Synopsis: The legends of King Arthur have been a rich source of inspiration for authors writing for children and adults alike. Retellings for younger readers have included some of the best known authors in the field. Michael Morpurgo and Kevin Crossley-Holland spring to mind as recent examples. Indeed, one might feel rather intimidated to write another version after the brilliance of Crossley-Holland's The Seeing Stone trilogy.

However, Philip Reeve, author of the highly successful Mortal Engines sequence has taken up the challenge and succeeded in not only taking a highly original slant on the stories but also writing an intriguing and readable book which kept me avidly turning the pages right until the end. Essentially Reeve ponders the question;'Was Arthur really the greatest hero of all time or did he just have the best spin doctor history has ever known?'

The story is narrated through the eyes of Gwynna, a young girl who falls under the protection of Myrddin right at the start. Myrddin ( the Merlin figure here) is not a magician but a visionary and adept spinner of tales. Not any old tales, though, but ones that are designed to achieve his vision of a united Britain with Arthur as its King; the one person who he sees as capable of bringing together the disparate peoples into one nation. Gwynna watches, takes part in Myddin schemes, many of which become the basis of the subsequent legends, and learns from her observations. However the origins of the legends, as Reeve tells them, are much more prosaic than we might have imagined. Arthur, in particular, comes over as rather less the heroic figure we are all familiar with, than a small time war lord more concerned about immediate gratification than any more noble, long term goals. It is the handling of the origins of the different strands of the Arthurian legends and how Myrddin originates,elaborates and interprets them that the pleasure of the book centres. Philip Reeve is a skilled story teller, keeping the relationship between Gwynna and Myddin at the centre of the novel while spinning the action around them to great effect. The book certainly had this reader enthralled, entertained and engaged!

Highly reccommended for all ages, but particularly independent readers from 10 to 14 tears. I would only add a single caveat ; a knowledge of the tradtional tellings of the tales would heighten the appreciation of Here Lies Arthur.

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Winner of the 2008 Carnegie Medal

IBBY Honour Book

2007-02-12