this book as a judge for the Global e-Book Awards)
Not that this is an easy read. The language is dense, and if you aren't interested in worldbuilding details, it may be a hard slog. In the pre-chivalry world of these knights, men were coarse and brutal, and most treated women even worse than the enemies they faced in battle: there is no modernist revisionism here.
I would have liked to see the manuscript pruned, with less repetition of material (particularly battles and explicit sex scenes) and more forward movement in the character arcs, but other readers will undoubtedly love those parts. The author also could have been more careful to avoid mixed metaphors and flat dialogue in places. Still, these are minor issues when weighed against the driving action of the story.
(Disclaimer: I received a free evaluation copy of this book as a judge for the Global e-Book Awards)
October 21, 2014
This series is incredibly intense. It's so well researched you can't even begin to imagine how the author found time to actually produce a novel, let alone a series. If you don't want to cry, sniffle, obsess and ball your eyes out over the work, you might want to give it a miss. I swear I had a puffy face for a good 18hrs afterwards and went through a whole box of tissues.
The battle scenes are awesome, and the romantic interest which offers more info in the second novel, is incredibly well done.
The main character is, in his own way introverted which makes the interactions with the other mains more understandable and a lot is answered in the next couple of novels.
If you don't want blood, gore, hearbreak, and explicit sex scenes, with some of the best full on M/M relationships I have ever read, then don't get stuck into this series. Good to see the author is a Sydney guy.
I had to go directly on to the next couple books in one go, until I was all emo'd out.
PS. contains M/M action
PS. I say if you're in Sydney and don't have gay friends there's something wrong with you. The truly mentally handicapped...
The battle scenes are awesome, and the romantic interest which offers more info in the second novel, is incredibly well done.
The main character is, in his own way introverted which makes the interactions with the other mains more understandable and a lot is answered in the next couple of novels.
If you don't want blood, gore, hearbreak, and explicit sex scenes, with some of the best full on M/M relationships I have ever read, then don't get stuck into this series. Good to see the author is a Sydney guy.
I had to go directly on to the next couple books in one go, until I was all emo'd out.
PS. contains M/M action
PS. I say if you're in Sydney and don't have gay friends there's something wrong with you. The truly mentally handicapped...
September 20, 2014
I suppose Wilson can write,and I believe he put some intense research into customs and places of the era of which he writes. If this is your kind of book, (gay erotica set in medieval times) you might be in for an adventure. I slugged my way through 47% of my free Kindle copy, and quietly removed the remaining six books from my "wish" list. I had the gist of it early on and kept reading, hoping for a storyline and a redemptive character or two. There was neither.
I didn't like the main character (the Fox/ Bedwyr), who whined incessantly. I didn't like the author's Arthur or Medraut/Mordred, the Snake, (who I gather, you're not supposed to like, but are to understand and somewhat sympathize with). The depiction of all women in the book was deplorable (We've come to expect that of Arthurian legends -- and rewrite them to suit ourselves).
I'll leave in-depth reviews to others who completed the thing, and I'll go reread Mary Stewart.
I didn't like the main character (the Fox/ Bedwyr), who whined incessantly. I didn't like the author's Arthur or Medraut/Mordred, the Snake, (who I gather, you're not supposed to like, but are to understand and somewhat sympathize with). The depiction of all women in the book was deplorable (We've come to expect that of Arthurian legends -- and rewrite them to suit ourselves).
I'll leave in-depth reviews to others who completed the thing, and I'll go reread Mary Stewart.
August 14, 2012
The rise of Arthur, after the departure of Rome from Britain told in a very personal way through the eyes of his lieutenant, prince Bedwyr. Bedwyr's love and dedication for Arthur and his growing power within Britain. Medraut shares a dedication for Arthur and a physical love which Arthur does not return but neither does he deny or dismiss the attentions of either of his closest compatriots.
A good story that takes the tales of Arthur in a different direction. I look forward to the next volume
.
A good story that takes the tales of Arthur in a different direction. I look forward to the next volume
.
August 6, 2013
As written before there is much written about Arthur but this was a different angle that I am pleased to read. I too wish for some render romance and love bit have not found it in the first two books. It seems to me that the Fox should find a true love sooner than later. I am weary of cocking women.
February 2, 2016
This was very interesting and it grabbed my interest from the first page.
I enjoyed this book from cover to cover. It had a very well thought out plot and showed that the author did extensive background research on that area he was writing about. I enjoy the personalities of the characters and the flow of the book.
I enjoyed this book from cover to cover. It had a very well thought out plot and showed that the author did extensive background research on that area he was writing about. I enjoy the personalities of the characters and the flow of the book.
March 8, 2015
This had some really great stuff but it felt too long and dragged out. I'm really not a battle scene person though, so if you are this might be a better fit for you.
June 15, 2015
2.5 stars
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews